Why I am destined for film

Happy Monday, people!

Spring break is just days away-- in fact, it begins after class on Thursday (for me, at least)!

I won't be traveling, but the break alone will be good regardless. I did have the opportunity to go to Universal, but that offer was for this week. It's a bummer that my spring break doesn't line up with my cousins' spring break! 

I've had a pretty good week since my last update. I attended a film festival, a dance competition, and wandered the city with some of my old high school friends (from my graduated class). There were many pictures, lots of laughter, and much more. I will talk about the film festival later in this post. 

Before I proceed, I would like to announce (for those who haven't heard) that my braces are finally gone! Back to eating pizza like a normal human being without cutting it up with a fork and knife! :-P 

The obligatory selfie, post-braces.

After a long night with Edith at a very disappointing dance competition, we went back to my dorm to watch a movie and eat popcorn. We stayed up until 2 and she headed back to her room afterward. We had to get up early in the morning to meet with our friend who attends UGA, who'd be arriving at 8:30 a.m. by bus. We initially planned to have breakfast together and then part ways, but it turned out to be an adventure around the city. 

Upon her arrival from the bus station to our local Marta station, we greeted our friend and began walking to Dunkin' Donuts. While on the way there, a couple with their young daughter stopped us to ask if we could direct them to the aquarium. We agreed to walk them part of the way there, so we passed by the Westin and went all the way to Centennial Park, where the aquarium can be seen. They thanked us and went on their way, and we went back toward campus. When we got to Dunkin Donuts, I picked up an Oreo Mint Creme Donut. One word... delicious. 

A Coca-Cola painting next to the Tabernacle
More photos from my walk around the city can be
found on my Instagram here.

It's a shame I left my DSLR back at my dorm, because I could have captured many neat shots. Instead I relied on my phone to take photos. 

We decided to walk all the way to the Hilton Hotel to ride the elevator. I had attempted it before, but realized you cannot access the very top without a hotel card. We instead only went about halfway up the elevator, but got a great view of the city from it. Next time, we'll have to go to the top of the Westin together (something I've already done). I filmed a little bit of my view from the elevator. You can view it here. 

Later, we walked back to my dorm to cook a late breakfast before venturing out again. We made pancakes and bacon and lounged around a bit, waiting for the temperature to warm up outside...

...and boy did it get warm! 

We want all the way to 5 Points to shop, and while we were by the Marta station, we saw a cute pair singing and playing guitar in front of the station. To view a clip of the two singing "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" by Paramore, click here. They were a very talented pair. A man walked by and handed them what looked like a can of soup and canned tuna, to which they responded, "oh sir, we don't need this, we do this from the heart!" as they tried to pass it back to the man. It was hard to make out what the man said back, but something to the effect of "you may need it in the long run." 

After shopping at Rainbow for what seemed like forever, we walked to Underground Atlanta to explore some shops and booths. I discovered a chocolate shop in Underground and was pretty excited about it. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations, as it doesn't compare to The Chocolate Fetish in Asheville, NC, nor did it compare to Kilwin's in Black Mountain, NC...but hey, it was chocolate. 

We decided to wrap up our time together by going to Johnny Rockets. Edith and Neeharika shared a Coke float, while I enjoyed a Cookies n' Creme milkshake. I love the atmosphere at Johnny Rockets, because they play strictly oldies in the background. I swear, I was born in the wrong decade! I was singing along to the music while my friends just sat there, clueless as to who Sonny and Cher were. Needless to say, I know where I want to spend my 19th birthday this year. :-)

On Thursday evening, I attended a film festival hosted by Campus Movie Fest. I'd heard about it just a little too late, so unfortunately I did not have anything to submit. I went to the festival alone, and was third in line at the red carpet outside the auditorium where we would be viewing the films. One of the crew members wore a black shirt which read, "Keep Calm and Film On" (a spin-off of Keep Calm and Carry On). The two girls in front of me were having a conversation with him and learned that he graduated from our college with a major in film. He expressed how much he enjoyed his job, which made me even more excited about advancing in film. Somehow, I got to talking with the two girls in front of me, and learned that one is a film major and the other a theatre major. Jasmine and Quinn were their names, and they told me they submitted a film for the festival and hoped to see it in the top 16. If you would like to see their film, visit this YouTube link. After talking for a bit, Quinn noticed my hat and commented on how she too loved Panic! at the Disco. We had the best conversation about the band and similar artists, and we decided to sit together in the auditorium. We sat through some incredible films, and let's just say... boy, does our college have talent! We exchanged phone numbers and plan to hang out after spring break. 

Back when I was in middle school, I was so sure of going into interior design or architecture, since I loved to design spaces. I would spend hours on an online interior design software, creating floor plans of my dream house. I can't tell you how many times I've recreated the design, but I will say that each floor plan improved every time. After taking an interior design class in 9th grade, I learned more about design elements and color. I really enjoyed the class even though it was a lot of work. 

Over the years, I considered the pay I would get and my likelihood of making a life-long career out of it. I decided in 11th grade that I was too wrapped up in designing for my dream house that I probably wouldn't be the best interior designer in that I would struggle to please clients. From watching shows on HGTV, I understand that pleasing a client can be a hit or a miss! Instead, I began to lean toward architecture. I had thought about it a lot in middle school, but I leaned more on the interior aspect of the design. I figured an engineering career would be better for me, but after having a hard time in math class throughout high school, I decided by senior year that it was something I couldn't pull off. Even though I spent a good chunk of my childhood making floor plans and designing roller coasters on the game "Roller Coaster Tycoon," I just couldn't see myself succeeding in that. I grew up with a camera in my hands constantly. So... film major it is! I had thought about photography, but I would be better off having that as a minor, since I still have a lot to learn about it, and I feel more opportune in the film and video major. 

Photo by Monica - August 2013

Also in middle school, I had this YouTube channel where I vlogged and made short comedic videos. Most of those are gone now, but my huge cooking show production my old Girl Scout troop made is still available on my channel. My drive to make videos for YouTube came from when my grandfather gave me a Flip video camera for my 13th birthday. I took it with me everywhere I went. Most of my middle school years are documented solely on film, until I later picked up a digital camera again during 8th grade. I plan to vlog again soon, but this time on a brand new channel. 

Photo by Natalie - June 2012 - Montreat, NC

My brother and I recently talked about the things we were both destined to do for the rest of our lives. He's a very dedicated baseball player, so I'm pretty sure you readers could figure out what he's aspiring to be. Yes, that's right, he wants to get drafted into Major League Baseball. He works hard at it, day and day out, practicing for long hours between homework and other things. We agreed that it must be these things-- these hobbies-- with which we have stuck for many years, that ultimately hint at what we want to or are destined to do. This isn't always the case for some people, but for us, we know it's true. It is in our hearts. I want to work on a film set; he wants to work on a baseball diamond. They say, "if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." I hope I find that to be true when I get my dream job. 

So what is my goal with film? Well, to be honest, I haven't quite figured that out yet. I've considered two different paths-- one being directing, the other being a film editor. Both would be incredible jobs, but ultimately I hope to get to work with a camera directly. I hope in the near future I will find a job on set of The Walking Dead, or perhaps intern over at Jackson Spalding.

Below is a photograph of me sitting in my late grandfather's lap, holding his video camera. One of his many hobbies (besides wood-working and completing crossword puzzles) was film and photography. Last year, I created a Facebook fan page for his work which can be found here: Robert C. Kirk Photography. Speaking of my grandfather, in about 9 days we will have reached three years since he passed away. It is so hard to believe it's been that long...

Bob and Kelsey, Easter 1997 (?)

Have a great Monday, ya'll. Get out there and make your dreams come true. 

Until next time, 

Kelsey


P.S. The new Song of the Week is Panic! at the Disco's "This is Gospel." It is one of the best music videos I have ever seen, and evokes all sorts of emotions. I find it very fitting, at the moment. Enjoy.