500 days of chasing my dreams

Justin Shen
25 Apr 202431:31

Summary

TLDRThe video script narrates Justin's journey of self-discovery and resilience in the face of setbacks. Fired from his first job post-college, he delves into his creative passions, becoming a filmmaker and visual artist. Despite initial struggles and a brief return to corporate life, Justin's determination and evolving perspective lead him to embrace his true calling. His story is a testament to the power of curiosity, creativity, and the pursuit of one's dreams, even in the face of uncertainty and failure.

Takeaways

  • 🏀 The speaker's childhood dream of becoming an NBA player faded away, symbolizing the common experience of childhood aspirations not always aligning with adult reality.
  • 🎓 After being fired from his first job post-college, the speaker found himself at a low point, reflecting the challenges many face in early adulthood.
  • 🔥 The fear of failure and societal judgment often hinders individuals from pursuing their dreams, as the speaker initially struggled with.
  • 📈 The turning point for the speaker was the realization that being fired was a catalyst for personal growth and the best thing to happen to him, illustrating the potential positive outcomes of setbacks.
  • 🎥 'Shenny Visuals,' the speaker's moniker, represents his identity as a filmmaker, emphasizing the importance of personal branding in creative fields.
  • 🎓 The speaker's business school background influenced his approach to freelancing, showing how academic experiences can shape professional paths.
  • 🌱 The concept of 'curiosity leading to places' was a driving force for the speaker, highlighting the value of exploration and learning in personal development.
  • 🏙️ The speaker's move to Chicago was a significant step in his journey, representing the importance of environment in shaping one's creative and professional life.
  • 📉 The experience of job loss and creative burnout taught the speaker about the harsh realities of the freelance life and the need for resilience.
  • 💡 The idea of 'Ikigai,' a Japanese concept, helped the speaker find purpose beyond immediate success, emphasizing the search for deeper meaning in one's work.
  • 🌟 The speaker's viral success with 'Elements of Chicago' demonstrated the impact of social media and the unpredictable nature of creative endeavors.
  • 🔄 The decision to return to a corporate job was not a failure but a strategic move for mental reset and skill development, showing adaptability in career paths.
  • 🤝 The importance of finding a community of like-minded individuals was a key takeaway, as it provided support, inspiration, and a sense of belonging.
  • 🚂 The metaphor of choosing different trains in life represents the various paths one can take, emphasizing the importance of making choices that align with personal dreams and aspirations.

Q & A

  • What was the turning point for Justin in January 2023?

    -Justin was fired from his first job out of college, which he initially thought would change his life. This event led him to a period of reflection and eventually to pursuing his creative passions.

  • What childhood dream did Justin have that didn't come true?

    -Justin dreamt of becoming an NBA player from the age of 10, but his NBA dreams died when he was 14.

  • How did Justin's interest in filmmaking and editing begin?

    -Justin was inspired by his favorite YouTubers to make Minecraft videos, experiment with 3D animation, and learn video editing, with aspirations of becoming a famous YouTuber.

  • What significant change occurred in Justin's life during his sophomore year of college?

    -During the COVID-19 lockdown, Justin found solace in editing videos and expressing himself through nostalgia, which reignited his passion for filmmaking.

  • What was the one simple rule that Justin followed in college to make the most of his newfound passion for videography?

    -Justin followed the rule 'let your curiosity lead you places,' which involved documenting life, working with the basketball team for free, and freelancing with various campus organizations.

  • What unexpected opportunity did Justin receive before his corporate start date?

    -Justin was offered a job as a full-time creative director by one of his old sportsware clients from college, which was an unexpected train that challenged his pre-planned path.

  • How did Justin's experience in the corporate job affect his creative passion?

    -The corporate job initially seemed to fulfill Justin's creative passion, but office politics and a lack of creative freedom eventually led to his termination and a period of burnout.

  • What concept helped Justin understand the purpose of life and why we create?

    -Justin came across the Japanese concept of 'Ikigai,' which is the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs.

  • What was the impact of Justin's video 'Elements of Chicago' on his career?

    -The video went viral with 5 million views, filling Justin's inbox with opportunities and bringing him to the attention of directors and creators he admired.

  • How did Justin's perspective on his creative career change after his viral success?

    -Justin realized that while the attention and workload were overwhelming, he needed to focus on his overall well-being and happiness, which led him to take a break and work in corporate consulting.

  • What new dreams did Justin set for himself after his experience in corporate consulting?

    -Justin dreams of directing music videos with big artists, working with his favorite brands, and eventually starting a creative agency to work on more ambitious projects while surrounding himself with like-minded creative individuals.

Outlines

00:00

🏀 From Dreams to Reality: The Journey of a Creative

The speaker, Justin, reflects on his aspirations and the challenges he faced after being fired from his first job post-college in January 2023. He discusses the death of childhood dreams, the fear of the unknown in pursuing passions, and the reality of standing out in a competitive world. Justin's story includes his unexpected opportunity with the NFL, working with Metro Boomin, and his identity as 'shenny visuals,' a filmmaker from Portland living in Chicago. He emphasizes the importance of overcoming fear and taking risks to chase dreams, even in the face of societal pressure and the fear of failure.

05:02

🎥 Rediscovering Creativity: From Isolation to Inspiration

During the pandemic, Justin found solace in editing videos and capturing memories, realizing the value of documenting life. He decided to buy a camera and start a new journey of creative expression. This led him to document life with friends, work with the basketball team, and freelance on campus. Justin's college life transformed from mundane to joyful, and he discovered a sense of purpose through his creative work. However, post-graduation, he felt the pressure of a stable life and took a corporate job, which eventually led him to an unexpected creative opportunity.

10:03

🚂 The Unexpected Train: Embracing the Creative Path

Justin was offered a full-time creative director role just before his corporate start date, presenting an unexpected path. Despite the risks and uncertainties, he chose to pursue this opportunity, keeping a return ticket to corporate life as a safety net. He moved to Chicago, seeking to stand out in the city and explore his identity amidst the chaos of life. The transition was lonely, but he was determined to find his purpose and place in the creative world.

15:03

💡 The Creative Spark: Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success

After being fired from his creative role due to diminishing responsibilities and office politics, Justin experienced a creative burnout and a loss of passion. However, reflecting on his past failures in basketball, he decided not to let fear dictate his life. He regained his creative spark, started freelancing, and pushed his boundaries. His work began to gain recognition, and he experienced significant career milestones, including directing music videos and collaborating with big brands.

20:03

🌟 The Elements of Success: A Viral Breakthrough

Justin's video 'Elements of Chicago' went viral, leading to a surge in opportunities and recognition. He was inspired to continue experimenting with his creative style and applying his business knowledge to manage his growing freelance career. Despite financial challenges and the fear of running out of work, his extra time to figure things out allowed him to build a strong foundation for his creative pursuits.

25:06

🔄 The Creative Cycle: From Burnout to Reflection

As Justin's career took off, he faced growing pains, including burnout and self-doubt. The pressure of living up to expectations and the fear of losing control led him to take the return ticket to corporate life. However, he discovered the concept of 'Iy Guy,' which is the intersection of love, skill, payment, and world need, and realized that happiness comes from the journey, not just the destination. He took time to soul-search and refocus on his overall well-being.

30:13

🎉 Embracing the Journey: Lessons Learned and New Dreams

Justin shares his realization that there is no perfect ending to his story, as life is unpredictable and each person has their own trajectory. He returned to corporate life to reset mentally, learn new skills, and reconfigure his creative career. He found joy in reconnecting with his roots, documenting life, and meeting like-minded individuals at a creator camp. Justin set new dreams for himself, including starting a creative agency and surrounding himself with fellow creatives.

🎼 The Creative Calling: Finding Your Tribe

The final paragraph reflects on the importance of finding the right people who understand and support your journey. Justin's experience at the creator camp showed him the power of community and the potential of collaboration. He encourages others to take risks, embrace the unknown, and seek out their true capabilities, as life is about the journey and the lessons learned along the way.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Dreams

Dreams in the context of this video represent aspirations and goals that one holds for their future. The video's theme revolves around the pursuit of these dreams despite challenges and setbacks. For instance, the script mentions the narrator's childhood dream of becoming an NBA player, which later transforms into a desire to be a filmmaker and work in creative fields.

💡Rock Bottom

Rock Bottom refers to a point in one's life where they face significant adversity or failure. In the video, the narrator describes being fired from their first job as hitting 'rock bottom,' which becomes a turning point that leads to personal growth and the pursuit of their creative dreams.

💡Fear

Fear is a common theme in the video, depicting the anxiety and apprehension one feels when taking risks or venturing into the unknown. The narrator discusses how fear can hinder the pursuit of dreams, but also how overcoming this fear is essential for personal and professional growth.

💡Creativity

Creativity is central to the video's narrative, as it is the driving force behind the narrator's passion for filmmaking and editing. The video illustrates how creativity can be a means of self-expression and a pathway to a fulfilling career, as seen when the narrator starts documenting life through photography and videography.

💡Passion

Passion is depicted as a strong emotional drive that fuels the narrator's desire to pursue a career in the creative industry. It is the underlying motivation that leads the narrator to take risks and explore opportunities in filmmaking, despite the uncertainty and challenges.

💡Failure

Failure is presented as an inevitable part of the journey towards success. The video emphasizes that failure is not the end but a learning experience, as the narrator reflects on their basketball career and how they overcame the fear of losing to pursue their creative ambitions.

💡Growth

Growth is a key concept in the video, symbolizing personal development and the evolution of the narrator's skills and understanding. The narrator's growth is evident through their journey from being fired to becoming a successful filmmaker, learning valuable lessons and gaining new perspectives along the way.

💡Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that represents the intersection of what one loves, what one is good at, what one can be paid for, and what the world needs. The video uses this concept to explore the narrator's purpose and the fulfillment they find in their creative work.

💡Burnout

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. In the video, the narrator experiences burnout due to the overwhelming attention and workload, which leads to a temporary retreat from their creative pursuits.

💡Risk

Risk is the possibility of loss or injury, and in the video, it is associated with the potential downside of pursuing one's dreams. The narrator encourages taking risks as a necessary step in life, emphasizing that the biggest risk is not taking any risks at all.

💡Inspiration

Inspiration is the influence that motivates the narrator to create and pursue their creative endeavors. The video shows how the narrator draws inspiration from various sources, including other filmmakers and their own life experiences, to fuel their creative process.

Highlights

The speaker reflects on aspirations and the reality of pursuing dreams, sharing personal experiences of being fired and how it led to personal growth.

The importance of taking the first steps into the unknown and the fear associated with starting a new journey is discussed.

The speaker's transformation after being fired, leading to work with the NFL and a music video with Metro Boomin, is highlighted.

Introduction of Justin, a filmmaker, and his journey of making a living through creative passions.

Justin's early interest in creativity and the shift from NBA dreams to becoming a YouTuber, then to business school.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Justin's life, leading to a rediscovery of his passion for video editing.

The decision to document life through a camera and the profound effect it had on Justin's outlook on capturing memories.

Justin's approach to embracing curiosity and following it to new opportunities in college.

The struggle of transitioning from college to corporate life and the loss of creative passion.

The unexpected offer to be a full-time creative director and the decision to take the risk.

The loneliness and challenges of starting a creative career in a big city like Chicago.

The experience of being fired from the creative director role and the subsequent creative burnout.

Justin's realization of the importance of trying and not letting fear of failure hold him back.

The concept of 'Iy Guy' in finding one's purpose and the speaker's journey to discover his.

The viral success of 'Elements of Chicago' and its impact on Justin's career and self-perception.

The decision to take a break from the creative field and return to corporate life for a mental reset.

The importance of self-reflection and finding balance in life beyond just career success.

Justin's participation in Creator Camp and the inspiration it provided for future dreams and ambitions.

The conclusion that there is no perfect ending to one's journey, only continuous growth and discovery.

Transcripts

play00:08

what do you want to be when you grow

play00:14

[Music]

play00:25

up do you remember the last time you

play00:28

were at rock bottom

play00:31

for me it was January

play00:34

2023 3 months into this journey I was

play00:37

just fired for my first job out of

play00:39

college a job that I thought was going

play00:42

to change my

play00:47

life as a kid we all had big

play00:51

aspirations I dreamt of being an NBA

play00:53

player from the day I picked up a

play00:54

basketball at age

play00:57

10 but somewhere along the way

play01:00

our dreams

play01:02

die and we end up spending a lot of Our

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Lives not knowing what we really want to

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do and here I am half a year out of

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college feeling the same pain I did when

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I got cut from my high school basketball

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team my freshman

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year picture yourself chasing your

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dreams for a second you probably do have

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a passion or idea that you want to

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explore further you've done your

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research have some sort of plan and all

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that's left is just doing

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it so what's holding you back it's quite

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scary taking the first steps into the

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unknown and even if you started the

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reality is you'll have to execute better

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than 99% of the people around you to

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reach your

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dreams however in a world where we're

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crowned for success but clowned for

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failure we of to let our fears get in

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the way of figuring out what we're

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really capable

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of getting fired ended up being the best

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thing that ever happened to me because

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without these 20 days of Rock Bottom I

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wouldn't have experienced the best year

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of my life

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[Music]

play02:45

so how did I turn my life around after

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being fired land a project with the NFL

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work on a music video with Metro boomman

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and who even am I let me introduce

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myself hi I'm Justin or better known as

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shenny visuals I'm a 23-year-old

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filmmaker from Portland currently living

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in Chicago after graduating from college

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2 years ago I wanted to answer one

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question that's been in my head for the

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last few years could I make a living

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through my creative

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passions over the last 500 Days life has

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taken me on quite the ride while I went

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viral traveled the world had tons of new

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people and I even made the news I also

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went through self-doubt break and

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probably the toughest year of my life

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through the highs and lows I wanted to

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make an honest video about the reality

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of chasing your dreams in your early 20s

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and the 10 lessons I learned in

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between the journey all started when a

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company asked me to be their full-time

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creative

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director but how does a 22-year-old

play03:51

business school graduate even get this

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kind of opportunity

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[Music]

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all right hey guys crazy game here

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welcome back to another episode of

play04:08

Minecraft from a young age I realized

play04:11

that creativity is in everyone's blood

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while my NBA dreams died at age 14 I got

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inspired by my favorite YouTubers to

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make Minecraft videos mess around with

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3D animation and learn how to video edit

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with the new aspirations of becoming a

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famous

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YouTuber as you can see that didn't work

play04:29

out

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eventually I went to business school

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where I felt like a bit of an outcast I

play04:35

never got the best grades and while all

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my peers were extremely confident and

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extroverted I realized that I wasn't the

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best at expressing myself through small

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talk and quick witted conversations

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which felt essential to Making

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Connections in business

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school however everything changed for me

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my sophomore year when the world shut

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down from Co

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during the long periods of isolation I

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found solace and looking through

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memories from college which gave me the

play05:07

urge to edit videos again it's a way to

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express my

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[Music]

play05:18

Nostalgia being away from Friends made

play05:21

me realize how valuable capturing each

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memory was so when the summer came

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around I decided to buy a camera with

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the help my parents to start documenting

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life through my eyes and it truly felt

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like love at first

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[Music]

play05:41

sight in the blink of an eye my camera

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will be with me everywhere capturing

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Precious Memories for me and my friends

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as we explored the Great Outdoors during

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the night my camera will be by my side

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while I stayed up editing photos

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reliving every moment from our latest

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Adventure this new creative world made

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me feel so alive life Not only was it

play06:01

the outlet to express myself that I

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couldn't find in college but for the

play06:05

first time in my life it felt like the

play06:07

walls of my world were being torn

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down so when I went back to campus that

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fall I made it a goal to make the most

play06:15

out of my newfound Passion by following

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one simple rule let your curiosity lead

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you places I wanted to share my

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creativity with friends so we documented

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life and went on spontaneous photo

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shoots all throughout campus I wanted to

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be involved with my sport again so I

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asked the basketball team to work for

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free I wanted to start freelancing so I

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networked around campus to work with

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businesses and

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organizations and over time my once

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mundane college life started feeling

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full of joy and excitement I bonded with

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friends met new people lived new

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experiences ran my own business and

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reconnected with the game I love but

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more importantly it was the first time

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in life I felt a strong sense of purpose

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through the thousands of pictures and

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videos I took I saw the smile I put on

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people's faces and I felt like I made a

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change in the world for the first

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time but once I graduated life got

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real as much as I wanted to dive head

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first into the creative sphere I

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couldn't help but feel like I reached

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the end of my Runway and for now the

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corporate job I had lined up will be the

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smarter and more comfortable path to a

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stable life

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[Music]

play07:39

do you ever catch yourself running for

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the

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train from a young age I've always been

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fascinated by

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trains although we all have different

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aspirations growing up most people end

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up waiting at the same stations boarding

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the same trains to end up in the same

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predetermined destinations as

play08:02

others but once in a while a different

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train will show up

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unexpectedly it's not on the map as you

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know and the tracks have never been

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tested what would you do if it promised

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to take you to your dream

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destination just a few weeks before my

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corporate start date one of my old

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sportsware clients from college offered

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me a job to be their full-time creative

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director this was my unexpected train I

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knew the tracks wouldn't be as safe and

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there was no sign of the route on my map

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but as I've done all throughout my

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creative Journey so far I've trusted my

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curiosity which told me to hop on this

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train there was one catch I kept a

play08:42

return ticket to corporate life for next

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October giving myself exactly one year

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to prove I was here to stay in the

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creative world so this is how I started

play08:52

the 500 day journey to Chase my creative

play08:55

dreams

play08:56

[Music]

play09:05

I've always wanted to live in a big city

play09:07

growing up I was spoiled by the nature

play09:09

of the Pacific Northwest but whenever I

play09:12

visited Chicago or New York City I was

play09:14

always enamored by the energy radiated

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by the busting streets and concrete

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Abyss something about the possibilities

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felt endless here it was the perfect

play09:23

place to figure out the question I've

play09:25

been trying to answer my whole life who

play09:27

even am I among this madness

play09:35

Life After College comes at you fast one

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moment we're surrounded by friends and

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thousands of people our age on a lively

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college campus the next moment we're all

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alone in a new city trying to figure out

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our new purpose in

play09:47

life how does one feel alone in a city

play09:50

with millions of people although I was

play09:52

excited to start my new life being on a

play09:54

different path than everyone was a lot

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lonlier than I thought not only did my

play09:59

friends not end up in Chicago but it was

play10:02

hard to explain how I was struggling

play10:04

doing something I loved when everyone

play10:06

else was working a corporate job two

play10:09

months in it was clear that my role at

play10:11

the company was diminishing and the

play10:12

creative freedom I was promised was

play10:14

taken away by office politics and for

play10:17

the first time I felt myself falling out

play10:19

of love with the creative game

play10:22

[Music]

play10:29

although I was doing my passion for a

play10:31

living I quickly felt lost and alone

play10:34

just going through the motions every day

play10:36

and soon enough my struggles became

play10:39

apparent at

play10:40

work hey Justin hope you're doing well

play10:43

man unfortunately I don't think this is

play10:46

working out and the company is moving

play10:49

towards a different direction we value

play10:51

citizenship here at and we no longer

play10:55

feel like you're a good fit here so as

play10:57

of today you're terminated from the

play10:59

company you can pick up your stuff from

play11:02

the office next week and I'll give you

play11:04

two

play11:09

[Music]

play11:16

weeks although I felt relieved from

play11:18

being set free I thought I failed and

play11:22

perhaps I wasn't ready to take on such

play11:24

heavy

play11:26

responsibilities but worse for the first

play11:28

time I picked up a camera there was no

play11:31

creative spark left in me see when you

play11:34

spend 8 hours a day working on ideas

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that you have no control over you're

play11:38

bound to be burnt

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out so here I was 9 months until my

play11:45

return trip no job no game plan just a

play11:48

few months of savings and the looming

play11:50

possibility that this was the end of my

play11:52

creative career

play11:54

[Music]

play12:12

[Music]

play12:12

[Applause]

play12:14

what scares you

play12:15

more failing or knowing the outcome

play12:19

realizing you didn't try hard enough

play12:26

[Applause]

play12:29

I think back a lot about why I didn't

play12:31

make it in basketball while I left the

play12:34

game as much as anyone I had this

play12:37

terrible fear of losing and I would

play12:39

always mentally crumble whenever I

play12:41

played against people better than

play12:44

me instead of taking my losses as a

play12:46

learning experience I thought about it

play12:49

as

play12:50

failure and I was afraid the players

play12:52

around me would judge me for failing

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over and over again but the more I lived

play12:58

the more I realized

play12:59

not only does everyone lose at some

play13:01

point but most people don't care about

play13:04

your failures as much as you do and

play13:07

that's when I realized the ones that

play13:10

truly fail are the ones that never allow

play13:12

themselves

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too sure 14-year-old me could have used

play13:17

some more hours in the wait room or a

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better

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handle but what he really needed was a

play13:23

change of perspective

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[Music]

play13:36

just before I was about to accept that

play13:38

this is the end I took one last deep

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dive through my hard drive fill with all

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my work which helped me put things in

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perspective not only have I improved so

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much in such a short time but my life

play13:51

has also become so much richer in

play13:52

experience over the last 2 and a half

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[Music]

play13:56

years however over the last few months

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I became so Tunnel Vision on turning my

play14:01

passion into a full-time job that I lost

play14:04

sight on the bigger dreams I had for

play14:06

myself freelancing fulltime shooting

play14:09

music videos for big artists working

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with my favorite Brands and one day

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stepping onto the hardwood of an NBA

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floor that last dream was never going to

play14:17

take me there and being fired does not

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make me a failure the only way I fail

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was if I stop chasing my dreams right

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now knowing I didn't try hard enough

play14:26

like I did with

play14:27

basketball I thought back on the pain of

play14:29

never making that high school team and I

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owed it to my old self to not make the

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same mistake and once I realized I had

play14:36

nothing more or lose the picture became

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so

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[Music]

play14:43

[Applause]

play14:44

clear it was the perfect time to try

play14:46

freelancing full-time work on my

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creative style and see more of the world

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like I always

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envisioned with 9 months left on the

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timer I was determined to figure it out

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and if I do take the return ticket I was

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going to leave with no

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[Music]

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[Music]

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regrets being in Chicago had its

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advantages I knew it would be easier for

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me to stand out here compared to or New

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York so immediately I started making my

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way around the city reaching out to

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friends and taking whatever I could to

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get my feet off the ground events clubs

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shows parties behind the scenes for sets

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some were paid some weren't but no

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matter of the opportunity I made it a

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goal to push my creative boundaries

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further than everyone else around me

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trial and error became the norm and

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while I actively took inspiration from

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my favorite filmmakers I always added my

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own original flare on top embracing this

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idea of steal like an artist concept

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which argues that nothing we create is

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truly original they're all iterations of

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something we've seen in the past but the

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best artists build upon what's created

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before because what even is our own

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unique style I think it's an

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interpretation of our own experiences

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emotional connections and all the art

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forms we

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consume and that's what makes each and

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every one of us different

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as I started posting passion projects

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and networking around the city people

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started noticing in February I directed

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my first music video in March I worked

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on my first film sets in April I shot

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for my first Big Brand and in May I even

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got flown out to California to work with

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an artist every month was something new

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and the progress I made started becoming

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a parent but there was still one problem

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I was still burning through my savings

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and in the 4 months until my return

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ticket expires I had to figure out

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things financially if I wanted to stay

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on this

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[Music]

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track as the economy stagnated I was

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told that my return ticket to corporate

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was delayed for another 4 months

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although I was excited for the extra

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time to figure things out the reality is

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as a freelancer the fear of running out

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of work never goes away and I wasn't

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sure if I could make it through the

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extra four

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months oh wait I didn't turn a dig

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cam one

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more I took this feeling of uncertainty

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and channeled it into my creative

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style which became a refle ction of how

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I felt at this point in my

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life I'm at the center of this chaos

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constant but always changing trying to

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find myself am miss this evolving

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World some might call it luck but I

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think it's fate because without this

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extra bit of fear from the delay I don't

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know if I would have experienced the

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biggest moment of my

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career Justin Shen is a freelance

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videographer and photographer here in

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Chicago does some incredible work take a

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look at this video he posted on Tik Tok

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he calls it elements of

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[Music]

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Chicago in a month the video Hit 5

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million views and for a brief 17 seconds

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I felt like the whole world had their

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eyes on something I made

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[Applause]

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I'll inspired by my fast and chaotic

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life in the city elements in Chicago

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would change everything for me my once

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deserted inbox was filled to the brim

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and every new opportunity was the

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reassurance I needed to know that I'm

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starting to be on the right path but the

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best part was getting noticed by some of

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the directors and creators I've been

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heavily inspired by along this journey

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without them I probably wouldn't be

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where I'm at today

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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in the following months I continue to

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experiment creatively while wasting no

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time putting my business school

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knowledge to use I learned how to do my

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own Contracting invoicing negotiating

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accounting and my new LLC became the

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heartbeat of my opportunities from all

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over the world from making elements of

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London for the NFL editing parts of the

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music video for calling by Metro booming

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to covering events like laala palooza

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Formula 1 Electric Zoo each project was

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not only a creative challenge but a

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glimpse of the Endless experiences I've

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unlocked through following this crazy

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dream of

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[Music]

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mine but just as everything was coming

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together I once again ran into some

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growing

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[Music]

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pains because elements of Chicago will

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be the last video I made without any

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expectations

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[Music]

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although I was living out my dream the

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attention and workload gradually became

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overwhelming the more I looked at other

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people's work the more I started

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wondering was I really as good as people

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keep hyping me up to

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be with 60,00 th000 new eyes on me I

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became so worried about living up to

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expectations that the creative momentum

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I've been building for the last 9 months

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suddenly turned into a painful

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burnout so what did I end up

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doing I couldn't help if feel like I

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wasn't in control of which direction my

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train was

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going so I ended up taking the return

play21:21

ticket back to corporate

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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[Applause]

play21:33

what is the purpose of life and why do

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we

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[Music]

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create it wasn't until I stumbled upon

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this Japanese concept called iy guy that

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I was able to grasp this heavy question

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iy guy is the intersection of what you

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love what you're good at what you can be

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paid for and what the world

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needs when we find our iy guy we find

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our reason to

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live I ended up spending a lot of time

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soul searching after my blow up because

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although I thought I found the

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intersection of myy guy I didn't feel

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truly happy

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in the book The creative act there's a

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quote that says the object isn't to

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create art it's to be in that wonderful

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state that makes art

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inevitable this quote really struck a

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chord with

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me after a lot of self-reflection I

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realized that for the whole journey I've

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been so focused on advancing my creative

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career that I often neglected other

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important parts of my life eating

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healthy sleeping early catching up with

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friends and just My overall well-being

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often took a backseat to my creative

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Endeavors and through this quote I

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realized that iy guy isn't actually felt

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directly from any of our actions rather

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it's a result from all the subconscious

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decisions we make in other words

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reaching our goals can make us

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temporarily happy but the trajectory of

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our journey is what really fulfills our

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purpose so over the last few months I've

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taken

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aing old hobbies and going back to my

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roots using my camera to document life

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[Music]

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again so no I didn't actually leave the

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creative world to go into corporate

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I'm still working on Creative projects

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my passion for the game is as strong as

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ever in reality I just really needed a

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break from all the

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madness don't get me wrong blowing up

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was still the best thing to ever

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happened to me but ever since I

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graduated all I've really thought about

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was videos and art and being creative

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and as much as I loved every step of it

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it was hard for me to give myself a

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break corporate actually felt like the

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perfect place to mentally reset learn

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business skills and reconfigure the

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trajectory of my creative career and

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turns out helping other people drive

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their train helps you better see the

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flaws of your own not only is there more

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structure in my life but I realized how

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much I actually missed being around a

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lot of people my

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age so glad we've almost made it so sad

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they had to

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[Music]

play25:01

why why do you

play25:02

create dude so many reasons

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um to make money and get it's fun makes

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feel happy to give someone a feeling

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that inspired me once and capture it cre

play25:16

to be inspired by people like you

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Jus once you start figuring yourself out

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you'll naturally attract the people who

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are just like you

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but you

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got your own kind of

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music for the longest time the

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loneliness from freelancing made me

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think that perhaps I become more

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introverted as time goes on but over the

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last few months I've realized that I

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just haven't found the right people

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until now when I got an invite from

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Creator

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camp this Camp brought together 25

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like-minded strangers for our week long

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creative Retreat even though we're all

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on different trajectories being around

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these people not only gave me a level of

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comfort and understanding that I haven't

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felt on the longest journey but also a

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rejuvenated sense of ambition especially

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to work with more

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people so what's next for me for now I

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have the best side hustle in the world

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but I don't think I'll be in corporate

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for very long because I've set new

play26:23

dreams for myself I still want to direct

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music videos with big artists and work

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with my favorite Brands but I also want

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to start a creative agency somewhere

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down the line to work on more ambitious

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projects but more importantly surround

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myself with more like minder creative

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souls and without experiencing all these

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people around me at creater Camp I just

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never saw how it was all

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[Music]

play26:51

possible because when you find the right

play26:54

people in life you realize that there

play26:57

was nothing wrong with you all this

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time when I first started making this

play27:07

video 4 months ago I wanted this journey

play27:09

to have a fairy tale ending like all

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movies do I'd never work a 9 to5 in my

play27:14

life and I keep fulfilling my dream of

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working in a creative field

play27:17

fulltime but the moment I went into

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Consulting I realized that there was no

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perfect ending and that's okay because

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not only does everyone have their own

play27:27

trajectory to their own goals dreams but

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this is also just the start of my

play27:31

journey these past few years have shown

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me how unpredictable life can be and I

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think as long as we're willing to brace

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the unknown and make the most out of

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every stage in life then we'll be

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surprised with whatever result life

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brings us because in retrospect the real

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happiness I found this year wasn't from

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the views or followers or even the cool

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projects but rather overcoming a lot of

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my fears to discover who I am and

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finally do all the things I always

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wanted to

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I changed my hair for the first time in

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my life I got closer with my family and

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especially my sister and I grew out of

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my shell to find people in different

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cities that will probably be my lifelong

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friends so I hope my story can inspire

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you to seek out the answers to your own

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questions CU we really don't have

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forever we live our 20s once and you'll

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learn so much more about life and

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yourself through a difficult path than

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whatever happens on an easy

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one and what's life without figuring out

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what we're truly capable of so take the

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risks you've always wanted to because

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ultimately the biggest risk in life is

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taking no risks at all and now that

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we're all grown up who do you really

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want to

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[Music]

play28:46

be

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around you been

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[Music]

play28:53

dreaming

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keep me

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M when you're ready I am to take you

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[Music]

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[Music]

play29:25

every there's so many different signs

play29:29

buildings I mean just if you go on his

play29:32

account you can see his timeline his

play29:33

editing timeline which is just wild uh

play29:36

he says he didn't even pick up a camera

play29:38

for the first time until 2020 so this is

play29:40

a newish hobby for him photography and

play29:43

videography you can follow him on Tik

play29:44

Tok at shenny

play29:50

[Music]

play29:51

visuals that it keeps moving fast but

play29:54

you can still kind of see what's going

play29:55

on like the old like MTV music videos

play29:58

where random shots are going by so quick

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he didn't know what was going on camera

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flying around like

play30:06

[Music]

play30:12

this [ __ ] birthday right here yeah [ __ ]

play30:15

baby [ __ ] yeah where we baby [ __ ] baby

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sing where once it

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was the dance floor is empty just a

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memory of

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fun the ice will be

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melted before morning

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brace the party is not over till I hear

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you say we're going

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tonight is going to be an anarchy we're

play31:05

going to take over the city oh my middle

play31:08

name is Kai CH

play31:18

actually it's Jo virus

play31:22

[Applause]

play31:28

I walk in blinded

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Related Tags
FilmmakingPassionPerseveranceCreative CareerLife LessonsDream ChasingSelf-DiscoveryChicagoFreelancingInspirational