Dear Carson,
I am at a crossroads in my life. My dreams - once a precise, clear vision of happiness and success down the road - have faded into a gray abstraction of what I thought I would become before I knew what college, or life for that matter, would really be like. I graduated from high school with a passionate agenda laid out for a career in medicine. Now, having experienced my own generous dose of real struggles and emotional crises, I feel myself gravitating toward the arts. Money, power, the white picket fence - none of that means anything to me anymore. Having always enjoyed literature, I never considered writing until it became a way to express myself and transcend the pain of the experiences I mentioned above. Essentially, I think I am not cut out for the long road that all future doctors must walk. I feel so confused. A big part of me would rather focus on art, music and writing in an effort to find some answers and perhaps even deliver my own ideas on truth and beauty to the masses. What does it take to become a writer, or any kind of artist for that matter?
Sincerely,
Afraid to make the cut
Dear Afraid,
Oh my God! You are such a hipster ... but have no fear, Carson is here. I hope you're ready for this, because sometimes a "dose of real struggles," as you so eloquently penned it, can only be treated with a dose of tough love. First of all, how do you plan on becoming a successful writer when you send me a letter that starts with a clich?(c) like "I am at a crossroads in my life?" That is as uncomfortably mainstream as it gets for me. But I'll tell you what else is mainstream: giving up on your dreams. In your youth, you decided you wanted to be a doctor, and I think the real thing putting doubt in your mind is your fear of success. Becoming a doctor is hard, but it is also very doable. Let's face it, the prospect of you going somewhere with this "art" idea you throw around like a beach ball - waiting to be smashed down by someone like me - is not exactly a career path or a decision that people make with guaranteed success in mind. Real artists are confused about a lot of things, too, but certainly not about whether they should be artists. You are not an artist unless you need to be one. Part of being an intelligent, self-conscious human being is dealing with your own s*** more than the average dunce. Wouldn't you rather have it like that than the bro who wanders aimlessly through a boring life of mediocrity without ever stopping to realize what he's doing? Did you really want to get into medicine in the first place for the money, power and the white picket fence? I don't think so. Think of the Manhattan apartment, man - not the boring white picket! Instead of delivering your scheisse prose to the masses, give the people good health. Restore faith in yourself and use your powers for good as a physician. If it's any consolation, most doctors are stressed/bummed out to the max all the time, so it's actually perfect for you. The secret here is that it's not all about you, dude. Any great writer would tell you that giving something to the world is art's truest aim, and what better way to go about it than the beautiful, pragmatic approach of modern medicine?
