HELP ME. I’M TRAPPED. BY MATT REINIGER

Now you see me.

I’m wearing a grey suit. My neatly ironed, white button-downed shirt lies behind my purple tie. My watch has a brown band, matching my brown belt and brown shoes. My brown eyes are stern. My voice is deep and condescending. I have no personality. I’m not happy.

Now you don’t.

I’m alone in my room. Music is blaring loudly through my speakers. I’m standing in front of the mirror, dancing with purpose and emotion. I’m mouthing the words, smiling at myself. I have personality. I am happy.

This is my creative struggle.

I am an unpaid actor. I am a quirky musician playing the role of a successful businessman. I am a creative kid trapped inside a professional businessman’s body. This isn’t who I was in the past, but it’s who I am in the present. Who will I be in the future?

Last semester I rediscovered my creative capabilities. I began making music again, and I had a sense that I was happier. People became interested in my music…people became interested in me, and I realized I made a discovery about my creativity:

My creativity = my personality.

It may seem like a simple formula, but I assure you it is not. The equals sign represents a barrier between me and the outside world.

The outside world: the place that does not believe I can be successful unless I change who I am.

It’s time to prove the outside world wrong.

I must be myself before I forget who I really am.