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Make it by 18, or else

By Gloria Diaz

Check out Gloria's Blog — Edge of Gloria!

Fort Wayne Reader

2011-08-09


I saw a story recently about a 14-year-old female singing sensation here in Fort Wayne. Someone interviewed for the story suggested she go to college in four years if the singing career didn’t work out. “I’d hate to see her playing in bars,” this person said, or words to that effect.

I was a little puzzled by this. Is 18 the cut-off age for “making it” nowadays? Should every aspiring singer over the age of 25 sell that Gretsch and finally get a real job at her cousin’s law firm? Should the struggling writer give up if he hasn’t written the Great American Novel by the age of 30?

It would be wonderful if we all made it big by the age of 26, but a lot of people don’t make it at all. Some do achieve fame and fortune, but it takes a while. Susan Boyle is a good example. I’m sure a lot of people wish she would have made it at a younger age, but sometimes time and circumstances work against us. That doesn’t mean we should give up singing, playing music, writing, painting, sculpting or whatever it is we enjoy doing.
So it really kind of bothers me that someone is setting a time limit for this young lady. I’ve never heard of her, but to be honest, I’ve sort of had my fill of young women and guitars. She may be good. But there are plenty of really good musicians out there who still work day jobs because they will never be discovered. You have to be marketable as well as good, and if you aren’t radio friendly, you can forget it.

And that’s a shame, but thank goodness for YouTube, where anyone can upload video of themselves doing whatever it is they enjoy doing. I guess the trend now is for young boy singers, like Bieber, who was discovered via YouTube, and some kid by the name of Grayson Carter, who’s like, 13 or so. I’m just sooo glad he made it when he did and not when he was an old hag of 20.

Is this what it comes down to? I mean, life goes fast enough as it is. I’d hate to live through my teenage years again and think that I had to “make it” by the age of 18. I was so dumb and scared of everything and everyone, it’s only been during the last few years that I feel like I’ve emerged from my shadow. I’m not kidding. I’ve done more creative stuff in the last few years than when I was a teen. Or at least it seems that way. I’d like to be teenage skinny again, but I don’t want the lack of confidence, the terror, or “they’ll laugh at me if I try that” vibe I had back then.

That being said, I think you need to live your life. I like to think of the advice Dear Abby (or was it Ann Landers) used to give when someone in his or her 40s would say when they were thinking of going to law school or just going back to get their G.E.D. or whatever. “But I’ll be 50 years old (or older) when I graduate!” Abby (or maybe Ann) would say, “and how old will you be if you DON’T go back to school?” I always liked that answer, as there are still things I want to do in my life, and thankfully, since I don’t have kids, I have a bit more freedom and a little less responsibility than a lot of people do.

I plan to live my entire life, and if that means I’m still learning, thinking, reading, or creating while I’m 80 (presuming I live that long) then so be it.

And now, I have some short stories to work on.

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