Terrify

Terrify: (v) cause to feel extreme fear

I must admit, many things terrify me: death, lizards (I don’t trust them), and much more. Over the years, some fears have come, some have gone, some have diminished, and some have grown. I’ve conquered many fears and succumbed to others. In this current phase of life, the thing I find most terrifying is—well—doing this: making this blog, taking a first step into what I hope to be a large part of my career, of my future.

I feel as if I was put on this earth to help people learn, and this comes most natural to me in the forms of both scholarship and artistry. I believe the gates to academia should be torn down and that the marriage of scholarly and creative works serves as one helluva wrecking ball. As a scholar-artist, I can tackle large topics from multiple angles, in hopes to make things just a little easier to understand. As a scholar, I study psychology and other social sciences to help remove roadblocks to learning. As an artist, I consider myself a “Jack of some trades”— a singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer who crafts songs through personal vignettes and social commentary. I create not for acclaim but out of love. Sharing this love with you all means the world to me.

This short post is just the beginning of me sharing this love. It is the beginning of a new journey, of stepping into my truth. Walking in your ways is more than hard. It’s terrifying. I am terrified, but I am also determined. It’s about time that I walk in my way. It’s time that I move how I was born to move. It’s time for all of us to.

No more waiting. Embrace the fear. Be terrified. But, be determined.

I say this to both the readers and to myself. I’m done waiting, and I hope you are as well. For me, this means hello to new music, blog posts, essays, and whatever else inspires me. What are you saying hello to? What are you terrified of? And what are we going to do about it?

Peace & Love

Bran