By: Lincoln Reed | Echo
Compared to Indiana's quiet country roads, my daily commute to work feels like I've been thrown into a "Mad Max"movie. When I reach my destination, I sift through residential streets, hoping to find the holy grail of inner city commuting: a free parking spot. This morning ritual begins my workday in a place my employer calls "ghetto Disneyland"- the sketchiest tourist hub in southern California.
Welcome to Hollywood Boulevard.
On my walk to work, I pass naïve tourists, taking in the sights with their small children. They marvel at the sidewalks with plated celebrities' stars while junkies get high a few feet away. Sometimes I pass someone sleeping on a mattress, oblivious to the people walking by.
Within a block of the office, I descend into a den of tourist traps including kinky lingerie shops, pizza joints and stores filled with all kinds of smoking equipment. Everywhere I turn, I'm reminded I'm a long way from the peaceful farming cornfields of Indiana.
After entering my office building, I work for the next six hours doing what I love best: reading and writing. My boss, a talent and literary manager, has me evaluate unproduced scripts while he submits actors for casting calls. On an exciting day, I might meet one of his clients who visits the office.
People in LA aren't used to Midwest manners. In a social setting, I stick out like a sore thumb. This often leads people to ask me, "So, what are you doing here?"
"I'm an aspiring writer here for a semester internship."
They cringe when they hear the words "aspiring writer." To them, I'm just another hopeless fool chasing a dream people believe will end in heartbreak, poverty and a broken soul. Unfortunately, they aren't altogether wrong. Thousands of talented writers are rejected in Hollywood every day. Only those who persevere for decades turn out to be successes. The one consistent theme of the semester has been: "Well, if you're going to be a writer, it'll take you 10-20 years before you're an overnight success. . .that is, ifyou're stubborn enough to wait that long."
This reality has weighed on my mind for months. Am I willing to endure decades of living in financial uncertainty while facing consistent rejection?
I don't yet have the answer, and I'm still seeking God's direction regarding whether or not he wants me to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. I've only been able to tolerate Hollywood's cynical atmosphere by holding onto a truth I learned from Dennis Hensley: my identity and significance is rooted in Jesus Christ, not in my success as a writer. This wisdom has helped me stay grounded when the cynicism of my environment feels overwhelming.
I'm not sure what the rest of the semester holds, but I'm trusting God to reveal his direction regarding my future career in his perfect timing. Until then, I'll continue to read scripts . . . and hunt for free parking.
