1. J.K. Rowling
I've always loved to write, but J.K. Rowling was the first author whose books I read and made me realized, "Oh my gosh, I could be just like her." Meaning, I could write stories and publish them for people to read. She made me fall in love with fantasy and understand how characters weren't just names on a page but living and breathing beings with complicated backstories and personalities. Everything I write is influenced by her.
2. Lin-Manuel Miranda
LINNNN. He's a genius, a musical theater nerd, and a total dork that got me into Broadway hardcore. While I might not be cut out for writing lyrics necessarily, the way he uses sound and rhyme in his music has helped me when it comes to poetry. Some of my best poems were written with "Hamilton" playing in the background of my brain. Plus, the guy does not stop writing. He sure makes me feel lazy in comparison, which is good because it gives me a boost to try and be as productive as possible.
3. Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Felicia Day
I grouped these together because they're all part of the SPN family and influence me in similar ways. Felicia Day is my geeky soul sister. We're both introverted and are unapologetic about the things we love. We even both play the violin! She's hysterical and reminds me to stay true to my passions, even if other people may not get them. And the three dorks above her picture are freaking awesome. Not only are they serious about their craft, but they make so many of their fans feel comfortable in their own skin. The fame and celebrity hasn't gone to their head. When they interact with people like my friends and me at conventions, it's like they're talking to people they've personally known for years. I admire all of the charity work and mental health awareness they do and feel proud to be part of such a cool fandom when I hear stories about fellow fangirls having their lives changed for the better because they started watching a weird niche show on the CW.
4. Emma Watson
Emma Watson embodies Hermione through and through. I've grown up watching her grow up in the "Harry Potter" movies and continue to be impressed with everything she does now. I love that she's a bookworm and a feminist and wants to make change wherever she can. Seeing my favorite book character come to life on the screen was so cool and only made me love Hermione more. She's a fantastic role model.
5. My family
My parents, little brother, and dog keep me happy, supported, and sane. We all goof around and tease each other one minute but can talk politics and social issues the next. We like to share interesting articles with each other and discuss books. Watching TV at night before bed is a ritual and one of my favorite times of the day. We listen to music while cooking dinner and play an endless amount of games. It's the little things that make us all excited and I love every second of it.
Who are you heroes? Leave a comment!
This is a great list. I have always loved to see the kind of people you admire because they tend to be good, passionate, caring people as well as creative souls. Like you. And I am honored to be part of this list. I definitely admire you, too. I love you!
ReplyDeleteI like your list despite my fear of turning anyone into a hero. And if I were to pick heroes, I think your family is a great choice!
ReplyDeleteAnyone with the courage to be themselves, to make us stop and think about how we are treating others, to have their voice heard despite harsh criticism and unpopularity, I greatly admire those people. Ultimately people with that type of courage make changes for the better, even though they don't always get to see it in their lifetime. So I am grateful for the social activists like MLK Jr. and Cesar Chavez. For artists like Maya Angelou. For lesser known people like John Dehlin. For my great-grandma who made me feel smart and important. There are number of people who have reached out to me as a friend and made a difference in ways that I can't really articulate.
If I'm allowed, sometimes I'm impressed with myself and what I've been able to learn from my own mistakes and use that to make life a little better for my children, or at least show understanding and love when they experience the tougher things in life.
BTW I'm on Book 5 of my New Year's resolution! From what I've read about J.K. Rowling, she's a great role model. And I realize my sentence structure above is just horrible.
I've never understood the whole "hero" thing. Even in school, whenever they asked us to talk or write about who our hero was, I never knew who to pick. I guess...I don't really feel influenced by other people. It doesn't mean I'm not, I just don't feel it.
ReplyDeleteSo, full disclosure: I asked both kids to consider this question and write this post. I guess I think of heroes not as someone who "saves us," but rather who are the people we admire or who inspire us to be our best selves?
ReplyDeleteI'm generally cautious of putting too much stock in others, famous or otherwise, because we're all human and when a "hero" falls from grace, so to speak, or lets us down, it can inadvertently give the message, "Why bother." I say pick the good things you like about others and incorporate them in your life, if you so wish, but obviously don't put the entirety of a person on a pedestal. That's a lot of pressure for them and a lot of unrealistic expectations for us.
All that being said, I do think it's interesting to see who makes us FEEL things and who makes us want to be our best selves. :)
Love your list. J.k rowling and Emma Watson would be one my list too. Love them both so much. Have you seen Emma as Belle in Beauty and the beast? I love her in that movie too 😀 She have a beautiful voice ☺
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list, totally consistent with your values and personality. I'm really touched that you and your brother included members of our family. You know that your mother and I have tried to create a close family who care about each other, and from what you've both written, maybe it's turned out fine.
ReplyDelete@Boquinha
ReplyDeleteThanks! :) That's really good to hear, because I think what I admire most about these people are the parts where I say, "Man, I want to be like that." I love you, too!
@Jimmy
Same here, I'm careful not to idolize anyone because once you put that much pressure on a person, they're bound to mess up sometime. Nobody's perfect.
Those are great picks! That's really cool that all of those people have common values, too. Then you can admire all of them for similar reasons but see how they carry out those principles in different ways.
You're absolutely allowed to mention yourself, too. What better person to learn from than yourself, both when you make mistakes and make good decisions?
Yay! 5 is one of my favorites, even if it is a little long. Of course, 7 has my heart, ultimately.
@Rain
Maybe "hero" was the wrong word. It's hard to pick just one person, too. Even if someone isn't your "hero," it's cool to notice when, say, reading from a certain author influences our book preferences. :) Someone might rub off on you in subtle ways.
@Elin
Thank you! :) They're both wonderful people. I LOVED "Beauty and the Beast." She was the perfect choice. I agree, her voice was great for the role. Thanks for stopping by!
@Dr. Mark
Thanks! Of course I had to include all of you on the list. It fits with everyone else I talked about, too. ;)
Awwwww!! :)
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