TO THE ONES WHO DREAM

Saturday, February 4, 2017
In which I ramble about all my thoughts on La La Land. This isn't going to be a review -- at least, not really. This movie and its themes have been stuck in my head since I saw it, and I needed some way to release allll my feelings.

(spoiler free, of course. like I said -- these are more thoughts than a review of the actual movie.)




I've always considered myself a dreamer. More often than not my head is somewhere in the clouds, which can cause me to come across as quiet, but that's only because there's an orchestra of hopes and fears and dreams and completely unrealistic expectations swirling in my mind. Forever dreaming and thinking and hustling and wondering.

I went into La La Land without knowing anything about the actual movie. Well... I guess I knew that it was some sort of romance with music involved. Okay. Cool. So?

What I didn't realize, is that I would connect with this story so much. I fell in love to the point of tears, and after watching the movie I immediately rushed home to play the songs on the piano. this. movie. means. so. much.

Yes, it is a romance. A very sweet one -- making a huge deal about holding hands and the smaller things. The romance wasn't the reason I loved the movie so much, though it certainly did add to it with the realism of it all.

La La Land is a story about artists and dreams. (okay, sorry, this is totally turning into a lil' mini review xD) It's about an aspiring actress and a jazz musician. It's about their extreme love and passion for making their own dreams come true. I can relate.

What I adored, is that the movie didn't just show the glamorous parts of being an artist. They showed the struggle -- working their butts off, living simply, and the pain of rejection. It showed the curtain behind the fame, and the trials it takes to get there in the first place. It means working every. single. day. It means working with fears that the day of "making it" in the industry might not ever come.

Being a dreamer is easy, but making the dream a reality is something only a few can accomplish. It means trying again and again, even when it doesn't work the first time. La La Land showed the importance of the "never give up" attitude, and it made me so happy.

Sometimes, being a dreamer means giving up other dreams to focus on The Dream. This is the hard part -- where the sacrifices come in and it quickly becomes clear that it's not possible to do everything. That it's not possible to have everything in life.

This movie gathered all my thoughts and inserted them into one, beautiful masterpiece. The music, the dancing, the romance, the story, the showcase of artists and musicians and dreams. The lyrics below hit me especially hard, and I struggled to hold my tears and sobs in the movie theater.
here's to the ones who dream
foolish as they may seem
here's to the hearts that ache
here's to the mess we make
(isn't that the most beautiful thing? the whole song is lovely and I cried all the way through it. THIS MOVIE, YOU GUYS. asjdkfl; <3)

It's a fine balance between being sensible and following crazy, big, magnificent dreams, but maybe we can do both. It's tough.But God gave us dreams and the hearts and talent to achieve them. With His help and His will... who knows what might happen.

In all, go see La La Land. Shoot for the sky, and work hard to conquer those handmade dreams for you. 

(i hope you enjoyed my rambles. :P)

<3,
katie grace

(now that your head is filled with the topic of dreams... the amazing writers of burning youth posted about dreams all throughout the month of january. go bless your soul with the inspiration of that blog. <3)
have you seen la la land?
what are your dreams?

57 comments :

  1. I saw La La Land last Friday, and it was such a good movie. Absolutely magnificent. I also loved how they showed the struggles of people trying to reach their dreams (funny, I wrote a piece about something relating to the theme of artists' dilemmas several months back). I really want to sing "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" for my choir final because it's that good.

    As for my dreams? Well, I do want to become a published, successful author whose novels have the ability to change the world for the better, even if that just starts in one person reading. That's always been my dream since I was in fifth grade, and I don't want to give up on it, and I feel like God wants me to spread goodness through my writing and that's why I've been writing for over five years.

    xoxo Morning

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    1. YES. You should totally sing the song for your choir final. That... that would be so fun. o.o

      Awwh, that dream sounds so lovely. It's a lot like mine -- I want to be an author and make a difference and love. <3

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  2. As soon as I saw the trailer for La La Land, I wanted to go and see it, but still haven't?? I've seen so much positive stuff about it, so I need to get it together and go!

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  3. I've heard a lot of good things about La La Land..I really need to see it.
    Great post! <3

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  4. Hey Katie!!! I'm back (?!?!) from the non-blogging void! And while I have been busy I have been lowkey reading and rereading posts from your blog <3

    I haven't watched La La Land yet, but I've heard great things about it. I like the concept of it though, and from what I've seen in the trailer it promises an amazing story!

    And this post is spot-on! Especially your point about the movie showing the struggle of being an artist

    - Andrea (asurgeofthunder.blogspot.com)

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    1. ANDREA. HI. :D (Just to let you know -- I got your email and I'll respond to it soon)

      Thank you for reading! This movie is so great and I hope you love the movie as well. :D

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  5. Ahhh I want to see thissss! I love the song To the Dreamers by FKaK, its so amazing!

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    1. Ooh, I need to listen to that. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  6. I've had the soundtrack memorized for weeks, but I haven't been able to get to the theater yet--I really really want to!

    Hailey
    haileyhudson.wordpress.com

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    1. Do the thing! The soundtrack is so gorgeous. <3

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  7. I haven't seen it yet, sadly, and I actually didn't pay much attention to it before now. Romance isn't really my thing. Knowing more about it helps, haha! I'll definitely make an effort to see it at some point.

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    1. I've never been a huge romance person, though I enjoy it more now that I did in the past. It's definitely interesting from the artist/musician standpoint as well. :D

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  8. Oh my goodness, I am dying to see La La Land but since I am a poor human, I must wait until it is available to rent for the small price of 3.99. :) BUT EVERYONE IS SAYING IT'S A MUST SEE, and it sounds absolutely enchanting.

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    1. YES YOU NEED TO SEE IT. Yeah... the theater is always expensive, unfortunately. *cries* My mom was lovely and took me to see it. xD

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  9. I DEFINITELY enjoyed your ramblings!! I loved this movie so so so much!!

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    1. Eeep, thank you! And I'm glad you loved it as well. :D

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  10. Now I want to see La La Land O.O Now.

    Those lyrics...I don't even know the song, and now they're stuck in my head. "here's to the hearts that ache/here's to the mess we make..." HEARING THAT JUST MADE MY DAY. It's. so. beautiful. It reminded me of one of my all-time favorite For King and Country songs that goes like:

    "To the dreamers, wide-eyed believers/hanging on to hope by a thread/
    to the soulful, heart-open hopeful/keep on charging ahead."

    I loved your ramblings thank you so much for this. <3

    audrey caylin

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    1. DO IT. o.o

      I've had it stuck in my head for sooo looong. But I'm not complaining because it's amazing. xD

      Ahh, that's so amazing. I love those lyrics so so so much. *needs to listen to it immediately*

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  11. OH MY GRACIOUS. Katie, my dream is to reach the lost with the message of the Gospel. Sometimes it is a struggle to pursue this dream. And I was just reading 'One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven' by Mark Cahill, which talks about how important it is to reach people with the Good News. And then I read your post about pursuing your dreams. GOODNESS I THINK GOD IS REALLY WORKING TO ENCOURAGE ME TODAY. Thanks for this, Katie. You're awesome. <3
    -Ariel

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    1. AHH that's such an amazing dream and it makes me so happy. <3 <3 Ooh, that book sounds good... I'll have to check it out.

      EEP YOU'RE SO WELCOME. <3

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  12. ASLKDJFA;LSKDFJAD;SKLFJADS;LKFJDSA I LOVE THIS SO MUCH THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING AND SO IS THIS POST. EEEEEK. THE AUDITION SONG IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. I'M GOING TO SEE IT TOMORROW AGAIN!!!!!! Also I've been thinking about dreams and everything so much with launching Project Canvas and everything today. This post is giving me even more inspirational fuel. <3

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    1. AS;DFJALSKFJ;D AHH YOU ARE?? I WISH I COULD GO WITH YOU AND WE COULD CRY OVER THE AMAZINGNESS TOGETHER.

      Ahh, so excited about this project. You're so awesome. xD

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  13. Wow, I want to see this movie so badly. <3

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  14. I want to see it!!! Does it have any suggestive elements? :/

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    1. Mmm, not really? I think the only thing was some language. You can look it up on Common Sense Media and get a full report on all the elements. :)

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    2. Oh that sounds great! Thanks!

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  15. I LOVE LA LA LAND!!! IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND IT HIT ME SO HARD IN THE FEELS !!!!!!!

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  16. Ah, Katie <3 I always enjoy your "rambles" (which are far more coherent than rambles have a right to be) ;)

    And I really, really want to go and see this now!

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    1. I edited them so they sounded fairly coherent. XD

      SEE IT. o.o I think you'd really like it.

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  17. Great post!! That movie was so amazing and so different - I loved the music. Just curious, did you find sheet music for the songs or did you play them by ear? I've been trying to find some sheet music ever since watching LaLa Land...

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    1. I haven't found any sheet music yet for the Audition Song... I just found some guitar chords online and improvised using that. :D

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    2. Oh that's awesome :) City of Stars is now my favorite song...

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  18. here's to the ones who dream
    foolish as they may seem
    here's to the hearts that ache
    here's to the mess we make

    THAT LYRIC IS BEAUTIFUL. My dream... I HAVE A LOT OF THEM. I dream of getting published before I'm twenty, going back to Uganda, etc., etc., etc.......

    Micaiah
    notebooksandnovels.com

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    1. Going BACK to Uganda? So you were there before? o.o

      Yess to getting published. I would love to be published before twenty... but I don't know if that's possible or not. It would be so amazing!

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  19. I haven't seen La La Land yet (the consequence of never going to see movies with my family, haha), but I would like to. Yes, dreams are so easy to create, but so hard to chase (and even harder to reach; although maybe the chasing is the important part sometimes?).

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    1. Chasing dreams is definitely part of the process. It's the "chasing" journey where a lot of dreamers give up, so it shows a lot to finish chasing after your dreams and actually reach them. :D

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  20. La la landdd. I must see it I must. I've been wanting to see it since it came out . . . IT'S ABOUT DREAMERS AND ARTISTS -- HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO RESIST? XD

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  21. Ohhh yes, I must go see this!

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    1. Yes! I would love to hear what you think of it! :D

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  22. Ahhh I love the soundtrack of La La Land so much, though I can't afford to go to the cinema to watch it, so I'm waiting for when it becomes available online. But I'm so in love with the music and its beauty that I'm sure it will be worth the wait. Thank you for such a lovely and encouraging post, and never give up on your dreams! They're worth it, and so are you. <3

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    1. The cinema is so expensive. -.-

      Awh, thank you. Go get your dreams -- I know you can do it. <3

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  23. Have not seen La LA Land yet, but your post has given me so many reasons to see it! It sounds absolutely inspiring <3
    -www.goldenpupils.wixsite.com/sarahelizabeth

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    1. Yesss you should totally see it! It gave me so many thoughts (as you can tell by this post, haha).

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  24. I loved La La Land too! Do you like the way it ended? I thought it was perfect and far from bittersweet. I'm so glad the movie focused on the romance of dreams and art rather than the actual romance. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were perfect for the roles! :)

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  25. I'd go see it... but...
    Hehe I might be trying to convince my mom that Lego Batman and Beauty and the Beast are worthy weekend excursions (because batman and because emma watson asdfjkl)

    But it sounds like it was cute! I'll have to watch it sometime.

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  26. Yep. I love this post.

    It even made me cry a bit. :D

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  27. HOW COME I NEVER COMMENTED ON THAT POST.

    I read it on my email, I believe, and you almost made me cry. "The Fools who Dream" was just so beautiful! I was mesmerized (hehe, just learned what that word meant) by Emma Stone's face during that song like asdflskj I just can't. To me, La La Land is already a classic.

    And I'm glad you were able to put down into words what I felt when I saw the movie (and the tear-jerking ending). When the movie ended I lowkey was shocked. I was like, they really make it end like this? Why? ç

    And then it occurred to me that it HAD to finish like that. Hollywood is a tough industry. We had to see just how much these two had to give up in order to accomplish their dreams.

    Thankfully, I'm not planning on becoming an actress anytime soon XD XD I'd probably ask God for one more confirmation before throwing myself out there! But I do have dreams and I do know my God wants what's best for me and to make my life a testimony, so Imma cope with failures and messes as long as I have to, and when my time to shine will come, I'll be even more grateful

    (Why are my comments always long X'D)

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  28. This is a wonderful post. I want to be an artist/writer/public speaker, and while my (extended) family tells me often that my dreams are impractical, there's no way I'm giving up on it. Thank you for reminding us all that we should always keep on dreaming.

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  29. Rereading this post and commenting this time hehe ... I'm such a bad follower. But this post <3 <3 <3 La La Land is possibly my favorite movie of all time now ... possibly. I'll have to rewatch it to confirm that :D I really loved that it was a realistic approach to starry eyed dreamers. I know some people didn't get it or disliked the ending but I thought it was PERFECT! Like anyone with dreams and ambition appreciated that movie, so what's wrong with you? XP It made me cry and the whole thing was vintage and modern and real and magical. I'm so happy it won some Oscars. The way you presented the post is nothing short of awesome and inspiration so high five for you! :D

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  30. Now that I've seen the movie, I came back to read this post and oh, my goodness. You sum up my thoughts and feelings almost perfectly. :D :D :D It was indeed such an amazing movie. I loved how it showed how there are always sacrifices to make when dreaming; you can't hope to attain every wish...and yet that was what made the movie so beautifully sad. I nearly lost it all in endless tears during the song To the Ones Who Dream and then at the very end; somehow I kept it all in. :P
    The world needs more films like this one. We need more jazz musicians and aspiring actresses who aren't afraid to display their unique qualities, even if it means getting turned down time and time again. <3
    Anywho, thank you for yet another pretty post.

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  31. Hey! Susanna Metzler sent me here!! You sound so much like me and I think I just might hang around. :) Loved this post and now I really want to see the movie!

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  32. I JUST WATCHED LA LA LAND AND I ADORED IT.

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