Dancing With My Chaos: What MAYHEM Unlocked in Me

 

In honor of The Mayhem Ball coming to an official end 💔 I have been reflecting on just how much of a significant role Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album MAYHEM was in my journey of self-discovery, choosing my major and embracing my own personal chaos.

Just to get a perspective of my life previous to the album's release, I had just started my second semester here at MCCC as a health science major. If you were to ask me how I even chose that major, I would honestly tell you it was on a whim. Seriously, I searched up “What are the highest-paying jobs with minimal schooling”, leaned towards X-ray Technician and began to take pre-requisites for the Radiography program here at Mercer. 

And while I deeply admire people in the medical field (especially my brother Cristian, who is currently a nursing major) getting an education to work in the medical field, but taking classes I had no true passion for felt like a big disservice to my own autonomy and passion. With my parents' support, I withdrew and took the opportunity to reassess my values, discovering myself all over again. 

So how exactly does this tie into the Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album MAYHEM?

Just a few weeks after the countdown for Mayhem, Gaga announced she would be premiering the first 30 seconds of her lead single "Abracadabra" at the 67th Annual Grammy's Awards. With no responsibilities, I, Of course stayed up for those 30 seconds.

Throughout most of my life, music has played a significant role in navigating and making sense of the world around me. 

Words cannot begin to describe the amount of passion, ecstasy and fire that began to rush in my body in just those 30 seconds alone. It felt as if a part of me had been reawakened, not just through Gaga revisiting her "dark-pop" roots but through the intensity of the visuals, choreography and story-telling throughout the music video. Music has also played a crucial role throughout my adolescence and even now into my adulthood, I still find myself building a world with every album I encounter.

I knew from that moment on, I had to not only change, but immerse myself in the kind of creative world that Gaga showcased on MAYHEM. One where authenticity chaos, expression, emotion and storytelling wasn't just allowed but necessary. I immediately went down to the Academic Advising Center and switched my major.

Ever since that day, I have experienced opportunities that challenged my creativity and strengthened my relationship with myself. From producing, directing, filming, and broadcasting, to simply allowing myself to create without fear, I started to discover who I really was and I cannot wait for the many opportunities that are lying ahead of me.

Now...

Did I actually end up going to The Mayhem Ball?

... No. 

But It taught me something just as important. 

Preparation and Temperance is key.

Visions alone aren't enough. You can have the most vivid ideas looping in your head for hours, but without preparation, they will stay there. Execution is what ultimately brings it to life.

And in a way, that lesson aligns with MAYHEM as anything else.

As Gaga puts it: “Don’t waste time on a feeling. Use your passion.no return.”