PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE Bella Weier, junior at Pioneer High School shares her true nature through the questionnaire created by French essayist and novelist Marcel Proust.
W BY GRACE WANG
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Doing things that make you feel light and not worrying about being someone, just worrying about the way you feel. [My idea is] doing things in life that make you feel proud of yourself doing things that make you inspired. What is your greatest fear? Dying before I’m satisfied with the life I’ve lived. Or, dying young because I feel like before I die, I don’t just want to do things and go places, but I just want to feel satisfied with the person I was and how I treated people. I still have a lot of things to work out, and my greatest fear is never getting the chance to do those things. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I guess my tendency to overthink and be a perfectionist because I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about things when it just wasn’t that bad. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Ignorance. Not seeing other people’s side of things and having so much pride that they can’t admit when they’re wrong. If something is wrong with my friend, I want to have a mature discussion about it and not an argument. Which living person do you most admire? There’s a YouTuber named Hannah Lee Duggan. She lives in a cabin, and when she’s not in her cabin, she travels in a van. She makes a living off YouTube and selling thrifted clothes. I like her because she’s not trying to impress people. She’s very carefree. She’s kind of the person I want to be because she just explores and doesn’t hesitate to do what she wants. What is your current state of mind? I’m doing okay, and I’m getting by, but I’m insecure a lot. I’m always filtering what I say, and I don’t know if it’s the people I’m around, or a personal issue. On what occasion do you lie? I lie and say I’m happy when I’m not. I know people will support me, but I just want to be seen as someone who has their life together. I want
84 | The Communicator Magazine
to be a role model for people, but a lot of time I just need help, and I’m afraid to ask for it. What do you most dislike about your appearance? I have a butt chin, and I hate it. What is the greatest love of your life? My passion is art, and it’s something that I’ve always been a natural at. But it’s also something that I’m very passionate about growing in. I love and see art in everything. I’m a very visual person and just getting outside, taking a walk or making food — I see it as art. Which talent would you most like to have? I want to learn how to knit because I want to be a grandma, and I can’t be a grandma unless I know how to knit. Also, I like making people presents. It feels more personal. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would make myself have more of a work ethic because even though I stress out about school, sometimes I’ll just stress out and then not do it. I’ll just find it hard to get started. I can work once I get going. But I wish I had a lot more motivation than I do. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Being good at drawing. When [I] have a creative vision and execute it successfully, that’s when I feel the proudest. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing what would it be? I’d come back as a deer. My personality is like theirs. What is your most treasured possession? My phone. I would like to say something pretty, but honestly, I would be the most upset if I lost my phone. It has so many memories in it and conversations I’ve had with people, and I feel like a lot of my life is held in there. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Not understanding yourself. In times of my life where I didn’t really have anyone else, I always thought, ‘At least I have myself. At least I know who I am, and I know what I want.’ And I’m still inspired
