Being creative for the majority of my life has been an “after-school activity”. Throughout my early education, I was taught the system of finding the right answer, and that there is typically only one. If you get that answer, you are rewarded; you’re a “better student”, praised for it, and then more motivated to find the right answer again. But I am not here to bash the education system; I am here to tell you how those after-school activities have inspired the path I want to pursue in life.
In 3rd grade, my 6 closest friends and I formed a club called the Purple Poodle Posh Puppy’s. We would have weekly meetings where I would create scripts and have everyone act them out. That same year, I wrote and illustrated my first book, "Chicken and Pig," where the two main characters, Chicken and Pig, did various things.
In 4th grade, the Purple Poodle Posh Puppy’s went through a rebrand. We lost some members in the process and now called ourselves “The Participants”… We expanded ourselves to creating sets, costumes, and entered local competitions. With a name like "The Participants," it’s safe to say this wasn’t our big break. At this point in my life, my dream was to be scouted in the mall and asked to be on Disney Channel.
In middle school, I gained a love for art. I look back on this time fondly, not only because our teacher, Ms. Heitt, let us eat our lunch one period early in her class, but also because I was able to create as much bad work as possible and still be encouraged to continue. Looking back on this, I realize Ms. Heitt had broken the mold of the success recipe. She knew that creativity and great work emerged from an endless cycle of attempts and ideas, and it never ends with a right or wrong answer; there is only an interpretation of your experience, how it affects you, and how you digest that to turn it into something greater.
Flash forward to this year, I am now 21 and living in Austin, Texas. In my free time, I am forcing my 13 roommates to conglomerate in our living room and read the script of Euphoria with me. My side project right now is editing an episode of a cooking show I created called Minced. It has nothing to do with the show chopped, despite the similar name and theme.
As I reflect on my creative journey this far, I realize that, as cheesy as it sounds, I am only beginning. There is still so much for me to learn, explore, and figure out. Through every experience, I've come to understand that there is no singular right answer in creativity, and often people aren't entirely sure what they're searching for until they stumble upon it. It's a journey of discovery, experimentation, and growth, and far more than just an “after-school activity.”
