You Got This!

by Maya S Penn

  Or, like me, let’s say you have an interest in animation. In addition to teaching yourself about different styles and techniques (I mentioned already that watching behind-the-scenes footage of my favorite movies was a great place to get started), you might want to learn more about the profession itself (animators work primarily in film and television, but also in advertising and the computer and digital industries—think video games and iPhone apps), as well as the process (long before an animator begins his work, he’ll likely have seen—or even helped create—storyboards and 2-D or 3-D models). Whatever you’re into, arming yourself with information is the first step toward realizing that Big Idea.

  Outline Your Goals

  What’s the intention behind the launch of your Big Idea? Are you starting a club with the hope of making an environmental impact? Want to help people around the world have access to clean drinking water? Trying to outlaw bullying behaviors from your school? Are you hoping to monetize your idea for the purpose of making a profit? It doesn’t really matter what your goals are, but taking the time to think about them—and to write them down!—can help ensure that you stay on target.

  Carve Out the Time

  Everyone knows that you can’t expect great results if you don’t put in the work, but carving out time to follow your passions is sometimes easier said than done, especially if you already have a jam-packed schedule. After all, pursuing that Big Idea might mean less time for goofing around online, shopping, Skyping, or gaming; it might even mean skipping the occasional get-together with friends (at least in the beginning stages, when you’re trying to get your project off the ground). One trick I’ve learned is to schedule time to work on my passion projects right into my days and weeks, the same way I’d schedule time for school and homework, church on Sundays, dinner with my family in the evenings, and the occasional sleepover. I find that when I don’t set aside that time on my schedule—when I just try to fit it in—it’s too easy to let days, weeks, and even months slip by without progress.

  Own Your Idea(s)

  I mentioned that my original Etsy page didn’t divulge very much personal information about myself, including my age. But in the early days of my company, I also failed to give myself a title, like “CEO” or “creator” or “owner.” (Granted, I don’t think I actually knew what a CEO was when I was eight, and anyway, I thought of myself more as an artist or designer.) After I started getting some press attention, though, I realized that writers and reporters were starting to call me a “CEO” or an “entrepreneur.” It was only after people started using those labels that I began to feel comfortable with the terms. So sometime around age twelve—four long years after launching Maya’s Ideas—I finally gave myself the title I’d always deserved.

  Don’t make the same mistake that I did.

  Sometimes people, especially kids, can be hesitant to call themselves CEOs or entrepreneurs because it can seem kind of boastful. But it’s important to give yourself credit when it’s deserved. Sure, if you haven’t so much as sold a garment yet, you might hold off on calling yourself a professional fashion designer. And there’s no need to inflate your title (if what you’re really doing is babysitting on the occasional weeknight, there’s no need to call yourself an Executive Child Rearing and Baby Care Commander in Chief). If you do recognize yourself as a CEO (or an artist/activist/philanthropist/designer/coder), though, others will be more likely to recognize you as that thing, too. Owning your ideas, your contributions, and your accomplishments is an important step toward being taken seriously.

  Do What You Love

  I often say that starting a business can be both a blessing and a curse—but that applies to pursuing just about any creative idea. On the one hand, a successfully implemented Big Idea can produce opportunities you haven’t even dreamed of. After all, I certainly never expected to be a role model or become a public speaker; those were unexpected opportunities that presented themselves as I followed my path. On the other hand, Big Ideas come with Big Responsibilities. (No one else is going to run my business but me—that job is all on my shoulders.) But the thing that keeps me going, even when things get a little bit tough, is simple: working on my company doesn’t feel like work. Primarily, it’s fun. I get to exercise my creative mind by coming up with new items to sell, and I’m constantly learning new things that I can use in everyday life.

  I like to think of Big Ideas as being a little like babies or children: It’s up to you to either nurture your ideas to help them grow, or to abandon them. It’s up to you to help your idea through the occasional stumbles and roadblocks until it’s one day able to walk on its own. This is why it’s vital to do something you enjoy, that you don’t view your Big Idea as a burden or a hardship. Because if you truly love whatever magical idea your brain gives birth to, you’ll be that much more likely to ensure that it blossoms.

  BUILDING A SUPPORT NETWORK

  Recruiting Traveling Companions on Your Creative Journey

  As you begin following a path toward realizing that Big Idea, you’ll quickly discover that you need a support network in place, because none of us can accomplish anything entirely alone. Well, I mean, sure, we can all do some things alone. You probably don’t need help brushing your teeth or doing your math homework. (Scratch that: you probably don’t need help brushing your teeth—I totally need help with my math homework sometimes.) But when it comes to pursuing your creative passions, you’re definitely going to need some help. That help might come in the form of emotional support (encouragement when you feel down, bored, or distracted, someone to cheer you up whenever you hit one of life’s speed bumps); practical or logistical support (someone to help you edit your film, organize a protest rally, or post flyers all over your hometown); or even financial assistance (someone to help you raise money or launch a crowdfunding campaign). And even if you manage to get through those initial steps alone, you’re still going to need support later—even the kind you never actually asked for. Think about it: if you want to be a filmmaker, people are going to have to watch (and like!) your films. Ditto for a fashion designer (you’ll need customers to willingly purchase your clothes). Or an activist (you’ll need people to join your movement). Whatever you want to accomplish, you’re going to need as much support as possible to get your ideas out into the world. That’s what this section is about: building a team of traveling companions to help you on your creative journey. And for that first component of your support network, you won’t have to look very far.

  After all, you’re gonna need their permission . . .

  Getting Your Parents On Board

  Ah, parents (or grandparents or guardians—whoever’s in charge of raising you). They basically have one job, which is to make sure you can survive in the world without destroying it—or yourself. Of course, they’ll probably want to ensure that you have lots of fun, lots of love, and a bright future, too. But as we all know, when it comes to getting their permission to do, well, anything, it’s necessary to create an airtight argument, a top-notch pitch. It’s almost like going on Shark Tank, but instead of trying to get capital for your business, you’re trying to negotiate a boost to your allowance or a trip to the mall. In fact, you may find yourself plotting and planning for weeks—How am I gonna convince them to let me go to that party?—even about the not-so-important stuff. Which is why, when it comes to the super-duper-important stuff, like permission or support to follow your passion, you have to work even harder. A lot harder than you’d have to work to, say, convince your mom to let you eat that leftover pasta that was meant for your dad . . . even though you really like pasta . . . and you’re really hungry . . . and you doubt he’d even notice if you ate it anyway . . . (Yes, this totally happened to me recently. Outcome: I ate the pasta. And it was great.)

  I had to pitch my parents when I wanted to start my business, but as I told you previously, they were almost immediately and totally on board (much to my delight and surprise). Since not everything is quite that simple, I’ve got some tips
to help you explain your Big Idea to your folks. Every parent has a different style, a different way of communicating and offering support, but generally speaking, I think you can break them down into three different types:

  The Up-for-Anything Parents

  Up-for-Anything Parents do whatever they can to make your creative dreams a reality—they drive you to the art supply store and give you money for materials, enroll you in that dance class (then let you drop ballet and take modern jazz), help you post flyers/create a website/organize a rally for the cause you’re passionate about. They give you room to grow, and offer the occasional bit of constructive criticism. They build you up and respect your opinions. One or both of your parents may even share your creative passion—perhaps you inherited it from them.

  Now, just because you have Up-for-Anything Parents doesn’t mean they’ll let you do whatever you want. You’ll still need to explain your Big Idea, as well as the reasons why you want to pursue it. The first step to getting them on board—for these and for all other types of parents—is to communicate. I know it may be natural to ramble on and explain things awkwardly, since that’s sometimes how we talk to our folks on a daily basis, but you want to be clear. And you want to be serious. If you have any articles, videos, or examples of other successful people in your field (and you should, if you’ve been working on that Big Idea Strategy), now’s the time to trot those out. If you’ve done actual work in the area you want to pursue—a song you wrote, an animation you created, a report you aced—now’s the time to show them. These examples and exhibits will not only help you explain your idea, they’ll also help demonstrate your passion and commitment to it.

  If you’re wondering whether a formal sit-down with your parents is really necessary, or if you can bring up your Big Idea in a more casual way, that’s really up to you. But certainly you probably don’t need to stage a full-scale family meeting. There’s no need to create a PowerPoint presentation. Just focus on stating your goals, presenting some basic facts and research, and describing the positive impact of your Big Idea (to you, to your community, to the whole world—whatever).

  The Follow-in-My-Footsteps Folks

  The Follow-in-My-Footsteps types of parents are often extremely creative and passionate people, but they want you to grow up and do the same things that they do. Maybe you come from a family of musicians, for example, but your heart is set on coding and web design. Or maybe you come from a long line of medical doctors, but you see yourself acting on the big screen. It’s a common situation, but it’s also a tough one. There’s just not much worse than being forced to drink something that isn’t your cup of tea.

  First things first: remind yourself that music and web design, for example, are vastly different fields (as are acting and medicine). The knowledge that you want to pursue something much, much different than your parents, then, could come as a bit of a shock. And, really, can you blame them?

  Next, consider that the parent who wants you to follow in his or her footsteps probably has a clear idea of what doing so would help you achieve. For example, maybe your dad wants you to become a doctor because it’s a prestigious career with a large salary, and he never wants to see you struggle. Or, perhaps your painter mother and your poet dad think you should pursue a career in the arts because they want you to have a career that you’re passionate about (rather than a “boring” nine-to-five office job). Stop and ask yourself, Will my passion help me achieve that thing my parents want for me? If the answer is yes, tell them about it. For example: “Mom, I know you want me to become a pianist because you love playing so much, but that’s exactly how I feel about coding and web design.”

  The Parent Who Just Doesn’t Get It (Your Passion, That Is)

  You may communicate often and have a perfectly healthy relationship, but you and your parents seem to be on two totally different planets most of the time. It’s not that the Parent Who Just Doesn’t Get It isn’t supportive, it’s just that what you’re trying to accomplish may seem wacky, weird, or totally foreign to him or her. Parents like these are also often more practical than passionate. For example, they may be much more concerned about your grades than enrolling you in a dance class or sports club.

  Ask yourself: Is it possible that they’re a little bit right? Do you need to focus for a time on getting your grades up? Is it possible you can come to some kind of compromise?

  It’s conceivable that no amount of (polite, respectful) communication will change your parent’s mind. If that’s the case, you may have to put your passion on hold until a time when you are free to pursue it. Don’t, however, just sit around doing nothing. Search out other projects you might want to pursue in the meantime. And don’t worry if this new passion has nothing to do with your old one—expanding creatively has never been a bad thing!

  Growing Your Circle of Friends

  Although it’s true that you generally don’t have to pitch your friends to get them on board with your Big Idea, friends are still a hugely important and influential part of your support network. (After all, who else can you complain about your parents to?) It’s also true that friends come in all shapes and sizes, and will fulfill all different sorts of roles in your life.

  For example, there’s the friend you turn to for advice, the often older, wiser kid who seems to have it all figured out. There’s the friend you call when you need to dump your emotions or hash things out, what I like to call a “venting buddy,” someone you can wallow in angst with once in a while. There’s the friend you share interests with—maybe that’s your “karate friend.” You study at the same dojo, but you really don’t see him or her more than once or twice a week. The long-term friend, who’s been around since you were in diapers, who’s more like a sister or a brother at this point. The fun-to-goof-off-with friend, who’s always good for a chuckle. And the super-duper best friend, the person who you just can’t imagine living your life without. Aside from all the laughing, venting, karate, late-night talks, and last-minute homework help, though, friends can be amazingly supportive on your creativity journey, too.

  Anna Rose and Sarah Jane happen to be two of my closest friends. They’re both artists, musicians, and all-around creative people (not to mention sisters, too!). We love to paint and draw together; sometimes we even do improv comedy work. One of the best parts of our friendship, though, is the way we build each other up and support each other’s Big Ideas: Anna Rose and Sarah Jane are always quick to say congratulations when something great happens, always ready with a high five or a social media shout-out or retweet. Meanwhile, I’m always there to root for and cheer on their endeavors. Watching them embark on their own passion projects inspires me to stay on my path, work harder, and do better, too.

  A strong, supportive group of friends will not only look out for you, they’ll also challenge you and help you grow as a person. Of course, the whole challenge one another thing doesn’t mean your friends are running up to you and screaming, “I dare you to get better at [insert passion here]!” That would be weird, and sort of rude. It just means that your friends are in touch with their own unique creativity and are passionate about their work (which hopefully encourages you to commit to yours), as well as supportive of what you’re doing. They’re the type of friends who encourage you to enter your films in a local festival or point you in the direction of a cool art college or a seminar you should check out. Friends like these can even become a part of your Big Idea, by joining forces with you and collaborating with you to turn your vision into the real thing.

  Even if you already have tons of friends, it’s never a bad idea to expand your circle, particularly by including people who share your ambition and specific creative interests. After all, friends who are into the same things as you can sometimes help you out in ways that others in your group just aren’t capable of. For example, one of my friends recently told me that she, too, was interested in animation, but she had no idea how or where to get started. And it was easy for me to point her in the right direction:
I sent her some resources and tutorials to check out. I also recommended to her two different animation software programs (one is admittedly a little pricey, the other is free; I figured she might like to practice on the free one before upgrading to the more advanced version).

  New friends who share common interests, by the way, are probably closer than you might think. They could be members of a club that you’re interested in joining at school, people you meet at an art fair or in an acting class, or someone you notice hanging out in a Facebook group (because, hey, there’s a Facebook group for just about any interest these days). Speaking of Facebook, the Internet is another great place to meet like-minded people.