The experiences in people's lives influence what kind of creative ability they have. For example: Dave Pelzer, author of A Child Called It, which was a very popular book in my childhood, used his artistic ability to write about his traumatic experiences with abuse in order to spread his message. Every message is interpreted differently, but his could be expressing how a person can fight their way through a difficult time. Although I can’t relate to everyone’s overall message, I can still strive to create messages through any work of art I complete, and that’s due to a few of my biggest, and most relevant experiences in life.

Years ago I was diagnosed with scoliosis. At the time I had no idea what that was, but my parents were crying for me, so I began to feel scared when I was told I would had to get a back brace and would need to wear it 23/7. I was embarrassed by it even though it was under my clothes and not noticeable. Everyday I felt judged when dressing down for PE because of the enormous cast on my torso. Even just walking through the halls was uncomfortable because I thought I looked like a square, which, back in that time of my life my appearance was very important for me. However, I had fun with it. Probably the most fun anyone has ever had with a brace because I made it my friend. It sounds silly, but it was the best way to deal with it. I named my brace, ‘Shelly Brayson Raymond’. Whenever people in the locker rooms would ask what it was I would say, “I got bit by a piranha”, and when I wanted to show off to all my classmates, I encouraged them to punch me in the stomach and told them it was my rock hard abs. Of course, nobody actually believed me, but it was a fun trick because everybody knew I was lying afterwards and laughed about it anyway. It was so much fun that now I actually really miss it. In the beginning I resented the doctors for making me wear Shelly, but in the end it helped me learn to turn bad situations into good ones. People need to remember to make situations fun and to stay positive because every person can overcome difficult chapters or experiences in their life and use them for works of art.

Throughout my life, especially with the experiences I described previously, I have learned to be more accepting of others, which taught me how to incorporate that into my art. I went to a camp called “Camp Attitude” where I served as a ‘buddy’ to a child with special needs for a week. It’s a really neat experience because it gives the parents a break and lets the special needs kids participate in activities that they normally don’t get to do at home, such as: jet skiing, riding a horse, arts and crafts, fishing, volleyball, tubing, and hiking. One of the reasons I love this camp is because of how accepting people are. Some people in the world don’t understand that kids with disabilities are just like everyone else. They fully understand what is going on around them and they want so badly to respond or participate in the situation but their brain won't let them. It makes me sad, but I know they just want to be like everybody else, and they are. They have had to live with this their whole life and they do just fine. A person wouldn't have the obstacles they are challenged with if nobody thought they could overcome it. I try my hardest to understand this concept by accept others for who they are and learning from them. Watching other people is a great way for artists to understand people, which is what makes great art.

Every movie has a message that the director wants to portray, and one that I know I will now want to send is how a person can overcome any obstacle and make choices that will get them to where they want to be. Some movies that incorporate this same message are: A Little Princess, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and the Pursuit of Happyness, directed by Gabriele Muccino. In A Little Princess, the main character Sara has to overcome the fact that her father had died in war and she is now an orphan. She reminds me of myself because of how free spirited and creative she is, which probably led to my love of this movie. She ‘turns herself off’ when she receives the terrible news, but she learned to cope with it by continuing to have faith that the world will be good even though she is treated horribly by the boarding school director. There is a similar message in The Pursuit of Happyness. Chris Gardner, a loving, determined guy that wants to make enough money for his family and himself is thrown under the bus (not literally) when his wife leaves him. He loses his money, his house, and has to live out on the streets as a single parent to his son. His high ambition is what is able to get him through the grueling internship of no pay that he needs to do in order to live a more successful life. Chris ended up being a pretty cool guy because of his selfless determination, even though it was a tough fight. In both of these films the characters overcame challenges with their motivation and positivity, and that is the message I want to send through my videos and future films.

One of my goals is to get the world to understand that anything in life is possible no matter what. Any person can have a good life if they want to. I also want the world to understand that each person's life is different, and it may take some understanding. Not many people take the time to understand each individual, which is important for relationships, intelligence, and artistic ability. In the end, I am continuing to learn more from others every day so I can efficiently make my art more relatable and understandable.