Artsy people: what would you tell your 17-year-old self?

March 28, 2012 11:47 AM

What advice would you give to a 17-year-old young man who wants a creative career?

I have a young friend who is currently a sophomore in high school. He has wide-ranging interests and could imagine himself in a number of different creative jobs, but he has trouble focusing. He has expressed frustration because he isn't sure where to put his energy; as a result he jumps from project to project, without much to show for it in the end. He lives in a small town, does not have a car, and does not yet know what his options will be after high school.

Here are some of the things he has aptitude for and is ambitious about:
- writing for television/movies
- writing short stories
- directing/shooting/editing film and video
- drawing storyboards

He is intrepid and has a surprising professional network already of people he's contacted/done some work for, but not much yet in the way of a portfolio.

What kind of practical advice would you give him about how to make his dreams attainable?

posted by overeducated_alligator to media & arts (21 answers total)

Learn how to tend bar or wait tables well enough that you will be re-hired on the spot after leaving on short notice to pursue a writing / directing / crew gig.
posted by gauche at 11:52 AM on March 28, 2012 [5 favorites]

I would tell him to study hard, get the best grades & standardized test scores possible, and start thinking about colleges that might help him explore his interests further.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:52 AM on March 28, 2012

Develop the discipline to write or draw every day. It's the thing I didn't do at that age, and I struggle with it decades later in my creative projects.
posted by scody at 11:52 AM on March 28, 2012 [5 favorites]

Tell him to get practical experience just doing it for himself. Make a big project. Get other people involved (and when you do that, you will often tend to stick to things because you have the investment of others riding on you) You can pretty much learn to write a script or make a film digitally now without any college. There's no reason why he can't do it now.

And it's okay that he can't focus. At that age, he's intellectually promiscuous. That's better than being closed off.
posted by inturnaround at 11:55 AM on March 28, 2012 [2 favorites]

Thinking of projects is easy, starting them is harder, but finishing them is very hard. Find a project -- it doesn't need to be large -- and see it through. It might turn out terrible, but you'll learn much more than you would have had you given up or gotten distracted.
posted by Jonathan Harford at 12:06 PM on March 28, 2012 [5 favorites]

he needs to get hard, practical experience as part of a crew for film and/or tv. Shooting and editing his own stuff, putting it up on YouTube, showing it to people and listening to the feedback. Volunteering with local tv stations, local production companies--knowing how to do what you're told and what to do beats a film school degree to smithereens. Hands-on experience will set him apart. Watch movies and notice the set-up, the framing, the lighting, the camera moves--really pay attention.
Writing a script--same thing, write, enter contests, read the writing blogs, etc. Storyboard artists usually major in illustration, and being able to tell a story through the visuals is a great skill--have him write and draw a graphic novel.
posted by Ideefixe at 12:08 PM on March 28, 2012

Don't plan on ever having a job. He needs to plan on being an entrepreneur from day 1 and start figuring out he can support himself with his passion. If he ends up with some sort of stable paying gig all the better. But don't count it.

Marrying somebody rich might help too :)
posted by COD at 12:14 PM on March 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wait, why is he only a sophomore in high school at the age of 17? Has he had issues with learning disabilities or some kind of health crises that affected his progress through school? That might be relevant to his plans if it's the case.

As someone who has on-and-off kept myself afloat as a writer for many years, I think the most important elements of success in a creative career are focus, flexibility, and a strong work ethic. People who are successful in creative fields are people who work hard, who are able to initiate projects and see them through to completion, and who are also capable of following orders when necessary.

Not feeling like you're "too good" for a day job is also super important, as gauche points out.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:21 PM on March 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

For his television aspirations: Direct him to the Nerdist Writer's Panel podcasts and have him listen to all of them. Twice. Every episode is 2-5 television writers (including showrunners, producers, etc) talking about what they do, how they do it, and how they got there. Real world stuff.

He also needs to set his sights on one of the big six writing fellowships. Besides learning to write and writing spec scripts, he needs to learn to use Final Draft (he needs to be able to AFFORD Final Draft, if you're interested in helping him).

See if he can get into a course at the local community college, or online, in small business accounting.

He's got to learn to finish things. There are lots and lots of wonderfully creative people in the world, but only the ones who finish have a shot at making a living at it.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:23 PM on March 28, 2012 [4 favorites]

I agree with other posters who suggest that he needs practical experience and the ability to finish projects. As a high school sophomore, he is uniquely positioned to take advantage of his position as a student (almost everyone is willing to give 5 minutes to a student) as well as the resources made available at school. Encourage him to transform his high school as a living laboratory. Having a real-world, practical application with deadlinesmay provide the motivation he needs. For instance, can he create a short, nostalgic film for the '12s graduation? Collaborate with the theater department to write write the script for an upcoming play? Submit his short stories to a blog?

Once he turns 18, tell him to keep a lookout for the following programs:
Nickelodeon Artist & Writing Programs
MTV Summer Associates Program
Governor's School for the Art & Humanities
In addition, these opportunities will help him build a portfolio while truly testing his creativity.
posted by nikayla_luv at 12:24 PM on March 28, 2012

The best advice I got and ignored was to have an understanding of how business works - get a business degree.

It took me 15 years to learn how stupid I was. Learning to monetize your hobby/craft/art/passion is cynical but a road to success.
posted by crankyrogalsky at 12:52 PM on March 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Be able to either marry rich or live poor. (only slightly kidding on that one...)

Don't go into debt if you can help it; debt will keep you in the crap but wellpaying job instead of taking risks.

Be mobile, have few possessions, have something set by if possible, be open to going where you need to go to do the work you like.

This is hard on relationships, so expect there to be tension and sacrifices in that part of life. Hard to have a spouse and kids and a house payment if you are an artist. It's not right or fair, but it's true.
posted by emjaybee at 12:52 PM on March 28, 2012

Learn how to tend bar or wait tables
Don't plan on ever having a job
Be able to either marry rich or live poor

Tell him to learn to ignore cynical advice like this, which will be thrown at him constantly. If he's already networking successfully at 17, he's ready for Hollywood. Well, okay, not quite. But "creative" doesn't automatically mean "starving artist." ("Creative" doesn't automatically mean "artist" at all; plenty of creative work is rather unglamorous but pays just fine: industrial films, web design, etc. If it's glamour he's after, then yes, by all means, reality check ahoy.)

The single best thing he can be doing now, as suggested above, is to start completing projects instead of just starting them. If he can do that, he'll be on his way towards building the all-important portfolio, and more importantly will be demonstrating to himself that he actually does want a creative career, as opposed to daydreaming about doing creative things (which everybody does.)

Strongly prefer collaborative projects over solitary ones: he'll have people to learn from, and deadlines to work to.
posted by ook at 1:14 PM on March 28, 2012 [6 favorites]

I love this book. It's technically targeted toward people in advertising, but it very much speaks to the realities of being a creative person in general:

It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be

It's short and fun to read, but also full of really good advice about things like not looking for other people to blame when you fall short, looking at things differently, and being brave enough to risk being wrong.

I always go back to it when I need an injection of creative energy and/or a kick in the ass.
posted by missjenny at 2:37 PM on March 28, 2012

Two points:

1.) At a certain time he needs to make a jump. But good standardized test scores, study of logic, math, science, and writing are necessary. If he attends a good college he will gain a formal study that combined with creativity will make his life much easier. Not to mention he might meet many interesting people. Creativity is not enough. You must be creative as well as have a strong command over, for example, the English language (if you were to be a writer).

2.) On Gauche's point: Being a bartender is fine. While I am not a programmer, I think those who are able to pick up a scripting or programming language and do contract positions have an exciting level of job freedom. Sure being a bar-tender would be an easy gig, but if he's a bit smarter and more ambitions maybe he could learn a programming language to hold him over in between creative pursuits.
posted by jjmoney at 2:39 PM on March 28, 2012

I always turn back to Ira Glass's oft-quoted advice for beginners:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

posted by fireflies at 2:42 PM on March 28, 2012 [9 favorites]

The mistake I made in my youth was to try to earn my living from my creative passion (which was music and music alone at that time). Bad mistake, for me. If I had to do it over again, I would find a trade that I could live on part-time and that didn't take everything out of me, so I had time and energy left to devote to my art. Trying to earn a living from one's creativity can lead in short order to doing projects one isn't really passionate about, and/or to early burnout.

So, my recommendation would be about diametrically opposed to those who've talked about him "supporting himself with his passion". I say, keep passion and money separate *at this time*. I think he should find a trade, and work it for now while he uses his spare time to work on his artistic interests. He can then pursue whatever he wants without regard for having to earn a living from it or being put out on the streets. If he gets to where people want to buy the product of his honest art, great.
posted by parrot_person at 5:02 PM on March 28, 2012

I think there's a big difference between "you'll always have to have a 'day job'," which I think is realistic advice, and "you'll never be able to quit your 'day job'," which I think is unhelpfully pessimistic.

Being open to a "day job" and having marketable skills for same is important for everyone in the arts, unless they have a trust fund.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:33 PM on March 28, 2012 [2 favorites]

Sorry, that was all garbled. What I meant to say was "There's a big difference between 'you'll always have to be ready and willing to have a "day job",' which I think is realistic advice, and 'you'll never be able to quit your "day job",' which I think is unhelpfully pessimistic."

The ironing here, of course, is that my day job has so often been being a copy editor or a copywriter. Hey, 17-year-old young writer/filmmaker dude, be better at your day job than I am!
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:35 PM on March 28, 2012

1. Create a portfolio and keep it updated.
2. Find the best college to study the craft you want to pursue.
3. Find a good mentor and be willing to work for free.
4. Learn to monetize the creative passion.
5. If you don't make it after 10 years of trying professionally (post college), call it quits and stick to your day job.
posted by slogger at 7:17 PM on March 28, 2012

Yeah, by no means did I mean to suggest that this young man will never be able to make a living doing creative work. All I meant was, it's useful to have some other skill that puts cash in your pocket, and there are a lot of reasons why something like bar tending or waiting tables is well-suited to the creative life. And it's something you can become actually really good at without using up all of your creative or mental energy on the job, which I am given to understand is more of a problem with a lot of white-collar work that people do to tide them over until they write the screenplay or whatever. I know that my own creative writing and design work was a lot stronger back when I was a cheesemonger than it has been since I went to grad school and started working at a desk.

I am all for people following their bliss: one of the ways you do that is by being really clear-minded about what the early days of your bliss will look like, and taking the hard times into account.
posted by gauche at 7:42 PM on March 28, 2012