by Meghan Proctor

I’m an animator. I always have been. Okay, not really, I’ve only been one for two years tops, but it seems that society romanticizes the idea of having “always” been something. From sports, to acting, to science, we grew up seemingly expected to decide our careers before we learned what the word “career” even means. It almost reaches the point where we may feel intimidated to try something new because we haven’t been experts since we were age three.

I discovered my passion for animation during my sophomore year. That was the year I made my first stop-motion film and submitted it to the film festival. Seeing my work on the big screen and hearing the audience laugh at my jokes was the best feeling in the world. Since that moment, animation became my absolute favorite hobby. Later in my junior year, I finally decided that I wanted to keep doing this for a living.

However, I occasionally feel that it may have been an impulsive decision. Maybe it would have been better to look into engineering or zoology since I’ve been interested in them longer. I especially feel this way when I see the works of incredible artists my age who have been drawing for much longer than I have. I fear that I may never reach that level of talent in order to earn my place in the ever-competitive world of art, that I have missed my opportunity. But I keep my head high. I keep drawing and animating, improving a tiny bit each time.

High school, and even college, exists to help us explore our talents and discover our passions. It doesn’t matter whether you find your calling in kindergarten or long after you earn your college degree. If you have the passion and are willing to pull through the rigor in pursuing it, it’s never too late to start.