Flames of Creativity: Turning Criticism into Fuel for Success by Lillian

Flames of Creativity: Turning Criticism into Fuel for Success by Lillian - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

I was 15 when I received my first wire and beads for jewelry making at Christmas. I have always been quick to learn new hobbies as I was never really good at just one activity. Being a jack of all trades has always been part of my identity. When I was 16, I began making my jewelry for fun. Shark tooth necklaces had become popular in my beach town, and making them myself would be cheaper and more convenient. Most shark tooth pieces cost $50 or more, so I thought it would be a fun summer activity to start an Instagram account and sell the inexpensive janky necklaces to my friends. My new endeavor consumed me, which led to spending days and nights experimenting with sewing overalls and tank tops out of Goodwill fabric, working with wire till my fingers bled, and carefully marketing my products and business with PicCollage. My soul felt as if there was an internal flame that illuminated my whole being of who I was. I was creating, sharing, and growing in ways that inspired me every day.
Instantaneously, like a tsunami, water drenched my flame, nearly extinguishing it. I heard that two of my close friends had been scrolling through my Instagram feed, mocking my work, laughing at my creations, and picking apart my character. My self-worth felt torn and defeated. I nearly deleted the whole account. I was emotionally burdened by the thought that two people so close to me were laughing at my creativity. If they were laughing, was everyone else around me doing the same thing? Notice I said ‘nearly’ because though they soaked my flame, a spark still remained. My frustration and insecurity transformed into drive and inspiration. My fire kept crackling.
During the same timeframe, I joined the staff of My Sisters Cottage, a retail boutique nearby. In August 2022, they held an end-of-summer meeting for the whole team. They announced several new developments and their interest in starting a new jewelry line for the company. Getting paid to do my hobby? It was an easy yes for me. I expressed interest to my boss at the end of the meeting. I showed them pictures from the social media account I had been laboring over all summer. Within two weeks, I was no longer greeting people and checking them out at the register; I was sitting at my boss’s kitchen table stringing beads.
Over the next year, my flicker transformed into a roaring fire. The owner promoted me to shift lead, managing a team of six girls. My hands went from beading gold hoops with our recycled sea glass to running spreadsheets, inventory, and all inner operations of our project. At this point, I only touched pliers to design jewelry for our carefully planned collections. I scoured Pinterest and other jewelry websites for inspiration and newer trends to curate a cohesive aesthetic for our lines. I monitored statistics of what styles and colors sold best in our stores. Working closely with the management team, I communicated plans and next steps. We progressed from being a department within the boutique to a separate vendor, “MSC Creative,” in preparation for expanding our presence into larger markets.
Discovering a passion for designing, marketing, and management has provided an outlet for my creative personality which I am excited to pursue professionally. I am thankful for my peers’ harsh criticism of my work because it taught me the reality of judgment in the real world. Moreover, it made me grateful for the support I have around me to take such a tiny ember of an idea and make it a conflagration of tangible work that impacts people from all corners of the world. I searched for what fueled my soul for so long, but now I am prepared for my potential in this next chapter of life and my future.