Stories of Shelter: How Animation Shaped Me Growing Up by Sarah

Stories of Shelter: How Animation Shaped Me Growing Up by Sarah - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

It’s hard to pick out just a few personal experiences that drew me to my major, because when I think back it really feels like one lifetime of love that guided me here. My major is animation, it’s something I’ve loved ever since I was a kid. I could spend hours getting lost in animated cartoons and movies, exploring all these new worlds and characters, each illustrated in their own unique style. I was so inspired by what I saw on the tv that my own creativity flourished in turn. I drew my favorite characters, I made little stop motion stories with my dolls, and once I even (with my moms permission of course) drew my favorite animated character onto a white t-shirt.

But animation wasn’t just something that helped me pass the time, it also helped me get through some tough times. My sister was born with a disability, and because of that my mom needed to stay home to take care of her, which meant we were left with only my dad’s salary to live off of. It could be stressful growing up, we always seemed to be tight on money, and some new disaster or thing breaking never seemed to far away. During this time, animation wasn’t just something fun I watched, it was something that helped me cope with the hard times. When things were rough, there was always some series or movie out there to help distract me, to let me focus on a magical and fun adventure rather than all of the things out of a child’s control.

I think everyone has some animated work in their life that served a similar role, or something they associate with a good memory. Maybe a movie they saw with their family, maybe their child’s favorite show when they were younger, or maybe something they know that they can always count on, even at the end of a hard day. That’s what’s so special about animation, so much work and artistry is put into each and every production, and in turn it’s able to inspire, comfort, and connect with its audience.

That’s what I want to do, I want to help be apart of creating something that I know firsthand can be so important in a child’s life. I am so grateful that when life was hard growing up I had animation to rely on, to inspire me to get creative. I have met so many of the important people in my life through a mutual love and appreciation of this art form, and now I want to give back. I want to make something that can inspire the world, that can inspire people to seek out their own creativity. But most of all, I want to make something that resonates with people, that brings comfort to those who watch it. If I can help even one child feel a little less stressed during a tough time in their life, then everything will have been worth it. Who knows, maybe I’ll even be lucky enough to create something that drives a new creative forward, that one day maybe they’ll look back on what I’ve made and say “This is where my love of animation started.”