Recently I’ve been outlining the plot and character arcs for an original story of mine and I had to pause and go ‘Wow. This is fire,’ and then return to my previous train of thought. So naturally, I started consulting others about it, and they ultimately came to the very same conclusion: my drafts were dope.

Now, this is not me bragging (this is an oddly recurring thing I’ve had to say lately…maybe I should work on that) but I think I can make some pretty good content, whether it be world building, character development and depth, or the actual concepts of my projects. My brain never quite shuts off, so it’s easy to pull out a string of ideas.

My latest creative endeavor is formatted to be a cartoon of some sort, and it’s led me down a rabbit hole—I spend a lot of time thinking about how to expand upon the world I’ve created and keep it all organized in my mammoth brain.

And when I mentioned pitching my never ending thoughts to some sort of higher-up, my confidante (18), who is currently gaining the experience to be a screenwriter and storyboard artist, laughed at me. First of all, rude. Secondly, I wasn’t joking.

I think it’s unreasonable that just because I’m younger, my ideas are easily discarded. Yeah, sure, it takes years to edit and cultivate a project to bring it to its full potential, but the concept itself isn’t bad. Besides, I’m the target audience here, shouldn’t fresher takes from the people the project is geared towards count for anything?

I definitely think my ideas could use some help and a little more time spent, but all in all, one chance, or even some feedback could help tremendously.

And yet here I am, being laughed at for daring to dream at the age of 15. In order to gain the experience needed, I’d have to get a seat at the table first. A little roundabout loophole, honestly.

Sure, it definitely sobers you up if you take life with a grain of salt and assume that you can’t get anything done until you’re older and well respected, but I don’t know how long that’ll take. I want to build myself up now, whether there’s a fear of getting rejected or not. I don’t care either way—I just want the opportunity to run the race, not come in first place.