From the moment I was born I have had a very active imagination. The majority of my childhood was spent making art, creating stories, playing piano, and shooting fun videos with my friends. I was lucky to be able to express my creativity through multiple outlets and find a community that embraced it. The Charles River Creative Arts Program helped me realize that I could define my own success using my art and it didn’t have to be based on grades or academic abilities. It was at this very camp where I spent the past eight summers teaching video and animation to kids ages 8-15. In addition to teaching, I designed my own classes and organized and led the Animation department. I was drawn to this camp because of the art, but I stayed and became a teacher because of the kids. Being a once struggling kid artist, I saw the immense potential in my campers and took every opportunity to help them find their own creative personal fulfillment. After leaving my job as an art teacher, I started my career in digital marketing. In my current job, I am using both my animation and video skills to create content for a local company. Although I will continue working in digital marketing, my heart lies in teaching art, and that is the exact reason why I started Barrett’s Studio.