Artistic Dreams: Why you shouldn’t give up on them | Jen Fontanilla | TEDxHuntingtonBeach
The speaker argues that restrictive childhood "money stories" taught by others prevent creatives from pursuing fulfilling careers because they wrongly equate passion with poverty. She illustrates this by comparing her childhood artistic dreams to her later feeling of emptiness as a doctor, culminating in the realization that creativity and wealth are not mutually exclusive. The central advice is to consciously identify and rewrite these limiting money stories, accepting that *"money and happiness follows"* when we choose ourselves.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker, discussing financial and professional narratives related to creativity.
- Initial experience recalled: Being told by a third-grade teacher that art was *"foolishness"* because it wouldn't pay for a future.
- Shifted career path: Attempted to become a doctor but felt *"confused and most of all empty."*
- New direction: Became interested in graphic design after seeing a friend's Photoshop work, feeling *"alive"* again.
- Current audience reception: Getting confused faces when announcing she is a graphic designer, contrasting with past support for a medical career.
## Theses & Positions
- A person's belief about money, or "money story," is often shaped by others (mother, father, teacher, etc.) and can be inaccurate.
- The common belief that "you can't make real money as an artist" is a damaging lie that many internalize.
- Creatives do not have to choose between happiness and earning a living; *"we can have both."*
- The most effective career path isn't solely defined by maximum money, but rather by a balance that sustains happiness.
- True financial freedom and happiness come from consciously changing negative money stories and believing in one's inherent worth.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Money Story:** Personal feelings, values, and beliefs about money that are shaped within us, often negatively.
- **Scarcity Mindset:** The internal belief structure that limits one's perceived financial possibilities, leading to giving up on passions.
- **Aha Moment:** A moment of sudden realization, exemplified by a client remembering doubt from a traditional immigrant mother.
- **Psychological Stability:** A finding that creative individuals tend to exhibit higher levels of general psychological stability compared to those in less creative professions.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Story Formation:** Negative beliefs about money are absorbed from family or society, often without awareness of the negative impact.
- **Client Empowerment:** Identifying the source of limiting money stories allows the client to gain confidence to choose paths that serve her, creating her own success path.
- **Self-Correction Process:** To rewrite a story, one must first: 1) Write down the limiting belief; 2) Find evidence that contradicts it; 3) Choose a new, empowering belief.
- **Self-Worth to Net Worth:** Increasing self-worth is presented as the direct precursor to increasing one's net worth.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Childhood:** Art is relegated to *"foolishness"* that cannot support a future.
- **Adolescence/Young Adulthood:** Choosing the "safe route" of becoming a doctor due to societal pressure, leading to dissatisfaction.
- **Turning Point:** Seeing the work of a friend in Photoshop, reigniting the artistic desire.
- **Research/Discussion:** Analyzing how external beliefs (parental/societal) shape these money stories.
- **Empowerment:** The process of rewriting beliefs and committing to a creative path.
## Named Entities
- **Pablo Picasso:** Source of the concluding quote *"every child is an artist."*
- **University Zurich:** Conducted a study linking psychological stability in creatives to their professions.
- **Princeton University:** Studied the correlation between earnings and job satisfaction.
- **Otis College of Art and Design:** Conducted a 2023 report on the creative economy in California.
## Numbers & Data
- Peak job satisfaction point: Around **$75,000** annually.
- Data plateau: Job satisfaction gains significantly diminish after earning **$75,000**.
- Second income benchmark: At **$100,000**, job satisfaction increase compared to $75,000 is only slight.
- Report Year: **2023**.
- Economic Support (California): Over **5 million workers** supported by the creative economy.
- Economic Value (California): Contributed to approximately **$979 billion** in total economic activity.
## Examples & Cases
- **Early Failure Example:** The speaker leaving her art passion in third grade because it wouldn't pay for a future.
- **Career Conflict Example:** An unnamed client struggling to choose between her creative passion and a "soul sucking job," whose breakthrough came after realizing the influence of her traditional immigrant mother's doubt.
- **Evidence-based Example:** The finding that creatives are psychologically more stable and happier than those in less creative professions.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Photoshop:** Software used by the friend who presented the breakthrough project to the speaker.
## References Cited
- **University Zurich study:** Found creative individuals are generally more psychologically stable and happier than those in less creative professions.
- **Princeton University study:** Found job satisfaction increases with earnings until $\text{\$75,000}$, then plateaus.
- **2023 report (Otis College of Art and Design):** Found the creative economy in California supported over 5 million workers valued at $\text{\$979 billion}$.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Previous societal belief: That only traditional paths guarantee "real money."
- The initial assumption that art is inherently "just for fun."
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- **Action Plan for Doubt:** When doubting a creative path, 1) Write down the limiting belief, 2) Find evidence that proves it wrong, and 3) Choose and internalize a new belief (e.g., *"I am marketable, sought after and people love to pay me"*).
- Final takeaway: By changing money stories, one gains the power to live out desired dreams, and wealth naturally follows.
## Implications & Consequences
- The inability to see one's own potential as valuable or lucrative limits self-actualization.
- Increasing self-worth directly leads to increasing net worth.
- The potential for freedom and possibility requires stepping into the unknown and embracing creativity.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"We’re going to have Art day this Friday."* (Teacher quote, recollection)
- *"This passion of mine isn't going to support me."*
- *"Homer. Joy. Gone is this satisfaction of releasing my creativity?"*
- *"What? This. Really? Wait."*
- *"Creatives don't have to starve. We just have these messed up money stories in our head."*
- *"When are you going to get a real job?"*
- *"We can have both."*
- *"When we change our money stories and the old limiting beliefs within us. We are finally free to live out our dreams."*
- *"Here's what I want you to do first. Write down those beliefs and just stare at them."*
- *"I am marketable, sought after and people love to pay me."*
- *"Every child is an artist."*