[7] Childhood Sketch

Abstract

Through my project, I strive to bring imagination and ideas to life through storytelling. I have done this by taking my 2D childhood sketches and making them come to life through 3D form. The act of telling a story and introducing my story to the world will let the viewer endlessly explore the imaginative possibilities that I have created within my work. It will let the viewer into my imaginative space so that the viewer can be the creator, using their imagination endlessly to imagine what it would be like inside of my theme park.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney.

This is a quote I live by every day of my life. Walt Disney is my biggest art influence. His work in storytelling and imagination has inspired all of my work. When I was eight years old, I watched a show called, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. There, I got inspired to draw up ideas for a rollercoaster. Over a couple years, I added more and more to my project. Eventually, it escaped the forefront of my mind, but the idea still lingered.

All my life, my parents brought me to the happiest place on earth. In fact, many of my most precious memories were made at Disney; togetherness, family, love, excitement, fun, and laughter. I feel that these experiences have shaped the person I have become. My personality tends to reflect the optimistic, determined side of things where I believe you can achieve your dreams. Spring 2018 my dream of working for Disney came true. I got accepted into the Disney College Program as a PhotoPass Photographer. There I learned all about the company, their beliefs, and driving forces as a company. I desired to become an Imagineer. I networked with as many people as possible while on the program. In fact, once I explained what I wanted to do, one person told me that I could never do it unless I was a design engineer. That statement motivated me to create my project. Even though it was discouraging to hear, I wasn’t discouraged, I was determined to make it happen.

Last fall in my 3D Modeling and Printing Class, I decided to revisit the idea to see if I could model my concept. It wasn’t a class assignment, but I insisted on creating it. Many people asked me why I was still working on it, and how was I going to execute it if I wasn’t an engineer? I put many hours into teaching myself how to realize my vision. December 2018, I finally had it modeled in Blender, a 3D software. I wanted to print one section of it last year, but it never worked out. The next semester, I took Advanced 3D Modeling and Printing, with the goal in mind to print my piece. I worked all Spring to figure out how to model the cart, how to create the poles to be functional, how to make the track, and more importantly, how the cart would roll and function. It took me the full semester to create these pieces. When I thought I had it completed, one piece wouldn’t fit, so I’d have to start over again. It was lots of trial, error, and frustration, but I was still determined to print my piece. The last week of class, I finally got it rolling at the correct scale. Over the summer, I began splicing the big parts into sections and printing the pieces. I loved watching my vision come to life as I picked up each piece and started putting it all together.

I want to encourage everyone to use their imagination and follow their dreams because after all, “if you can dream it, you CAN DO IT.” Whether it be art, science, business, music, or whatever your passion is, I want to encourage you to never give up, because if you’re passionate enough about something, it’ll happen. I want to leave you with a piece of advice that one of my teachers left with me, “Everyone has a dream. Let’s say the island is your dream and there is the ocean between you and your dream. Many people will walk to the edge of the water, look out, turn around, and never jump in. Don’t be the person that turns away, be the person to dive into the water and go after you dream!”