Mozart composed his first piece at age 5. Alessandra Ferri entered the Royal Ballet School at 15. Stephen King published his first novel at 26. No matter the age and no matter the obstacles they faced, all of these individuals followed a passion to completion. At Farmington STEAM Academy, we have many students who have unique interests. One of those students is 8th Grader Nina Kobayashi.
Nina enjoys drawing, writing, playing piano and ballet. She has been in ballet since she was 3, and piano since she was 5. Her love of writing was formed when her 5th grade teacher encouraged her class to write novels. That small spark took hold and from there, like wildfire, it grew. Since then, Nina has completed six books of around 300 pages in length. The novels capture the realistic life of Nina and her friends, as well as realistic fiction and fantasy. But how does she do it?
As playwright and author William Somerset Maugham once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” However, for Nina, the process of writing is simple.
“I make sure to be interested in what I’m writing, and I like to see what comes next from that. I just imagine things in my head, and I write the story in my head for chapters and chapters and then I finally sit down and start writing.”
For Nina, the key to completing something is to not get wrapped up in the details, but rather, enjoy what you are doing. For many, this could be called the “zone” or your “element,” where time seems to slip away and you find yourself lost yet focused on your work. However, this is not always the case, as in any endeavor, you will encounter obstacles.
“I’ve had small blocks before,” says Nina, “but I allow myself to drop it, take a break, and come back to it. I have a lot of unfinished novels, some of which I start and I don’t finish, and that’s okay. I don’t like to think about completely quitting something. Instead, it is more about just taking a break from it.”
Ultimately, taking a break for your brain is just like an athlete that takes a break from a rigorous workout. It allows you to rest, take a step back, reevaluate your work, and become more productive in the long run.
“I’ve used this process in school, in homework, in assessments and also to get over procrastination,” says Nina.
Nina is planning on continuing her passions throughout her life, whether it be piano, ballet, writing, or something completely new. For now, she is working on creating edible and compostable silverware made from bread to better the environment as part of her Genius Hour.
We can all take inspiration from Nina to pursue our passions. And as Stephen King himself stated, ”you can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”
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