I am most proud of the fact that I did this project with very little assistance from my mentors. I am also proud that I could put myself out there and perform after years of stage fright and anxiety. If I did this project or something like it again I would use a different camera that wouldn't wash out subjects with the lighting I chose for the live experience. I would also set up more cameras to achieve a more interesting edited video. As for the actual performance I wouldn't change a thing. My singing voice reflected my nerves, but that was because it was my first time onstage by myself singing, so that would naturally get better with time.

After I gain more experience in a university theatre design program, I plan to pursue a career as an entertainment lawyer. Although I personally will not be an artist my whole life, I will use my experiences in the arts to help others fulfill their dreams of being a creator or entertainer. Art leads me in my general life as well. As an autistic person with severe PTSD, I need outlets for my emotions, so songwriting, playing music, and finding other ways to express art is how I can feel less overwhelmed in life. Additionally, I can follow my passions for public speaking and writing through performance art.

My greatest piece of advice to make the most of their experience is to do what makes you happy, to ignore the people who hurt you or tell you you're not good enough, and to find good people who encourage you. Also, try new things, learn CTE subject matter, and reach out outside of the troupes or school clubs. A lot of my college offers and acceptance letters from higher level schools of the arts came to me primarily because I pursued outside-of-school experiences. Being an assistant stage manager for multiple ballet performances caught a lot of attention in the professional world, for example. They also liked projects I tried on my own. To sum up my advice, do what you want to do and do a lot of it, but also try new things. It pays off, and makes the unbearable parts of being a high school artist much more bearable.

All of my hours of extracurriculars made me as an artist appreciate everything that entertainers do. Some times were harder than others, and some people made me want to give up. However, in the end, my love for the arts kept me going. I learned that passion is what drives artists. I gained so many experiences just being present with others, and I learned what motivates me, as well as what doesn't. I think this translates into me also learning what motivates others, and how I can be a support system to other artists.

Art, in many ways, has saved my life. Being part of performances and having people rely on me has given me incentive to carry on when I wasn't sure I could. Creating and performing the next big project, show, or concert kept me going long enough to see things that really do make me happy. It has also helped me in my personal life with relationships. I have found a way to express my emotions healthily through art, and I am able to connect with the world around me in a deeper sense.

This show directly uses my life experiences to tell the story and bring the theme out, but on a more detailed level, I used design choices that hinted at my life experiences in symbolic ways. The use of props with the candle scene is an example. I wanted to show how even a candle can be difficult to label, just as I am, and I physically handled and lit the candle in that scene, because it was not enough to just tell others about getting over fear, but to show how it's done. The set using symbolic objects for my life allows me to give hints of who I am. I used guitar because the guitar is a part of who I am and it's my instrument, but it's also a symbol of the learning process. Also, my mom played the same guitar and my dad is a musician, so by playing their music as well, I brought my parents onstage with me. I also carefully chose songs that reflected my story. "Blackbird" is a song I grew up with; "Time Adventure" is a meaningful song to my generation; "Jubilee Line" is a meaningful song to me personally; "Home" is important to my community of transgender and nonbinary people; and "You Are My Sunshine" is a song I shared with a loved one in my life who passed away rather recently. I am an extension of this performance, and this performance is an extension of me.