On February 25, four Awards alumni shared their invaluable insights during So, You Want to Be a Creative? A Virtual Career Panel for Awards Alumni. Lisa Nellor Grove (Gold Key ’83), Matthew Wyatt (Gold Medal ’04), Sarah Nerboso (American Voices Award ’99), and Jessica Moon (Gold Key ’98) answered a variety of questions ranging from their high school experiences to how they made the transition into the working world to learning to deal with imposter syndrome. Watch a recording of the inspiring panel here or read on for a recap of our favorite responses.  

Did you have a strong perception of yourself as a writer prior to winning a Scholastic Art & Writing Award?

Sarah Nerboso shared that finding out that the Awards offered a science fiction category was really exciting, especially as a teen who aspired to be the next Ursula K. Le Guin. At home, she received conflicting feedback about her work, but after she won her Award she finally found the validation she was looking for as a writer. Sarah said, “It meant so much to get recognition from someone who didn’t know me . . . To have outside people tell me that I was objectively good at writing meant the world.”  

How did you approach the transition from high school to the wider world?

Lisa Nellor Grove felt torn between going to art school or “normal college” after graduating high school. After participating in the Awards, she had a strong art portfolio and was accepted into a few different arts programs, but decided to go in a different direction and attended Stanford University. “I thought I could always come back to art,” she shared, “I really put that part of me a little bit to the side.” Lisa earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies and went on to complete graduate degrees, but she continued to find herself coming back to art. She reflected during the panel, “Art and writing is a constant part of who you are . . . Even if your path takes you on what might seem like a deviation, it often brings you back.”

Who are the people that you would identify as mentors in your professional life?  

“Mentors along the way have helped propel me,” Jessica Moon shared. Her first mentor was her high school photography teacher who always encouraged her. While she was attending NYU as an undergraduate, she became a photographer’s assistant by looking through the phonebook and leaving her name with the doormen of the studios she wanted to work for. She formed a meaningful relationship with a photographer this way and worked with him for many years. Jessica feels that mentor relationships should be honored and respected. “Through care and time, you can build trust, and then hopefully you can take that experience with you further. The importance of these relationships cannot be overstated,” she said.  

What led you to the professional role that you’re in now?

“When I got out of school, I really bounced around to different jobs. I always made art on my own time, but I never really expected to work in the arts,” Matt Wyatt shared. However, after talking with a few friends from college, he realized that the community they lived in had a fine arts void and spaces like the library and local arts center had a lot of empty white walls. So in collaboration with his friends, they created The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, which now showcases works from all over the world in their local community center. “It’s a way to make what I think are exceptional pieces of fine art accessible to all,” Matt said. The endeavor is completely volunteer-based, but the connections he made ultimately led him to a position with the Rochester Opera House and to his current role as Public Information and Community Engagement Manager for the City of Rochester.  

How have your experiences as a creative influenced the way you approach your career?

“I absolutely read every day,” Jessica said, “Reading every day has helped me stay curious about the world and learn about other stories, other perspectives, and other ways of thinking about things.” This daily practice has helped her stay open-minded and collaborative in her career at Scholastic Inc., especially as Jessica has written different job descriptions for herself. “As artists, you have to pay attention and listen to the world around you—and to all of the diversity and representation that’s in the stories we read,” she added.  

How do you overcome the fear of failure?

All of our panelists agreed that this is something they still deal with regularly and the best way to overcome it is just to keep moving forward. Sarah added, “It’s better to have a first draft of something rather than nothing . . . You can always improve or fix your work!”  

How important is it to do an internship in the field you want to pursue?  

While internships can be a great way to make connections, all panelists agreed that they are not essential. Lisa said that even though she started her career as an intern, lately she has been feeling down on the way unpaid internships have been used in the arts and museums. She said that this is something she has been wrestling with in her role at the Obama Presidential Center. “I think people should be paid—it’s a matter of equity,” she shared. Lisa went on to explain that internships can provide a foot in the door and a chance to meet someone, but unpaid opportunities perpetuate a lack of diversity and equity in the field. She added, “If you can get an internship and you’re able to make it work for you, it’s a good opportunity. But getting a job through another channel is equally valid.”  

When did you start considering your work good?

“I don’t know if any of us really know if we’re good or not. You can get feedback all you want, but you just have to keep creating and just keep getting better . . . It’s only done through trial and error and making a lot of art. I’ve made a thousand bad paintings before I ever made a ‘good’ one,” Matt offered.

Lisa Nellor Grove is the inaugural Deputy Director of the Obama Presidential Center; Matthew Wyatt is a multi-media artist and the Public Information and Community Engagement Manager for the City of Rochester; Sarah Nerboso is a screenwriter, currently writing on GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI; Jessica Moon is the Director, Visual Content, Strategy & Compliance at Scholastic, Inc.; and Shannon Costello is the Manager of Individual Giving & Special Events at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.