We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brianna Paulino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brianna, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Originally, it was simply a school club idea. As someone who has a passion for the creative arts, I wanted a space for me to share my creativity. I was shocked to notice that my school didn’t have an outlet for those in the creative fields to express themselves. I thought it was abnormal since my high school has majors dedicated to the arts. With that in mind, I wanted to revive the school’s literary magazine during my freshman year of high school. After a whole month of planning the ins and outs, I brought the idea to the principal to initiate this club once again.

However, it was the middle of the year and I was unable to pursue this idea in my school. Regardless, I had a passion for this idea and wanted to expand it to so much more. That’s when the beginnings of The Cleverly Creatives came to my mind. If my school had minimal opportunities for the arts students, then there are schools that are in the same boat. There are also schools that don’t have arts opportunities at all, making it difficult for creative youths to showcase their works. With that in mind, I wanted to implement an initiative that gives youths globally various opportunities within the arts.

Within two months of preparing a website, structuring team responsibilities, creating documents, experimenting with Canva, and so much more, I have implemented my very own youth-led organization: The Cleverly Creatives. Originally, it was simply a youth-led organization blog. It was meant to be a safe and inclusive place for youths, regardless of the level of art/writing they’ve done, to share their pieces. I wanted to build a welcoming community where no one is afraid to showcase their true selves. At first, I thought this project would have minimal effect.

Fortunately, I was very wrong because it had an immense impact on hundreds of youths who have interacted with our platforms. Throughout the start of the organization, youths submitted beautiful pieces of writing and art, left and right. A sense of joy emerged as I read and viewed these submissions. Knowing that they have decided to use our platforms as their own platform has inspired me to do so much more.

As the organization grows, its mission and goals have grown along with it. Along with submissions, my team and I have implemented more projects and programs to assist creative youths. We’ve implemented contests for more recognition, interviews to showcase their amazing selves, and webinars focused on assisting them to enhance their craft. Through these webinars and workshops, we focused on teaching them different aspects of writing and art that they could implement in their own work. Being an artist and a writer is all about growth. Offering this growth to youths early on in their careers will continue to inspire them. Inspiration is crucial to growth. This is why I plan to continue to initiate these opportunities for these youths.

Implementing and initiating this organization has been a journey that I’m very proud to be a part of. It brings me immense joy to see the impact we’ve had on hundreds of youths in different countries. It demonstrates to me that all of this work is one hundred percent worth it. Giving back to fellow artists and writers is an amazing feeling. Every youth has the right to have the ability to share and enhance themselves as an artist. Every youth has the right to showcase their creativity and curiosity freely. That’s what’s very crucial to me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Brianna Paulino, an aspiring writer, and a dedicated individual. I’m a high school senior and I spend most of my free time writing stories and poetry, doing work for my organization, and planning various events for my school communities. I got into writing when I was five years old. It all started when I was reading this intriguing book that forever changed my life – The Very Hungary Caterpillar. With its vibrant colors and captivating storyline, my five-year-old mind was inspired by it all. Within an instant, I wanted to try to create my own picture book. With paper, markers, and an imagination, I have a new love – the love for writing.

I have grown so much as a writer from that one moment in preschool. I have written short stories, scripts, and poems. Through some of my works, I have been recognized in the Scholastic Art + Writing awards, as well as published in various youth-led literary magazines. Though I take so much pride in my writing, I take more pride in the development of my arts youth-led organization. I have mentioned more about the formation and goals of the organization of one of my most memorable projects. The organization mostly focuses on assisting creative youths internationally whether it’s with publication or with enhancing their art/writing. Additionally, we’ve incorporated different forms of art such as crocheting, bracelet making, videography, and so much more. Shows that art isn’t just limited to the paper, it’s everywhere.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Now the way I built an audience is mainly for my youth-led organization. At the time I was building my organization, I was a freshman in High School. At the time, everyone was in virtual learning, and with that, I had a lot of free time to learn various ways to grow an audience for this project. Throughout this journey, it was difficult at first to build an audience. I was inexperienced with social media marketing and was new to creating pleasing graphics through Canva. However, as I recruited new members through my team, they have taught me many ways to enhance our platform. Through their amazing talents and knowledge, I was able to pick up multiple skills within social media marketing. Additionally, I have watched various videos on ways to engage with audience members and grow one’s platform. Thankfully, all of these resources have helped immensely. With the tools and the practice, I’ve gained in the past two years, The Cleverly Creatives platform has been growing.

Advice that I would give to those starting to build their social media presence is to always explore what is there to assist you in learning. Don’t be scared to try and reach out to people through social media. If you want to build a platform for yourself or for an organization you’re building, have the confidence and knowledge to do so. Do take time to learn about social media marketing and use Canva as a designing platform. This platform helped me a ton with creating my graphics and I highly do recommend anyone to use it. Additionally, do reach out to those who are in a similar field as you. Connecting and collaborating with other creators will not only enhance your platform but assist you in learning the ways they’ve grown their platforms.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being creative is finding the ability to fully express oneself. At times, throughout one’s journey, people or obstacles would block one’s ability to express. I’ve encountered many of these instances. Whether it was a lack of opportunities, discouragement, or the horrid writer’s block, I would never let that get to me. By fully immersing myself in the written arts, I can explore parts of me I’d feel I would never do out in the open. Writing helps me express my feelings, thoughts, opinions, ideas, and imagination, all dispersed in a beautiful mess onto a document or a paper. As I type away, I feel a sense of pride and enjoyment. Fully expressing different parts of myself through the written arts is incredibly rewarding. Not only that, I express it through other forms of art such as crocheting and graphic designing through Canva. There are so many possibilities that I can fully express myself in my own way. That’s the beauty of art for me. The power it holds for full expression truly is beautiful and mesmerizing. With this ability to express myself, I’m able to create pieces that I’m incredibly proud of. Not only that but there are also many writers and artists who are able to connect to these pieces. There are so many positives that being creative brings, but fully immersing oneself in the art truly is the most rewarding. Connecting with oneself is essential to connect with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thecleverlycreatives.wixsite.com/thecleverlycreatives
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecleverlycreatives/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cleverly-creatives/
• Roundpier: https://www.roundpier.com/_cbcmgh/the-cleverly-creatives/updates
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheCleverlyCreatives/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/wldh632ziibyxbec1q4mrgavf