Recently, I began a short internship for a startup in New Zealand. The internship consists of making an interactive model of solar panel installations in augmented reality—fun—but not something I particularly have experience in. I casually vented to my friend about the task as (huge surprise) I know nothing about the topic. Her response made me pause.
“That’s very startup-esk, you’re given a task with no onboarding”.
Which is exactly true. This small comment reminded me of the beauty of startups: they often allow you to have tremendous creative freedom. More and more often, I’ve realized that I have a certain spark—sometimes a borderline obsession with a project—when I have this type of freedom. Whether it comes from innate creativity or the possibility in a project, I think all startups begin with that spark. Even the word startup implies this idea of possibility. It’s not called start here. Instead, you are dreaming up a new future. Working towards something new.
I've realized that I’m attracted to this kind of work. I remember in high school when I wrote, illustrated, and self-published my own children’s book, it felt exactly this way. Every morning I woke up with one thing on my mind—illustration. That was my first Summer of Startups.
As I’m still trying to find my own rhythm and passion, I think it’s important to recognize what gives me that spark. Whether that is working for a company or for myself, it’s up to me to decide what path to take—but it's not always easy. At Princeton, with what sometimes feels like a defined culture of chasing success, I’ve personally felt a certain frenzy to secure the correct steps and internships to “get to the top”. It’s too easy to see a predefined path and claim it as your own. It takes a lot more though, to define your own path.
All of it, I’ll admit, can be quite hard. Even finding a spark can be rare. Having the courage to pursue it is even rarer. While my short internship this summer has reminded me about the beauty of startups and their endless possibilities, I’ll admit that I’m still discovering my passions. I have all too many times seen a desire to start something, but put it off due to one excuse or the other. With that, let me be the inspiration that I sometimes lack within myself.
Let your mindset Start Up.
Let your habits Start Here.
And you. You Start It.