Anna Siaredzich’s full speech at the youth arts event hosted by Congressman Kevin Kiley’s office and Sierra College.

Art isn’t secondary. It’s leadership.

Good afternoon everyone,

First of all, thank you to Congressman Kevin Kiley’s office, Sierra College, the teachers, families, and organizers for supporting young artists and giving creativity a public stage.

I work in AAA game development and external production, where I see every day how much the future depends not only on technology — but on imagination, artistic judgment, and the ability to create meaning.

AI can accelerate execution.
Technology can scale production.
But neither can replace human artistic vision.

That is why events like this matter.

Many people still think art is something secondary — something optional
But in reality, creative thinking shapes culture, storytelling, communication, entertainment, design, and increasingly even leadership itself.

And for young artists here today:
please understand that your creativity is not small.
It is not impractical.
And it is not disconnected from the real world.

The future will belong to people who can combine creativity with resilience, adaptability, and independent thinking.

Some of you may become painters.
Some designers.
Some filmmakers, architects, entrepreneurs, or game developers.

But all of you are learning something deeper:
how to see differently.

And that ability becomes more valuable every year.

Congratulations to every participant.
It takes courage to create something and share it publicly.

Thank you.