A Real-Life Success Story: From a Vision Board to CalArts.
In 2020, an 18-year-old young woman sat down in front of a screen, eyes burning with a fire most adults lose along the way. Her name was Patrycja Kupczyk, and she was about to create her first vision board- one that would change everything.
She could still remember the moment that changed her life forever- just 13 years old, sitting in front of a screen, completely unaware that everything was about to shift. A single movie struck like lightning and never let go. Zootopia. That adorable, wildly ambitious bunny police officer didn’t just steal her heart- she ignited a dream.
Patrycja didn’t just watch the film. She dissected it. Scene by scene, pixel by pixel, frame by frame- breathing it in like oxygen, knowing deep inside that this was it. This was what she was meant to do. Animation wasn’t just a passion. It was her future.
But if you really want to know where this story started, you have to go back to a three-year-old girl standing in Disneyland, eyes wide, heart racing, as Mickey Mouse waved at her. That moment? That was the first spark. The first whisper of a dream that would grow into something unstoppable.
She didn’t just paste random images together. No, this was an act of rebellion against the ordinary. She carefully placed the emblem of CalArts California Institute of the Arts – the world’s most prestigious animation school-front and center. Why? Because this wasn’t just a school to her. It was the golden ticket, the one place where visionaries, misfits, and future industry legends are forged.
But here’s the kicker: CalArts’ Character Animation program accepts only around 4-5% of applicants. That’s a rejection rate so brutal, even superheroes would have backup plans.
Most people would have hesitated, doubted, maybe even crumbled under the pressure of those odds.
Not Patrycja.
For the next four years, she lived and breathed animation. Her story? A whirlwind of Deadpool-style humor, raw creativity, and artistic rebellion-not just in her work but in her approach to life. She sketched, erased, redrew, and rebuilt. She faced doubt, criticism, and days when the dream felt a million miles away.
But here’s something truly special: When Patrycja made that first vision board in 2021, she wasn’t just dreaming about the future-she was already taking action. She even filmed a commercial for The Big Dream, capturing the moment she and her best friend sat down and crafted their visions together. It wasn’t just a fun creative project. It was a bold statement to the universe: “We are making this happen.
And four years later, the universe answered. In 2024, the impossible happened. She got in.She didn’t just beat the odds. She annihilated them.
Think about that for a second. The same young woman who started with a digital vision board-who dared to dream-just walked through the gates of CalArts, where the next generation of Disney, Pixar, Illumination and Dreamwork’s creators are born. Where the very people who shaped Hollywood’s greatest animated stories took their first steps.
But Patrycja isn’t stopping here. Her dream isn’t just to animate. It’s to direct. To create worlds. To tell stories that leave a mark on Hollywood itself.
This is The Big Dream in action.
Patrycja’s story isn’t just about talent. It’s about seeing the dream before anyone else does. It’s about declaring your place in the world before it exists. It’s about knowing that the moment you put your vision on the board, you’ve already started bending reality in your favor.
This is just the beginning. Watch Patrycja bring her vision to life, one frame at a time. Follow her journey, witness her progress, and see the future of Hollywood unfold-because legends aren’t born, they’re made.
To be continued …
Check out Patrycja’s website and Instagram, and be part of the story.
