Parents Supporting a Teen’s Career In The Arts

It can be rare to hear of parents wholeheartedly supporting their children in their artistic pursuits. It’s just not common. It’s a movie trope for a reason. Dead Poets Society, anyone?

But we’ve met a couple that will forever be their son’s biggest fans, no matter where his career goes. Jason and Stacey Timothy are the parents to Prxphecy, and this young creator is going places with their full support.

What does it look like to have parents fully backing their teenager’s artistic career? Let’s find out.

Giving your teenager the space they need to be creative

It starts with allowing someone the freedom to be who they are and do what they’re interested in.

They say they don’t question his passions and, instead, they embrace it. They give him the space he needs to do what he’s interested in, and they’re there if he needs support. 

They also reiterate what we all can probably agree on: education comes first. But it’s hard to argue with his pursuits when he’s walking around with a consistent 4.0 GPA.

It’s made even easier for them because their teenager is a bit beyond his years.

Stacey says she’s amazed at his maturity and dedication to his passions at 17 years old. She says, “I can’t say I was passionate about anything [at 17]. I just wanted to graduate from high school.” She says:

“We have moments where he’s a typical teenager, but when it comes to Prxphecy, I’m in awe of the fact that he’s 17.”

Jason agrees, “If there’s any area that I think he’s beyond his age, it would be in his level of courage.” He continues on saying that most teenagers are still trying to figure out what they’re willing to be courageous for, and Prxphecy has figured it out.”

What is it that he wants to do?

Well, Prxphecy wants to be an enterprise, like Jay Z, and with his many creative outlets and a support system behind him, he’s set up to make that happen for himself.

What does the space to pursue look like?

Other than the obvious funding of all he needed, Jason and Stacey’s support came in many other ways.

Prxphecy explains:

“They’ve been here with me since day one and everything I’ve tried to pursue. They’ve been right behind me. As long as they knew I had a plan, and that I was passionate about it, they were all for it. Even things I didn’t want to do that they knew I probably should or had to do. Sometimes it was rocky, but they break things down to help me understand why they feel I should do it and where it’s going to get me.”

He goes on to say that his parents always had him in something, like summer camps. 

He says, “They didn’t really let me just not use my brain or my talent for long periods of time.”

From the parents perspective, Stacy said it was always evident that he wasn’t going to be a sports person.

She says, “He was into reading books and has always been an avid reader. When he picked up the saxophone in sixth grade and it came to him naturally, we were all on board. I was a big proponent of him being involved in something.”

That’s a huge piece of insight there.

For Jason and Stacey, it was crucial for Prxphecy to be involved in something. Anything. And when they saw what it was that was drawing him in, they didn’t challenge it. They let him follow his interests, as long as he was involved in something.

Parental advice for us all

Let’s end this some parental advice that we could all use.

Jason says,:

“The goal requires a lengthy journey, and along the way, you’re certainly going to be faced with disappointment. Expect the disappointments, but you’ve got to have the grit to keep pushing. Sooner or later you’re going to find the thing you’re looking for. Be prepared for the long walk, overcome the obstacles through grit, and know that the goal is attainable.”

Stacy says:

“You’re going to hear no at points you thought were a definite yes. Allow yourself the moment to be sad, but don’t let it throw you off course. Stay focused.”

And as a final thought, Stacy shared:

“At the end of the day, [Prxphecy] knows that we’re his number one fans. If he doesn’t have 500 or 5,000, he’ll always have at least two followers. At times, that’s going to have to be enough. That’s all he needs to pick himself up and keep going on. We’ll always be there for him.”

Be sure to listen to or watch the full episode to get even more insight into the development and strategy behind Prxphecy.

Prxphecy is a poet, saxophonist, hip hop artist, writer, speaker, and activist. While he’s only been “Prxphecy” since he was 17, he’s been an entrepreneur and creative his whole life. Follow Prxphecy on Instagram and TikTok (@the_real_prxphecy), Twitter (@real_prxphecy), and Facebook (@prxphecy). And check out more of what he’s been up to at linktr.ee/Prxphecy.