What do painted rocks, ‘Shrek’ and shelter pets have in common? Young artists.

A weeklong jewelry-making summer camp turned into a new hobby, new business and new giving opportunity for 10-year-old Tess Overstreet.

A Pinterest search for craft inspiration gave way to a detail-oriented creative outlet and business venture for 13-year-old Elle Pulliam.

Tess and Elle were two of the young creators displaying their work and celebrating the arts at the third annual Young Artists Festival on Saturday at 701 Center for Contemporary Art.

The arts give young people the confidence they need to realize their potential to succeed, said Beth DeHart, a board member for the Columbia Children’s Theater, which performed a selection of songs from its “Shrek the Musical” show.

“Theater and art is a way for them to discover what makes them special and the skills and talents that they have,” DeHart said.

The Young Artists Festival has grown into an event to promote and display the myriad opportunities for children to get involved in Columbia’s arts community. Local organizations, including the Children’s Theater, Carolina Ballet and Auntie Karen Foundation, were represented Saturday, along with crafts, performances and work for sale by young local artists.

As the Children’s Theater performers animatedly belted out their songs, Elle worked intently nearby on her next mandala-style painted rock with a selection of her colorful handiwork, for sale, displayed in front of her.

The ninth-grader began painting rocks as a hobby about two and a half years ago. Her intricate designs feature multicolored geometric patterns carefully painted on palm-sized stones.

“Find something that you really love to do, and even if you’re not great at it in the beginning, just keep trying and it’ll get better,” Elle said. “I wasn’t very good when I started, but I feel like I’m getting better as the years go by.”

In a way, she follows the footsteps of her mother, Carolina Harper, an artist-entrepreneur herself. Sometimes, Elle sells her stones at her mother’s Soda City Market indigo-dyed textiles booth.

“I think it came natural (to Elle), but at the same time I wanted to help it come out,” Harper said of her daughter’s creativity. “It’s amazing, all the little details she can visualize” in her work.

Another young artist-entrepreneur, Tess only recently learned to make earrings from beads and wire at a summer camp hosted by 701 CCA. She describes her jewelry style as a mix of Bohemian and funk and can churn out a pair in about five minutes, she said.

For every $10 pair of earrings she sells, Tess donates $5 to animal rescue organizations.

To see her daughter pursuing her creativity and her passion of saving animals makes Stacey Overstreet a proud mom, she said. Plus, she’s gotten to see Tess learn and grow in multiple ways, she said.

“She used to be very shy, so this gives her a reason to get out in front of people and have to practice being outgoing and all that,” Overstreet said. “And she’s doing a great job.”