At 25 years old, I might be young within the professional realm, but I've spent my whole life as an artist. From the earliest memories in my formative years, I would spend hours drawing for fun, sketching out my emotions when I couldn't quite put them into words, and exploring the many different mediums of art. I simply could not get enough of it.
Whether it was sculpting with clay or editing a video, expressing myself with the singing strings of the violin or through the art of a written story, I've grown to love and appreciate the many different forms of art and what their utilization can bring out in people.
So, why animation?
DreamWorks, Pixar and BlueSky were icons of my childhood. I was that kid that fell in love with the world of How To Train Your Dragon, mesmerized by the experience of watching it in theatre. That 10 year old kid sitting in that theatre didn't just fall in love with the story or the world, she felt seen. And after that experience, she knew one thing. She wanted to create a masterpiece just as empowering. She wanted to create Films.
From there it was a matter of finding my niche. What sparks the most interest in me? For a while, I wanted to be a director, creating films and bringing stories to life with the help of an amazing team. I wasn't originally looking to specifically make animated films, and in fact, I got really into editing. Creating and editing cringy videos for Vine and my YouTube channel.
This was my life up until I reached High School, when a friend of mine introduced me to Blender. At this point, despite the struggle, I began to learn about the complex world of 3D art. Modeling was my gateway into learning the program, and when presented with the opportunity, I applied and got into a career trade school program that I attended along with my regular schooling for my Jr and Sr years of high school. This is where my slow and periodic learning of blender turned into hours of unfiltered time for me to learn all about modelling, texturing, rigging and simulation animation, leading to my Senior Project where I combined all the skills I had learned to create "Snowy Night", A short and sweet animation of the Aroura Borealis in the sky of a snowy forest with a creek. The first time I'd ever really animated something.
After I graduated High School, I had my choice of colleges to go to, but I eventually landed on Animation Mentor with the hope of being able to officially learn the art of Animation. Over the years since my start at AM, I've moved over to primarily using Maya and despite my initial struggle to understand the craft, I believe I've grown as an animator and a creative.
Now, I work mostly on freelance and personal projects with my passion and goals to fuel me. My hope is that, one day, I can create something truly magical. Something that will connect with and effect people the way amazing films like How To Train Your Dragon, Rio, Robots, and many others did for me growing up.