How would you explain your job to someone who doesn’t know VFX?

I make cartoons!

What does a day in the life look like?

The nature of being on the Graphics/Motion Design team is that the work is extremely varied, so I can do many different things from day to day despite it just looking like I'm hunched over the computer. I almost always start my day with a cup of coffee (or three). From there, I may have a meeting or two going over any notes we've received from clients and goals/timelines for upcoming projects. I also like to check in with my teammates to make sure they have what they need or vent about any frustrations from the projects we're working on. The work itself has me jumping between a number of programs, ranging from cel animation in Adobe Animate and Photoshop, creating vector designs in Illustrator, and making 3D animations in Blender before bringing it all together in After Effects.

What are some of your favorite projects? Why?

I've enjoyed working on many of the Ringer Podcast intro animations. They tend to give us a lot of creative freedom and there's a sense of pride in taking ownership of the visual brand identity of a show as well as having the space to explore many different styles of animation. I am also very proud of the work I did on the hologram featured in season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones. It was my first time taking more of a lead role for a VFX project and it was for a show that I'm a big fan of. It ended up being a real "Mama, I made it" moment for me.

The Righteous Gemstones - HBO

What's something you wish people knew about what you do?

I think that when people hear that I animate they just assume "That must be so fun!". While I do enjoy the work, it tends to be very complicated and detail-oriented. I often describe animating as a 12-sided Rubik's Cube that you can only see 3 sides of. There's a ton of research, guesswork, and trial-and-error to get to the final product.

What is something that excites you about your career?

I love that the VFX and animation industry is ever-changing so it's almost impossible to stagnate creatively. I get to constantly learn something new, solve unique problems and grow as an artist.

Are you learning anything new?

I've been getting more comfortable with digital illustration, which has given me the opportunity to explore a different aspect of my artistic interests, creating playful characters and stories that don't have to be animated and can exist as a physical print. These drawings are separated from the pixels of computer screens into something more tangible in the real world, which has been a nice change of pace from my day to day work.

What do you like to do outside of work?

My partner and I enjoy watching shows and playing video games together. We love our "smooth brain" shows like crime docu-series and silly dramas like 'The O.C.' and 'Gilmore Girls', as well as games like 'Split Fiction' and 'The Last of Us'. We also enjoy going to events in colorful, coordinated outfits or going on walks with our little rescue dog that hates everyone but us.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

My dad was always chock-full of catchy little pieces of advice growing up. One of those that always stuck with me was "Leave it better than you found it." This has affected my outlook on life in that it changed the expectation I put on myself to just move through the world under the radar and instead try to have a positive impact on everything that I do.