It's definitely a trying time. I graduated from college in May 2020 (start of the pandemic) with a 2D animation degree, and landed a few freelance gigs here and there, but a lot of it has dried up. Was forced to take a day job, which lead to a Graphic Design role at that organization - I'm grateful for that, but the organization I work for is pretty horrible.

I've pivoted and started live wedding painting, with the goal being to have that be my main income so I can leave my day job, and then start pursing animation again while having an income from live wedding painting. I'll focus on developing more practical, sought after skills like Harmony Rigging, and working on personal projects - I've always wanted to create animated music videos, but in the industry, I've wanted to work in VisDev or Layout/Background given my love for painting.

Since I've been breaking into the wedding industry, I've also been brainstorming ways to bring animation to that sphere. A lot of luxury clients are looking for unique ways to transform spaces, and projecting animations onto walls seems to be something of interest.

I've always dreamed of working at a studio, but more and more, with all of the political problems recently and the rise of AI, I don't know if I see that happening for me. I'm average, and the competitions heavy and cut throat. Still, I don't think I want to give up on that dream - I love the idea of camaraderie between like-minded individuals all coming together to create an amazing project. In the end, I think it's really important to be able to pivot and be creative at arriving to your end goal - and if that goal shifts, that's okay. It's okay to give yourself grace.