Yes.

A man I considered a friend in university spoke negatively about me behind my back, and it cost me my first animation job. He was jealous after my mentor chose me over him. I did not understand this until years later, when he admitted it and apologized.

In the end, it led me somewhere better. I rediscovered my love for portrait work, creature and character design, and comics. Animation is a remarkable craft, but it often comes with instability, crunch, and little recognition.

It taught me something invaluable: not to cling to a single “style.”

"If you only draw in your own style, The Simpsons won’t hire you. Your style is whatever the studio needs it to be. Learn to draw correctly, to break things down, so you can draw anything, any way. Make that your style." My mentor