what is one of best things about being an animator?

Daniel, I am not an animator, I am a career educator, but what I will suggest to you is to sit down and watch the credits of your favorite animated film. Take note how many job titles are listed and start to read about each one. You can also go to your favorite animated company and read real jobs to see what each job entails. Very few people animate anything alone so it is important to determine what part of it you want to play. For example if you watch some of the credits you will see weird titles like fur and hair. That means there is someone that is just in charge of drawing fur and hair....and guess what, it even involves physics. Check out this video series. https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/pixar/simulation/hair-simulation-101/v/hair-simulation-intro?fbclid=IwAR3AJEGEdxQX3U1_Kt69SxgJTWlFBBh5PO_Ce13Q58RoahrpD6gUssBT0HU

It goes through how they use physics and math to draw the hair from Brave. Super cool right?

Did you know there is a professor at a college who is an anthropologist and he even consults on movies like Kung Fu Panda to make sure if a Panda was really going to do Kung Fu, it is accurate bone structure wise? He consults on animal anatomy and works with animators who just do the structure of the animals.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1914876/

Some things to think about is do you like to watch people draw by hand or on the computer?

Have you ever drawn on the computer?

If not, maybe think about trying it, and also looking at free classes on a website called Coursera. You can try real classes for free that are college level, even if you don't finish them, it gives you a sense of what a college level animation class is like and what they learn.

Finally, think about if you were on a team, what part would you play? Do you like drawing animals, people, buildings, crowds of people, fur, hair, etc. Or do you like doing touch up, or the modeling, or the movement or ????? Some animators get to CREATE, but a lot, clean up.......not everyone gets to create, so watch a lot of youtube videos related to animation, not just drawing and see what you like and what you don't. If you do decide to pursue this, you will want to choose a college that has connections to the places you want to work. It does not do you any good to go to school for example in a state without a large animation studio near by to intern in. Also, animation is everywhere, not just in the movies. For example, you can animate video games, online games, apps, children's toys with screens, memes, etc. I knew an animator who dreamed of working at Dreamworks and she was great but she is still trying to get in. She could even choreograph music and write and compose music in addition to animating......but for now while she still tries to get in, she is working at an online casino like game company online developing cartoon like characters for their online game. She is by far a creator....and a lot of times to get into a company you have to clean......or do a small piece for hours on end, months on end, etc. So she opted for a place she can create right away instead of paying her dues and working her way up at the bigger companies. Best of luck to you and your love for animation!

Hi Daniela,

I am an animator and motion graphics artist and one of the reasons I love to make animated content is the pure freedom you have when creating things. To me its never about the content, but the fun that radiates off of a piece. Whether its a bouncing ball or a complex acting piece, if you cant tell that it comes from a place in your heart then ultimately its not worth watching.

Thanks!

• Rylee