Food for Thought…on Being Artists in an Industry,

Who are we as artists in animation? 

Do we do it for the love of humanity? For the pursuit of “Universal Human Truths” that we strive for in our storytelling?  What does that mean?

Or do we do this so that we can be awarded a credit by the animation industry? Do we do it to identify with a fan culture? Perhaps as a means of getting praise or followers from fellow fans?  Who is the audience representing the opinions you worry about?

For myself, being an artist in this medium was a pursuit of putting art out there that inspired and connected with the hearts of people…. As I was inspired by it when I was younger. Creating inspirational work that touches upon our humanity is what drove me and inspired me.

Today we are faced with a crisis of humanity. There is a genocide happening in Palestine, and the animation industry is directly associated with it.

As artists, we have a beautiful gift, that of imagination…. Which can allow us to empathize, its our jobs to understand deeper stories and ask questions about what motivates our characters… to imagine outside of systemic structures that have been set up to dehumanize and marginalize.  When we are silent, we need to ask ourselves, who is the audience of our silence?  Who benefits from it?  Are we artists exclusively for the opinions of an industrial complex, or are we artists because we want to connect our common humanity?

Just some food for thought….