My Story
As with most animators, I grew up on a buffet of great animated films, but more than any other, Finding Nemo was my favorite. Even at 4-years, I knew exactly what made the film so good with its rich and complex themes and I watched it practically every day. Growing up, I realized the importance of films in a person's childhood - the themes explored and lessons taught shape the kind of person the child will become, and my films were shaping me to become a story-teller.
Children will always watch movies and TV shows, and who can blame them? Many people say the purpose films have in our lives is escapism from the complexity and chaos of day-to-day life, but, while I do see merit in that idea, I believe there is a deeper truth. Films help us understand day-to-day life, and more importantly, how to live it. Finding Nemo teaches us to live fearlessly. The Prince of Egypt teaches us to live faithfully. A Silent Voice teaches us to live thoughtfully.
The medium of film has an incredibly important potential to help us live our day-to-day lives to their fullest by subtly guiding us through the emotional messes while remaining under the guise of simply indulgent escapism. Unlike live-action, animation is literally limitless and only bound by one's own creativity, so it serves as the best vessel for this job.
Children will always watch movies and TV shows, and who can blame them? Many people say the purpose films have in our lives is escapism from the complexity and chaos of day-to-day life, but, while I do see merit in that idea, I believe there is a deeper truth. Films help us understand day-to-day life, and more importantly, how to live it. Finding Nemo teaches us to live fearlessly. The Prince of Egypt teaches us to live faithfully. A Silent Voice teaches us to live thoughtfully.
The medium of film has an incredibly important potential to help us live our day-to-day lives to their fullest by subtly guiding us through the emotional messes while remaining under the guise of simply indulgent escapism. Unlike live-action, animation is literally limitless and only bound by one's own creativity, so it serves as the best vessel for this job.
As a Christian, I believe creativity is one of many divine gifts given to connect us back to the original Creator. I also believe there is a reason I grew up dissecting and understanding so many incredible animated films and longing to make my own some day. I can't see the path ahead of me right now, but I believe I am being led to contribute to the medium that shaped me so future children can grow up with their own buffet of films that will help them navigate the complexities of life as they have for me.
