Attending a Pixar Masterclass in September!

If you want to know more about the class I'll be attending it's here:
http://www.vanarts.com/events/pixar-artists-masterclass-vancouver

I saw the advert in my in-box a couple of times. Classes being taught by Pixar Artists offered through my animation school. At first I just deleted the mails outright, feeling self-pity. But it wasn't until I got the third or fourth email that something caught my eye.

In Vancouver?



Since Fall of '09 I've been living in Seattle - and for those of you who aren't sure of Pacific Northwest geography, it's only about 136 miles or so to Vancouver from where I live. I guess that could seem a lot to some but after having driven a u-Haul over 200 miles and several car trips across thousands of miles to get up to Seattle in the first place, it seems like a weekend trip.

See that word hit me. I know Vancouver. Studied there, lived there. And here I am in Seattle. So close by!

That was when I knew. I knew that I could go. The only thing holding me back was me. So I paid down the 499 Canadian online and sat back in my chair wondering if I'm the same person I used to know. I think I like this new Joanie. She takes chances and does things because she knows the end result will be amazing. I've never taken a vacation since starting in the "Real World" and this seems like it would do double duty.

Because studying something you love is never a chore. It's fun!

As of this posting I still haven't figured out how I'm getting there exactly, but I'm not too worried. I should have all of those details figured out by next week. I was waiting for my next paycheck to come through (my little 499 spending spree put a chunk in my bills I can tell you that!) before booking hostels and buses. I'm so wishing I still had my ISIC card! (Which, by the way, if you are a student studying abroad you NEED to get one. It saved me so much money over in Europe and in Canada and I got discounts on all sorts of things.)

I'll be honest, I've been knocked out of my loops (as I'm apt to say, being a hard-core Sonic the Hedgehog fan) more than a few times but I'm learning better how to stand up, brush myself off and keep running.

This opportunity seems like the perfect way to revitalize the part of me that loved to draw and create artistically. I've made a couple more sketches since my last posting, but (as to be expected) it's always harder after you stop to get going again. God give me the strength to keep going no matter life throws my way.

Which brings me to my next announcement. Half of the reason why I'm taking this class is to develop my 30 minute animated short. It was the first real story I wrote and it means so much to me to have it animated. I don't care if I have to do it myself so it'll just be me. I don't know how long it will take me, but I'm going to have as little dialogue as possible and leave it to my characters to show how they feel. I don't know if anything else will spawn out of it, but it's a story I absolutely have to tell.

Everyday I see so many people animating and I say to myself. Look at them, Joanie. They have absolutely no training and look at what they've created. It's wonderful! But look at you, you have the knowledge and talent - so what's stopping you?

I've recently come to the conclusion that I'm not doing this for money anymore. I have my paid job (some say a dream job since I'm a Game Tester) so I don't have to worry if it's marketable. I can create what I want and make what I love and make a statement.

So this is a promise to myself. I might fail, but at least I have to try. I want to tell the story of Brent and Hawthorne. I want to learn as much as I can from the masters - and then I'll go on my own and create as much as I can.

If you're struggling with your own artwork, know that you're not alone. :)