Grade 9’s throughout the school were asked to do the community connections project. This project asked us to interview people out of our reach and aim high for a response! For this project, one of the first people I thought of to interview was Jane Gorelik (wah.ah.ah).

proof of connection^

For my community connections project, even though there are so many inspiring artists out there, I chose to interview a hard-working artist that I have looked up to for about two years now. Their name is Jane Gorelik (wah.ah.ah), and currently they work in the animation industry for a Netflix show; they are a prop and fx designer and also creates awesome drawings and animations. They have many platforms that can be found at https://wahahah.carrd.co/, the one I found them through was Instagram when scrolling through my recommended page trying to get inspiration for drawings. Jane has always been a great inspiration to me; from their cool, recognizable, art style to their smooth, consistent animations especially their commitment and detail in each of their pieces. They also put their art on t shirts which is also something I hope to do in the future. The information mentioned previously are exactly the reasons why I chose to connect with them.

As mentioned before, there are so many artists out there that I could have interviewed that have inspired me throughout my journey as an artist but, Jane is one of my favorite artists and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to connect with them! The following questions and responses will be shown below:

 

 

 

Why are you passionate about your job or role?

They answered,  “Art has always been a large part of my life and during the height of the pandemic it really got me through rough times. Ever since I was little I planned on being an artist and now I do it professionally! I truly never saw myself doing anything else.”

Can you explain your roles and responsibilities with your current position?

They answered, “Right now I work in the animation industry as a prop and fx designer at titmouse, for a Netflix show! It’s a fun and well paying job but I miss the freedom of self employment”  -> https://titmouse.net/work/ <-

What obstacles have you faced to get you where you are today?

They said,” The animation industry is very competitive and the hardest part is breaking in. I had a short gig right out of college working on a pilot but after that I didn’t have another industry job until a year later. In the time between, I started posting on social media, building a platform for myself. That platform is eventually how

I landed my second and most successful job.”

What advice would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?

They answered, “If it’s for the animation industry – connections are important. Network, build your social media, keep trying. If it’s for building social media – post everyday. Be consistent, make a bunch of art and then post daily for about a month or so. You will have results”           

I have always had a passion to upload my art and start animating- I will make sure to keep this in mind!

What/Who inspired you to get up every morning and stay motivated into what you are doing?

They replied, “Hayao Miyazaki was a huge influence of mine, ever since I was a kid. His work inspires me to make. Another major influence is all of the artists I grew up watching on social media. I wanted to be like them and looking up to their work pushes and inspires mine.”

Hayao Miyazaki
^ I’ve always been inspired by their art style. Personally, this is one of my favorite pieces that they have drawn and posted. The detail and concept of the drawing connect well with my interests while talking about art.

Do you ever get artist block and how do you deal with it?

They answered, “To be perfectly honest, I’m going through a major artist block right now. It’s really tough and frustrating but it’s something I have to remind myself will pass. Normally I’d just take a break and not draw until the want to make art is so overwhelming that I have to – that usually resets my art block. But because I draw daily for my job, I haven’t had a chance to take a break. That in turn prelongs my art block and my frustration around the subpar art I keep churning out. I’ve never been faced with this dilemma before. It’s been hard but this is the conclusion I’ve reached – it’s okay to be in an art block. It will pass. Nothing lasts forever and soon this will be over and you’ll feel better about your art. I’m trying to be as gentle and understanding with myself as possible because hatred and frustration will only exacerbate how I’m feeling.”
What tips would you give someone who may feel unmotivated?
They continued, “In the meantime I’ve gotten back into traditional art. I started drawing in a sketchbook again, something I haven’t done in years. And these drawings aren’t for my job or to post on my social media – they’re for me alone, just for fun. It’s been a very nice and welcomed change. I think art block often manifests from pressure. The best thing you can do is ease that pressure – you struggle to create under the weight of perfectionism and overly high expectations. Try to take the pressure away. Make drawing as enjoyable, easy, guiltless, and low stakes as possible. Remind yourself of why you draw. Find the fun in it again. That’s what works for me.”

 

I found their responses for the last two questions very eye opening considering how many people including me go through art blocks and how hard it could be to jump back into their art. I loved the way they responded and how honest they were about the struggles that people can face when in an art block or when someone may feel unmotivated. I will keep in mind all the tips they added; this will help me in the long run as I now feel more motivated than ever to continue with my art after this interview! I also appreciate how they also added “that’s what works for me” because many people may have different ways to deal with art block. One thing that will stick with me in the long run is to ease the pressure; like they said “Make drawing as enjoyable, easy, guiltless, and low stakes as possible. Remind yourself of why you draw. Find the fun in it again.”.

Considering all the facts; I learnt the roller coaster of steps and motivational blocks that even full-time artists can face throughout either working on a project or even just doodling for themselves. When doing art, the pressure that can be built around us can be incredibly distracting, like they said, “Remind yourself of why you draw.” Making a goal for yourself can also be a struggle when you feel unmotivated; something that inspired me when looking at their art was the way in which they draw their characters poses, this year I wish to get better at anatomy and complete that goal and maybe after that, I wish to draw hands better.

 

proof of connection/responses ^

Before the interview, I have been inspired by Jane but after, the attitude and kindness of their responses made me even more inspired by them and brought me more motivation to create art!

 

I wish I could relive the moment I saw their art because I was truly inspired. I wish them so much luck for future events, future improvements and future projects knowing they are a kindhearted person considering how they treat others and the bursting talent seen throughout their work. Thank you, Jane, for taking the time out of your day to respond to me! 🙂

 

One thought on “Community Connection”

  1. Thank you for sharing your work on to your Edublog! Detailed feedback has been left on Teams under the assignment section.

    Mr. Barazzuol

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *