How to break into animation? Ask Chris Zibach, art director. Animation taps into that child-like wonder we all have deep inside, he says. It’s a magic trick that takes an incredible amount of magicians to pull off.

According to Louie del Carmen, writer and director, artists need to cultivate tenacity and drive if they want to get their foot in the door. “Concurrently, you also have to get really good at craft and skill,” he says. The opportunities will come as long as you keep working on getting better.”

Josh Wessling, background painter for a television series, was drawn to animation because he wanted to combine his love for painting and filmmaking. After graduating from San Jose State University with an animation/illustration degree, he moved to LA where he landed his first job in 2019.

Today, the industry faces its own set of difficult headwinds. These include the bursting of the streaming bubble, outsourcing, an overload of content, and the ever-present spectre of AI. But as Daniel Ceballos, senior animator at Sony Imageworks, says, “The best way to combat these hurdles is to lean into what makes you different.”

Art isn’t commerce or a service; it’s about slowing down and reflecting on the present moment.