Entrepreneurial Artist: Allyssa A Lewis
Allyssa A Lewis is the founder of “My Animation Life” and a former animator of the Emmy-award winning Archer. In the podcast, she speaks a lot about how she got to where she is now and advice for those who are new to the business and those who are coming back from a hiatus.
By UMBC’s definition, “entrepreneurship is the ability of an individual to identify a goal, provide the leadership and mobilize the assets necessary to reach that goal. As such, individuals taking the risk to push the envelope in science and technology, break ground in the creative arts or craft new solutions to society’s problems are all entrepreneurs.” One of the ways Lewis demonstrates her ability as an entrepreneur is by setting goals and creating lists for herself. In the podcast, she described a vision board that allowed her to list anything that she was looking for in her dream job even if it was the wildest thing ever. If she was applying for a job and it did not fit with her list of ideals, it let her know that she was straying away from her path. She still uses that list and it is always constantly evolving.
In her college career, she tried her best to network and get her hands into whatever club she could to build her resume and work on her social skills. She was there for the creation of many clubs and also acquired many skills while learning about new projects. One of the important skills she learned was to not be afraid to fail. She emphasizes that it is ok to fail and always take risks even if you’re shy. It is important to keep trying and get your foot in the door to get into the industry. In my own personal career, I agree with her statement fully and will always try to apply for whatever I can even knowing I could fail. It is better to learn from mistakes rather than sitting there and doing nothing. Any opportunity I get to work with others on projects and gain some experience about the working industry is something I will always try to grab. I believe this statement also does not only have to apply for working in this industry but for any industry included. I think setting goals and making lists for things I want to do will also help me tremendously in letting me live out my life to the fullest to be happy. I also think her advice about learning the basics is very beneficial because after learning the basics you can always find someone who is knowledgable in the subject to help out afterward. College is a great place because you are able to meet those contacts and ask for help there.
