Entrepreneurship in Animation
UMBC’s Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship defines entrepreneurship as ‘the ability of an individual to identify a goal, provide the leadership and mobilize the assets necessary to reach that goal.’ Animator and entrepreneur Allyssa A Lewis who is interviewed in the ASIFA-South Episode 1 Podcast, is exemplary of these vary same qualities. Lewis’ describes how from a young age, she became aware of her will to become an animator, which she attributes to seeing a ‘making of’ segment for a Bugs Bunny cartoon on television.
Through her experiences in navigating the animation industry, in her undergraduate career and even shortly after, she realized that the cookie cutter animation track would not cut it, and simply was not practical for every single animator by design, including herself. With identifying that issue, she was able to identify a goal of diversifying this process and creating other opportunities for herself and others in that field. She started creating clubs and programs at school to connect animators to information in the industry. Although yes, she was able to take these experiences and ideas and form them into the company she created, her mindset was entrepreneurial well before that by way of her attitude to succeed beyond the constraints of what was presented to her as options during the time; starting clubs and pursuing alternative paths.
Allyssa’s company is called ‘My Animation Life’ which not only helps animators and creators in the field narrow down the type of work they would like to do, but connects them to people who need animated works created based on the different specialties and skills. This identification of a goal (animators needing work) and following through with the creation of a company/business model is a perfect example of embodying entrepreneurship.
Throughout the duration of the podcast, many ideas were shared and expressed that made me think about the way in which I view my relationship with animation as a career. One thing that was mentioned was the idea of not identifying and aligning yourself with a preexisting studio, or whoever you end up working for, but as a separate entity. This idea resonated with me and got me to start thinking about branding myself as a creator and artist. I feel that it is important to do so not only from the perspective of personal identity, but as a way of encouraging myself to constantly push myself towards my own personal goals. Often, especially in creative and artistic industries and communities, artist’s begin to define themselves by their current job title and as a result become sidetracked from their original goals. This lead to think about self-awareness as a key factor in the way that I navigate my career path, and how it may be beneficial and necessary to a bit selfish in that regard. I was to constantly stop and ask myself if I am being fulfilled and if I am working towards my goals.
Another issue discussed in this podcast was fear of failure. Allyssa shares an anecdote of just how limiting these fears can be. She recounts a story of experiencing a tremendous fear of public speaking, and having to confront it during a course on the subject at SCAD. She realized if she didn’t face this, she could not be successful and advocate for herself as a creator, and she tackled the issue. This has allowed me a bit of introspection. I am afraid of not being great. It sounds silly, and incredibly egoistic, but it is true. I have always had a natural knack for things, and typically never exert myself into a project or anything really, so as not to disappoint myself. In the same light, I also want to be amazing at whatever I end up doing someday. The two ideologies conflict with each other, and it something I must face as a creator in order to succeed.
