My Creative Life in WordsHi, I'm Jess an art director, creative production artist manager.
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 Hello All,
I apologize I did not update this blog as I originally intended. I was so busy and I got home so late I was knocked out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I mean it was a whirlwind, but what an amazing event. There was never a dull moment and I am so glad I attended. I met so many people in the industry and had some really great conversations. Where do I begin? The panels were wonderful I got to listen to some really insightful talks about specific films all the way to what the industry is looking for in talent. I attended one panel that was really exciting. Pixar had a super secret panel that was revealed to be production management, the unsung heroes. I was so excited to find this out because the same question everyone is asking you is what do you want to do? When you don’t say animate, illustrate or something along those lines you sometimes get a baffled look. I always answer that I am an artist but I love production and working with great artists to make something amazing. Attending this panel really supported what I am interested in doing and made it feel so supported. The artist tent never fails to amaze me, with the talent within it. I got to meet great recruiters at Disney, PIXAR, DreamWorks and Nickelodeon. Not to mention the smaller studios as well. I also got to talk with artists at their own booths and made some really great connections. I also ran into people I met last year and they actually remembered me. This was huge for me in building my self-confidence. People were actually interested in my resume and I got two meetings through raise the bar recruiting! Those meeting were great and I really hope something comes out of them. I hope the people I have met will keep in touch, as I know I will try on my end to reach out to them. If you have never attended and you are interested in animation in some form I highly recommend it. Who knows you may see me next year with my own booth. Till next time, Jess Paz
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Hello, for those of you who don't know me my name is Jessica and I am from Tampa, FL. I have since lived in Arizona and now the greater Los Angeles area. I have lived my life with a passion for the arts, especially animation. As the days grow nearer to CTNX 2017, I thought documenting my experience would be a fun challenge for me. You see I am not a writer by any means and putting my thoughts on paper and online for all to see is a little intimidating for me. So with that said please be kind as this is a new venture for me, same as the moving to LA to find my "dream job" part.
My dream job, what is that exactly? Well here is a little bit of history. I come from a family of artists and have grown up drawing the things I love, like cartoons, animated film characters, things I see and like. I didn't pursue art as a career until after I realized biology wasn't for me. You see I was a pre med major out of high school. One day during bio lab when I had to dissect a cat, it came to me I can't do this. How could I possibly dissect something I love? So then I switched my major to marine biology. That was something I loved, living by the sea and experiencing it. I thought, "I could do this right"? Well sadly I ended up hating it and I didn't want pursuing it as a career to make me hate the one thing aside from art that I loved. The beach means so much to me. My childhood growing up was going to the beach, enjoying ice cream while running from seagulls before I dropped it or they stole it from me. Playing in the waves while getting a mouth full of saltwater. These experiences I will treasure forever and I did not want to pursue a career that was going to ruin that for me. So I took a "break" from school so I could figure it out. What do I want to do with my life? All that kept coming back to me is my passion for art. When I am creating something I feel a calm come over me a feeling of peace, no stress just in the zone. I remember my mom telling me that pursuing a career in art is not something I should do. You see my mom was a commercial artist and had a great job. Then something terrible happened. She and her entire art department lost their jobs. The company let go of all their artists because they replaced them with computers. It was terrible that she did not have the opportunity to learn the “digital” way. After being on my “break” from school and contemplating my life and which direction I wanted to go in. It hit me so hard. My mom is so talented, my dad is talented, and so are my grand parents on both sides. How could I let this talent in our family just stop? At that moment I realized I wanted to learn everything there was to learn about technology and the arts. Where was art going and how could I be a part of it? So art school commenced. It was a tough but enjoyable at the same time. Learning all the programs and fundamentals felt like an eternity going through it, but I prevailed. During that time in school I married and had a daughter. Having a family has also been a dream of mine. They have been my rock during my education and after graduation. They have supported me in achieving my goals. I believe in setting goals and not just having dreams. Dreams seem so far away always just out of reach, but a goal is something I can set for myself and obtain. Then I can set another. I have done this and reached every goal I have set for my family and myself. I have worked for several companies working with artists and animators. I have taught animation and digital art as well. During my time I have gained over eight years of experience working with such talented people from former Disney animators to Marvel artists. Every artist I have worked with I have learned so much from. I think I finally know what my dream job is. It has evolved from when I graduated. At that point in my life all I wanted to do was work for Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks etc. These were just names of places I knew made awesome stories. I knew I had to move to LA to be a part of the industry. I learned so much in school that they made it hard for me to decide which path to take as far as my focus. I know 2d, 3d, stop motion, video effects, etc. I love animating and I love illustrating. I love it all and it is very hard for me to decide which path to take. After contemplating this for a really long time. I kept thinking where do I fall? I know I love production and working with artists and guiding them to their true potential and rocking out some pretty great stuff. I have realized this is my calling. I love being creative and working with great talent. I get so super giddy when I see a project I was a part of come to life. So now that I have finally made it to LA, my goal is to find the right place for me with a team of great people and artists that are just as passionate about creating amazing stories as I am. I am looking forward to CTNX 2017 and all it has to offer. So feel free to message me on the CTNX app! I want to connect with as many talented people as I can. We are all in this together, our passions truly define us and it shows in all of our work. I can’t wait to meet everyone and stay connected. Big thanks to Tina Price for putting this event on every year! Check back, I will be adding to this each day of CTNX! Jess Paz |
AuthorJessica Paz, Jessie, or just Jess is fine. Archives
August 2024
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