Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jacqueleen Munoz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jacqueleen, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
It’s really tough to completely get rid of the nagging voice that says you’re undeserving, that somehow you’ve tricked everyone around you into believing you’re something you’re not. First and foremost, I think taking care of one’s mental health is the best way to deal with it. It’s a lot easier to ground yourself and build confidence if your mental and physical health are in order, and vice versa! But honestly, I also have a little trick. Once, in friendly jest I was told “you’re not special”, and it really stuck with me. I know my friend was just ribbing on me, but it was like a wake up call. I’m not that important! In the grand scheme of things, how could I possibly get by on some intricate web of lies? I have a hard enough time remembering to have breakfast. Whenever I start getting too in my head, I laugh it off and tell myself, “You’re not special!” Ultimately, I’m just a person. Just like anybody else. There’s no special circumstances that make me the imposter of the century, and I can just be me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a Storyboard Revisionist on The Loud House! If you have no idea what that means, then let’s start by saying that I help make cartoons. Storyboards are something of a try run for the visuals of a show or movie before it moves on to shooting or animation. It figures out some of the staging and blocking, etc, in a way that’s easier to address problems or revisions than it would be in film or animation stages. When the board artist finishes their job, then it’s typically my responsibility to make further changes that may pop up, and that the board is good to go to ship to the animation studio. In simplest terms, I draw pictures! I’m proud to say that, career wise, I am exactly where I always dreamed I’d be. I love being a revisionist, and what I especially love about my job is when I get to put a little bit of myself into the board. I really love it when these moments make it into the final show! For example, I had to come up with a page for a spellbook once. I expected that the Design Team would of course make drastic improvements (and they did!), but I was also thrilled to see how much of my sketches made it into the final product. It’s like, I don’t know, like I get to wave to all these people for a little bit. Hi there, this is me! I hope this made you happy!
I want to keep making little moments just like that. I want to keep sending proverbial winks to the audience, and hopefully make someone- anyone- feel seen. Even if it’s just for a moment, moments like that are why I wanted to get into this craft in the first place. I want to keep improving, working, getting better, and maybe one day pave the way forward as others have done for me.
At the time I am writing this, WGA and SAG are in a historic strike. A lot of the people around me have been directly impacted, even if they’re working under TAG ( which is not currently striking). The entertainment industry is deeply interconnected, and WGA and SAG’s fight for fair pay and conditions is a fight for solidarity. It’s a way of paving the path forward for future generations, and its benefits will ripple through the entire industry, just as its backlash has. As some try to tighten their grip on the industry, everyone feels the pressure. My hope is that in the future, the industry will be a place with more open doors and more security for those within, and those wishing to enter.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
It’s hard to look back and zero in on things that I did, as opposed to what others have done for me. Yes, logically, I know I had to have some part in it. I was the one who made my portfolios, it stands to reason I have put in the work. Most of the time, I know this in my heart and not just in my head. I’ve definitely struggled, and I would never say that I had things handed to me. That said, if I had to describe my journey I can’t help but think of it as people who were there for me along the way. My first mentor, Ron Brown, who made me realize my impossible dream wasn’t so impossible after all. My boarding mentor, Alan Wan, who taught me what boarding really was. Perhaps most important of all are the friends and family who loved and supported me, giving me the strength to keep trying even when I felt absolutely hopeless.
If I had to call that a particular quality, then…maybe I’d call it “finding your people”. Be kind, earnest, and honest, and you will find people who will respond to that. Life is a journey that I firmly believe is meant to be shared, as well as an ordeal that’s difficult enough without being taken alone. Find people, not for the sake of what they can do for you, but for caring for one another. Having a solid community and support network will make your career- and life- that much easier.
After that, if I really had to focus on things that I did… I suppose “knowing myself” would be second. I had a lot of long, hard self reflection when it came to my education and career choices. First, it was a question of if what I wanted was even possible- and if it was? I wondered long and hard if it was really worth pursuing. Then came the question of what exactly I should be doing in this amorphous idea of a career field. Even after that, I really wondered if I should keep trying, or cut my losses and change tracks. There’s no one right answer, there’s no course anyone is supposed to take. For me personally, I realized I couldn’t bring myself to choose anything else. I came to understand that if what I wanted was possible, then I was all in. That no matter how difficult things got (and sometimes things were downright miserable), I still loved what I did. It was still the only thing in the world I wanted to be doing. Unfortunately there’s no way to really know if we’re doing what we “should”. The right answer is just trying to honor and be honest with yourself.
Lastly…of course practice and study are important. You’ll never improve if you don’t work at it, after all. But I think work is the word I want to focus on here. “You can love your work, and it will still be work”. I think that if someone is in this field for the long haul, it’s important to understand that at the end of the day, your dream job is still A Job. It won’t fix everything, I don’t know anyone who thought “I made it, this is it” after landing an industry job. Just as it was in your education, drawing for your job will still be work. Sometimes, it may even be bitter, tedious work. This is not to dissuade anyone from the Entertainment Arts, but rather is a call for work/life balance and self care. It’s easy for someone starting out to lose themselves in their work. After all, we love what we do! Often, our work is fun, and brings us joy. Thinking that loving your work means you’re not really working however, is a recipe for burnout. Don’t forget to focus on yourself, take care of yourself, and remember that as much as being an artist is a part of our identity, it is not all that we are. You are still worthwhile even when you are not drawing. You are still a whole and complete person. Treasure that person!
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Usually the first thing I do when I feel overwhelmed is hug my dog and cry. He gets really annoyed with me for wetting his fur, and how I cuddle him. A lot of the time he wriggles away and I end up crying harder (By the way, I really love my dog). Then, I’ll text someone I trust to wail at, and maybe help give me some perspective. When I feel a little calmer, I’ll get back to things. More often than not, I’m still texting friends while I work on untangling whatever life has thrown at me.
The key thing here is, I step away. I let myself feel my feelings, and then I use what resources are available to me to let them go. At least, let them go as best I can. I’ll ask for help, and reach out so I feel less like I’m drowning. It doesn’t make it all better, and it doesn’t stop me from falling apart, but it doesn’t have to. I don’t have to be perfect. It helps- helps me get through that impossible moment, through the insurmountable task.
In turn, I often tell my friends to cry. To scream, even! Have you ever grabbed a pillow or hid away in your car, and really screamed? I swear I feel a full chemical change in my head. As quoted from one of my most favorite cartoons of all time, “You have to be honest with yourself about how bad you feel before you can move on”.
As I’ve said before, I don’t think this life should be gone through alone. Availing yourself to community, and whatever medical care- be it physical or psychological- that is available to you is so crucial.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jacqueleenmunoz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquemun/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-munoz-a05425155/
