We were lucky to catch up with Brandon Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Brandon with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Work ethic especially in a creative field is vital. I think I got my foundational work ethic from watching my dad run his small business out of our basement. He owned a roofing company and our whole house hummed with the rhythms of the business. Phones ringing, guys coming to the door to get their checks or work for the day. And we were often taken around to “check jobs” anytime I saw dad pick me up from school. This gave me solid foundation that I, of course rebelled against as a teenager.
I was lazy in my teens and early twenties, except for this one time I entered the Tokyo Pop Rising Stars Of Manga contest. A friend and I worked diligently for about a month or so, I was happy to let my school work slide to focus on this goal. I was never a good student and even though we didn’t win or even place the confidence I got from finishing our comic stuck with me. For a while after high school I floated around very lost, working odd and part time jobs. Until I decided to give comics another go, and starting making my own webcomic “Dedford Tales” a horror comic about me and my friends going on adventures inspired by the first volume of Scott Pilgrim. Something I noticed while making that book was how often other artists would acknowledge my follow through on the project. The writing and art wasn’t really at a high level. But everyone was very impressed that I kept going and would print issues of the book when I hit a certain page count.
I was barreling towards my 30s without much to show for myself and I think a fear hit me that I wouldn’t accomplish my dream of making a living doing the thing I love the most, drawing. Thats when I applied to College For Creative studies to sharpen my skills and pursue a career in animation. I think a solid example from my dad combined with fear really helped focus me and fortify my discipline. As one of my mentor’s said to me “Fear is fuel, use it.” So I did.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have been very fortunate to be working as a professional storyboard artist in the LA animation industry for the past 8 years. I recently had my directorial debut working on Star Trek Lower Decks Season 4 and returned to direct for season 5. On top of working in animation I also teach a storyboarding class for College For Creative Studies in Detroit. Teaching and working in animation has been extremely rewarding. I love crafting a story thought film language and getting to draw all day. I also love helping to guide students through the process of storyboarding and helping them find their voices.
I have big dreams of making my own animation show or feature and now that Im more established in the industry Ive begun to pursue those higher goals more seriously. Its funny because when I was fresh out of art school I was pitching shows all the time and felt so confident I could do it no problem. Im actually really glad I never sold one of those ideas because I would have been instantly in over my head. Which happens a lot in this industry. I learned that I need to get some more hands on experience first, and thats what I focused on. Now I feel more ready for the task. It’s important to keep a student mindset of always learning and growing.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Discipline was super important for me in developing my drawing and storyboarding skills. Not letting a blank page stop you, and instead diving right in with a goal to achieve. You also have to have some serious resilience and openness to feedback. In art school we call it critique and on the job it’s called notes. Learning to open up to criticism and feedback while also knowing whats worth listening to and what isn’t right for you can make all the difference in your journey. You are also going to face a lot of rejection. It very hard to break in to the industry and even harder to stay in, especially now that studios and streamers are cutting back. You are going to face rejection after rejection but you have persist. I think its important that you combine that persistence with self evaluation and growth. If you just persist, persist, persist without trying to improve or learn you’re mostly just spinning your wheels. I would say even that can work in some circumstances. Combining persistence with resilience, discipline, and a willingness to listen to feedback is a power combination. If you are just starting out I would say listen, observe and work at your craft as much as you can. One final note would be to live as small as you can when starting out and save your pennies.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The past 12 months have been the most challenging of my creative career so far. The entertainment industry is in crisis from the streaming bubble bursting, WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes, the introduction of generative AI, and my own creative burn out.
Ive had to ask myself some really hard questions. Like do I even want to do pursue this career anymore? What does art mean to me? What is the importance of storytelling? Contemplating these difficult questions has actually clarified my artistic purpose in ways I never expected. Which has lead to a lot of creative growth. I feel more confident in my abilities and path than I ever have before and Im taking steps to achieve my creative goals like never before.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theartofbrandon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stupidartpunk/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-williams-8b229753/
- Other: https://cara.app/stupidartpunk
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
