We recently connected with Kaya Dzankich and have shared our conversation below.
Kaya, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
That’s a constant work in progress, but I have learned some valuable lessons over the years.
• If you put in the hard work and time of building a skill set, the confidence and self esteem will come along with it.
• Embrace learning and keep a curious mind. Everything you learn contributes to a sense of self worth and purpose.
• Don’t compare yourself to others. This is easy to do in the age of social media, but keep the focus on your own strengths. Look inward, not outward.
• Shut out the noise of self-doubt and negative thinking. This is so hard! Any kind of self-care like exercise, therapy, mediation, etc. can contribute to building self esteem and keep energy levels up.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have worked as a Background Painter, Color Designer and Color Supervisor in the Animation Industry since 2009. I’m currently painting backgrounds at Cartoon Network on the kids show ‘Craig of the Creek’. Before wrapping up the fifth and last season of the show, we are working on the movie version which will air later this year. Before Cartoon Network, I worked mostly in prime time on Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and Cleveland Show. I also worked on the TV version of ‘Home’ at Dreamworks Animation and I freelance at various studios including Warner Brothers and Disney TV. There have also been a number of unaired pilots and projects that I’ve worked on that, while unaired, have contributed a lot to my experience and skill set.
To get my foot in the door, I started out on the production side of animation and made the jump to the art department about a year and half later. During that first year I soaked up as much knowledge as I could about the animation pipeline and utilized all the resources around me. This included taking free classes covered by the studio, participating in the studio art shows and taking advice from all the talented, driven people around me. I originally started out in Graphic Design, so combined with my background in art I quickly realized the color department would be a perfect fit for me. Once I honed in on that goal I practiced as much as possible and eventually got into the department after proving my skills. Animation schedules can be grueling and you have to get a lot of work done in a short period of time. When you get thrown in there is almost no time for a learning curve. Although scary at first, this is something that fueled me throughout my career.
Every production is drastically different from the next and that is something I see as a positive thing. This allows me to learn new styles and techniques of painting which is where I really thrive. I love being surrounded by talented, inspiring people that share a passion for the creative world. This is something that keeps me motivated and excited about working in this industry.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
• I did not get discouraged when things didn’t go as expected. Do not let feelings of rejection discourage you and don’t take things personally. You never know what is going on behind on the scenes and if you get passed up by somebody else it’s not necessarily because you did something wrong. Keep moving forward and jump on the next opportunity. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback or notes. See this as constructive criticism that with help you, not hurt you. Be persistent and keep focused on the end goal. I had a really deep desire to get into this industry and that helped move me forward whenever I hit a road block. I remember intensely telling myself things like “Failure is not an option”. It sounds so cheesy, but it kept me in a head space to keep fighting for what I wanted.
• I stayed vigilant and focused on one, specific goal. This can be a hard place to get to, but I think if you are going in the general direction of your interests, things will start to come together. You may discover a path you didn’t expect. Once something ‘clicks’, hone in and focus your energy on that one goal and don’t get distracted. Be pro-active and utilize any resources available to you.
• I learned to ‘trust my gut’ or to listen to that inner voice. Some opportunities or offers can look good on paper, but there might be a catch. Do your research on a potential employer and don’t be afraid to ask them as many questions as they are asking you. When I was early on in my Graphic Design career, I took any opportunity that was sold to me. I ended up in a couple toxic environments that took a mental and emotionally toll. Ultimately these are great learning experiences, but they may not seem so at the time. Since then I’ve learned to trust my intuition and I have not been let down once.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Some of the challenges I’m facing now are very common in the animation industry. Shows get cancelled or shelved and there is the ever-looming prospect of looking for the next the job. I’ve been in this industry over a decade and I’ve been lucky enough to either be on long-running shows or have almost no gap in between jobs. The industry is changing a lot. Big corporations are merging and buying up animations studios, even though they have no clue about animation. They want to cut costs wherever possible. Some studios cave and produce quick, cheap product that comprise the quality. A lot of kids shows are being cancelled because some networks want to stay focused on adult animation, which get bigger, overall numbers. A.I. is becoming a real threat to artists and voice actors in the video game and animations industry as well. I hope we can all band together through our union and our own networking to stay strong and fight for keeping the real craft and art of animation alive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kayadzankich.com/
- Instagram: @kaya_dzankich
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayadzankich/
- Other: https://www.kayadzankich.art/ https://dzankich.tumblr.com/
