We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Marakasherry recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Michelle , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I definitely get my optimism from my parents, especially my dad. Since I was a little kid my dad was always the “funny guy”. Everywhere he went, he made everyone laugh; his easy-going nature was magnetic, and you couldn’t help but be pulled by that joy. He never got mad a lot, and even when things went south, my dad could always turn any situation light-hearted. My dad had all the jokes and my mom laughed at everything, even things that weren’t objectively funny. She just finds joy in anything (and everything!). So I think my optimism is a byproduct of their ability to see the good in everything, no matter how difficult.
Both my parents instilled in me that no matter what happens “everything will be alright in the end”; the hope and trust in knowing that things will get better. That has always assured me throughout my low points; I’m able to not take myself so seriously, laugh at my mistakes, and move forward without dwelling too long on my shortcomings. I’m human, I’ll fail but I’ll also grow. The world doesn’t end because of my failures, the sun continues to set and rise every day, and I choose to find joy in each of those days and spread that joy to others.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a 3D artist and Director specializing in Lighting, Compositing, and Visual development, currently based in New York but originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. I’ve recently completed my thesis film; an Indonesian CG Short film called “Hair for You’, which took 2 years to make alongside my teammates Tien Pham and Jihye Kim.
Our film is currently on its film festival circuit, but I am incredibly proud and honored that it’s already won multiple awards and laurels from more than 7 festivals at the moment. Notably, “Hair for You” was a Finalist for the Oniros Film Awards and NYIFA, as well as doing well internationally being a finalist for the Korea International Short Film Festival, and Kineko International Film Festival that will be screened in Japan! Having our film about Indonesia be so well received and screened globally means so much to me; I wanted this film so Indonesia could be seen, so having that reach a global scale is special to me.
I’ve always loved animated films and I never seemed to outgrow them when I got older. I initially wanted to do 2D films because of my background in drawing, but I took the leap to 3D as that’s where the industry standard is at today. 3D Animation is very technical; it truly is a niche that is challenging because of how heavily it leans towards computer science and mastering a program, but it also needs that artistic eye to produce work that is appealing.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Perseverance, balance, and connection. I think those 3 ingredients have been a good foundation for me to build upon in my career. As artists, I think our work is less linear than most, littered with ups and downs so having those three things in mind helps me stay grounded.
Not giving up is a lot easier said than done. It is painful to fail, and I have failed. A lot and miserably. But you have to get up and keep going, take the time you need to mourn and grieve over losses and failures, and then take a breath and keep going. Believe that there will be something better around the corner. Looking back, there are so many good things I would have missed out on if I had given up.
Finding balance is important for everyone, also a lot easier said than done! For me, learning that I am human first before I am an artist is important. My career does not define me, and it is not who I am; it is an extension of me.
If I decided to switch careers tomorrow, I would still be Michelle.
Fulfilling my needs as a human being, taking care of my body & mind, nurturing my hobbies, and cherishing those I love, all in turn, help me to become a better artist.
And of course, Connection! I don’t mean forcing “connections” to advance your career, that’s a transaction. It means the connection with the people around you. Staying in contact with your friends and family, hanging out with your friends over coffee, sharing a joke with your teacher, even just asking someone how they’ve been. I have gained bonds with people who add so much to my life beyond my career, and those people are the ones who have helped me get opportunities.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Other than the obvious unemployment that, unfortunately, many of us in the industry are facing, Surprisingly it’s post-grad life and time. Rather, what do I do with all this time? All my life has been school, and that, in turn, has taken most of my time for pretty much 20 years of my life. The structure of showing up somewhere and dealing with work and then continuing that work outside of school hours. is suddenly all gone and now you’re left with all this time. For me especially, I felt like I was on top of the world during school: I made a successful film, I worked various school jobs, I won awards, I got to give the undergraduate speech at commencement, and then I graduated, and suddenly, poof! All that was gone, I was back at the bottom with nothing in this scary, new, big world. That whiplash is not something anyone really prepares you for.
Initially, I felt so lonely and lost. All my friends were at school, and no one was telling me what I should work on; I just ended up rotting in bed and feeling depressed. I’ve now decided to change my perspective to: “Look at all this time I have now!” I get to go back and reconnect with the old hobbies that I lost as a result of school and having no time, such as reading and drawing but I also have the time to learn new things and invest in bettering myself and I’ve even got to meet new people who are now a part of my life.
While I am still struggling in navigating this uncertain point in my life, using this time to discover myself in more aspects of my life beyond just my career and being a student feels fulfilling and even healing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michellemarakasher.wixsite.com/mysite-1
- Instagram: mish.mov
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-marakasherry/
Image Credits
“Hair for You” Film –
Tien Pham ; Producer, Lead Sets & Environment Artist, Look Development, Lighting & Composite Assist
Jihye Kim: Lead Animator and Character Technical Director, FX and Simulation, Rig, Mocap
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
