Meet Polla-Ilariya Kozino

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Polla-Ilariya Kozino. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Polla-Ilariya, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.
As a creative, I faced artist blocks many times throughout my life, as many artists do. Creative work is fueled by inspiration and this unexplainable inner drive that makes us push forward and do the work even when we don’t get compensated for it. I found that what helped me to overcome it was to take some time off, do something completely different that would bring me joy, and look for inspiration in the process. I would play video games, pick up a new hobby, and watch lots and lots of films and animations. I find that changing the scenery can do wonders for clearing your head and getting inspired as well. For example, when I was working on the pre-production of a webcomic I hit a creative block, during that time I took a short trip to Thailand and while I was traveling an entire story for the comic just came to me! On the way back I spent the entire flight taking story notes on my phone and by the time I got back home I had it all figured out and jumped right back into working on it! It’s okay to take a hiatus from time to time. Mental health and inner drive are important aspects in our work and I believe we should take care of ourselves to continue our creative work.

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 an animation director and a producer as well as a digital artist born and raised in Kazakhstan. I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. In fact, I was the youngest member of the Kazakh Artists Association ever invited. I am also the very first published Kazakh comic author. My first comic “His Secrets” was officially published in 2010.

After graduating high school I moved to the USA to study animation and visual effects at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Since graduating I have been working on many animation and visual effects projects in the US as an animation producer. I never gave up drawing and creating my own stories, but I would do it in my own free time as my job back in that time was more about managing artists and moving projects forward. I had the pleasure to work in different animation studios, the biggest one of which was LAIKA. I have also directed my own 2D animation short “The Ribbon” which received many awards around the world and now is available to watch on a streaming service called FLixsnip.

My life took an unexpected turn when my husband’s dad got sick and we had to move to Taiwan (where my husband is originally from). When we moved to Taiwan I had to face many struggles. Turned out the animation industry is practically non-existent in Taiwan. There are very few animation studios here, the pay and working conditions are too low, and most work would still require me to speak fluent Chinese. So even though I had all of these skills and experience I had nowhere to go with it. That took a huge emotional toe on me since I wasn’t able to work and did what I did best. Little did I know that this was the beginning of my independent journey as a professional and creative. Even in the darkest days creating art was what kept me going. I started learning Chinese and working on my mixed-media art projects and comics. I have created enough to have my art exhibition! So I found the perfect location and almost everything was set. And that’s when COVID-19 hit. Naturally, all exhibition plans were canceled and we were all sent to quarantine at home.
That time was not easy for everyone. And while all my plans and hopes shattered once again, once again I got up and directed all of my energy into work. I was writing scripts, working on a webcomic, and collaborating with other creatives.
That’s when me and my co-founder funded our very own production company Insomnia Productions. We started working on pre-production for different projects as well as putting together a pitch for our very own animated show. For a while, things were looking up. We worked hard and finally completed our animated proof of concept. Who knew that we were about to get hit once again? That’s when AI-generated art came out to the world and took us by storm. First, we lost the majority of our clients, since now pre-production work could be generated in seconds and then we couldn’t even pitch our show due to the writers’ strike. It was not easy. But I refuse to give up! So our company has been on pause while we were figuring out what direction we should take. At the same time, I started working on several side projects: I started a YouTube channel where I share my knowledge and expertise with young aspiring artists to help them achieve their dreams of becoming full-time artists. I also put more effort into sharing my digital art on social media as well as promoting my webcomics. As an artist online I go by “Kozinoart”. Now I am actively working on my digital art, my webcomic “The Blue Blood”, and getting our animated series produced. Our animated pitch for the series has already received multiple awards and we are currently preparing to get it funded and produced. I also started a small art party business in Taiwan called “Artlab”. It’s an art party event studio that combines painting while sipping wine.
The main thing that I have learned through these years working in the creative industry is that life will knock you down in a thousand unexpected ways, but as long as you keep getting up and fighting for what is important to you, you will make it in the end. I am sure there are plantly more challenges waiting for me ahead, but I am prepared to face them and keep on fighting for my dreams.
If you are curious to see some of my art and find out more about my projects you can find me on Instagram, or Youtube – @kozinoart.

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?
Adaptability paired with resilience, willingness to learn all the time, and making friends. Those qualities will get you anywhere in life. If you can learn to adapt and persist in going forward you will be able to overcome all challenges that lay ahead. And with the ever-changing world, you will have to teach yourself new things all the time, if you want to stay on top. And, of course, paired with those qualities, the ability to make genuine connections will open any door and bring opportunities you wouldn’t expect.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
In Kazakhstan, we have an expression that translates to “My eyes may be scared, but my hands are already doing it”. This means that when you feel overwhelmed and hesitant to do something, you should just start doing it anyway and as you do you will learn that it wasn’t actually that scary.

Whenever I get too many things on my plate, and believe me I do get quite a lot of them, considering that I own a business and have a household and two kids to take care of, I like to break it down into smaller tasks and manage it like a producer. For example: If you need to grow your business break it down into parts that you need to work on to do so. Then break those parts into parts. For example, to grow my business I need to build a brand. To build a brand I need to grow my social media. So my task here would be, to grow on social media I am going to post X times per week. And I start doing that. Then I start adding additional steps, breaking them into small steps, and keep on going like that. Eventually, all the tasks get covered and you start to slowly progress in the desired direction. Just take it one day and one step at a time and you will see amazing results.

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