Simple answer?    I love doing it.

Longer answer?    I love inventing things, I love problem-solving, and I love being a part of a team all working together toward something excellent.

Even longer answer?    If there's going to be a positive shift in the direction the world is going... it's going to have to be in the dreams and aspirations of the people within it.  Games... movies... manga... these shape what people value and strive to emulate.

Yep!  My first studio gig was in 1994, as an animator and cleanup artist for a small company outsourcing from Walt Disney Interactive.

Since then, I worked for Activision, NBC/Universal, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and did a lot of gigs as a freelancer.

I've worked on Battlestar Galactica (2004), Babylon 5, Dinosaur, Bugs Bunny Lost in Time (commercials), Bionic Woman (pilot), and wrote a few books on 3D CGI, animation, and filmmaking.

I got a Peabody Award and an Emmy certificate for my work on BSG, and made "Kaze: Ghost Warrior", an award-winning, experimental, animated short film in 2004 that was an official selection at film festivals around the world.

I met the man-of-my-dreams.

Color me traditional, but one of my bucket-list items was to be a housewife, and paint simply for my own enjoyment!   XD

Now that my husband is retired, I can get back to the work I love doing and whisk him along to wherever work takes me!  (And he can learn... The way of the house-husband.  XD  )

SHAKUHACHI (traditional Japanese flute) - I've studied and performed since 2019.

SHINTO - I've been fascinated by studying Shinto since about 2010.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE - I've enjoyed learning Japanese as a hobby since about 2019. (I'm not very good yet... but still, it's fun.  :)

First, I learned Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese phonetic alphabets.

Then, I started memorizing Kanji and compounds by means of a "smart," electronic flash-card app.

Then... it's just a matter of immersing all I can, reading manga and light novels in Japanese, listening to podcasts, and watching anime and movies (without subtitles, of course).

After enough time, your brain starts connecting-the-dots on it's own.

I'd been trying to move away from animation since about 2010.

I tried to learn concept art and design on my own for ages, without much luck....

It wasn't until I enrolled in the Concept Art Academy from Digital Painting Studio, (receiving my certification in June of 2024,) that I finally understood what actually goes into creating legitimate, top-shelf concept art.

So, yeah... my advice would be:  Find a really, _really_ good school.

GAMES:  The Last Guardian, Skyrim (VR), Horizon Zero Dawn, Breath of the Wild, Ori and the Blind Forest

MANGA:  Tonari no Yokai-san, Konohana Kitan, Flying Witch, Ancient Magus Bride: Wizard's Blue

ANIME:  Haikyu!!, A Galaxy Next Door, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life, Blue Period, Arte, Wolf Children, Princess Mononoke

I'm interested in a long-term career with a studio that's main focus is on projects that are going to touch hearts and inspire viewers/players.