Couldn’t be a Super Hero - so now I Animate!

Everything fit into my car! Magic!

It’s been a few days since I moved in to Altadena and things have been happening so fast I hardly have time to keep up with them. But today was especially sweet because today I finally received my Californian driver’s license in the mail. Huzzah! So it’s official now, I’m Californian and here to stay.

Unfortunately, there’s been nothing new on the job front yet. I’m still applying to jobs and waiting to hear back from one. I’m really hoping to get a chance to interview with Nick for a Production Assistant job. I know I’d do a great job with it!

Of course, as everyone knows (and if you’re new like me, listen closely) it’s really hard to break in and get that fabled “First Real Job”! (Can you hear the heavenly choir when you read that?)
Speaking of which, since I’m knew to the neighborhood, I’m looking to meet some friends in the industry! Any hungry animation artists out there? I’d be more than happy to buy you some lunch. Just send me an email.

Look at all the studios! I’m almost there.

On a very happy note, tonight is the semi-annual General Meeting for the Women in Animation guild in Glendale - and this will be my very first meeting in person. I’ve been involved with WIA since 2005 and they helped me find a good school and now I’m volunteering on their website (which, if you haven’t seen it yet, then you must)! I’m hoping to make some friends and possibly make some networking connections. I will type up a report, but for now I have to get ready.

- Joanie /^>

38 days to go and my current thoughts are clogged to the brim with suitcases and moving boxes. October 15th is my official moving day and not an hour goes by that I wish it wasn’t tomorrow.

That’s right! After a summer of building up my bank account - I’m finally ready to set off for Los Angeles. I still have a few weeks left of my summer job, but I’ve cut my full-time down to part-time so I can get my stuff together and work on my portfolio and demo reel.

Words can’t express how ready I am to finally make the big move out west. For the moment I’ve turned my sights from Canada (at least until I can gather up enough points to qualify for Permanent Residency) and turning around to California. I’ll be moving to Altadena indefinitely so we’ll see what I happens! I’m gonna cram everything into White Lightning (my beloved Dodge Stratus) and do a cross-country drive. It’ll be my first time going that far by myself, and I find it very ironic and exciting to be following in the footsteps of Disney out of Kansas City, Missouri and into my future, whatever it might be.

Thanks to everyone for their support during my time of transition, especially to my college mentor, Mike Mallory and Jean Wright, my first good friend in Women In Animation and to Chara Campagnella for giving me the opportunity to help with the WIA Blog, and to my talented and passionate college professors: Charles, Jerry, Jonathan, Gerrard, Paul, Jason and Stephen from Van Arts and to Dr. Sokol from Drury University. Thanks you guys for helping me grow and encouraging me to follow my dreams even when I didn’t believe in myself. I’ve become a stronger person because of you and I’ve never felt more alive.

That’s all for now! I’m looking forward to watching my living room fill up with moving boxes and to feel the wind in my hair as I roll down the windows of White Lightning on my drive out West!

- Joanie /^>