Breaking the Silence

I guess I should say something here now... I've been quiet for a while, haven't I?
Sorry, dear readers.

Well, I will tell you the story! On June 9th, I started as a Production Intern at Pixar Animation Studios.


*takes a moment to FREAK THE F&^% OUT!!!!!!*

Ahem.... Sorry about that.

I guess I should give a quick history of how this came to be?
Back in 1999? 2000? Somewhere around there, I set my mind to it that I would someday work at Pixar. I was a teenager and- at the time- in no situation that this would happen easily. I took an animation class at my community college and dreamed, but that was about all I did. When Cars came out in 2006, my best friend Kennedy and I were on one of our "late-night Walmart" (it could have been Target too...) trips, when I came across a set of toys from the film, Guido and Luigi- the Ferrari-loving imports. Seeing that Kennedy and I would get up at 3 or 4 in the morning on weekends to watch the live running of F1 races (mostly we were into rally), I had to buy them. BUT! I made myself a promise: I would NOT open them until I worked at Pixar.

For a girl living in Texas, far from the world of animation, this was a HUGE goal. It also went against everything I started to believe about toys after seeing Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Jessie's fear of the Box, the idea of a toy never getting played with because it's "mint" in the box, etc. I understood both sides, but when I looked at my little Luigi and Guido in the box, it reminded me what I wanted. When I moved to CalArts, I took them with me. They sat on my desk for years, gathering dust.

This week: the packaging (and 7? 8? years worth of dust) was thrown away!


They now sit on the shelf behind my desk in the office where I work. Sadly, I am not allowed to reveal a lot- as not much has been made public yet. All I can say is:
Being at Pixar has got to be one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life! I think I sometimes never thought that that silly girl from that small town would ever actually make it here... And yet- here I am!

I sort of want to tell the whole tale of how I ended up sitting here in Emeryville, but it would be QUITE a read... and I don't know if any of you would even be interested. It's one of the craziest tales in ~my~ life. And I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity. And thank you to all of you who have been along for the various legs of the ride. I don't know if I could have made it without all of you. The people who encouraged me to apply, the people who helped me through the rejection and through the re-application, the people who were with me when I found out I was accepted, the people who were accepted with me and pushed me to be a better artist just by being yourselves! and to the people who helped me into this stage.

I guess this last part is dedicated to anyone who is still trying to accomplish a dream. Mine took me at least 7 years to make come true. If you want something bad enough, don't let ANYTHING stop you! You can do ANYTHING you put your mind to! It won't be easy... or fun sometimes, but in the end, if you continue to believe in what it is you are fighting for, you CAN find a way! Have faith in what it is you want and surround yourself with people who support you- whether in your home or online, find them and don't listen to ANYONE who says "You can't". They are poison. Dreams DO come true. Take a page from Tiana- a little wishing will only take you so far. The rest is a bit of hard work. You can do it!