Do you have to go to an artsy school to end up in an artsy profession?

No. Most potential employers will not care what school you went to or even for your grades for that matter. What matters is what you have done, what you can do and your portfolio. So do plenty of art often. The more you do the better you will improve.

Dear Collette,

A very interesting question because a lot depends on your ability and passion for animation. Certainly attending a school like Cal Arts will benefit you both for the education and for the people you will meet. But there is no guaranteed path to success in the animation world outside your own determination to make your way. I say this from experience because I was bitten by the animation bug when I was 10 years old, but lived far away from NY or LA and there was little opportunity to find a way in where I lived. So I started making my own cartoons, and at the same time went to the University of the Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia majoring in life drawing and painting. During that time my cartoons and fine art portfolio landed animation jobs in England at Halas and Batchelor and Richard Williams Studio where I learned everything about animation. But I want to stress that the background in fine arts was essential to understanding what my mentors in the studios showed me. You see, anyone can learn Maya and Harmony, but you really have to be grounded in the arts to understand anatomy and to be an observer of motion. Being an artist is similar to acting and music in that sometimes you land great gigs and then you pound the pavement. And sometimes animation jobs seem like slave labor, while other times it is a joy to participate in a work of great beauty. I traveled a lot looking for the right jobs: NY, LA, many studios in Asia (as a director for American companies subcontracting work). You have to network and be ready to pick up and follow an opportunity. Making friends is essential. The best jobs will come to you through the people you know. It is a small industry and your reputation is your greatest asset. While the major companies that you aspire to create valuable work, take a look around at the smaller shops that do commercials and bits for the internet and web sites. After years of working on TV shows for companies like Cartoon Network, Sony, and Disney, probably the most fun I ever had was working on a children's show called Classical Baby for HBO. My contribution was seven short cartoons about music and dance that were so much like the student films that I had made years before. And recently I was commissioned to make some music videos for American Epic which were original creations animated on my laptop here in my studio. I tell you this so you will see that there are a whole lot of opportunities and a great career ahead of you, not just with the films you see in the movie theater and on mainstream TV. Animation is everywhere and the internet is a perfect place right now to get your work out where other people can see it. After saying all this, the short answer to your question is yes, the education you are getting right now is excellent. Have that drive to make your own work and show it to the world. Work on telling a great story in two or three minutes. Make it compelling. When I worked with Mike Judge I was amazed to learn that Beavis and Butthead had come from a short film he had made for the sole purpose of entering a film festival. He was a musician with no animation experience. The story and characters were based on two guys he knew in high school. One of the artists at MTV saw the video and recommended it to an executive who had been looking for a new property. That silly little idea became one of the hottest shows 20 years ago. It was made into a feature and after that Mike went on to create more hit TV shows like Family Guy. You know you have that in you so go for it.