We caught up with the brilliant and insightful India Lombardi-bello a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

India, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

This year, I started a new podcast called The Animator’s Friend, where I invite animators at all stages and phases of their careers to engage with a light-hearted questionnaire to aid in us getting to know them as people outside the context of their work. I’ve been very lucky to attend many film festivals, artist talks, and panel discussions over the course of my career, but began to notice that whenever animators were invited to speak, the angle was always career and industry-focused with little to no interest in the person behind the art. For other artists like painters, actors, writers, and musicians, there’s a lot more public intrigue around their personal lives, and I felt animators deserved the same! I have many friends that are animators and I find them to be so interesting, grounded, and funny and I want everyone to experience them the way I do!

The questions are pulled from various questionnaires that I enjoy and also my own curiosities and I feel this more structured and silly approach to the interview allows for unexpected and lively discussion.

India, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an animation educator, podcaster, artist, and writer.

I am a faculty member and administrator at the School of Visual Art (SVA) in the MFA Computer Arts Department. My background prior to SVA was more in film and arts administration, but I always had a curiosity and love for animation. Since being at the school for almost 9 years now, I have developed a deep understanding and appreciation for the incredible and expansive work that animators do. I feel so lucky that I ended up in a role that has placed me within the animation community, because I think it’s just the best! Being able to support and guide students through their thesis process, professional development, and editing in my classes is one of the most rewarding things I have ever been part of.

My podcast The Animator’s Friend creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format allows for lighthearted and unexpected conversation. It is available on all major platforms!

As for my creative practice, it encompasses drawing, writing, and experimental animation to explore multispecies connectivity, my Italian-American heritage, healing modalities, and liminality.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As an educator, I think it’s so important for students and other young professionals to understand how meandering a career path can be! Very rarely do you set out towards a goal and achieve it immediately.

In my case, my background was in film and arts administration. During college, I knew I wanted to become a professor one day, but was unclear on the path towards that goal. So I focused on the immediate future. As much as I enjoyed making films, I didn’t particularly enjoy my experiences in the film industry, so I thought I could work in arts administration at a gallery or museum and continue to work on my own art in my free time. Securing said positions was easier said than done! I had to work several unpaid internships in several cities over the course of two years. This was a challenging time as this transcience left me with very little sense of self, stability, and value. Things started to change when I was hired in an entry-level position at SVA MFA Computer Arts. This was my entree into animation, which has been life-changing. In my nine years at the school, I have learned so much, advanced my career, got my MFA and became a faculty member; my once-lofty goal as an undergrad! If you had told me then that in about 10 years time, I would be a professor in animation with an animation podcast, I would of been like ‘huh, weird!’ In hindsight, it all makes a lot of sense and landed me in a world I am happiest to be part of.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I went through a 4-year long-term illness in my mid-20s that was the most challenging thing I’ve had to go through in my whole life. The first year of this period was the hardest and looking back, it’s miraculous that I got out of bed every morning and went to work every day. I had so little energy that I could barely function at all. Eventually, I was able to get proper treatment and healed slowly over time, but this experience was extremely scary and isolating. When you lose your health, you lose everything, so during these solitary moments of suffering, I often thought of how I wish I had taken fuller advantage of all that life has to offer when I was well because now I can’t. Once I did start to feel healthy again, I really did learn a lesson and became more outgoing in all aspects of my life. It was towards the end of my illness that I got my MFA which was a huge accomplishment for me and also a really helpful outlet to express my healing journey through art. Even after healing, the emotional component of going through something so difficult lingered, but I’ve always pursued my wellness head-on and have been very fortunate to find tools that work for me and feel like I’m in such a fun, engaged, and creative time in my life now as a result!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://indialb.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckydogface/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indialb/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/theanimatorsfriend

Image Credits

Christianne Ebel (photos of large scale drawings)
Sawyer Rippon (designer for TAF logo)