Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Miranda Toney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Miranda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’ve been drawing ever since the day I was able to pick up a crayon, but it wasn’t until 2014 that I decided to officially begin My animation journey. I’ve always been fascinated by animated films and shows, not only with watching them but also developing an intense interest for the behind-the-scenes process to actually understand how these projects were brought to life.

I’m self-taught in a lot of areas, so animation was something that I learned to do completely on my own! My way of learning is all about experimentation. If I’m trying out a new program or medium, I’ll just start pressing buttons or experimenting until I get the results that I want!

One thing I wish I had figured out sooner is proper project management, there’s probably so much I could have created in my youth knowing the methods that I know today. I only figured out an efficient way to stay on track of my progress, goals, and motivation when I produced two of my first story driven animated shorts in 2022. Properly organizing my projects has significantly boosted my speed, and without this method, I would not have been able to create the first episode of my series, Atlas and the Stars.

Really, this just came down to me not realizing how important organization was. This is a part of the process I typically didn’t see other creators talk about, so I’ve made it a point to be as transparent as I can to help others who may be wondering how to manage projects of their own.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name’s Miranda Toney, often known as Mirandamations online. I’m an independent creator who is dedicated to bringing my stories and characters to life through animations and art! I’m the creator of the animated series, ‘Atlas and the Stars’ which had its first episode release in December 2023, and the upcoming ‘Jam the Superhero Dog.’

After seeing a rise of popularity in the indie animation scene, I decided to take the leap and independently produce an animated series of my own rather than going down the industry pipeline and being tied to a studio. I want to share my stories with the world, to have my work deeply resonate with others, to continue to be authentically me. But I also strive to be an inspiration to others, I aim to encourage artists that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. Create, nothing can stop you!

One thing that sets me apart from most creators is the fact that I’m currently writing, composing, and animating my projects all on my own. Its typically not something you see as a lot of indie animations are typically produced by small teams, so I’ll always be extremely proud of the fact that I was able to prove the impossible with the first episode of Atlas and the Stars. This project was also completely animated in a free program, so I was also able to prove that you don’t need super expensive fancy tools to even create your own project.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

From an outside perspective, people sometimes don’t understand the amount of effort, time, and money that goes into what you actually see on screen. Because of this, others might be confused as to why it takes such a long time for shows to be produced or why one might even take on the challenge in the first place. Animation especially gets undermined in the industry because people just don’t realize the actual work that goes into these projects. Every single movement that you see on screen is the result of hundreds of separate drawings that are all strategically pieced together to bring it to life.

There’s often a lot of risk involved when you decide to make a project, whether it’s sacrificing your spare time, or investing a large amount of your personal money into your own project…it becomes a large question of why even do it in the first place? My passion for my work is one of the strongest points about me, I believe in this project, so I’ll do whatever it takes to make it a reality. Atlas and the Stars was no easy feat, but I was in love with the challenge. I loved pouring my heart into this project to see what my mind was fully capable of. It’s a showcase of my passion, strengths, and all the things I personally love. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to finish the first episode, and I had no idea the amount of recognition that was coming my way when I finally released it. It all came as a huge shock, but I loved seeing how much my work resonated with others, how much I was able to inspire those around me, I want to experience that feeling forever.

But because of the amount of work that has to go into my project, those without a basic knowledge of the animation pipeline often get confused as to why they won’t see new episodes every week. Just knowing how much work goes into these projects that these fans love might make them more understanding towards creators so that they won’t fault them for long wait times.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

While the best way to support your favorite artists is through financial means, there are so many other ways you can help boost the work of artists for free! Simply just talking about your favorite projects to your friends or sparking up a conversation about it online will help spread the creator’s work to a wider audience. Hitting that reshare button, turning on post notifications to stay up to date with those you look forward to seeing, and even just leaving little supportive comments to help remind the creator that their work is doing its job of resonating with others will help boost their motivation and keep them creating. In a time where the industry looks so uncertain, I feel its most important to keep reminding creatives to keep going, to get their work out there because no matter how big or small your work might be, it is always going to leave an impact on someone, even if it’s just yourself, and that’s what matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mirandamations.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirandamations/
• Twitter: https://x.com/Mirandamations
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mirandamations
• Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mirandamations