We were lucky to catch up with Katrin Ignatova recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katrin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve been drawing ever since I was about 2 years old and I haven’t really stopped since. When I was in elementary school, I found out that my art teacher at the time had previously worked on some of my favorite animated films. She was beyond inspiring to me because she made me realize early on that there are many professions out there for people who draw. As a result, I started to work very hard on improving my skills and building my portfolio early on. I decided I wanted to go into animation when I was about 13 years old and with the help of my parents, I attended Ringling College of Art and Design with a degree in Computer Animation. That’s where I learned about all the different aspects of animation and filmmaking, and I got a chance to make a short 3D-animated film as my thesis project. I also took my first storyboarding classes in college, and I absolutely fell in love it right away. It combined everything that I was passionate about and I remember feeling like I knew exactly what I wanted to do in my career for the first time. I feel very lucky to be able to do it professionally now.

Katrin, 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’m a Storyboard Artist and Revisionist with a passion for comedy. I was born and raised in Bulgaria, but I also lived in Germany for a little bit when I was a kid. I’ve always been very driven and determined, and I think that has really helped and continues to help me make important decisions along the way. I worked really hard to get into Ringling College of Art and Design and I’m lucky to have had the chance to work on some really cool animated projects since I graduated. I was lucky to get into the industry soon after graduating college. I think what really helped me achieve that was staying passionate and always finding time to work on personal projects outside of school. The Computer Animation program at Ringling was very demanding and that sometimes made me wonder if I had what it takes to break in. Having a side project was very useful because it allowed me to work on it on my own time, stay creative and improve my skills way more than I would’ve if I had only focused on my school assignments. It was also fun to collaborate with friends and mentors and to get their feedback that I could then incorporate it into my projects. That taught me the importance of a lot of other skills, such as teamwork and communication.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a Storyboard Artist, I wish I took more time to watch and study films back in college. I started doing that way more since I graduated and started working. I think I watch at least 5 movies per week. That sounds like a lot, but I really do think it makes you a stronger storyteller and filmmaker. We have more access to films than ever before and that on its own is an amazing resource for storyboard artists. I have also started to read way more since graduating, which has helped me to feel more inspired to create than ever before. That’s usually my go-to cure for artist’s block. I also started writing recently and a part of me definitely wishes I had started doing that sooner.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, being able to share meaningful stories and messages through art is the most rewarding part of being an artist. “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” is a famous quote by Vincent Van Gogh. I think that statement is very powerful and it illustrates what we do as artists. It definitely makes me feel happy that I chose this path and career for myself. As artists, we have the power to impact people emotionally through our art. And through that, we can get important messages, voices and stories across. I really believe that art makes the world a better place, and I feel lucky to call myself an artist for that reason.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/katrinignatova
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katzdoodles/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrin-ignatova-0b605416b/