We were lucky to catch up with Alazne Perez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alazne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I feel happiest when I am creating something or studying artwork. It’s one of the only things that I can completely focus on and put my best effort into. Because of this, I never question my path in being an artist, but I have thought about what it would be like if I had a different career path. The last time I every really thought about this was in my freshman year of college. My friends and I were talking about all of our classes and what is required for our majors and how much money we’d get. It made me think what it would be like to be on what I think is a more straightforward path like computer science, or business. Realistically, if I was not doing something in fine arts, I would choose music or astronomy instead. Hearing about my friends classes made me realize how grateful I am about being so passionate in art and finding a career path that accommodates with this.

I need to have a job that is meaningful to me, or else I will feel dread, and this idea still stays with me and was proven to me. After my freshman year, I managed to get a retail job that was the highest paying job I’ve ever had so far. Once I started, I realized I didn’t enjoy it at all and I felt like all my energy was being put into something that had no real meaning to me which lead to me constantly dreading going in. I quickly quit that job and moved to one that had fewer hours and a slightly lower pay. However I enjoyed it significantly more and was even excited to go in for my shifts. This experience really solidified for me that life is about being happy and doing something I actually love. I would rather make less money enjoying what I do than make more money feeling stuck in a job that makes me feel miserable.

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 background and context?

My name is Alazne Perez, and I am currently in college for animation. I have always been drawing and creating art since I was three years old. Ever since I can remember, I would excel in art and I wasn’t afraid to show it off in my elementary art class. Similarly with creating art, I’ve always known that I wanted to be an artist growing up. It’s one of the only things I am really passionate about so that solidified the career choice for me. I chose animation as my major because it seemed like there was more structure to get rather than being a freelance artist or being a concept artist.

I’ve been trying to add more meaning into my work, like symbolic elements in a character design, environment, or a sequence drawing. I believe what sets me apart is the way I approach creating art. I love the process, and I focus a lot on the values and how colors interact with each other, however, I’m still learning.

One of the things I am most proud of is my growth as an artist. Ever since starting college, I’ve noticed my skills improving significantly each semester. Even starting new classes that intimidate me like painting, or storyboarding, I find that with each project, I’m getting faster at creating a solid piece. I also feel like I am well rounded as an artist because I have taken classes like painting, 3D, and concept creativity, which was a class where we had to create meaningful art out of everyday household items.

I want people to know that I genuinely care about each project I work on, and I am proud of every project I work on. I believe that I am only as good as the most recent project I create, so I strive to constantly be better than the last thing I worked on. I also hope people can connect and see the effort put into my work.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One experience that showed me my resilience was working 36 hours a week while also being a fulltime student. I had to figure out my schedule and stay on task to keep up with these responsibilities. There were many moments where I felt overwhelmed, when I had big assignments and tests due the same day I had work. I also had to sacrifice my free time with friends just to stay on top of everything. I had to be intentional with my time but in the end, I managed to keep creating meaningful projects that I’m proud of, while working everyday during the week.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are definitely some resources I wish I knew about earlier. Some of the main ones are websites like Posemaniacs and Line of Action. These websites are great for referencing figures in different perspectives. I have always struggled with drawing figures and understanding them in different perspectives, so being able to use these websites earlier on would have helped me tremendously in improving quicker.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alazn3arts.myportfolio.com/work
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alazn3.arts
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alazne-perez-41b882278/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@alazn3arts?si=bzEPcxZgN7l5ktGZ