We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexandria Siah. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexandria below.

Alright, Alexandria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve always wanted to pursue an artistic path in life, but had no idea what. I still remember my father telling me, probably as a joke, that artists wouldn’t be successful unless they were dead, which was true for many famous artists we know now like Van Gogh. I wasn’t really good at any of my other subjects in school either, so as a child I thought it was the only thing I could pursue. However, it was after watching the Prince of Egypt for the first time that that notion of “this is the only thing I can pursue” became a passion, and turned into “I want to pursue it”, It was that scene in the film that they were crossing the Red Sea. I still remember distinctly that moment where it cuts to a shot of the ocean where a big whale swims by as they walked. To many, it was just an atmospheric shot that looked pretty, but I learned afterward watching the scene back again that it was not a whale at all, but a big shark, as the tail of a whale moves up and down, but the one in the scene moved from side to side. That little detail changed the entire scene for me, from a soothing atmospheric scene to one of danger, where if the ocean decided to close that giant shark would be waiting for them. It was that scene that made me want to pursue animation, to tell stories which so much detail and love that I would be able to inspire someone else like me to pursue a passion and love in animation as that film did for me.

Alexandria , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Alexandria Siah, and I’m a Singaporean animator who decided to pursue my passion and love for animation in the United States, where I graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design and worked for Electronic Arts as a narrative and cinematic animator on the newly released AAA title Jedi: Survivor. I’m also an award-winning filmmaker, where my senior thesis film, an animated short titled “The End” won multiples awards around the world including Rookie of the Year of 3D Animation at the Rookie Awards.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, especially an animator, is being able to see people’s reactions to the things you made. Emotion is a big aspect of humanity, and to be able to make something that makes people laugh, cry, or even angry shows how much your audience is engaged and invested in your work. It is a very fulfilling feeling. All art derives from the back and forth nature of the creator and their audience whether it is films, games or even music.

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

Art is everywhere in the world. Not only in the films you watch and games you play but in the books you read to your children, the advertisements you see on TV. Music, architecture and fashion design is also art in a sense too, and I think a lot of people outside our industry take that for granted. I’ve seen too many articles of artists struggling in this day and age, losing their jobs to AI, being overworked and not getting paid fairly for it, looked down upon and being told being an artist is not “a real job” when everything anyone has ever looked at was designed with love and passion by an artist. It is a real job and, like all jobs, people should be treated and paid fairly for the amount of time and hard work they put into it.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.piplupcola.wix.com/alexandriasiah
• Instagram: piplupcola
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/alexandria-siah
• Twitter: piplupcola
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6davn2U-4M&list=FLVhhB6dmR1Jsj-zq5uhl2Ug&index=3&t=5s&pp=gAQB

Image Credits
The End by Alexandria Siah Jedi: Survivor by Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment