We were lucky to catch up with Angela Abeyti recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Angela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

My first opportunity to pursue a career in animation came at a pretty awkward time in my life. I had just turned 30 and was feeling like a failure and was going nowhere, fast. I had lost sight of my goals to work in cartoons and the job I had as a sign designer and project manager at the time, was wearing me thin. I dreaded coming in to work each day. I knew it was time for a change.

My dream had always been to work with cartoons in some fashion – whether it be illustration, comics, animation – you name it, I was all about it. So when I got the offer to test for a Prop Design position on Netflix’s Bojack Horseman, I put everything I had into it. Luck had it that I passed the test and was offered a position on the show! Unfortunately, at that same moment, I was also offered a position at a competing sign shop. This other sign job paid FAR better than my previous position as project manager/designer/sales – and I no longer had to sell/manage sign designs. I could get paid to do just design work again, hopefully addressing the burnout I was feeling, doing multiple jobs at once.

I had to make a decision. The new signage position was a steady job, with decent pay, vacation days, sick leave, retirement opportunities, etc. It was low risk and decent income. Working in animation paid way better as well, not to mention it was my dream job, but it definitely came with its own risks.

Adult animation contracts, on average, last around 5-6 months at most. How would I know if I could continue to find work after that season ended? What would I do if I couldn’t secure another gig? There was no telling what my future would hold if I took the risk of working in animation. So that night, I sat down and heavily weighed each pro and con. Ultimately, I decided I could not live my life with regret any longer. I simply HAD to risk the comfort of a guaranteed income so that I could take a chance on my dream career.

I was honest with my boss about leaving to work in animation and he was kind enough to offer me the potential option of returning to the shop, should this new opportunity not work out. Well, 6 months came and went. During those 6 months, I felt I was living a dream. I was getting paid to draw cartoons every single day! I just could not believe it. Nothing could make me happier. Then on the last day of my contract, our coordinator approached me and offered me another position on a new show they were developing, Tuca and Bertie. This time as a LEAD on the Props team. I was FLOORED. I get to continue working AND I’m getting promoted??? It felt unreal. It was then that I knew I had a place in animation….. That I was meant to be there.

A couple of weeks later, my old sign shop boss rang me up. He asked how I was, and if I was interested in returning now that 6 months had passed. It was with a heavy heart I had to decline his kind offer. He was one of the nicest supervisors I worked with, so it was a bit sad to refuse him. However, it all worked out in the end, and I have been in animation ever since!

Has working in animation had its ups and downs? YES. Has there been periods of long unemployment? Oh yeah! Is the industry going through one of the worst bubble bursts on record right now? ALSO YES. Would I trade this career for any other job willingly? NEVER. I love what I do. I adore it deeply, and cannot see my life going any other way. I risked a lot getting into this industry, and I’m going to keep at it as long as the world of animation is willing to have me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Currently, I am a Character and Prop Designer for Baby Shark’s Big Show at Nickelodeon (Go team Baby Shark!)! In general, I specialize in Design for TV animation and have been lucky enough to work on some amazing shows (some award-winning even… looking at you Bojack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie teams!) at a number of different studios with some super talented crews. Generally, I’m known for telling stories and having a little fun with my design work! Nothing beats sliding in a silly joke or two, or calling back to a previous episode within a design if I can manage it!

I can without a doubt say that I am proud to be where I am in my field. I’m lucky enough to work amongst such talented individuals daily, from the comfort of my own home, while also having more creative freedom in the workplace than I have in quite some time. I get to wear multiple hats and draw so many different things – every single day! I really do feel blessed. Working in animation has helped me weather many storms in my life as well. From COVID, to social unrest, riots, potential war, and the loss of my own family, animation, and my art have always been there for me.

If you were to compare me to others who work in animation, I’d say what I’ve done to get where I am is actually not very unique or special! We all work very hard to achieve the things we do in cartoons. With that said – if you’d like to follow along with me on this journey in the world of toons, animation, and general goofiness – feel free to follow me on all social media under the moniker, Sn00glez.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

To ask for help was to be a burden, I had always thought. I picked up this ridiculous way of thinking back in my childhood days, from my Dad. My parents separated when I was young and my Dad had won majority custody over me, so I was in his care for a good chunk of my formative years. I will say, first and foremost, that my dad loved me very much but unfortunately, that love often did not translate into empathy, patience, or understanding when dealing with his kids.

I’d ask him for help with homework or help with navigating relationships at school with friends etc. and would often be met with “Can’t you just figure it out on your own? You’re smart enough!” or “I’m too tired. Leave me alone and just ask your brother.” The rare moments when he did offer to give me that help, were often out of frustration and tense with anger. So, I began to learn that to ask for help, means you are a burden. It was also to invite danger.

Cut to…oh…I don’t know ….20 years down the line, I am being offered that Prop Design test on Bojack Horseman – my first opportunity for a foot in the door. I was dead set on knocking this test out of the park, completely on my own. If I didn’t do it on my own, I’d be a failure right? A real loser. A disappointment and a burden.

Then, as I settled in to do the work, my boyfriend Ira, mentioned: “Hey, have you ever thought of having your buddy who WORKS on Bojack take a look at your test when you’re done?”. “NO.WAY.” I proclaimed. There was no way I’d be a burden to the friend who helped me get THIS far. No way was I going to be a nuisance to her!! But the more I thought about his proposal, the more it made sense. “Wait…why wouldn’t I want feedback from someone who’s working on the show I’m applying to??”

So I sucked up my pride, reached out to my friend, and was pleasantly surprised when she responded with “Of course!! I’d be happy to give it a look when you’re done!”.

She then proceeded to give me some extremely valuable insight into the world of designing for animation and my test went from being good to being fantastic. I didn’t know what to think at the time other than – how many other opportunities I may have lost out on because of my fear of being a burden to my friends and loved ones. How far could I have gotten in life if I had just asked others for help or accepted offers of help from others?

From that point on, I’ve always been an advocate for leaning on those whom you know have your back. You never know when their generosity and care could be life-changing for you. Also, when you are given the opportunity to do so yourself and help out a friend, be sure to do so with love and empathy!

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.

“Starving Artist” is a trope I wish would disappear into obscurity. To be creative does not necessarily go hand in hand with poverty. It sets a precedent that to create art, means to do so at the sacrifice of a livelihood, and that simply is untrue. One can have a 9-5 and still create on the side. One can also turn that creative passion into a fulfilling, sustainable career.

Just the general idea that people have of artists is so niche and often quite vague. When asking the public what they think of when hearing the word “artist”, I would bet you anything that a vast majority will go right to imagining a painter with his smock and palette sitting in front of a canvas or sculpture.

Art reaches a much broader spectrum than that. Who designed the clothes you wear? An artist. Who designed the home you live in, the building you work in? An artist. Who imagined and designed the car you drive, the plate you eat off of, the toy your kid owns, the games you play, the movies you watch, the music you listen to – ARTISTS. Someone got paid to make those things for you to enjoy, those things that bring such comfort to your life. Those people deserve your respect and they deserve to make a living wage doing such for you. Wouldn’t you agree? For, to have artists, is to have a life worth living.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.angelaabeyti.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sn00glez/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaAbeytiisawesome
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-abeyti-20600787
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sn00glez

Image Credits
All rights to Baby Shark’s Big Show below to Pink Fong and Nickelodeon. All rights to Bojack Horseman and Tuca and Bertie belong to The Tornante Company and Shadowmachine. All rights to My Momma Named Me Sheriff belong to Hot House Productions and Adult Swim.