We recently connected with Ella Srholez and have shared our conversation below.

Ella, 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 have always been a hands-on, learn-as-you-go kind of person. In this fashion, I haven’t much been attracted to the formal process which can be great for figuring out what works best for you (and sometimes a hinderance if you need to adhere to a specific way of doing things). For example, my first and currently only short film CAT FOOD was just as much a pinnacle thesis project as it was a big year-long teaching moment. I had no prior experience with complex animation and essentially had to piece the whole thing together out of whatever rudimentary filmmaking knowledge I possessed. It’s really validating to be able to pull something like that out of your ass and have it turn out better than you could have ever expected– since you spent so many months working harder than you ever have before, with only a vague idea of how it could turn out. That being said, I think there’s a big argument for establishing a formal learning process and consistency, especially in terms of an efficient process, but at the end of the day it is a core belief of mine that people should embrace just going for it more often! Have fun with your craft; if you want to do something you have no business doing, make it your business! It’s a fantastic way to discover yourself alongside your art. Or any skillset, for that matter.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ella, and I am an illustrator and story artist starting to make my way into the world of independent animation/filmmaking. Super cliché, but like many creatives, my affinity for the arts began as but a wee baby… my first stories were comics made in the top bunk of my bed about adventurer spies who were also cats, the complete anthology of which I would force my sweet younger sister to read and enjoy. Since then, I’ve graduated with a BFA in Illustration from CU Denver, and my personal work now ventures into the world of mixed media animation, inspired by 90’s-2010’s cartoons, music, internet culture, and all things weird and wacky. I find that this is well suited to the world of independent creators, which is now growing larger than ever thanks to all of the wonderful artists banding together to usurp powerhouse studios.

I would say that I am someone who likes to idealize and think big. As I refine my process as an artist, I hope to channel this into more & more ambitious projects. Animation and filmmaking in particular has been very attractive because it is a medium that not only has an infinity of possibilities, but is so story and community oriented. It is the truest way to connect to your audience through sharing your common experience of life. I have also found myself even closer to friends and other creatives because of our collaboration on these projects. It’s great! I love it! There is so much passion and talent to be found in this world and so much time to explore it all!

Currently, I only have one original short film (CAT FOOD) out publicly, but am excited to hopefully share soon a collective project I have been working on with friends in which we will be sharing original animations, films, comics, music, and other kinds of content. It would be wonderful to have a platform with which we can put out an incredible variety of work while also collaborating with and supporting each other as artists. I’d like to encourage folks to keep an eye out for GUNK!, to be announced officially at some point in the future.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Right now, I know many creatives fear for their future in the arts due to a variety of factors; politics, the presence of AI, economic pressures, on and on… many of which are concerns that I certainly share. But I think we also have to remember that the arts are our power, and one of the few things that the people will always reliably have. Creative expression and storytelling is in our human nature, and we are compelled to sing and dance and draw. Singing in your car or doodling in the margins of your notebook is every bit as valuable as a professional’s work. Art has also always been a historical tool for communication and organization. It is our rebellion to keep creating and to be in love with doing it. I think the best thing we as artists can do for ourselves is keep that flame alive within, and encourage our peers to do the same. I have hope that more and more people who are maybe not in the arts will come to this revelation as well and realize just how crucial art is to our communities. Go to gallery openings, turn up at house shows, make a friend on Instagram, do anything you can to foster growth and strength within our creative world!

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

For the longest time, I was adamant on the fact that I didn’t need to know the basics of art or use references to improve my work. I was convinced that just learning as I went (as aforementioned) was going to be the way I would develop my own style, free of the constraints of rules. However, upon deciding that I would pursue formal education for illustration, this way of thinking was quickly corrected. You will be told millions of times that in order to break the rules of art, you need to know them inside and out. And that’s so completely true. You can tell when “mistakes” are done on purpose, and you can REALLY tell when they’re not. There are skillful ways to play around with proportion, composition, color, perspective. If you are going to be a self-taught artist, then you should really do your research and develop a strong set of fundamentals because once you have a good foundation, you can do anything! Take the time to learn your materials, your subject, do exercises and practice relentlessly. And for my seasoned artists, it’s really important to revisit those things and keep your base skills strong.

One of my favorite ways to stay conditioned is participating in live figure drawing sessions. If you can’t go in person, there are a plethora of websites available to help with just that, but I’m telling you that nothing compares to seeing how your subject sits in that direct physical space. It’s great that you can really do whatever you want with your drawings too, depending on the theme of your session, time of the drawings, and personal goals. I love to practice both hyper-detailed representation and completely abstract, gestural work. Throw on some tunes and you almost get to tap into your subconscious.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://snaillegges.wixsite.com/portfolio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snail.legges/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-srholez-833221234/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@snail.legges