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

Hailey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up, drawing was my favorite activity. My parents signed me up for a lot of athletic and social activities which kept me busy and exhausted, so I was always looking forward to sitting down and creating art at the end of the day. Between school, sports (and, sometimes, bullies), drawing was my escape from the real world and a chance to explore my own.

One day during my junior high school science class, my teacher caught me doodling in the middle of his lecture. He snatched my drawing right from my desk, took one good look at it, then told me to meet with him after class. The room resounded with a collective “Ooooooooooohhhh,” as he went back to his desk with my drawing in hand. I was MORTIFIED. Back then, I kept my head down, did all of my assignments, and did what I was told. You would’ve caught me DEAD before I ever got in trouble with the teachers.

When the class was over, I went up to his desk: tears in my eyes, awaiting my punishment. Instead, I was greeted with praise. He studied my drawing and began to compliment it. The drawing was an expression sheet for a character I had created, and he said that this was something that they make at studios like Pixar. It was the first time I had ever heard of animation being a job. He handed the drawing back to me and encouraged me to keep creating (just as long as it wasn’t during class).

Since then, I have remained dedicated to pursuing that career path — constantly drawing, always searching for ways to improve, and having fun along the way! It’s been crazy sometimes, but the journey has been well worth it.

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

Hello everyone! I am a 2D animator and illustrator who has experience working on a wide range of projects, from feature films to online video campaigns. When I was pursuing my MFA in Animation at UCLA, I worked a lot of odd jobs that consisted of visual development work for students who wanted to pitch animated ideas, drawing people’s characters, or graphic design work for company logos. Many of those gigs were free work, and at times, were difficult to balance while working on my student films (Goodbye, sleep!) But inevitably these experiences became fruitful in the end; the connections I made helped build my portfolio, work ethic, and repertoire that led me to high-paying jobs. It was a test of strength to see what amount of work I can handle. From there, my clients and list of credits has expanded to working with other animators across the globe.

I love drawing cute girls and fantasy art, but above all else, I love bringing characters to life through animation. There’s a level of satisfaction I get when I put characters into motion. Even in the smallest gestures like sighing or feeling a small breeze ruffle their hair, there is so much life in movements that illustration can’t do by itself. I remember the first time I tried animating was when I was in high school. They had just started a new animation program and I was first in line! My first assignment was simple: Make a ball bounce in the air. It seemed too boring, so I made mine bounce across the walls of the canvas until it finally hit the camera, knocking the audience’s point of view into the ground. At first, I didn’t get it. As I was working through the frames, I was getting frustrated by how many drawings I had to make and was getting impatient about reaching the end result. Once my teacher captured all of my sketches, I saw my animation playing in real time. It took my breath away. I couldn’t believe that all that hard work paid off and that I MADE something come to life! I almost couldn’t believe that something like that came out of me.

Since then, I’ve been hooked. I love being in the moment with my characters in each scene and feeling what they feel. I particularly love lip syncing characters to funny dialogue or singing. It’s especially gratifying when you present your work to the public and you get them to laugh.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

That’s one of the most exciting parts about being an artist! The industry is constantly evolving and you have to keep up with it. I’ve pivoted so many times it’ll make your head spin.

Being a new mom this past year was a big one for me. While I was pregnant, I was expanding my skills into 3D character animation. But once my son arrived, everything changed. It was so surreal to finally have him in my life, and I suddenly didn’t want to miss out on him growing up.

Working as a 3D animator for studios meant a lot of late nights at the office and being away from home. The animation industry is so demanding, and my husband already works long hours every day. It suddenly became important to me to find more flexible work so I could be present in my son’s life.

So, I decided to switch gears from working towards becoming a 3D character animator to becoming a freelance illustrator. Although animation will always hold a special place in my heart, it felt so freeing to start holding a pencil again! I had forgotten how much I loved drawing and the act of creativity without the restrictions of working with a 3D rig and cleaning up the spaghetti-mess that comes with the graph editor. Coming back to illustration also scratches that same itch that 2D animation gives me. This new lifestyle offers a lot more flexibility to my schedule where I can do what I love while also being a stay-at-home mom.

This turned out to be a blessing for me because it gave me a sense of courage and confidence in my work that I didn’t have before. My son inspired me to go back to drawing and to take the leap into being an independent artist.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I have several! Working a job that I love has always been my dream, but my ultimate goal is to get to a place where my artwork supports my family. Ideally, I would love to publish my own comics and tell stories that bring light and joy into peoples’ lives. As of right now, I’m learning about storyboarding, which I believe will be beneficial when I want to craft my own stories in the future. Working towards a future where I can put my family in a place of financial security is a big motivator for me; along the way, I hope that I can inspire people to pursue their dreams, no matter what obstacles life throws at them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vimeo.com/795083781
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hmstevensart?igsh=MTVqOTBrdmFqcW53OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haileystevensanimator?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Twitter: https://x.com/hmstevensart?s=21