Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Isabelle Gedigk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Isabelle, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always loved to draw. As a kid, I was fascinated by all things fantastical, especially creatures. I would draw dragons, gryphons, unicorns, Pokémon, you name it, all day long. But growing up with very few creatives in the family, it never really occurred to me to pursue art professionally. Art was certainly encouraged by my family, but mostly as a hobby, so the idea was never really explored. I always assumed professional artists were the type that had large paintings hung up in fancy art galleries, and I never saw silly dragon doodles up for sale. I don’t think I ever really realized the full breadth of artistic jobs out there. So I found myself attending New York University, as an undeclared major in the College of Arts and Sciences. I thought I was eventually going to be going down an academic path, just like my parents. But, I had a lot of trouble deciding what I wanted to do. I was a fairly good student, I did the work and got the grades, but I never really felt enthusiastic about any subject. I was often criticized for my lack of ambition, but it’s difficult to force yourself to do the extra credit work when there was a lack of any real interest. That is, until I decided to take an Intro to Animation class as an elective for a semester. For the first time in my life, I found myself enthralled by a class, and I was so hungry to learn as much as I could. I found myself raising my hand in class to speak up, something that my very shy self had never done before. I found myself going above and beyond each assignment, just for fun, just to see what I could get out of it creatively. I fell in love with the experience of trying to build worlds that enthralled me while growing up. I knew I had found what I wanted to do. Within a semester, I had applied to the Tisch film school to pursue animation and never looked back.

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.

By day, I am a story artist working in animation. Storyboarding is the process of taking a written story (i.e the script, or an outline), and visualizing it through a series of rough sketches. It’s a discipline that involves a lot of knowledge in almost all areas of filmmaking – camera, blocking, layout, composition, acting, editing, draftsmanship, and so much more. Part of what drew me to the craft of storyboarding is that it involves as much theoretical knowledge as it does technical skill. My mind has always loved leaning on both!

What I love most of all about storyboarding is the sense of endless possibility. It feels like solving an emotional puzzle that has more than one answer – how do you get the audience to feel for the characters? There is no right and wrong, but my goal is always the same – find the best way to get the audience as immersed as possible in the story we’re trying to tell.

I will never forget the day I chose storyboarding as the discipline I wanted to pursue in animation: I had volunteered to do the storyboards for a collaborative film for a group of fellow students. On the day that I pitched the first rough storyboard pass of the film, I received a ton of applause and gratitude that I had captured their vision so well. It was an incredible feeling to see the emotional impact it had on the filmmakers seeing their vision come to life. A professor afterwards approached me and very seriously said, “You need to do pursue storyboarding professionally. You have what it takes.” I had never felt so accomplished and proud of myself in my life, and I decided to follow that feeling ever since.

But, as I moved through my career in animation, I found myself craving a way to go back to my childhood joy of drawing dragons and all things magical. I wanted to find a way to reconnect with the inner child of mine, and find the joy in drawing purely for myself, for fun. So I began to draw dragons again, and I started to think about how much I loved to read, and how books are often the source of my inspiration and wonder as an artist. So I created a shop where I could express my love of fantasy novels and art by making magical and cozy illustrations for bookmarks and stickers for fellow book worms. This outlet has become a source of great creative joy for me outside of my work as a professional story artist.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me, one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is the fact that you’re never really done learning. There’s no such thing as “mastering” art, you just keep creating and exploring. Even the artists we call “masters” still say they are always learning and growing. I think that’s beautiful! I’ve always enjoyed being a student, I believe that you can learn something from everyone and everywhere. The fact that there is no tangible end goal of being an artist is simultaneously comforting and exciting to me. It gives you the space to just be. There is no rush if the journey is the destination.

And one of my favorite aspects of working in animation specifically is that it’s all a collaborative process; you’re working with a team of people who are incredible at what they do. It’s always so rewarding to see everyone’s skill and unique perspective come together to tell a moving story. And so I get to experience that feeling of being a “forever student” very acutely in animation; I’m always absorbing and learning from those around me!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

If I had to describe the “why” that’s driving my creative journey, I would say it could be summarized by the word connection. I want to be able to connect with people. Whether it’s through storytelling in animation, or through bringing a little bit of magic and joy to fellow book worms, I love being able to excite and move people with my work. I’m generally a pretty quiet and shy person, so being able to connect with someone through my art is a special feeling for me.

I also want to connect with myself. Being in touch with what brings me joy and channeling that through my art is incredibly fulfilling to me. I want to make sure that I am always holding space for myself through my creativity. It allows me to better understand myself in many ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.isabellegedigk.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isasketchbook/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabellegedigk/