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

Lexi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on up until now would have to be my 2022 senior thesis film “Marching Memoirs”. Essentially, I interviewed an old friend and fellow member of my high school’s marching band about a meaningful moment during that time that taught them an important life lesson. This story was then animated over by myself with help from my amazing team to give it visuals and amplify these heartfelt moments in his story artistically.

This was a project I had wanted to do years prior since my time in the band personally had such a huge impact on my life and practically saved it. The experiences I had and the people I shared space with helped shape me into the person I am today. This was something I wanted to honor in the form of archiving and preserving these stories and moments in my own way.

Despite all the hurdles along the way, it was a time period I wouldn’t trade for anything in this world. The support and love I received from my colleagues, friends and family as I shared something so personal was unmatched. Throughout this journey, I revisited so many memories through speaking to old bandmates, searching up old pictures and videos of performances, and listening to songs to which I still had the choreography memorized.

Seeing the end product on the big screen and connecting with viewers about their own experiences in their bands was a truly magic moment for me. That and having my now retired band director make a surprise appearance at the viewing showed me just how much of an impact this film that truly came from the bottom of my heart had on others.

Lexi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an animator and character artist, born and raised in South Jersey, and an alum of Moore College of Art and Design. I like to describe my work as an intersection between the themes of “whimsy” and “sentimentality” with a dash of humor and nostalgia no matter how that story is told and where.

Regardless of if the tale is about fauns flying in airships or your childhood friend Joe from down the block, I want there to be an emotional base that connects and makes it genuine and real.

To laugh, to cry, to want, to LIVE…this is the human experience and I want to represent that in all I do through my own flavor of vibrant colorful palettes and painterly style.

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

Though my mission as an artist is constantly evolving, I think they always lead back to wanting to make “something that lasts” and that’s what drives me behind all I do. I want to capture the significance behind the experiences we have as human beings in a way that resonates with others. Whether that be in a literal, documentative sense, or through a more whimsical lens in regard to the setting and its characters with themes that still ring true in our everyday lives, these are the kinds of stories that inspire and stick with us. No matter what I do creatively, I want there to be some semblance of something organic and real.

I’ve adopted the credo “If there are no doors, make that door yourself”. There aren’t many opportunities for someone of my skill set where I live. I think part of that is because people simply don’t know such things are accessible to them through commission or learning the craft. That’s something I’d like to change if possible.

I attempt to do this at my current job as a library assistant in various ways such as co-hosting an animation themed summer program for teens, creating the mascot and promotional material for our free fandom centered convention titled “Fan Con” that we put on annually for the community, or simply doing art to spice up a display.

My way of thinking is, if no one has done it around you yet, be brave enough to be the first and uplift those around you who want to do the same. I think that’s a decent start in building a community and being a part of the future you want to see.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’d say the most rewarding thing for me when it comes to being a creative is a tie between two things. The first would be successfully making connections with people about my work. This could range from being able to discuss experiences with one another or just seeing it elicit a feeling of joy. Those kinds of reactions are priceless in my eyes.

The second would just be my progress and looking back on old work to compare it to the present. A perfect example of this would be my participation in the Moore Animation Club’s collaboration projects referred to as “anijams” where we pick a song, divide it into segments to animate to, and put it all back together to create a music video of sorts. I have been a participant since 2019 and, with every new completed jam, I like to look back on all the past ones I’ve contributed to.

It’s an amazing feeling seeing how far I’ve come as an animator even when there was a time in the beginning where I was going to give up on it entirely. Whenever I feel stagnant and like I’m not improving, I look back on those past anijams as a reminder that the very opposite is true.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whimsiclex.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whimsiclex.art/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexi-rodriguez-0935191b5
• Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/whimsiclex