We were lucky to catch up with Lily Berg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I have completed so far is my short film Boots! I have a very difficult time throwing out objects I’ve hung onto for a long time. They’ve been with me for so long it feels weird to just get rid of them — even if they are completely useless to hold onto or in such bad shape they cannot be donated.

Boots was a short film about one of these objects — a pair of boots! I got them from a thrift store 10 years ago for about $20. They were with me through so many different life events, and had quite litterally carried me through everything. This film was a way for me to reflect on those memories and say goodbye to these boots. After making it, I felt a lot better about needing to let them go. The style is a more simple, painterly hand drawn animation.

What makes this project meaningful to me is all the stories I get to hear whenever I show it anywhere. Ultimately, this project is about grief related to an object. But, people can find connection to other forms of grief. I’ve had people come up to me after showings and tell me about the things that mean a lot to them. No matter the reason, it’s an amazing way to experience human connection. I’m really glad I got to help them feel whatever emotions they needed to feel.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a 2D animator located within the Twin Cities area. I mainly focus and work with 2D Animation, but I love trying new styles and workflows every chance I get. I’ve always loved drawing and storytelling, and when I needed to go to college, Animation seemed like the happy medium between the two. I could tell any stories I wanted, and I could apply the artistic expertise I enjoyed so much. While there are a lot of independent animators in the Twin Cities, not many of them go for the hand drawn 2D Route because it’s so labor intensive. All animation is in it’s own way. I’m really proud of the handful of short films I’ve managed to create so far, the community I’m a part of, and the relationships I’ve helped build over the last few years.

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

I think one of the things that would benefit everybody — not just artists but focusing on that lense — is a universal basic income. There has been study after study after study proving that a UBI would both help the economy flourish, and help people feel less financial stress.

For artists in particular, it’s really hard to find time to be creative when you need to work somewhere in order to just survive. This includes both 9 to 5s and more laborous jobs. Though, the more you have to work to survive the less time you have to do things for yourself. I will see posts from people wondering why the arts aren’t as exstensive as they used to be, and a big reason is the amount people are paid is lower than the cost of living and therefore they have to keep working and working and working. There’s no time to create. They would have more time to interact with creative communities. The chance to try new things without worrying about financial reprecussions.

Many artistic ecosystems already exist. But some struggle to participate because they have to prioritize survival. A UBI would help make housing and nourishment more accessible. Artists could really put their energy into creating, and I think we would see a lot of benefits.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think one of the biggest misunderstandings I’ve come across is people struggling to comprehend why even persue something that doesn’t always have a financial return. Right now, our system has really pushed “the grind.” This sense of every moment you have you should be doing something to better yourself, to make more money, to elevate your existance.

But one of the biggest parts of animating is the labor it takes to produce. You have to put so much time into it and you don’t always get some kind of reward until you finish the project. Even then, it doesn’t always get the kind of attention you think it will. The reason I do this is because I love doing it! It’s a labor of love — which is super cheesy — but true!

I feel like it’s really important to just do things for the sake of doing them. You aren’t trying to make money or get popular. You’re just doing them for you. It’s a way to connect with yourself without causing a lot of stress. As our society pushes further into everything you do needing to make money, it’s vital you do things for yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avianbean/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilyberg/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNF5AP3Cn1pT2CkTxFGoMGA