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

Ma Angela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I am very happy and grateful that I am earning a full-time living as a creative. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have even thought it was possible. My family’s future was uncertain and I didn’t even know if I could afford going to college. I thought the best and safest career for me was to become a nurse. I took prerequisite nursing classes at a community college; but my notes would be covered in doodles and story ideas in hopes of keeping my soul alive. Eventually, I was granted the paperwork I needed to stay in the U.S. and decided to pursue my actual dream to become an animator. I worked a lot of part-time jobs while going to art school because I didn’t want to burden my family with a hefty tuition. It wasn’t an easy road and graduating in the midst of Covid-19 was a terrible, dark time. But now, I am grateful that my challenges were learning experiences and found that opportunities came at the right time.Today, I am working as a 3D Animator/3D artist and able to provide for my family. Life is funny.
I knew what I know now back then, things would be a lot easier and faster. I would tell my old self that situations are temporary; I shouldn’t have wasted time dwelling on my mistakes and failures. And I should definitely have learned work-life balance. Pulling all-nighters was a flex back then–but the real achievement is to work hard and still have time to have a life, breathe, sleep, and eat like a normal person.

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.

Hello, my name is Ang Buerano and I am a 3D Artist/3D animator. I do 3D sculpting and 3D animations for a living. I’m currently working as an animator for a company that offers medical and injury animations for trials. In the past, I’ve animated music videos and I’m most proud of my last film, “Devil’s Whisper”. I love animating and timing my movements to music. When I hear the right song, I immediately see colors and stories forming right away. I have to hear the song over an over again to absorb every emotion I can from it and deliver a work that consumes my audience entirely.
I gravitate towards using dark and spiritual creatures as my characters and lean heavily on Filipino folklore that I grew up with.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The Salty Animators Excel Sheet is a great tool to use when you’re just getting your foot in the door. You have all the information on there; not all companies offer salaries upfront so it’s refreshing to see honest feedback.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think many non-creatives disregard creatives as “a starving artist” or ” an ai can do your job” … and it’s kind of disheartening to hear that. As kids, we all had fun drawing and creativity is very much encouraged. I don’t see how it’s different as an adult. Nurturing a creative side isn’t a waste of time and without art, we wouldn’t be much of anything. I try to explain that simply choosing your clothes for the day is art. The games you play, the Tesla you bought, the shows you binge-watch, and the packaging on the food you got from Postmates all came from a creative mind. We’re not disposable and easily replaceable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angbuerano.weebly.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_wabisabisabii/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ma-angela-buerano-aa8651ab/