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

RAHA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work! I went to school at California State University, Fullerton, studied Entertainment Arts/Animation for 5 years. After MANY applications. and MANY rejections, I scored an internship at DreamWorks! After my internship, and after more applications and rejections I got an opportunity to be a Production Assistant on Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. I really enjoyed production and the pipeline, but after hours, I would work on my own boards. Thankfully, after my time in production on Kipo, I rolled off onto production on Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. My dream was to be in story, and I would show my in progress boards to directors/board artists on Jurassic. I desired to show that I was incredibly passionate, and wanted to learn more about story. Once a few months passed, I showed a particular sequence to one of the directors on Jurassic, and they felt like I was ready for a story revisionist role. I was elated! I started as a story revisionist over zoom/during COVID and it was a wild experience. I’m still learning and growing everyday, and I love being a part of story. I really appreciate my journey. If I were to speed up the process somehow knowing what I know now, I would most likely persist on studying artists and filmmakers that inspire me. Prioritizing the fundamental and essential tips to story and storyboarding. Studying the book “Tuesday Tips” by Griz and Norm page by page, and not being afraid to consistently post my progress and my art journey on social media during college.

RAHA, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Raha, and I’m an Iranian Storyboard Artist from Laguna Niguel, California. I specialize in storyboarding for film/animation where I take a written script and provide a visual blueprint/drawings for how the script will look on screen. I love what I do, by storytelling and making my audience feel things through my drawings is incredibly fulfilling. I studied Animation/Entertainment Arts at California State University, Fullerton for five years. I’ve been in the animation industry for about six years now, and what a wonderful time it’s been! I pushed my way into Storyboarding and Storytelling during my time working in production at the beginning of my animation career. I worked very hard and dialed in on my skill, gathered feedback and critiques from friends/colleagues, and found ways I could make myself the best candidate for a story position. I familiarized myself with programs like Storyboard Pro and Photoshop. I was determined to build my draftsmanship skills and specialize my style while I was breaking in. I am most proud of my perseverance, my persistence, and my exuberance to get to where I wanted to be in my career. Whenever I’m faced with a story problem to solve, or an idea to visualize, I collaborate with fellow story artists I admire or I thumbnail draw ideas to see which shot would best and effectively communicate the idea. I try to build my film language so I can clearly see which idea/shot will work best for the scene. I think the best way to solve any story issue is all about communication, collaboration, and a lot of brainstorm. I feel like my attitude and positivity set me apart from others! I am currently working on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder at Disney TVA. I previously worked on Iwájú at Disney Feature Animation and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts at DreamWorks TVA. I love pizza, street tacos, dogs, and café sketching! Believe in yourself always, you can conquer whatever you put your mind to.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my audience on social media through consistent posting and work I’m thrilled to share. In the beginning of my artistic career, I was very timid to post any of my work on social media. I always felt like I wasn’t good enough, or as good as the other artists who were posting. I found that posting my progress (consistently, at least once or twice a week) or just posting drawings and ideas of what I want or what inspires me, has really built an audience that fits me best on social media. I felt a sense of relief when I stopped caring what others thought of my work or comparing myself to other artists. As long as I’m consistent, showing/posting that I’m trying and progressing at my own pace really helped me embrace the benefits of social media. I like to think of my social media accounts as just for me, no one else. Social media is VERY intimidating, but I think as long as one is willing to stay consistent and persistent with posting and their artistic progress, it can be a great tool! Advice for those just starting to build the social media presence: be gentle with yourself and your social media journey! Everyone has a different path and story and that’s okay. It’s essential to nourish it. Social media is simply a tool to highlight your story the way YOU want to! Little by little, step by step, you will build the audience that supports you and the work you post/ are proud of!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is not only creating art and work you’re proud of, but being inspired/surrounded by incredible talent around you. I find myself learning something from other artists and creatives I work with everyday and it’s awesome. Knowledge is power, and being an artist or creative requires learning everyday. Collaborating and brainstorming ideas with others makes me personally feel more creatively charged, motivated, and inspired. Plus, I learned a great amount from other artists that inspired me in college, and now I’m able to work alongside those I studied. A full, and fulfilling circle moment!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rahadabiri.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drawhaa/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drawhaa
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raha-dabiri-7334b292/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/drawhaa?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rahadabiri9121

Image Credits
All drawings done by Raha Dabiri.