We were lucky to catch up with Talia Spencer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Talia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

During college at Art Center I had a very difficult time surviving- I was sleeping in my car for over 6 months and the entirety of my loans went to schooling, leaving none for housing or food; so I would go 3 days at a time without eating. Often I would sneak into “talks” that my school gave, and sneak a piece of pizza or two! I remember it being so harrowing sorting through the crowd in an almost silent room, taking pizza from the front, and sneaking my way back out.

One day I was starving, and had just gotten through a terrible argument with my father. He had slammed my computer shut and shattered the screen- the day I needed to deliver a painting for a final. I had spent over 20 hours on that painting, and wouldn’t be able to get it off the computer in time. So instead, I went into the computer room & repainted it as quickly as possible, crying my eyes out.

One classmate of mine, Anya Radzevych, noticed I was struggling. I never told anyone my struggles typically, but this day I just cried & let it all out. She listened quietly, and consoled me.

The next day she found me in another class, dropped an envelope on my desk in front of me, and ran out of the room before I could check what it was.

She had gathered 20 dollars each from all of my classmates, some giving way more than others (Callie Wei, I see you!) – to a total of over 300. I broke down in tears immediately. That 300 fed me for months, and was the only reason I survived through the next term. To this day, I think of that story whenever I feel down & I am reminded that people are incredible. I swore if I ever (fingers crossed) win an oscar, my speech would be about her and my classmates. I credit my career in part to them.

Talia, 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?

I am a concept artist for the Film Industry- designing big budget sci-fi and fantasy films like The Matrix 4, Spirited, Blue Beetle, Wicked, Borderlands & many more. A way to think of it, is I paint from the script what I & the Production Designer think these worlds should look like, and set designers take those “ideas” and build them.

I was born painting, pretty much. My mother got me a flower power Mac when I was 4 years old, and on it I discovered an ancient painting program analogous to MS paint. Back then, I drew with a mouse. Now I’ve upgraded to a tablet, thank god!

It used to blow my mind that I could draw whatever I wanted, and then print it out & it would become “real” in a sense. That same instinct has carried through my life to today, where I draw things & then more talented people than I actually build them!

Getting into my industry was another beast. It required intense discipline, humility, and a willingness to work into the wee hours of the night & take no days off. I remember, to get into the film union, you had to have a written letter from either the director or a producer & only one illustrator was allowed into the union on each film. Getting people you don’t know to take the time out of their day to sign for you was almost impossible. Thank god for my mentor, Rick Carter. He personally vouched for me & got me into the union on Wicked. He also taught me almost everything I know about great design, and is the most incredibly creative, humble & psychedelic person I’ve ever met.

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What sets me apart from others is my intense discipline. I always work my absolute hardest whether I’m designing a bathroom, or a focal piece set that the entire film is built around. Early on in my career I realized, even if I was talented, I wasn’t the most talented person in the room when surrounded by industry titans. But I was the hardest worker, and I could win with grit. Kindness helps also. (You want people to want to help you!)

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I’m most proud of my work on Ironheart- and Borderlands. I worked with Oliver Scholl on it, and he brought out the best in me. He had fantastic ideas and allowed me the space to really create. It takes someone really wise & self assured to give creatives the room to ideate in film, and I count both him & Andrew Menzies amongst the great production designers who really excel at that. (Not to mention Rick Carter! He goes without saying)

I’m also really proud of the way I think about story. I love using color, detail frequency, shape language & texture to subconsciously hint at a feeling. For example, if a character is studious, putting her next to her opposite in a dorm room will really make her stand out. Put her mattress on stacks of books instead of a bed frame, as though the foundation of her life is literally learning. Make everything her roommate touches pink, to really hit that contrast between studiousness & materialism!

In this regard- I learned a lot from Carl Jung. He knew how our collective subconscious works- and was able to elucidate it in a way that made it easy for me to snatch bits and pieces of ancient symbols and use them for & against the audience.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I chose my career, I was dying. Quite literally- I thought I must be, as I had a terrible form of Endometriosis that resulted in “attacks” where I would be in so much pain my body would go into shock & turn blue. I’d pass out, wake up, throw up, pass out again. (I’ve had a kid since, so looking back, I now know my Endometriosis was FAR worse than labor.) If i hadn’t been paralyzed during those moments, I would have literally cut out my own uterus because that would have hurt less.

These attacks could happen at any time, and they would last hours. I wouldn’t know they were coming until they’d hit- with about 3-5 minutes warning.

Once, one hit while I was in the middle of an auditorium audience of hundreds. Dead. Center. I had to crawl out on my hands and knees in front of everyone & I barely made it to the bathroom before collapsing. I woke up in the emergency room (This happened a lot. No matter how many times I told people not to take me because the doctors couldn’t help, I would always wake up there.)

This was happening while I was at college doing upwards of 400-500 designs a week- often in pen on paper (don’t mess up, if your ink blots, start over! Oh and don’t use a ruler… or under sketches.)

In order to survive at college, I couldn’t spend any time focusing on my disease. I couldn’t cry about it, or complain about it. I quite literally didn’t have time. And my art was more important anyway. If I wasn’t having an attack… It was like, “does my body work? Yes? Then draw.”

I think going through that is a big part of the reason I’m able to work as hard as I do. I am SO grateful to not be in pain. To be able to move, dance, paint. I will never take my body for granted again, and I will use it to create beauty & imbue great stories with my love of art so that the audience leaves the theater a little lighter than when they went in.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn my habit of making everything beautiful. Sometimes concept art is ugly, and that’s what fits the story. Sometimes its damaged, grounded, dark. You can’t always try to impress the audience with your “intelligence.” It’s not about you. It’s about the story. So know when to pull back and serve it diligently.

Contact Info:

• Website: Taliaspencer.net
• Instagram: @taliaaspencer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talia-spencer-561387a5

Image Credits
Talia Spencer