We were lucky to catch up with Wilshley Coleau recently and have shared our conversation below.

Wilshley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I’ve always enjoyed drawing and doing crafts throughout my teen years and early adulthood, but I never considered it a proper adult until I was deep into my college career. Every day I ponder the idea of ‘what if I had learned X, Y, and Z earlier instead of now.’ Which may have caused me to be a better and different artist today, BUT there is no way for me to be that person that I think about. I’ve learned that no matter how much I wish to be further in my career than I am at the moment, I can’t magically have that happen. There are so many opportunities now than there were when I was younger. So, though I do regret feeling ‘behind’ my peers, I am thankful I can currently learn more to be a better creative.

Wilshley, 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 a character and prop designer focused on 2D television animation. A goal of mine would be to tell people stories through just my character design. I want people to look at my characters or props and see their childhood in them by showing familial and friendly relationships that I grew up with and showcasing items from my culture. My dream is to inspire people of all ages to be unafraid to seek a career in animation, whether because of what their family may think or what society might think of them, by becoming that person who sought out an animation career and came out the other side with a career.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Hiring more creative, aligned executives would be a significant change to the creative ecosystem. Capitalism has soured the artist’s atmosphere, and if we all were allowed to stop and slow down and enjoy what we are sharing and creating, then we would ease the constant burn out we all get.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think it’s kind of funny and kind of sad that it took money and essentially multi-level marketing schemes for non-creatives to gain their interest in art. At my service job, I’ve gotten a couple of nudges to turn to crypto/NFTS because I already do art. I don’t want to be part of the world’s demise, so no, thank you!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://wilshley.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilshley/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilshley/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wilshleyc