Today we’d like to introduce you to Andres Lerma
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m Andres Lerma, I’m from Los Angeles, California, I’m an animator and Artist. I started my journey as an animator in 2015. I went to animation school in Sherman Oaks, where I learned how to animate, design characters and backgrounds. After graduating in 2021, I was lucky enough to meet Tawd Dorenfeld, my mentor and teacher. He has guided me to make my personal animation projects. In the future, I want to make my own animation company.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a difficult road because I’m autistic. One of my struggles is socializing. Communicating my thoughts is also hard for me, so sometimes people don’t understand what I mean, or I don’t understand what they mean. This has made searching and finding work difficult.
Also, Animation is a very expensive career and my economic resources are limited. You need to have a good computer with lots of gadgets, the right programs, and it costs a lot of money. As an adult with Autism, resources and programs are far more limited than for younger people with Autism.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I make animated short films and long movies. I created my own characters like Quetzy Quetzal and Toon Andres. One of my personal project is Quetzy Quetzal, he is a Guatemalan bird, who live in Guatemala. Quetzy represents a Guatemalan culture like meeting the traditional Chapin people. In my stories, I create Quetzy as a friendly quetzal bird, which he looks childish, smart and laughable. I am most proud of my growth as an animator. What sets me apart is that my work is bilingual and I show my family’s culture.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
First of all, I am lucky enough to have the full support of my family and my mentor. They believed in me.
Second of all, I was lucky enough to be born in the U.S to immigrant parents. Because they came to the U.S, I have a better life and so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have anywhere else, especially as a person with Autism.
One of the difficulties that I have is getting the services that I need. In order to get services, you need to be knowledgable and how to navigate the disability system like regional centers, school district, etc. Also when you get older, the services are very limited.
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Andres Lerma
