Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Krieger.
Hi Lauren, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was that kid who was always drawing – either on the sides of my notebook in class or in my sketchbook. Despite my obsession with art, the jump to animation took awhile to connect as a career choice. I’m originally from Minnesota and I did not know anyone who did animation, much less art as a job.
During my senior year of undergrad in 2011 it finally clicked that animation was the 100% path for me and I didn’t want to live life not trying to go for it. From there it was fairly straightforward – I moved out to LA in 2012 to attend UCLA’s Animation Workshop, did a number of animation internships while in school and upon graduation was hired as a production assistant on Nickelodeon’s “Wallykazam!” in 2015. In 2016 I transitioned to my main career as a storyboard artist/revisionist on Nickelodeon’s “Shimmer and Shine”.
As of right now I’m doing a mix of freelance storyboards and 2D animation clean-up, teaching animation at CalState Northridge and afterschool art teaching for elementary school.
I’m also in production on two short films. First, I’m a co-creator on a preschool animated short called “Coswig and Lee-Lee” which I’m currently animating. In addition, I’m a co-producer on a live-action horror short called “Our Curse” created/produced by Gregory Yang and co-produced by Alissa Razzano.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In some ways yes, in other ways no. Timing so far has seemed to work in my favor. While doing the work I needed to do to hit a professional level, the animation industry in LA was booming and in that regard, my path was smooth. I was very fortunate to have been hired straight out of school and to have worked for 10 years at various union animation studios.
But the path in the arts is never a smooth one. Although from the outside things looked like success, self-doubt and not feeling like I was good enough was something I massively struggled with for a very long time. It was an internal thing which I didn’t really openly talk about as I didn’t want to be a bother or when I did, I often heard back “but you’re so talented” which only made me feel more like a fraud.
The self-doubt was a double-edged sword. It drove me to work as insanely hard as I could to level up my skills, take additional classes, make additional storyboards. I’m not entirely sure if I would have broken into the animation industry without that work effort, even though it was driven by fear. I eventually learned that a lot of people are driven by this same fear and the route out is to gift yourself that acceptance that you are good enough. It ultimately needs to come from within.
And now we’re dealing with a period of extreme instability and change in the LA animation industry. It’s been a learning curve how to stay flexible and lean on other parts of myself as an artist, especially after focusing on storyboards for over 10 years. I’ve joked that I’m an octopus and have different arms/skillsets that I lean on which is essential to longevity as an artist when supporting yourself. The arm I’m leaning on at the moment is art and animation teaching which again, the timing of things worked in my favor. I’m very fortunate to have this current opportunity teaching animation at CSUN during this period of industry instability.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In this moment, I am most proud to be supporting other creators make their ideas become fully realized films. Whether it’s walking my many college students through making their first animated shorts or helping with the two independent films I’m working on (“Coswig and Lee-Lee” and “Our Curse”), it’s honestly been the most fulfilling part of my creative journey. Prior to this, most of my career and time had been in support of myself alone which was so myopic. Supporting other creatives and their stories is a thread I want to continue weaving into my own journey forever forward.
As for what sets me apart from other equally talented storyboard artists? I think that circles back to my start as a filmmaker and through that, having a thorough understanding of the entire animation pipeline. That knowledge has allowed me to have a diverse career outside of solely doing storyboards. Knowing the whole pipeline opened 2D animation job opportunities and also being an animation professor at CSUN as I can teach an array of classes.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I used to consider myself lucky until a past college professor called me out on it when I guest lectured there in 2016. She stated I wasn’t lucky, that I was always someone who constantly put in an large amount of work and applied to so many things (thus comfortable with rejection) so it was no wonder doors were opening for me. Hearing that reframed my perception around “luck”. You play an active part in it. True you can’t control the timing of things, certain opportunities opening for oneself. But if you aren’t doing the work of improving your craft and talking with other creatives, you won’t be ready for when those moments of “luck” appear for you.
I do think there’s also a degree of trusting your gut and just being really open to opportunities, even if they were ones you didn’t consider for yourself. With the industry downturn, I’ve pivoted to arts education jobs but through that I have met such an amazing and diverse circle of friends in LA that I would have never met if not for the “bad luck”. My world and life is so much broader for it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laurenkrieger.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkriegerart/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-krieger-art/
Image Credits
Coswig and Lee-Lee – designs by Lisa Blecker
Dragons: The Nine Realms – Dreamworks Animation TV
Kindergarten The Musical – Disney Jr
IronMouse
