Today we’d like to introduce you to Roya Shahidi
Roya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been surrounded by the arts and creativity of all kinds growing up. I’d watch animated shows and movies whenever I can, hear all kinds of eclectic of music from my mom, have good discussions with my dad on the arts along with anything on his mind and we would always find movies and shows to watch together and discuss afterwards. Since both of my parents are artists in their own regard (Mom is a graphic designer and Dad is more into photography and architecture), it was kind of a given that I would get into it as well. Yet funny enough, I didn’t start truly drawing until 7th grade. Before then, I didn’t feel like picking up a pencil and even my dad was worried that I could never draw
Well ever since then I’ve kept drawing, creating original characters and stories for myself and putting myself and my some of work online for others who also shared my interests on sites like Youtube and DeviantArt. While I used to do silly animations with MS Paint and Windows Movie Maker for fun, I really didn’t think about animation seriously until I discovered animation schools from some fanartists I liked at the time. While wasn’t able to get into said animation schools, I learned SO much just from observing everyone’s amazing work I would see online. That and seeing work from crew members of shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe made me realize that my path forward was working in animation
My parents didn’t even bat an eye when I mentioned wanting to work in animation, which shouldn’t be surprising as they actually have experience in animation/entertainment, even if small. So it was a no brainer to convince them that that was my true path in life. Since then I’ve been able to work on a lot of amazing projects. While not industry level (yet), I’m proud to be able to help bring so many amazing projects to life!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There’s definitely been many struggles in my path thus far. As mentioned before, I never went to any sort of art or animation college. To be honest, given my mental state back then, it would’ve DESTROYED me. So in that regard, I’m glad I never got into art school (plus I didn’t wanna go into student debt). In fact I actually dropped out of community college because of how it was getting to me mentally, despite doing a lot of classes that I actually enjoyed before I left (mostly art/media related classes)
Despite that, I still kept up with my craft and tried my best to get into my desired field however I could. Thankfully my family is very supportive of me, so it wasn’t much of a worry. You know how they say “you are your own worst enemy”? Well… it’s absolutely the case for me, yet amplified by 1000%! I would definitely say that my lifelong battle with my low self esteem is my biggest obstacle. It’s actually stopped me from doing what I love to do at times and it’s terrifying. It’s actually funny cause no one, and I mean NO ONE has ever told me anything negative about myself or my art to stop me from what I wanna do. The actual culprit are the nasty voices in my head
Even with I’ve made some meaningful accomplishments in my life, said voices in my brain always try to find a way make it less meaningful or feel like I haven’t achieved enough. It genuinely really sucks to deal with and even harder to break out of that vicious cycle. I’m still trying my best to unlearn of all the mean stuff my brain tries to tell me and in turn get back into making art and fun stuff like I used to
That along with burn out, impostor syndrome and multiple rejections for some promising opportunities have really put me down a bit. It’s a big reason why it seems like getting into the animation industry for me feels next to impossible. But despite it all, I refuse to give up. Because I know that if i truly give up, I’ll end up regretting it more than ever. So take my words to say to never EVER give up on your dreams, even if they feel impossible in the moment. As that one Japanese fisherman says, “NEVER GIVE UP!!”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an Illustrator, Storyboard Artist and Animator. I’ve always loved storytelling in general, especially animation and have always had a knack for visually describing stories. I’ve always loved making comics and little snippets of moving pictures whenever I can. Even silly doodles I do on the side of my sketchbook seems to tell a story from what I’ve been told
But lately I’ve really taken a liking to the production side of project making. It all started when I, somehow, curated an entire 20+ minute reanimated project all by myself. It was of the “Kirby Right Back At Ya!” episode where funny enough, the gang worked on an episode of an anime (I’ve always love those kinds of meta episodes in animation!). It was a really interesting process to say the least and really taught me how important producers are for any given project, ESPECIALLY animation. So needless to say, you can also add Producer/PA into the things I can do!
On a more personal level. I also used to do this weekly comic strip style comic back in the say called “Best Buds”. It started two characters of mine, Little Buddy and Grump Bud, and they were buddies having a fun time together! Simple as that. As time went on, some of my emotions seeped into the comic and got a bit.. sentimental?? I don’t know haha. But I loved drawing those guys and miss it. Definitely plan on going back to those guys at some point
One project I helped out on that sticks to mind, especially in terms of impact, definitely goes to “Zarina” by Nikki Behjat. I’ve known her since helping out on her previous film, “The Concert”, as an animation colorist, since then I was able to use my skills to go a step above and do animation clean up along with coloring. As an femme presenting Iranian American, I knew that it was a very important film being made, so I was more than honored that Nikki asked for me to help her out on this film. Seeing how much of an impact it’s made already really means the world to me and shows that we needs tell our stories now more than ever
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Honestly my best advice towards networking is to just be your honest, genuine self. It may sound self explanatory but it’s so true. That’s because more than ever, people want to see you, your authentic self. The you that geeks out about your favorite shows and games, the you that loves going on tangents about about Muppets trivia, the you that some might think is “too annoying”, when in reality they love to see your drive and passion on the things you love
I’ve been able to connect with all types of people due to similar interests. Hell I’ve been able to connect with an industry mutual all because of our shared interest in One Piece. It’s not as hard as people assume. I also advise on connecting with all different types of creatives, not just animators. Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had with people have been with voice actors, architects, industrial designers and sometimes people who don’t even do anything creative
Of course it’s also important to be kind and respectful to anyone you meet. But it’s also important to be upfront about your boundaries whenever possible, you never want anyone to take advantage of you. You’re way stronger than you think, don’t let anyone or anything bring you down no matter what!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://royashahidi.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rsdream12/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roya-shahidi-a33261163/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rsdream12
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/rsdream12.bsky.social
