Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Parrish.
Chelsea, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a professional Motion Graphics Designer. I’ve always been a visual learner, so this medium of design makes perfect sense to me. It encompasses all the things I love doing; graphic design, video, animation, collaboration, solving a creative puzzle, words, color, music, and teaching with pictures. It’s how I express myself to the world.
My career started off in New York, doing tiny off-off-Broadway shows after graduating with a BFA in Production Management. It taught me how to hustle and lead a production, but I realized that I wasn’t passionate about theater enough to make it my life-long work. The first career shift was moving into event production which was a similar field, but in a more corporate setting. I was running events all day out of an office, managing logistics, and doing marketing. It was during that time when I had a regular day job and a routine that I was able to put some focus on figuring out what I really wanted to do.
One day, I stumbled upon Motion Design and stopped in my tracks. It was the opening sequence to Catch Me If You Can and the Apple ad called Intention that were my first bits of inspiration. And that was it. I started teaching myself AfterEffects and finding one freelance job at a time. A few years later I landed a job at Nickelodeon, and in 2020 I made a big move from New York to California which helped re-fuel my creativity and perspective. I’m now a full-time Motion Designer and confident that I’m in the right place.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not! It has taken years to figure out how to build this new career and a lot of taking risks and failing. I’ve been in it seven years and I still feel like I’m just getting started. Working under pressure, collaborating with clients, and coming up with ideas are all elements of the job that come easily to me. The struggle is often keeping up with technology and finding enough hours in the schedule to set aside time for learning new techniques and software. When I started, my challenge was memorizing keyboard shortcuts, but now it’s choosing which animation program to learn next. However, the one thing I am certain of is that being a Motion Designer is what I want to do. I love it, and I never get tired of reading, talking, and learning about it.
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?
The majority of my professional experience is in entertainment marketing and title design, but I am working towards being known for lifestyle content as well. I’m proud of the project I did with Apple TV+ where I designed the graphics for the WeCrashed trailer. I was lucky to have time for a long design process where I could come up with something aesthetically interesting, but also meaningful and connected to the story. I want designs to have a little bit of subtext, so the research process is important to me. What sets me apart is focusing heavily on typography, bold colors, and having a happy, optimistic attitude!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Resilience. In a creative career, you have to be ready for anything, whether that be learning a new effect on YouTube when your deadline three hours away, getting promoted to Art Director and then having the budget be cut in half on your first project, or getting laid off and having to start over from zero when you weren’t prepared for such a big change. If you can build resilience and be able to turn on a dime at a moment’s notice, adjust, and keep going with whatever comes your way, you’ll succeed. That, and practicing being happy for no reason has gotten me really far.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cheleaparrish.com
- Instagram: @cparrishinmotion
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseamparrish/
