Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla K. Jones.
Hi Kayla, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I originally went to school at Pratt Institute in NY to be an art teacher. Once I started the teaching program, I felt I would have more to offer students if I first at least tried to pursue a career as a professional artist and gain real-world experience. I wanted to transfer to illustration, but they wouldn’t accept most of my credits, haha so I ended up switching to printmaking. I’ve always liked working with my hands and loved the mark-making of carving in linoleum blocks especially, so it was a really good fit at the time.
I thought I could gear my portfolio towards illustration on my own, then pursue editorial work once I graduated. I got a part-time job at an in-house silkscreen wallpaper printing studio, but I knew it wasn’t something I could really turn into a career. I struggled a lot to figure out how to make my editorial dreams happen.
I was unsure of what I should do, but when I heard my animation friends talking about their jobs and internships, I became envious – it sounded so fun to be on a team with fellow creatives making awesome shows together! When my animation friends decided to move to LA to pursue their dreams, I decided to go with them. With their guidance, I started working on my own short film. This gave me a chance to see what part of the animation process suited me best, and I also learned just enough to start testing for animation jobs. I was lucky enough to land a spot as a character designer on Bojack Horseman. It was such a fun first job and I learned a lot. I tested for other shows during the long seasonal hiatuses and eventually got a layout job at Disney TVA on Star Vs. The Forces of Evil. It was here I fell in love with layout and background design!
For me background design is basically like achieving my original goal of illustration, just without the characters in them. I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to be on so many fun projects since then, but I think Star was probably the biggest turning point in my career. I feel so lucky that I was able to get my foot in the door back then. I still hope to teach at some point because it would feel great to share what I’ve learned! For now, I think I’ll continue to keep learning and growing my skills for a bit longer. Don’t be afraid to take chances and try what interest you. No path is straightforward!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel like one of the biggest struggles (aside from the obvious of breaking in and getting noticed) are the mental challenges. I love my job because I get to work with so many amazing artists, but it’s also incredibly intimidating because they are so good! My biggest challenge is not being so hard on myself and staying in a mental space where I can keep learning and have fun with the process instead of being swallowed by anxiety and feelings of imposter syndrome.
Something that helps me a lot with this is having things outside of work. It helps me show up so much better when I have other creative outlets outside of work. I’m always taking classes for fun and working on crafts to get me away from the computer. My most recent favorite craft has been making paper mache friends to hang out with me in my apartment haha.
I think one of the biggest mistakes I made starting out was looking for validation as an artist from my work. On my first layout job for some reason, I thought every layout I did no matter how big or small had to be my best work of all time??…which is insane and ridiculous! So many shots are only on screen for a few seconds anyway, haha.
Obviously, it’s important to try your best, but unfortunately this type of thinking put crippling pressure on myself and hindered my productivity so much more than it helped.
You are valid as an artist whether you have the job or not. Even when you get to work on dream projects, I still think it is important to remember it’s a collaboration and not a solo show. This is another reason I think no matter how much you love the project you’re on it’s still can be really helpful to have projects outside of work that are just for you : ). I really believe channeling more energy into myself and the things I enjoy has actually helped me achieve the professional opportunities I was hoping for. Now I can show up much more relaxed with better problem-solving skills. Having more experience obviously helps too, but I think this mind frame shift helped so much! I wish someone had told me sooner.
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?
As a background designer in tv animation, it is my job to come up with fun environments for the characters to move through. Because I love designing so much, sometimes I have to remind myself that my actual priority is to make sure what I’m drawing is framing and supporting the action the storyboard artists have established haha.
I like to think what helps me get noticed by potential employers is my unique design sensibilities. I think I have fun shape language and I hope my personal work shows how much I love doing what I do. I think what also helps is my work attitude. Being able to be a good team player and pleasant to work with is a big asset. The people I get to work are a huge part of my experience so I always hope that I in turn, was a positive part of their experience as well. Being able to receive notes and feedback from a space where you are happy to keep learning and not take it too personally is also important. After all, creating a show and meeting deadlines really is a team effort. Even though sometimes my reaction is definitely “GAH! Why can I not get this right!?!?” Haha, I know it’s not about me. My supervisor and art director are just trying to make sure all the moving parts are working together and help ensure the show is the best it can be. Which at the end of the day is what I care about the most as well.
Honestly what I’m most proud of is that I get to do this kind of work at all. I really had no idea what type of job I wanted when I was younger, but I never dreamed I’d be doing this! Working in animation is definitely a lot of hard work, but there is nothing I’d rather be doing. I’m excited and happy to see what comes next for me!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
The biggest risk I’ve taken is probably going for animation work to begin with. Since it wasn’t something I studied in school, I felt incredibly unqualified, but I’m so glad I went for it! From all the projects I’ve been on I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many different artists! It’s been really cool and inspiring to see how many others made the leap into the industry from a variety of backgrounds as well.
On a smaller scale, I think risk comes into play most when I feel like I’m facing an opportunity I’m not quite ready for. I’ve realized feeling afraid to take something on is usually a sign that it’s the opportunity I should go for. A lot of the jobs I’ve taken have been very challenging in different ways, but it’s been so rewarding to see how much I’ve grown. Its been equally rewarding to see what doors have opened for me because of each small risk I took.
Contact Info:
- Website: kaylakjones.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylakjones/
