Daily Inspiration: Meet Flora Rees-Arredondo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Flora Rees-Arredondo.

Hi Flora, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I knew I wanted to be an artist since I was eight years old. I was mostly self-taught with the encouragement of my mother, who is also a professional artist. In High School, I started creating live action films and found a passion for social activism. I thought that since I loved art and film, maybe I would want to work in animation. My greatest doubt when starting my studies at SJSU Animation/Illustration was how I would incorporate my love for sociology and activism in my art. I seriously considered changing my major to sociology and going into fieldwork. However, after watching indie film festivals through the Animation/Illustration Shrunkenheadman Club, I realized that I could fight for social rights through my own films. I decided that I would find a day job in animation and create my own films outside of work in order to support unheard voices in media. I gained leadership skills, experience, and contacts through volunteering at many industry events.

As President of the Shrunkenheadman Club, I organized dozens of industry events and interacted with industry professionals while supporting the morale of the student body through a variety of community events. Volunteering at SIGGRAPH Vancouver 2018, attending CTNX, LightBox, and alumni events led to an internship at Cartoon Network in Summer 2019 on Victor and Valentino. I returned to school for my final BFA thesis year, where I created the short Malinchista. I directed a team of 50 people over 1.5 years in order to create a 2D animated short about reclaiming a Spanish slur to empower Latinx women. Hearing back from a large audience of mixed, Latinx, and womxn viewers who strongly connected with the film, I’ve finally achieved my dream of creating my own animated film to empower unheard voices in media.

Though Malinchista is still going through the festival circuit, I’ve spoken on panels at Latinx in Animation, San Diego Comic-Con International, Women X Film Festival, and am so happy that people are hearing La Malinche’s story. I plan to continue creating my own shorts, regardless of where I’m working. Since graduation in the midst of the worldwide pandemic, I’m grateful that I’ve had consistent, remote freelance and contract work in media. I’ve worked for a range of clients in illustration, animation, and VR/games while continuing to create personal projects. I’m currently working as a Junior Art Director at FS Studio on an unannounced VR/game experience. I’m currently based in Burbank and will be looking for work in January!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being able to sustain myself through school and getting my start in the industry have been the hardest struggles. I mostly paid my own way through school, working three jobs simultaneously during my BFA thesis senior year. Though I cherish my college years at SJSU and the Shrunkenheadman community I’ve found in the Animation/Illustration program, it’ll take some years to pay off all the loans I took on. What I appreciated about going to a Cal State University is that most people didn’t take the opportunity for granted. We all had to work hard just to be there since most of us had to work part-time to pay for classes. There were many exceptionally talented students in my program who couldn’t afford to go to the private schools like CalArts or ArtCenter, and we all shared the passion for working in animation/games/media. Now that there’s so many online classes and resources, I hope that aspiring artists are able to gain an education without going too far into debt. Aspiring artists (including past me) don’t want to hear this, but it’s exceptionally difficult “getting in” to animation.

Since graduation, I’ve taken to joking with fellow recent grads that instead of getting your foot in the door, you need to get a whole leg, or better yet, half your body. You can have an exceptional portfolio, a wide community, and a collaborative personality, but it still may take months or years to get your dream job. I didn’t even consider working full-time freelance during school or learn how to work as a small-business, but it’s one of the many ways to earn a living as an artist. I thought I would start working at an animation studio after graduation, but I’ve embraced my freelance lifestyle and the nomadic state of jumping from job to job. I’ve realized through online lectures and talking to more experienced professionals that this industry means that you’ll always be looking for the next job or working several jobs simultaneously, as no show, film, or project lasts forever. In the short months since graduation, I’ve learned to embrace the unknown of the future, especially with the current state of the world, and focus on a balanced lifestyle.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Junior Art Director specializing in Concept Art and Visual Development. I was a Production Intern at Cartoon Network on Victor and Valentino, Directed the short film Malinchista, and am currently working in VR/games at FS Studio. I spend my free time creating artwork and content that supports unheard voices in order to create a positive impact on the society we live in!

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Interesting enough, I was friendly and confident as a young child, then became very quiet and anxious up until a couple of years ago. During college, I decided that I wanted to be a more confident, outspoken, positive woman. After a year of pushing myself outside my comfort zone at social events and in management positions, that’s who I am today! I want people to know that social skills are a learned skill, just like math or science. People aren’t born as permanently “social” or “extroverted” it just takes time to build that muscle. Ever since I picked up my sister’s “How to Draw Manga” book in the 4th grade, I spent most of my free time drawing through stacks of paper. Every summer, I would teach myself a different art medium or style, with my mom’s help of course! I’ve always been interested in learning everything, from physics, Calculus, the violin to sociology. Ever since an early age, I’ve been a huge book worm and consistently read in my free time.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.florareesarredondo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flora_reesa/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/flora_reesa
• Other: https://filmfreeway.com/Malinchista