Daily Inspiration: Meet Malia Ewart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Malia Ewart.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been drawing for as long as I can remember. I think one of my oldest memories is coloring with crayons in pull-ups, next to watching the Brave Little Toaster nearly every waking moment. It’s something I just never stopped doing, and eventually as I got older, I poured more and more time into it. Growing up in Redding, CA, I didn’t really know any other kids with an interest in art, luckily for ne one of my cousins took notice and started lending me her art books. Together we spent so much time drawing from anime and manga references; we bonded over the process of improving and trying to learn as much as possible. When high school came around, my parents wanted me to start looking for a career to pursue and talks of “art is a good hobby” started coming up regularly. My dad was a teacher, and my mom was a massage therapist, and money was tight most of my youth. No one In my family had been a professional artist and getting a job that could pay the bills was a priority that was drilled into my brother and I’s heads. Looking back, I understand their hesitation at the time, but regardless of the risk I had absolutely no interest in doing anything else. Eventually, they conceded and tried to support me in the ways that they could, the first sigh of relief came at 19 when I tabled at my first convention and turned a profit. Art school was next on the list, but neither my parents nor I could afford it, so I found my way through city colleges where I finally obtained a Bachelor in Animation at California State University Fullerton. It took me about eight years, but it was worth it. It’s not always where you get your education from but how devoted you are to your craft and working hard.

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?
I wasn’t always sure exactly what I wanted to do with art, especially in the beginning. I thought about being a graphic designer, comic artist, illustrator, then back and forth on all of these. I knew I wanted to create and kept dipping my toes in different art fields but nothing was sticking. After taking my first intro class to 2D animation and design at De Anza College, everything just clicked and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I ended up winning a student award for my final assignment, and that validation really fueled my desire to pursue this at full speed. I had dreamed of attending an art school, and put in applications for almost every art school on the West Coast, but got rejected from all of them. It was difficult to not feel discouraged, but I kept at it and pushed forward, trying to pick up as many skills as I could teach myself along the way. It wasn’t until I attended a small animation event at Sony Studios in 2017 that I met some incredibly talented artists who put California State University Fullerton on my radar. I applied, got in, and the rest is history! I was always worried about taking longer to finish school, but with the experience I gained and the friends I made, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I ended up being right where I needed to be.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in visual development for animation and comics, meaning I create unique worlds and characters who inhabit them. I get to help set the style of the overall project, finding what works best for the story we are trying to tell. Sometimes this may include designing costumes, props, vehicles, and painting backgrounds for the project. I love getting to be a part of such early stages in a film/show/comic as we get to create everything you see, and it’s really amazing when you get to collaborate with other designs who bring different skills and styles to the table!

I’m mostly known for my digital illustrations, as I have a large online presence with whom I get to share this work. It’s been amazing being able to get real-time feedback on my personal work and sketches, and has definitely helped me grow and connect with other artists over the years!

I think I’m most proud of not giving up on my dream. I think a lot of us artists have moments of doubt, where we hear the echoes of people from our past saying things like “you’ll never make it” and “that’s a good hobby, but get a real job”. I’ve had plenty of lows where I came so close to giving it up, but in those low times, I just practiced more and pushed harder. There’s nothing on earth I’d rather be doing than this.

What sets me apart from others is I do my best to live every moment to the fullest and be a positive force in people’s lives. There is no feat that we can’t overcome, and adapting to challenges is something I’ve grown to enjoy. I love what I get to do, and want the people around me to feel supported and uplifted.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I have dyslexia, and it can be such a nuisance at times. It inhibited me pretty severely as a kid, making reading and speaking very difficult. It was something I was told I’d grow out of but never did. It used to be very embarrassing for me, as misspeaking, stuttering, or saying phrases backward in a group setting was a setup for humiliation, but I’ve come to accept it as a part of me. Now it makes for an opportunity to crack a joke or invent a silly word, which makes it positive!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maliaew.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maliadoodles/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maliadoodles/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malia-ewart-016515135/