Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Vargas Galeano.
Hi Vanessa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Thank you so much for having me! Well, I got where I am today thanks to the support of my family and loved ones. I was born and raised in southern California and have my parents and extended family to thank for that. They came to the U.S in the mid 80’s from their home country of El Salvador during a civil war. From there, they did what they could to give me and my sister the best life possible. I grew up like many other kids and drew constantly. The thing is, I never stopped. I quickly grew a passion and love for drawing, and am very thankful for my parents that they supported and nurtured that passion. In addition, my parents would take me and my sister to movie theaters and I believe that is where I furthered my love of art with a love of storytelling. I remember sharing a small bedroom with my sister, and at night when we were supposed to be sleeping, we instead set up a shadow puppet theater. We made up characters and told various stories of our shadow puppets’ adventures. With that being my first attempt at storytelling, I will never forget the pride I felt when I made my sister genuinely laugh.
From there, I continued my love of storytelling with a furthered love of animation. My parents bought us VHS cassettes of my favorite movies and that quickly evolved to DVD cds as well. In high school, I would spend hours looking through all the bonus features and director’s commentaries of my favorite movies. One of my favorite movies is Mulan so needless to say, I watched all the bonus features for that disk repeatedly. It was at this moment in my life that I realized that every animated movie is made by a team of artists all working towards the goal of making something great. I was in awe at the design team’s work, but the storyboards are what dazzled me. Seeing the music of the film layered on top of a rough board sequence of “Reflection” was amazing to me. While it didn’t look exactly like the film, I still loved seeing the rough drawings coming to life. I also specifically remember going on YouTube and finding all the behind the scenes footage of my favorite movies. I would spend what felt like hours on the family computer seeking out these behind the scene clips. I patiently waited as our slow internet buffered a video clip of storyboard artists performing their board pitches for Monster’s Inc.
When the video finally loaded, my eyes were glued to the screen and I knew at that moment that that was something I wanted to do. With this love for animation, I decided to pursue it as a career when entering college. I started off at a local community college called Mt. San Antonio College where I was lucky to find friends that I am still friends with to this day. We all had a shared love of art and creativity and they inspired me to be a better artist. From Mt. Sac, I transferred to Cal State University Fullerton. During my time in CSUF, I met great people, became part of an amazing club called Pencil Mileage Club, learned from great professors, met my loving boyfriend, and had the opportunity to do an internship at DreamWorks. This then leads to a great time working in production management at Warner Bros. Animation during post graduation. Currently, I am seeking out my next gig, but this time as an aspiring storyboard artist!
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?
There were definitely times where the road was rather daunting. Although out of all the obstacles, one of the biggest ones was myself. I struggled with a lot of self-doubts and because of that, I had a tendency of counting myself out of opportunities. I wanted to be the best I can be, but for me it was never enough. That being said, I would spend countless hours drawing and doing studies. I was driven by a near obsessive want of becoming better and that actually burnt me out. On the flip side, there were also times where my anxiety and lack of confidence lead me to be complacent. Additionally, having felt that I was not ready or not yet “good enough”, I prevented myself from sharing my work. It wasn’t until recently had I realized that this was hindering my growth as an artist. I decided to change that and I garnered a newfound confidence as an artist. With the help of mentors and my loved ones, I started to have faith in my work and in my abilities. I feel like this confidence is continuing to grow and I am excited to see where it will take me.
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?
Thank you, that is very kind of you! Well, I love a good story! I am currently an aspiring storyboard artist and I specialize in lighthearted humor. One of my favorite things is writing and boarding out characters that you can relate to or laugh along with. Seeing them come to life is one of the most rewarding things about storyboarding. I recently got a compliment from a mentor that my humor is “that kinda awkward humor” and I was very delighted by that. Subtle jokes and acting coupled with exaggerated reactions is so much fun to do. Along with the creative side of acting, I am also completely obsessed with the more technical side of storyboarding. I love figuring out the composition, staging, and perspective of a shot so that I could communicate my story clearly. Having to problem solve a difficult scene is a lot like doing a puzzle for me. Once things start falling into place, it is so exciting. On the other hand, sometimes you have to start all over, and while that can be frustrating, that just makes the reward so much more satisfying. I love learning and I feel like with storyboarding there is never an end to learning.
What matters most to you?
First and foremost, my family, friends, and loved ones are what matters most to me. My family truly is my everything and I have them to thank for where I am today. I wouldn’t have been able to live the life I do without their sacrifices, support, and love. My mother especially was always my number one fan and I am so glad to have had such an encouraging person as a constant in my life. I am also thankful for my friends and for the happiness they bring me. I have been friends with some for over ten years. Some I met in elementary/middle school and others in high school band. They have always been supportive of my creativity and encouraged me to continue with my craft. I truly am thankful for the endless Zoom nights and “adventhyurz”. I am also thankful for the people I met and friends I made in college. Whether it be cafe sketching, sharing career advice, or just hanging out in the cell block, they were a great support! Lastly, I am thankful for my boyfriend for always pushing me to be my best self not only as an artist but as a person. All these people and those that I may have not mentioned matter most to me because without them, I would not be where I am today. In addition to the gratitude for my loved ones, social change also holds a huge importance to me. I want those that I love to feel safe, protected and valued in this society as that is the bare minimum of what should be expected from a society. Social rights and justices hold a huge importance to me and as a Latina creative, I hope to contribute to that change. While the road is long ahead, I will continue to be vocal to fight for the rights of my loved ones and those that are disenfranchised by the systemic holds in our culture and society.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.vanessavgaleano.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessavgaleano/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanessavgaleano
