Meet Megan Zavala of Unbroken Studios in El Segundo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Zavala.

Megan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
So I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do for a career in life until I dropped out of art school in 2010. That year, I had gone through some intense emotional pain attempting to recover from a fresh high school sweetheart break up. I don’t usually give that detail when sharing why I dropped out of school, but it undeniably shifted the course of my life into a direction I never dreamed could happen.

As a neurodivergent child, there was a lot of mystery surrounding some of my behaviors. I would fall asleep in classes so frequently, I was thought to have a sleeping disorder for years. I could only fully listen to my teachers while doodling. I was obsessed with novelty and flashy designs, and drawing my favorite cartoons gave me surges of dopamine like nothing else. I quickly became fixated on the good feelings that came with drawing, so I dove into my hobby like my life depended on it.

When you have ADHD, sometimes it feels like you’re always negotiating with a little monkey in your head. Picture a tiny little monkey that somehow got control of all these buttons responsible for your emotional and attention regulation. Without proper treatment, the monkey runs free around your brain pressing any buttons it pleases, but it will stop and listen if there’s exciting activities on the line.

When I experienced my first heartbreak, my little brain monkey broke all the buttons in a fit of despair, and I was left to pilot myself under full emotional crisis with no filter or way to fully heal myself for like, a year. I dropped out of college when I couldn’t repair my buttons, the monkey, or even complete my assignments on time.

Fast forward to 2011, and I was working at an airport retail shop in Texas. I practiced my digital painting skills during my free time at home, but nothing serious was happening for my art career. Later that year, I was introduced to a small indie band from England, and they wanted to work with me for their EP album artwork needs. I enthusiastically took on the gig.

The frontman of the group and I got along quite well over those months of working together. I was so enamored with his vision for music and the ambition he held for his work; I could feel a tug of an old feeling rising up again. I wanted to do more with my artwork, and this time I wanted to really do it right. Eventually, we began a long-distance relationship, and through some convincing from his family, I moved to California and enrolled in a new art school. I dragged my little brain monkey through college once more, finally completing my degree in Game Art eight years after I first began.

Since then, my husband and I have lived together in Hollywood chasing our creative endeavors. I’ve made some incredibly talented friends through school and my professional life. Through the wisdom provided by a few mentors over the years, I’ve learned new skills to grow into a professional artist just as capable as any neurotypical person in my industry.

Great, 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?
So you know that film where Jason Statham plays a guy that can’t let his heart rate drop too low or he dies? That’s essentially the daily struggle happening in my mind, except replace the deadly poison from the film with ADHD. If I’m not stimulated by something interesting to my personal tastes, my brain begins to speed up looking for a new source until I start to feel drained and doze off in my seat.

I’ve struggled with ADHD for as long as I can remember, but I wasn’t diagnosed until around the age of 16. I learned that, for some people with ADHD, the prefrontal cortex can be so understimulated, their brain will begin to fall asleep when confronted with neutral or uninteresting information. With dopamine neurotransmitters all out of whack in my brain, some tasks, like staying awake through a dimly lit class for a projector slideshow, can become nearly impossible unless I distract myself with something else simultaneously.

Until I was diagnosed and started medication to combat my symptoms, I was blundering through school and my personal life, only capable of focusing on what grabbed my interest the most. I’ve fallen behind on student loan payments, was borderline homeless, and have left my apartment in complete disarray more times than I care to admit. I’ve neglected homework assignments that the average person would find easy to do, simply because I couldn’t get myself to sit down and just do it.

Things that didn’t catch my complete interest had a high chance of falling through the cracks, no matter how many times I wrote something down. My brain basically made things so I could only stay focused on rigorously challenging and highly stimulating tasks. It’s like I was born with a very snobbish brain, rudely snubbing menial tasks for high adrenaline shots regardless of positive or negative sources.

It’s actually taken me about thirteen years to figure out the right treatments and coping skills needed to sort my ADHD and live a decent, healthy life. I’ve become pretty okay at masking my symptoms for the most part, but I still see a therapist regularly. As I’ve learned more about my condition, I’ve also become more comfortable and confident in showing my genuine self and trusting others.

Please tell us more about your art.
Thanks to this neurodivergent “quirk” to my brain, I’ve naturally chased what sparks a passion in me. As I’ve grown more familiar with game development pipelines, I’ve fallen in love with the early work of pre-production. Sketches of ideas and personalities are immensely attractive to my instant gratification needs. Realizing a team’s vision through quick paintings and sketches feels like a runner’s high; it gives me a great sense of fulfillment to successfully give a visual design some colorful life.

At Unbroken Studios, I have an amazing role on my team as a concept artist. My day to day tasks typically involve creating new visual concepts, from character designs to props and environments. I particularly specialize in bringing people and creatures to life in 2D digital sketches and illustrations. My job is to essentially take the visions of our lead game designer and art director, add a bit of my own taste, and together create something that feels right for the developers and the players.

Despite our current conditions working remotely, the crew at Unbroken have been so supportive and welcoming. I think it says a lot about a studio when everyone still feels connected and happy to start their work in the morning, even if that’s just getting up from the bed to your desk nowadays.

My art director has been an incredible manager through our remote meetings. The trust he gives each artist to go through their own processes has kept high morale through every workweek. I’ve been able to happily indulge my hyperfixation with painting out designs for hours at a time, which has accelerated my skills faster than what I’ve experienced working in a regular office setting. I’ve noticed how much our team’s work improves when the artists are happy, and it’s thanks to our leads’ supportive management styles for keeping spirits high.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Whether it’s being a good employee, a professional freelance artist, or someone working their way around neurodevelopment struggles, I think it’s important to keep an open and hungry mind for new information. Pursuing a role in a highly competitive field means being flexible and willing to adapt to unexpected obstacles.

I personally didn’t realize how much I would struggle doing simple art tasks like creating small icons, so it was a surprise when I couldn’t get myself to draw a simple apple for an entire week, despite being paid for it! I had to look at the situation and figure out how to make myself motivated. It took learning more about my personal needs and ADHD experiences to find the right solution and avoid repeating my mistakes in the future.

I’m always feeling hungry for more tools to improve my workflow, whether it’s mindfulness practices to lower my anxiety or new brushes that give my work some extra texture. That curiosity for improvement is always there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artstation.com/meganzavala
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megsketches/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MegZavala

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