Nia Lee’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Nia Lee and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nia , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Lately I feel like I have been called to trust my gut more, even if it seems like the illogical answer. Even a couple years before now, I would find it difficult to trust myself at all. My lack of experience as well as overall skepticism of my feelings made it difficult to trust in my decisions without looking at it from a million different angles. I’d confuse anxiety with my intuition all the time. So, when I was in situations/positions that I knew weren’t good fits for me after some time, I would question myself and think “well maybe I’m overreacting” or “this won’t last long, I can wait it out”.

While I do believe it is important to be able to sit in uncomfortable situations, because that’s unavoidable, sometimes there are signs you unconsciously pick up that are worth listening to as well. It may not make sense all the time but sometimes you just know. Recently, I’ve made decisions that years ago I never would have been able to because I was too afraid to. Even though I still have that fear, I’m glad that I’ve grown in that department.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
H​ello readers! My name is Nia Lee and I am a jack of all trades artist. I have experience with storyboarding, motion graphics, character design, as well as animation production and visual art project management. Recently, I’ve also been dabbling in voiceover work as well. Phew! A lot, I know.

​At the end of the day, I’m just a creative that is incredibly moved by narrative art. And I’m passionate about being a part of the process that not only brings art which inspires others but also makes them feel represented within art.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I​ love this question. I spoke briefly about it in my last interview with CanvaRebel but I think considering this question is good from time to time. I want to start by saying that kids are smarter than what we give them credit for. It’s been proven that kids, specifically BIPOC children, become aware of their identity and struggles fairly early on. But despite that, I think up until 3rd grade, I truly believed I could be anything I wanted to be. I partially blame this on Blue Clue’s “you can do anything that you wanna do” song anthem. I thought I could be everything under the sun from famous painter to vet to astronaut to actress – all at the same time. Even though bullying for me started relatively early, I still was full of such unbridled confidence and faith in myself. My aunt and mother to this day still talk when I was 4 years old and went on a “I’m gonna be an independent woman” rant when I didn’t want to take a nap. I think that memory speaks more than any words could.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
T​here’s going to be a lot of tough moments in your life where you’re going to want to give up, but hold onto hope as tightly as you can. Spring always comes back after winter.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
​One of them is that original ideas are commended and sought after by studios. Every year since moving to LA, I’ve heard from fellow creatives about them pitching ideas to studios and even getting really far in the process, just to end up starting from scratch the very next year. Obviously, part of it is due to entertainment business as usual but I don’t think I’m the only one whose noticed the amount of pre-existing IP adaptations that have come out over the last couple of years.

There’s mothing wrong with adaptations done in good faith but there needs to be balance or else it feels totally skewed. You don’t get hits like KPOP Demon Hunter or The Wild Robot if you’re not willing to take risks on something new. I’m seeing a lot of exciting stuff in indie animation though which helps keep things refreshing and I hope get the support they need.

Here’s some of my favorites: Wheels & Roses, NALEDI, MMANWU, The Three Tomes, Knights of Guinevere, and Crocodile Dance.

The other one is that AI will replace artists. I could give a list of reasons why it’s not true from environmental reasons (AI uses so much water) to legal reasons (if it can’t scrap from all the artwork freely, it will cease to exist) to creative reasons (it takes longer to get to an idea and gives nothing new) to moral reasons. A lot of people have said it way better than I will but just know I think the whole argument is baloney.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
The most excited I’ve been in my career has always been involved with creatives. I know it may sound cheesy but truly it does bring me a great amount of joy to talk to other creative people, some at the top of their craft. The time I felt it most consistently is when I was working my first production job for the animated Garfield movie. I wasn’t being paid much and didn’t even have a desk for the first few months in the fully remote role but there was just something truly special about the team.

We all just clicked so well together. We were an incredibly small team of pre-production artists, editing team, and production team but everyone was always so willing to get to know each other and lend a helping hand. Despite being so hardworking, everyone genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. Our director would always take the time to greet everyone and chat with them about anything under the sun before diving into business. Not to mention he was very funny. I’ll never forget the time I logged onto a editing meeting and saw our director come on the call while posed underneath his dining room table.

And my production team, how I miss them everyday, we always supported one another. I was incredibly green but I was never made to feel stupid whenever I made a mistake, asked for help, or for more details on a task. They were always so willing to help and make me feel welcome.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ahiruhoney.wixsite.com/nia-lee/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahiruhoneyart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nia-lee-0b3456107/
• Other: https://bsky.app/profile/ahiruhoneyart.bsky.social