Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Lopez
Christopher, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story started in San Francisco, where I was born and raised. I grew up drawing and spending a lot of time alone in my room making art. My parents were extremely supportive of my art making, providing me with all the art materials I needed. At an early age, I realized that my brain was extremely creative. After watching Finding Nemo, which is still my favorite movie, I knew I wanted to be one of the artists who made these animated films.
Throughout my academic journey, I kept my animation dream in mind while also exploring other artistic mediums like acrylic and oil painting. During my teenage years, I started drawing portraits of musicians, cartoons, and other familiar figures, which I began to share on social media. Many of these posts were recognized by artists who inspired me, such as Kehlani and SZA. These efforts to hone my craft, amid the 2020 pandemic, led to me receiving a full-ride scholarship to attend the California College of the Arts in San Francisco for Animation.
Throughout my college career, I refined my animation dream to become a storyboard artist for feature film animation. I also began working on a collection of oil paintings featuring my muses in front of mirrors, creating a Mirror series. In the final semester of my senior year, I completed and debuted my animated short film Like Water as part of my senior thesis, which I started in the fall of 2021. Being a first-generation son of Peruvian and Nicaraguan immigrants, I’m proud to say I received my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Animation in May of 2024.
In my recent post-grad life, despite many rejections from dream jobs and the current Animation/Film industry crisis, I am working freelance for a Los Angeles-based fine arts gallery. Additionally, I am starting the biggest oil painting I’ve ever created and am in pre-production for my second animated short film.
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?
Recently on my journey, I’ve re-learned to embrace that life is not a smooth, perfect road. Since turning 22 this past March, I’ve faced numerous rejections from jobs, internships, relationships, and friendships. At first, these rejections made me angry, frustrated, and triggered my anxiety. Thanks to therapy and reaching out to my support systems, I’ve reconstructed my thought process to understand that what’s meant for me won’t miss me and that rejection is redirection. As a young adult, I think it’s important for others who are also in their early 20’s to reach out and feed our minds with healthy resources. This includes becoming knowledgeable about self-improvement by reading books like The Defining Decade or journaling during transitional periods like post-grad life. This helps us realize that we are not the first to experience these challenges and understand that we’re not completely alone.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I consider myself a storyboard artist, filmmaker, and an oil painter. However, I am in the early stages of my professional career, so I am always open to trying new artistic mediums. I recognize that I have immense artistic versatility and love trying different mediums like photography, glass mosaic making, illustration, directing, and love working in the gallery/museum spaces. Regardless, my passion remains in Animation and the Fine Arts.
I’m most proud of completing and releasing my animated short film, “Like Water,” this past February. I worked on all aspects of the film from my sophomore to senior year of college, including directing, storyboarding, character design, background painting, voice acting, animating, coloring, editing, supporting the music production, and running a social media campaign to market the film. This project taught me a lot about collaboration, and I’m grateful for the strong story trust team at CCA, including my professors and classmates, who provided invaluable feedback throughout the process.
Additionally, I am very proud of the oil paintings I have created in the past few years as part of my mirror series. These works have allowed me to grow in precision and improve my draftsmanship. I take pride in creating beautiful representations for queer and BIPOC audiences, embracing the many identities and stories I am at the crossroads of, which makes my work so deeply personal that it becomes universal.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I believe that being open to putting yourself out there has helped me meet some amazing people. Being prepared for moments to share your work and not being afraid of rejection is crucial as I mentioned before. Many of my opportunities came from communicating transparently about what I was looking for and genuinely being interested in learning and growing from others. I’ve also learned to listen to people in positions I aspire to be in, to gain the best knowledge and advice possible. Regardless, discernment has been key during this part of my early journey, and it has opened many doors as I set a foundation for myself on this path. Showing genuine interest in people’s stories and journeys is just as important to connect on a human level rather than having a completely transactional connection. I’m grateful that I’m in the early stages of building a foundation by expanding my network through meeting and being open to new people, places, experiences, and opportunities. Not only does this inspire me as an artist, but also allows me to truly expand my perspective on life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cchristopherlopez.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cchristopherlopez
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cchristopherlopez
- Other: https://clopezstory.wixsite.com/clopezstoryportfolio
Image Credits
Jy-Jimmie Gabiola
