Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
I am but a humble river rat from the wilds of Central Florida. I grew up half in Orlando and half in a small rural town called Osteen, on the St. John’s River. As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a gator wrassler, but alas, I could not reconcile it with my vegetarian upbringing. I had a bit of a non-traditional education. I chose to drop out of high school and ended up attending a local community college before doing a stint in Memphis, Tennessee.
After that, I found myself back in the Florida swamps—where I graduated from Ringling [College of Art + Design] with a major in illustration. While in school, I took art and film classes, but I ultimately had no idea what I wanted to do with my career, other than “make art.” I’d always loved cartoons, but I didn’t realize it was possible for me to find a place in the creative process until I met a recruiter from Nickelodeon, who suggested my portfolio lent itself to background painting. That’s when all the puzzle pieces really came together for me.
The summer following my graduation, I interned at Nickelodeon, and then got my foot in the door as a PA on the first season of Bob’s Burgers, which was awesome. I had one last production job on Gravity Falls, where I was a coordinator, before I was offered my first bg paint job. Since then, I’ve worked as an art director on Bravest Warriors, supervised color on Go! Cartoons, and worked as a background painter and color designer on Adventure Time, Castlevania, Go! Cartoons and various projects in development. I still like to do illustration and gallery work on the side, but animation is the main focus of my career. Currently I am a background painter on Craig of the Creek.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
While moving to L.A. was the easiest decision I’ve ever made, navigating the early stages of my career was … bumpy. Finding that first job was super hard, and then trying to transition out of that production job and into a creative role was, in some ways, even harder. I had a lot of support from other artists though, and I ultimately think, at least for me, it was helpful to learn the process through the production side of things—not having any formal education in animation meant I learned a lot on the job. The knowledge and insight gained was definitely worthwhile. It also helped immensely to have mentors along the way.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
Some of my inspirations are Seonna Hong, Shane Prigmore, Brendon Small, Don Hertzfeldt, Bill Plympton, Felix Colgrave, David Hartman, and Peter Chung. I really enjoy when the limits of animation are pushed and become a true expression of art. I also really love when horror is mixed in with traditional animation.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
For myself, I have stories that I want to tell and share. I hope to make things that resonate with other people and make them laugh. My mom always said what’s the point in living if we can’t laugh, and I think about that every single day.
What does being a shop steward in the Union mean to you?
Being a shop steward means I get to represent all my fellow artists and be a rock that they can lean on when they need advice—someone to bounce ideas off of, answer questions, and generally guide them in the best direction possible. I believe in the strength of our Union and its members, and am honored to serve my colleagues.
Discover more of Crowell’s artwork:
miralark.blogspot.com
instagram.com/miralarkcrowell
instagram.com/my_savage_heart
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