Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
My name is Princess Bizares (she/they), and I’m a first generation Filipino-American, born in the Philippines and raised in Southern California. I started my animation career as an intern at Cartoon Network and was a production assistant for a chunk of time at Nickelodeon before landing my first full-time art gig as a background painter at ShadowMachine on Clone High. I’m currently color designing on the Baby Shark movie!
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
The most challenging thing I’ve had to navigate in my animation career has been dismantling the toxic belief that my self worth was tied to my career and productivity. I think starting in college, I fed into the toxic grind culture mentality that I had to make art everyday and keep producing and posting stuff everyday because that’s the only way I was ever going to get a job in my field. And so I took on a lot of classes and extracurricular activities in school and when I started my career, I said yes to every freelance opportunity I was given, even if it meant working 60 hour weeks. I was working really hard and landing good opportunities, but I was grinding myself right into the ground to burnout. When I suddenly felt jaded by the things that used to bring me joy, I realized I had to take a step back to learn to be kinder to myself and reevaluate what’s important in my life.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
I’m deeply inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki, of course! But more recently, I’ve been so inspired by the Disney series Amphibia by Matt Braly. The artwork in itself is stunning, but I think the most incredible thing about the show is the representation of Thai culture. Although I’m not Thai myself, I am so proud of that kind of visibility for my fellow Southeast Asians, and it empowers me to believe there’s room for other cultures, including mine, to be shared in the world of animation as well!
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
In the future, I would really love to create or be involved in any kid’s show featuring Filipino or Filipino-American characters. I’d love to share our customs and traditions, our folktales and history, and our unique and special stories! I’d also like to help and encourage as many people as I can, as I know so many people in my life who were kind enough to help me accomplish my dreams.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
To me, being in the Union is being part of a legacy of creatives and artists fighting for each other’s right to fair wages, health insurance, and good working conditions, as well as being part of a community of uplifting people willing to share and spread knowledge with one another. It particularly means a lot to me to be part of The Animation Guild, Local 839 because when I was still going to school, I used to take classes at the American Animation Institute! I’ve taken figure drawing, figure painting, composition, and perspective classes with the Guild, and I strongly believe they’ve made me a better artist as I’ve pursued my professional career.
See more of Princess’s art on her website.
Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
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