Disney Storyboard Artist and Director Natalie Nourigat describes her book I Moved To Los Angeles To Work In Animation as “part Autobio Comic and part ‘How-To’ guide.’”

Itâ€s hilarious, emotional, beautifully illustrated and I now consider it required reading for every aspiring Animation professional.

Today, Natalie joins me for a lesson inspired by her book: 4 Ways Animation Artists Can Mentally Prepare For The Move To Los Angeles!

Click through to start the lesson…

Watch The Lesson:

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[download the mp3] [download the bonus segment]

Lesson Transcript:

The following is a transcript of the full lesson (with links to each resource mentioned).

Introduction:

Hello, my friends and welcome to The Visual Storytelling Podcast – where I help Artists and Writers find healthy, fulfilling careers in Animation, Games, Comics, Film and Illustration.

Iâ€m your host Chris Oatley. Iâ€m a Visual Development Artist and Illustrator – most notably for Disney – and if you want to become a professional Visual Storyteller like the guests on this show or many of my students, check out my courses and resources here at ChrisOatley.com!

Join the notification list for my free mini-course: Youâ€re A Better Artist Than You Think You Are: How To Improve Quickly Without Ever Picking Up A Pencil

…and I’ll follow-up via email when the next session opens!

Tip #1: Step Up To The Mic

In the following segment, Natalie tells a version of her origin story that focuses on a single, significant decision:

The decision to confront her own fear of failure and actually tell people about her dream of working in Animation.

Is it finally time to share your dream with people you love and trust?

…or if youâ€re lucky enough to have realized one dream already, maybe itâ€s time to share something even more ambitious.

The point is: Speak up.

Whether itâ€s time to invite help or offer it, speak up.

Hereâ€s Natalie…

——–

<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="132098" data-permalink="https://chrisoatley.com/artists-move-los-angeles-animation/vsp03-natalienourigat-tip01-stepuptothemic-forweb/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/chrisoatley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/VSP03-NatalieNourigat-Tip01-StepUpToTheMic-ForWeb.jpg?fit=1280%2C1280&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1280,1280" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="VSP03-NatalieNourigat-Tip01-StepUpToTheMic-ForWeb" data-image-description="<p>A cartoony illustration in purple and pink hues shows a young woman with pink hair trembling, waving timidly with one hand and holding a beer bottle in the other. She says “Hiiiiiiiiii!” as she approaches a crowd of nondescript people. The caption reads: “Awkward as hell.” Image from Disney Storyboard Artist Natalie Nourigat’s graphic novel: “I Moved to Los Angeles To Work In Animation.”</p>
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