Interning Abroad Inspired Me And My Art
by Kelly-Ann Desouza
Interning abroad was something that I never thought I would do.
Actually, it never occurred to me that it was something I could do. The whole process happened so fast that I remember thinking to myself as I boarded the plane: Is this real life? Is this really happening?
Yes, it was real, it happened, and my world got immensely bigger.
I was terrified to be in a country all by myself with no parents or friends or any certainty of what lay ahead for the next three and a half months. Uncertainty can be a very scary thing, especially for someone with high anxiety, but I think that’s what made this whole experience so wonderful. Instead of worrying about what was to come, and all “what ifs” for things to go wrong, I decided upon a different approach: to accept things as they were and to soak in every minute of my time in Dublin.
I had the chance to meet so many amazing people from all over the world, which for me was the most gratifying part about my trip. Even though it was such a short period of time, I was exposed to so many different cultures, and seeing everyone’s take on life was truly refreshing.
As an artist I am a bit of a wallflower, just constantly a quiet presence observing the world around me, and the world I was living in was in constant motion and fluidity. People coming and going, travelling, different events and meet-ups, here and there.
Needless to say, I was very inspired to create work.
I felt a constant bliss, which allowed me to acquire a better sense of myself, of what kind of art I wanted to make. Working in the animation industry in Ireland was so rewarding as I was able to learn so much about the process of production and distribution. It surely affirmed my love for 2D animation and has pushed me to continue on that path.
My approach to living abroad also carried over into how I wanted to create my own illustrated stories and animations: to stop over analyzing my ideas, to just go for it and create awesome stuff. Whether it’s good or bad in the end, I’ll enjoy the time I spend doing what I love most in the world.
Kelly-Ann Desouza, a Media Arts and Digital Technologies major, was an animation intern at Monster Entertainment in Spring 2015.