Meet Jessica Gallaher | Storyboard Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Gallaher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
I think the way to tell when to give up is to assess whether or not you’re sacrificing your mental or physical health. For example, in my senior year of college, I had to make a lot of priority adjustments so I could focus on my main objective, which was to finish my senior film. Some classes fell by the wayside in that pursuit, which ultimately ended up being okay. If I had given my 100% to everything I had going on at the time, I likely would have gone through some intense burnout. I think if you can honestly look at how you’re doing mentally and physically, and are able to take steps to alleviate certain burdens, then it’s totally okay to let something go, or give up. As to when to know when to keep going, I ask myself what it is about a task or project that is making me feel like I should stop. If the answer is that I’m scared of failing, or I’m scared of revealing a weakness or an area I’m not particularly strong in, then I know I have to keep going.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career started at Kuku Studios in 2019, where I boarded on Go! Go! Cory Carson, an animated preschool series on Netflix. As a board driven show, I got the opportunity to push myself as both a writer and a storyboard artist, while also soaking up the talent from a really cool team. It was definitely really scary and challenging, as boarding full time straight out of school was a pretty steep step to take for me. I overcame a lot of challenges by paying attention to the skills of those around me, doing master copies of my mentors’ and coworkers’ work, and trying not to beat myself up when I fell short or struggled. I think what I’m most excited about working as a storyboard artist is that telling stories is a skill you can learn, and it’s also something that is unique from artist to artist. There’s a lot to learn and there’s really no end to it, so it’s always interesting.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents were especially encouraging when I was having a hard time believing in myself as I began studying animation. I owe so much to my teachers in college, such as Pamela Mathues and Anthony de Fato, who closely mentored my team and I as we worked on making our senior film and worked on becoming better artists. I also owe a lot to my college friends and the friends I made in my first few jobs in the animation industry. I also owe a great deal to my managers and other mentors from my jobs in the industry, who supported me and helped me make all sorts of new connections.

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Website: https://jessicagallaher.wixsite.com/jessicagallaherart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_uazula/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-gallaher/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_uazula

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL9-UiB950UhH3rYMFXkk_w