Meet Allison Masikip | Rockwork Engineer, Designer & Ceramicist

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

Hi Allison, how do you think about risk?
Risk is defined as a situation that exposes oneself to danger, harm or loss. I feel that my personal perspective on risk is quite unique in the fact that I have had to face numerous near death experiences due to my health history. I have a severe nut allergy with a symptom known as anaphylaxis where the smallest touch of nuts in any of my food can restrict my airways within seconds and lead to death if not treated with an EpiPen and emergency room visit as soon as possible. I have sadly experienced anaphylaxis a fair amount of times ever since I was 5 years old till adulthood and recently a reaction in 2019 truly turned my world upside down. I have never felt closer to death until that day. It was the first time where I didn’t feel safe despite access to paramedics, an emergency room, nurses and doctors. My body was fighting itself with my life on the line and all I could think in that moment was I wasn’t ready to leave earth just yet, that I hadn’t lived the life I wanted to. A daily human task that is so trivial, eating, has always been a high anxiety inducing risk for someone like me. And within the past 5 years it has monumentally shifted the way I have approached life because one traumatic reaction in 2019 has taught me a lesson…that life is fleeting. When one is stripped of a safety blanket, that we are all promised a tomorrow, it changes the chemistry in one’s brain. And you begin to truly understand that every second, minute and day on this earth is precious and we must strive to live a life well lived. And of course that is subjective to each and every one of us, but I always make sure I reflect constantly and base every large or small decision in my life as if it’s my last. Life is not promised so why not live each day like there’s no tomorrow.

This way of thinking has influenced not only my day to day life but also my career. In college I made the bold decision to be delusional and to pursue my dream job, to become an Imagineer at Walt Disney Imagineering. I grew up with Disney, through the music, movies and of course Disneyland. I was beyond awestruck each time I went to the theme parks. The attention to detail was beyond anything I had ever seen and to see how many fond memories are made each day there, I wanted to be a part of it all. To use the talent and skill set I had to create unforgettable experiences for guests like myself. And so the journey began. I juggled getting my engineering degree, extracurriculars , and the Imaginations Competition in 2016. Through this long journey I was able to score an internship with Walt Disney Imagineering and eventually a full time position later on. I am still in utter disbelief that I get to work my dream job each day and ironically am grateful that the ‘risks’ in my life have brought me to this point.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Rockwork Engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering. I know your first thought, what is a rockwork engineer? In the simplest way I can explain, have you been to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park? Those huge rocks that looked like they were transported from Route 66? A team of Imagineers sculpted, designed and engineered those rock formations and I get to be a part of that process.

My journey to Walt Disney Imagineering started when a group of friends and I in college decided to enter the Imaginations Competition, a nationwide design competition where students from colleges all over the USA compete to “imagineer” a concept that answers a design prompt. Through trial and error my team and I were finalists and that jump started my unexpected career in the themed entertainment industry. I was lucky enough to intern at Walt Disney Imagineering as a creative designer and then worked my way to their Model Shop/Dimensional Design Department where I got to work on various architectural scale models, digital 3D models and eventually rockwork design. I got to work on several large scale rockwork projects all over the world and enjoyed the craft so much I never left. Despite getting let go from Walt Disney Imagineering during 2020, I still pursued rockwork on the fabrication/manufacturing side at a vendor company known as Adena Corporation for a few years. Recently I found my way back to Walt Disney Imagineering but now in an engineering role as opposed to design, and to no one’s surprise, still in rockwork! What can I say, I love the placemaking that rockwork emanates and the challenges that come with designing and building something so organic and of course different, from project to project. The path I took was not easy, I had studied engineering in college but dove into a design career path right after because I truly enjoyed 3D modeling, both in physical scale models as well as digital. I ran into huge learning curves every turn I took, and it’s common to be thrown in the deep end at Walt Disney Imagineering. But in doing so, I learned so much not only in hard skills like how to digitally sculpt rocks but also in soft skills such as working in team settings and believing in myself when times get tough. My career path thus far isn’t the most traditional but I truly do enjoy every twist and turn this road takes me because getting to work with such a talented group of artisans, designers and engineers is something so priceless and I treasure every minute of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Though LA has been my home for 7 years now, I still continue to find gems all over the vast city each time I venture out. The city is full of life in every borough and I have yet to explore more. I would start us off on the east side of LA and one of my favorite places to walk around would be the Huntington Library. You can spend a whole day there wandering the gardens, going through museums and sometimes they even provide art workshops where you can learn a craft or new hobby such as Bonsai tree gardening. I then would probably take us to a nearby farmers market because I love shopping for produce from local farmers due to the wide variety of fruits and veggies you usually won’t find in grocery stores. And since they tend to sell produce that is in season, all their fruit are usually so sweet and are of great quality. I then would find a local art fair/craft market/art studio to visit. I love perusing what local artists are creating and selling. Art is such a beautiful thing and I love to see humans embrace themselves in it. I think this is something so unique to LA, where there is a saturation of creatives at every corner so artists like myself can continuously connect and be inspired with each others’ work. Lastly I would drive us to the westside of LA and a little north to the Malibu mountains. I would suggest going on a sunset hike or to just lay on the beach and watch the sunset with snacks from Trader Joes and fruits from the farmers market. If the evening allows, I would then drag us to a concert, musical, theater, or comedy show in the city. There’s always so many things to do in LA and honestly I still continue to explore this city each day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shoutout to every friend I have crossed paths with through my lifetime. From friends who come and go, to lifelong friendships I have had since high school, every human that has intertwined in some way in my life, I do cherish deeply. I never knew that something so trivial as kids becomes so important in adulthood. My closest friends, not only local, but who live cities and states away have always supported me in every way possible and I am beyond blessed to be lucky to have you all in my life. So thank you for existing and going through this thing we call life, together. And of course a thank you to my family.

Website: https://www.allisonmasikip.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonmasikip/