Meet Amelia Cobb | Storyboard Artist

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

Hi Amelia, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work life balance has changed drastically over time, especially since the pandemic started. At the time I worked two jobs while doing school full time so there was no real work life balance. It was just work all the time, and it was exhausting. I got severely burnt out to the point where I stopped drawing for a few months once I graduated at the end of 2020. I decided that something needed to change and I needed to take more control over how I managed my life. I requested certain times off of work so that I could do things that made me happy. To me that balance comes in the form of cooking, playing soccer, going on walks, or just hanging out with a few friends. Having time at night to unwind and make time for people who are important to me helped me ground myself. As I started making time for myself I started wanting to draw for myself again. A passion that I was anxious that I lost slowly started returning, as well as my mental health. Although it’s been a bumpy journey, I’m glad to have gone through it. Now I know where my boundaries are with work, and when they are being pushed too far.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My story as a creative had a few twists and turns that were not expected. Although I am now a storyboard artist, when I was younger I actually started out in cinematography. At the time I lived in a small town in Washington, there were not that many resources for filmmaking at the time, however I was able to take a film class sponsored by the local community college. At the end of the class we were told to make a short film, however the teacher only had one camera to lend out. He told us to storyboard our films so that we could finish filming as fast as possible and let others in the class use the camera. My storyboards were god awful, just stick figures at that point, but I loved the process nonetheless. I decided to go to CSUF to study animation, and while there I started doing just about any freelance art I could get my hands on, from storyboards to character design. As time went on I started to fall more and more in love with storyboarding. I began to focus a hundred percent of my attention on storyboarding. During my last semester of school I was able to get a freelance storyboarding gig for a project called “My Time With Tolly”, which I still work on today! I am so proud of this project and the story it tells, I can’t wait for the animation on the first episode to finish up!

Although I have done a lot of storyboarding involving children’s tv I have slowly started to shift towards more cinematic storyboards. I love to balance comedy and drama in my boards. I feel like comedy adds a bit of relief and strengthens the dramatic bits of the story as it makes the characters more relatable. It also adds to the rhythm of the story and gives the audience time to prepare and process information. At the end of the day if I can make people feel something with my boards I’ll have succeeded.

It wasn’t always easy, while working my freelance I’ve had to make due with another part time job as a barista, which caused a lot of mental stress and burnout. Applying to jobs can also be exhausting after getting rejection after rejection. Although challenging, I am persistent with my love for this craft. I absolutely love storyboarding and I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. Some of it may be stubbornness but I know that I will keep pushing myself to be a better board artist, no matter the setbacks.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we were in the mood for some coffee in the morning, The Smoking Tiger is a great Korean café that offers amazing beverages and pastries. Since it’s in the heart of Fullerton we could explore the town or just sit and talk. I would definitely make sure to stop by The Frida Cinema, a local movie spot that plays all sorts of classic films that most theaters don’t play anymore. They have a wonderful atmosphere that is run by the community. It’s a great place to relax or meet fellow film connoisseurs. If it’s not too hot out I would probably take them to the Fullerton Arboretum, it is a gorgeous park filled with all sorts of different environments, including a bamboo forest! It’s a great place to picnic as well. In downtown Fullerton there’s a farmers market every Wednesday where you can pick up all sorts of amazing food and crafts from around the area. The last stop would probably be the Improv Collective in Costa Mesa which hosts improv teams from around Orange County. It’s a great way to wind down the day with a couple laughs and a wonderful community.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For me I would shout out to all the teachers I’ve had over the years. Thanks to their kindness and passion they have taught me everything I know about being a good artist. They have consistently made time to help me if I am struggling and encouraged me to be a lifelong learner of art. Especially to Chuck and Wendy Grieb, who have taught me everything about storyboarding and helped transform me from a student to a working storyboard artist. Another huge help has been the PMC, an animation group, who has provided me with such a wonderful community of artists who wish to see each other continue to grow and support one another. Of course a big shout out to my family as well, who may not understand art but support me nonetheless.

Website: https://ameliacobb.wixsite.com/portfolio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cobbamelia/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-cobb-5139b0187/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cornthoughtz?t=1pp73gOIksFQUcgaZIelfg&s=09