Meet Anushka Tina Nair | 3D Artist & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anushka Tina Nair and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anushka Tina, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
“Talk less and focus more on being a sponge” is pretty counterintuitive advice for an artist, even for those just starting out. Being an artist in the Animation and Games industries is about more than delivering a beautiful final product, it’s about questioning things to enable creative synergy.

Having worked within a few different animated film pipelines, I’ve learned that you become a better artist when you pay attention to your instincts at the same time that you’re wrapping your head around the established workflow. Don’t just go with the flow, but trust your ego and think about how the process could be even better. Get to know what kinds of roadblocks artists on other teams are running into, too, and voice your observations in a thoughtful way to people you trust. No one said you couldn’t challenge the established rules! The more proactive you are about understanding the rules and what exactly they are (or aren’t) accomplishing, the more intentional you can be about adapting your workflow, allowing the work artists on other teams are doing to bring out the best in yours. I’m reading Barbra Streisand’s memoir right now and she said it best: “Every artist has to have a healthy ego in order to succeed.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is all about building immersive worlds and telling identifiable stories. I’m a 3D Artist, writer, and filmmaker best known for the animated short film Period Drama (2022), which I co-created with my filmmaking partner Lauryn Anthony. The two of us are proud to have been the only US Student Oscars ’22 finalists in Animation, receiving honors at Siggraph LA and Asia, and garnering interest from the Animation & VFX communities and Hollywood alike. I was also most recently a Modeling Artist on the renowned Cinematics Modeling Team at Blizzard Entertainment, contributing to IPs such as World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and Warcraft Rumble.

While none of this was effortless, it’s worth mentioning that advocacy and collaboration were two key things that had to align – both for my career as a 3D Artist, as well as that long-term writer-director muscle I steadily exercise. My experience at Blizzard wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t meaningfully connected with and found advocates in the full band of passionate artists, supervisors, producers, directors and leaders on the Cinematics team in the first place. Period Drama would never have happened if no one was willing to step up and take a chance on the risky premise that Lauryn and I wanted to run with – a period piece about a girl getting her first period. More importantly, our idea would never have amounted to much if the two of us didn’t come together wholly in every step of that process.

I’m in a relatively early stage of my professional journey, but my big takeaway here is that the most important thing for artists to nurture is creative relationships, because they absolutely carry more weight than the art that results from them.

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?
Disclaimer: my relationship with SoCal is a little different than most. I haven’t officially moved there just yet, but I’ve been out in DTLA, West Hollywood, and the OC quite a bit due to my career – meeting up with coworkers, attending film festivals. I’m a HUGE cinephile, so the Warner Bros Classic Studio Tour and a visit to the Academy Museum are musts if you’re a sucker for movies and the Golden Age of Hollywood. For unbeatable views, go to The Getty, Griffith Observatory, or just drive along PCH. If you’re feeling fun drinks and live entertainment at an old-timey speakeasy, visit Bathtub Gin on Melrose. And for a sweet treat, you’re missing out if you don’t try the 85°C Bakery Cafe!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to dedicate my shoutout to the Brontë sisters! This infamous literary trio represents the best example of creative synergy, unapologetic authenticity, and female friendship. I try to embody these things and they’ve guided my own professional journey.

Website: https://www.artstation.com/anushkatinanair

Instagram: @anushka.tina.nair

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anushka-tina-nair/