We had the good fortune of connecting with Benjamin Paulo Carow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benjamin Paulo, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Well, the answer to this question is very circumstantial, no? But overall there are a couple of things I think about when I come across a challenge that seems so overwhelming or nebulous that I feel like giving up.

First, I try to break down the challenge into steps. The smaller the better! I like to ask myself “what little thing can I do to get me a little closer to my goal?” Smaller tasks are easier to complete and the sense of satisfaction that comes from completing a little goal can be just as rewarding (and encouraging) as completing a large one. As you chip away one little piece at a time, the mountain that it once was will slowly appear easier to scale.

Second, I often like to ask my friends, mentors or members of my community for perspective on my challenges. I’ve found that keeping my worries or frustrations in my own head will only inflate them further and sometimes make the task feel even more overwhelming. But talking to someone and getting these problems out of the echo chamber of your head can sometimes open the door to new, unseen and creative solutions. Talking to people who are familiar with your particular struggle is great for finding pathways taken by others before you, but even asking advice from your neighbor who may know nothing about your circumstance could offer surprising solutions you may not have seen before.

Third, it’s important to remind yourself of the motivation behind the task. You are in this current struggle for a reason. Reiterate often to yourself why it’s important to face this challenge. Did you choose this fight? Or was it imposed upon you. Do you actually HAVE to do it? Or is it something you THINK you have to do? Will completing this task offer some kind of benefit? Or prevent some kind of catastrophe? This internal dialogue is important to put into perspective the reason why all this hard work is worth it in the end and help keep you going.

But, all this to say, that sometimes I look over a challenge I am facing, I break it down, I ask for help, I remind myself of my motivation, and I can’t help but come to the conclusion that “this is stupid, I’m wasting my time.” All the steps I’ve mentioned above also help me find out when a task I’m up against isn’t really worth it. All the stress and frustration that comes from worrying about this is bleeding into the rest of my day and tanking my quality of life. If this is the case (and the circumstance permits) I think it’s a great act of self love to bail.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve worked now in animation for about 10 years, and to be honest, I kind of always knew that this was what I wanted to do. When I was a kid, I remember watching “The Hunchback of Notre Dam” and a family friend leaned over to me and said “you know, making cartoons is actually a job?” Blew my little mind right off of my shoulders and into the clouds. From then on, I was driven by my desire to work in the animation industry. I drew every day, filling every paper that appeared before me with scribbles, from loose leaf printer paper, to the margins of homework assignments.

From grade school through to high school, my parents shoved me into every free/affordable drawing or animation program they could find in LA. In middle school, I was introduced to the “CAP” program (Community Arts Partnership) where I got the majority of my animation education outside of regular public school and the instructors (college students of animation themselves) helped me prepare a portfolio to apply to CALARTS (California Institute for the Arts) when I was ready for college. This program was free and it opened a lot of doors for kids like me seeking a creative outlet who grew up below the poverty line.

With the help of a LOT of grants, scholarships and loans, I was able to go to CALARTS and get the focused animation education I was craving. In those four years, I made 4 student films, a mini comic, and several portfolios filled with character designs and messy pastel life drawings. I chose as well to return to the CAP program as a teacher, to give the new generation of animation nerds the same care and consideration that the program gave me when I was a delinquent teen trying to find his way.

After college ended in 2014, I spent some more time as an educator before starting my animation career at Titmouse Inc. making storyboards for some DC animated Youtube shorts. My big break however (if you will) came the following year when I was staffed to work at Cartoon Network on the one of the “Power Puff Girls” reboots. And working at Cartoon Network was surreal! I spent so much of my childhood nerding out about the shows from the network, and now I get to be a part of it. The old building (my it rest in peace) was like walking into a playground every day, with candy and toys everywhere. It was a space designed with joy in mind, and the friends I’ve made there are eternal. I spent about 5 years ultimately at Cartoon Network and they were some of the best years of my life.

After my time at CN ended, I spent some time in Brazil doing some storyboard work for a film COPA Studios was putting together. Traveling for work is a hoot. But shorty after returning to LA, the Pandemic hit and sent everyone in the studios home. Like many things, animation has never been the same since. In this period between 2020 – 2023, there was a boom in production for animated shows and I worked pretty consistently for a few years, bouncing between Netflix Animation and Titmouse Inc, (all from the comfort of my home.)

But over the last few years, the bubble burst and, for the most part, the production of animated shows slowed from a stream to a trickle. Nearly all of my friends whom I’ve worked with for my whole career have been unemployed for months or years now. Very few of us animation workers are actually employed at a studio now, and many have turned to picking up service jobs to supplement their income, picked up crafting or began tabling at conventions. Its a tragedy, as these were all good paying union jobs that feel to have disappeared.

As for me, at the time of this interview, I too am one of these unlucky unemployed animation artists trying to find where to go and what to do next. I’ve picked up loads of new skills over the years, like sewing, crocheting, macrame, as well as other practical skills, like learning how to change my own oil in my car and fix broken things around the apartment. There are loads of personal projects to work on that I can chip away at a little every day, such as posters, comics, pitches, film ideas, etc, so I’m keeping busy.

But I try to keep a pretty positive attitude when I speak with my animation friends about where our industry will be next. What else can we do, right?

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.
Oooo, Los Angeles is treasure trove of adventure! Where does one even begin…

Let’s start with a trip through DTLA, taking the Red Line from the North Hollywood Metro station over to Union Station. I would take my guest to “Olvera Street” first to enjoy the central plaza and old Los Anegels and then make our way to the Garment District to see the astoundingly beautiful collections of fabrics. East from there is “Mariachi Plaza,” which is also pretty rad. From there, a MUST see is Arts District, which is becoming more lively every year. Gotta grab a bite to eat at the “Grand Central Market” and wander around the building trying everything we can. We can end the night there at “Caseys Irish Pub,” have a stout and play some billiards.

Another day, I’ll stuff my friend into my tiny car and show them the “Huntington Library,” a must see for flower and plant lovers in LA. You can spend the whole day there and still not see everything. From there, South Pasadena is quite accessible and wandering around is quite pleasant, but it must end, in my opinion, at the “Griffins of Kinsale,” where we’ll have a drink and listen to the live music they have that night.

Another must see is the “Bob Baker Marionette Theater” in Highland Park. I wouldn’t let any of my friends leave LA without taking in a puppet show there. Highland park is also a great neighborhood to wander around in with cafes and bars galore. I am a big fan of “Sticky Rice,” the Thai food restaurant down the street on York Blv. But I would head toward Echo Park location on Sunset blv., because it sits right across the street from my favorite book store in LA, “Stories, Books and Cafe.” One could have a great time drinking and reading in Echo Park.

But in my opinion, no LA trip feels complete without a bike ride down the LA river bike path. Especially in the Frogtown area, the river can be very pretty. We could ride around the path, stopping at the “Spoke Cafe,” or “Frogtown Brewery” and stop along the other shops down the pathway. I would veer off with my friend into Atwater Village to a bit and brew at “Link n’ Hops,” easily one of my favorite places to get a vegan bratwurst. We can ride the path all the way up to Burbank and find our way to Chandler bike path and ride over to North Hollywood, where I’m absolutely gonna drag my buddy to have a drink with me at the “Idle Hour,” the barrel shaped bar on Vineland blv.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If there is any individual whom I owe my success to, it would be late mentor, Leo F. Hobiaca Jr. He was professor at Calarts (California institute for the arts) who dedicated his life to art and education, and always pushed everyone he worked with to think critically and creatively. Without his encouragement, I would never have found a pathway to where I am today.

Miss you every day, Leo!

Website: https://www.bpcarow.com

Instagram: @smokefreesaladbar

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-p-carow-5aa16293/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.carow/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@benjaminpcarow8485/videos and https://www.youtube.com/@ExplodyCow (Both are very old)

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