Meet Fransis Chicote | Storyboard Artist | Illustrator | Animator

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

Hi Fransis, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
The most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make was the choice of going to college at 17.

I attended Design & Architecture Senior High (DASH) in Miami Florida. It was an incredible opportunity to be accepted into this school because all of the programs and art opportunities were paid for by donations and school funds. DASH focused on training students in various schools of arts. There were miniature majors called “Strands” that allowed students to enter a college simulation. Architecture, Industrial Design, Fashion, Film, and Graphic Design were all the different strands you were allowed to follow throughout your whole four years. Despite it being an “Art School” we were challenged academically just like any other Stem school. In 2016 it was number one on the Top U.S Highschool’s National Rankings page. It was a great place to be, and all at the same time a highly stressful environment. When junior year rolled into its winter semester, we had all sent out our college applications. Not even having entered senior year and we already were faced with the stress of Colleges.

Dash was proudly and art school and the environment supported the idea that we should all continue in the studies of art in some way or form. That’s when my 17 year old brain decided it was okay to go to one of the most expensive art schools in the United States. I sent in my application to Ringling College of Art + Design, and I got accepted within a few months. I don’t regret my decision or attending Ringling, but many times I look back and wonder how differently it would have been financially for me If I had only waited and taken a breath before jumping from a competitive educational environment to another in such a short amount of time.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I don’t think that my story sets me apart from other artists, and I find a lot of comfort in that. along the way in my career, I’ve realized that all artists struggle with a lot of the same concepts.
Art block, challenging motivation, competing with other artists and creating boundaries for ourselves set by social media are all things that we have in common. But it also means that as artists we can start to count on each other to be there when we fall.

Whenever I have a challenge approaching me, I know that I cant overcome it alone. There are many times when I get stuck on my storyboarding process. The characters just don’t feel real enough, there is something off but I cant put my finger on it. And I stop. I take a break and try to contact friends to help me see it in a new light or at the very least with fresh eyes we can figure out what feels wrong with the project. My friends and collogues have always been able to get to the bottom of it, and make me laugh through the toughest parts of the creative process.

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?
Miami has a lot to offer. It’s difficult to list all of it in one day. The city is full of many different stories. My favorite stories to re-visit while in the city are those of my family. I like to drive to different family members houses and take walks with them through the neighborhoods. Miami is full of lush gardens, palms, florals and wildlife. Had a stressful zoom meeting? Lets go on a walk through the suburbs of coral gables, we are bound to run into a few wild peacocks and cranes, perhaps a giant green iguana or two, and later after our walk we can sit on the porch and watch the sky’s fill with the sounds of parrots looking for a cozy tree to rest for the night.

If nature and warm walks aren’t your thing, I highly recommend taking a figure drawing class with some of our local free programs. On Wednesdays I like to attend Milf’d (Man I love figure drawing), and on Saturdays I take time out to attend Raw Figs (Raw Figures). Both are donation based, family-friendly figure drawing groups with live models, great music, and incredible locations changes each time. Each week they alternate in-between museums, restaurants, roof top bars, and even beaches. There is nothing more creative and relaxing for me like attending a figure drawing session at the beach, surrounded by good vibes and excellent company.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Mr. Tom Pike! (Who legally changed his name to have an exclamation mark at the end) was the first role model in my life to see me and my work for what it was. He was the Film instructor at Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami and I believe still is.

For the first time in my life, my craziest ideas were accepted.
We would start a new short film project with a general theme, “Acceptance” for example, and then we would begin a two week brain-dumping process of generating ideas, creating scripts and storyboards, and planning, all in the hopes that our idea would get approved by Mr. Pike so that we could begin the logistical stage of our short film process, location scouting, picking out equipment, scheduling and scouting actors.

I would come up with the most impossible idea. And each time he would say yes.
A murder mystery about a 1950’s character who pops out of a TV Screen and lives in the modern world? “OK Fransis, that sounds great! hop to it” he would say.

Only after a few films did I realize that he wanted to test me, and see if I could truly make the film I had set my mind to make. I learned along the way, that not everything turns out how you expect it, and that it’s okay to get creative on occasions where the idea seems impossible. My group and I would always find a way and it was all because he allowed us to try.

To let a student unleash their full potential by trusting them 100%. It’s a rare site to see these days for professors to adopt this mentality, but I try to encourage it with everyone I meet, and it’s that very though process that drive my work to this very day.

Website: https://www.fransischicote.com/

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

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/fransischicote/

Image Credits
Profile photo of myself in the garden was taken by Mirra Eden MacDonald. Photo titled: “Bacteriumdelirium_Highres1” is a shot from my thesis film: “Bacterium Delirium” Co-created by myself Fransis Chicote and my animation partner Nicole Tan