Meet Julisse Tinoco | 2D Animator & Illustrator

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

Hi Julisse, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My work life balance is always evolving, and it’s something I’d like to focus on this year in particular. While in college my main priority was my classes and assignments, then career development, then my part time work, a million other things and then finally leisure time. The dedication paid off, but looking back I see that missed out on a lot of fun experiences and overall time to decompress between responsibilities. This unbalance led to a lot of burnout, Attending school during the early days of the pandemic blurred the lines between free time and work. Not super helpful.

These last two years I’ve been searching for a healthier balance, especially as an independent artist. Working from home gives me the freedom of splitting my time exactly how I want, without worrying about commute times. But it also makes it more difficult when your super comfy bed is several feet away from you and your eyelids are heavy. It’s hard! I’m making it work right now, and I’m feeling good about it, with more improvements to come.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The art of animation, at its core, is about storytelling. The only limit is your imagination. If you can think it, you can bring it to life. My personal style caters to younger audiences. Children’s media is a world where you can tell all kinds of stories that will be in the hearts of many. That is what excites me so much about my art. In a way that’s the easy part, having that drive and being ready to take on the challenge. However, getting to the pitch meeting or the writer’s room or the studio where it’s all happening, that’s the challenge.

In school I faced a lot of doubt. Doubting whether the financial risk was worth it. Doubting my skills were at the level they needed to be. Doubting if there was a place for me in the animation industry. All of this came from different places, professors, social hierarchies, classmates, but most importantly, myself. I was slowly losing my passion in the face of these obstacles. It was a whirlwind of emotions, I even considered changing career paths. Over time I came to understand that to get where I needed, I had to face these doubts and accept the risks. They don’t just go away. I had to see it through despite everything in my way.

I dove deeper into the world of animation, every lecture, every panel, workshop, film festival and volunteer opportunity I could grab. Trying to learn as much as possible. While my classes helped me improve my craft and find my own voice, these opportunities helped me my name out there and contribute to the community in other ways. And it was these efforts that landed me my first gig. Straight out of graduation I was recommended for an animation assistant job on a children’s show pilot. The recommendation came from one of my department’s staff members, and since then I’ve een able to call myself a freelance animator.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve lived in NYC for nearly 6 years now, and I have so much to explore. But my first thought on where to take my bestie is Chinatown. My friend introduced me to Nom Wah Tea Parlor years ago and it’s a favorite for our group! The food is delicious and always worth the wait. A nice lunch there is a great way to kickoff and then grab some boba tea to walk around with.

If I had a whole week with them I would definitely take them to my favorite museums, the MET and Museum of Natural History are great spots to sit and sketch. Plus those spots have so much to see, it could take a day at each to really take it in!

I love Central Park as much as anyone else, but since moving to Brooklyn I love visiting Prospect Park. In the summers there’s Smorgasburg, where various food stands and tricks set up shop from around the city. Rooster Boy always has AMAZING crispy chicken sandwiches.

Not far from Prospect there’s Nitehawk Cinema. It’s an old school movie theatre that serves food during your show. They even theme some dishes based on the films they currently play.

For a final night, I’d take my friend to K-Town for some KBBQ and dessert. For birthdays my friends have started a little tradition of going to Build a Bear Workshop, grabbing KBBQ (Baekjeong NYC is a fave right now) and then ending the night at Grace Street Coffee and Desserts. Maybe even sing some karaoke before they leave!

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 can say with 100% certainty that my success can be attributed to my mother and her never-ending dedication. Like many, she is a single mother with multiple daughters. Her and my grandmother raised my sisters and I and taught us the value of independence and education. Whenever I had doubts those two strong women pushed me farther than I can imagine. I dedicate this to them. Las amo mucho.

Website: https://bluesketchydoodles.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/bluesketchydoodles?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julisse-marie/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/blusktchydoodls