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

Hi Kyle, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Learn to enjoy the journey. Social media has made us into a generation that demands immediate success and we’ve lost the appreciation for the journey. Those late nights where you’re trying to find who you are as an artist, the closet full of failed pitches and the small victories that are meaningless to some but huge to you. I was too busy beating myself up because I couldn’t land the cool gigs other artists where getting out of school, that I never stopped to respect the moment. I’m a showrunner now, living my dream and if I was handed those cool gigs out of college, there’s no way I’d be here now. I needed that long winding road, the hustle and failures. I’m fortunate to now appreciate the moments that got me here and more importantly the moments as they are happening now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I don’t think it’s easy for anyone working their way through the business of animation. Taking your passion and making it your 9-5 isn’t supposed to be easy, we’ve all had our own hurdles to get here but it makes it all worth while. My biggest hurdle was that I couldn’t draw, I was an awful artist but I didn’t have a ‘Plan B’, so I just kept grinding. I love storytelling and animation is such a creative way to tell stories. I figured if I could learn how to draw I could make this work. There were countless all-nighters just trying to figure out the basic fundamentals of drawing. This went on for a number of years. I knew I wasn’t the smartest, funniest or most talented in the room, I was just going to have to outwork everyone. I think that lack of talent and work ethic formed my style, I love imperfection in art and life. I like ideas and drawings that are rough and raw. Like many people, I look in the mirror and see imperfection and so I love to see that in character, story and drawing. It took me a few years to find that style, I was trying to follow the direction of my teachers and colleagues, I just wanted a job. Some artists know who they are right out of school and I think that’s incredible, but It took me a good number of years to find my style. I had to figure myself out first. I learnt that everyone is on their own timeline, learn to enjoy yours.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Start your morning with a dip in the lake, people watch your way through the Venice boardwalk. and once hungry, get yourself to Little Dom’s for meatballs and martinis. Finish with a night cap at Jumbo’s.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve been lucky, there’s a ton of people throughout my life that have supported me. Even when I really sucked, I still had family support and friends that had my back. Shoutout to the high school hockey coach that cut me from the team, I lacked any real talent or height but if I didn’t get a healthy dose of reality at a young age I’d probably still be trying to make the NHL (and I was never going to make it).

Website: https://www.kylemarshallart.com

Instagram: @kylessandwichesandicecream

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