Meet Morgan Thompson | Director, Storyboard Artist, and Children’s Book Illustrator

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

Hi Morgan, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
To me, the most important value you can have in life is to have fun. When something is fun, then you’re more likely to continue to come back to it even when you’re frustrated. It’s why I love having an artistic career. I’ve worked in storyboards and kidslit for the past few years and I wouldn’t keep going back if I didn’t enjoy what I was doing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work these days reflects my love of story and upbringing as a Cherokee artist. I grew up around what is now the Cherokee Nation Reservation in Northeastern Oklahoma with a lot of other Cherokee and Native Americans so a lot of my work focuses around that. Cherokee love telling stories with puns/jokes so a lot of my ideas like The Fox & The Pigeon are set up around that. It helps keep your audience on their toes and makes them think which in Cherokee culture makes a good story.

Sometimes I’ve thought that my culture was a bit too distinct from mainstream here in the US. I would try and make stories that fit into western ideals. What I thought people wanted which made me miserable. When I finally got to do work that celebrated my culture like Kanuchi Day, I realized how much more vibrant the story was and how many people were actually wanting to see that kind of work.

These days my motto is it to do what you love and have fun doing it. Eventually your voice will be heard and the right people will listen to it no matter how distinct it is.

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?
I’m not a LA native so whenever I show people around I also use that as an opportunity to explore too!

A lot of my friends are in to anime so one of the first places we visit is Little Tokyo. It has a little bit of everything for everyone so there is always something to look at or shop for. The food around that area is also super good too and the variety means you can try a bit of everything from ramen to bubble tea!

I’ve also taken a lot of my friends on hikes around the area like in Griffith Park. It’s cool getting to look out over the valley and seeing everything from a bird’s eye view. I miss living in nature like I did in Oklahoma so it’s nice to get away from buildings and just breath in the smells of plants and dirt.

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 think one of the biggest shoutouts I can give can go to my family and friends over the years. It might sound corny but, I’ve needed a lot of encouragement when it came to taking my big risks. While I’m no stranger to taking risks, a risk is still a risk. It can be daunting taking one. Especially if you’re trying to make animation and kidslit your career. Without them, I might not have been so bold in my ideas and not taken any of the steps needed to get me to where I am today!

Another big shoutout I’d like to give would be for my second grade teacher in Tahlequah. I used to draw a lot as a kid, but I never considered art as a career. The arts in Oklahoma are not as invested in as in other places. Oddly enough I wanted to be a veterinarian or a teacher. Careers that were on the other side of the spectrum to animation. Every time she asked me about what I wanted to be I would say those and not an artist. I wasn’t interested in being an artist even though I was drawing and creating a lot of things. But she kept at it and eventually her words started to stick with me. I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t planted that thought in my brain for future me to cultivate!

Website: https://morganthompsonportfolio.weebly.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgannthompson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Skadoodlin

Image Credits
Photo Credit: James Jian Hua Lin