Meet Nick Sharma | Story Artist

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

Hi Nick, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
To me, taking risks means following your convictions, even when failure is a possibility. Once you choose to be an artist, embracing risk becomes essential for artistic discovery and growth.
Twelve years ago, I moved to the United States without any clear plan or prospects. My goal was simply to improve as an artist, and I was searching for some kind of affordable training.
Luckily, one of my friend/mentor suggested Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art in Van Nuys. I applied, got accepted, and moved to Los Angeles. This was my first time in a foreign country, and boy, I was terrified. It felt like jumping into an unknown vortex without any safety gear, completely vulnerable to the unpredictable currents.

Long story short-While I was in school, I met an amazing girl, and we ended up falling in love and eventually getting married. Our relationship helped shape my life here and through our marriage, I was able to make U.S. my new permanent home.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My day job is making storyboards for animated films, but after hours, I like to draw just for fun. I like making fanart/illustrations/drawings of almost anything that interests me. I think my work is quite inspired by the classic 2d animated Disney films and the Studio Ghibli films.

Breaking into the animation industry as a storyboard artist was definitely a challenge. Like anything worth doing, it’s not easy. This career path is elusive and demands a diverse skill set. First and foremost, strong drafting skills are essential since drawing is your primary means of communication. My two years working in comic books at Raj Comics in India really helped me hone those skills. I also regularly attended life drawing classes/workshops to strengthen those drawing muscles.
You also need a knack for storytelling and knowledge of filmmaking. Fortunately, being a cinephile, overtime I’ve managed to develop a keen sense of what I find entertaining in a story and what inspires me.
Finally, cultivating a unique art style can really help you stand out. I’m not sure I have full control over that aspect, as an art style evolves over time and is influenced by many moving factors. While I can’t say how unique or developed my style is currently, I love experimenting with different ways of drawing. The joy of discovering something new keeps me fully engaged in this pursuit.

Being a part of the mega-talented team of creatives at Disney feature animation surely makes me proud, and It makes me happy to know that the animated films I contribute to are watched and enjoyed by a lot of people.

Lately, I have been trying to develop some ideas for a graphic novel or a manga, which I am quite excited about, and I hope I find enough time and space to follow this through.

One thing that I learned that you have to be courageous enough to live by your values, whether in art or in your life. Also, I love this quote by Aravind Adiga – “The moment you recognize what is beautiful in this world, you stop being a slave.”- so I try to recenter myself to this statement during crisis.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d definitely take them to the beach first—probably somewhere a bit quieter like Hermosa or Manhattan Beach. They’re chill, less crowded, and still super pretty. I’d take them for a hike in Griffith Park—maybe the trail up to the Griffith Observatory. It’s a great way to see the city without being stuck in traffic.

I really love going to Forest Lawn in Glendale—it’s peaceful, green, and kind of hidden away. There’s also this incredible painting in the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection by Jan Styka. It’s from 1896 and absolutely massive—like 195 feet wide and 45 feet tall. It’s pretty breathtaking to stand in front of it.

If they’re into art, I’d insist on going to the Norton Simon Museum and the Getty. I love the art collection in both places and could spend hours there.

For food, I’d take them to Prince Street Pizza—always solid—and this hidden gem called Pho So 1 on Sepulveda Blvd. Super good and low-key.

That said, I’m not really the type to plan out packed itineraries. I’m more of a “stay in, order food, and watch TV” kind of person, so my version of showing someone around would be pretty laid-back.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a special shoutout to my family back in India, who not only encouraged me but helped me hunt down Classic Disney VHSs and DVDs in the ’90s when they were so hard to find. I also want to recognize my found family here in the US, ‘the Vakil family’, without their unwavering support and belief in me, I wouldn’t have been able to navigate life in this country.
I want to acknowledge my friend and talented artist Abhishek Singh, whose advice and encouragement were invaluable during my early struggles in this career. I’m also grateful to Jaydeep Hasrajani, Sanjay Patel, and Matt Jones, who all played crucial roles in helping me find my way in the animation industry.
Communities like “Asians in Animation” and “Sava Collective” are very supportive in uplifting underrepresented voices in the animation industry.

Website: https://www.nicksharma.net/

Instagram: mr.nicksharma

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nicksharma

Image Credits
All the images are my personal artworks/illutrations.