Joslyn Schmitt

Personal Pronouns

She/Her

Describe what you do for work and how your experience with it has been.

During the day, I work as a remote Contract Illustrator + Production Artist, creating vector art for education. Outside of this, I run my business, The Jolly Jawbreaker, where I design and sell my original art online, at local artist alleys, and at craft shows. In my experience since graduating, I have worn many hats from 2D Animator, UI Designer, Illustrator, Voice Narrator, and Graphic Designer. Most job opportunities are contract-based, so the projects, needs, clients, and even your job title are often changing. It can be scary and stressful during the in-between time when work is slow and unpredictable, so always having projects and multiple streams of income coming in can be a great safety net and investment for your future. For example, I love animals, so I also provide pet-setting services on Rover and stream my art LIVE on Twitch twice a week, showing how I am developing my original series, The Adventures of Lil Sengi.

How did you get your job?

I discovered my day job through Google search, job boards like Indeed, and connecting with local staffing agencies in the Twin Cities. I landed the job because of my experience and expertise in using software like Illustrator and Photoshop, working with cross-functional teams, and working in production efficiently and with excellent quality. On the flip side, I also created my job opportunity by starting my own business. When the path is not always clear, sometimes you have to get creative and carve a path for yourself, even if it is slow.

How long ago did you graduate from MCAD?

10+ years

Where are you originally from and how did you hear about MCAD?

Robbinsdale, MN. In high school, I searched for the closest colleges that taught Animation. MCAD looked like it would be fun to go to and fit more of my style.

What was your major and how did you choose it?

Animation. Art, Anime, Film, and Videogames have always been a core part of my life and when I was a Senior in high school I decided it was only the most logical direction I must go in.

Who was your favorite faculty member and why?

I cannot just choose one so here is a list. I like lists.

Melodee Strong—She taught me how to talk about my work and helped me gain confidence when speaking in front of a room, which translated well when attending corporate meetings. She grilled into my head to avoid saying "um" too much when I am nervous.

Jason Greenberg—Jason taught me the joys of working in Illustrator and met me where I was as an artist, which is the best thing a teacher can do. He gave me tailored feedback on my work, which helped me improve and become the artist I am today. Because of him and how he taught digital illustration, I was able to land a lot of my big-girl design jobs post-graduation because of his class.

Jen Zuccola— She helped me transition from community college to MCAD and provided me with so much helpful information to navigate my path as an Animation major. It was not straightforward since I had a lot to catch up on as a transfer. I appreciate her knowledge and insight so much. Also shout out to Film Studies teacher Mr. Zuccola for being one of the best and my favorite teacher I ever had in high school!

Michael Elyanow—He noticed my storytelling and writing potential in our screenwriting class. He was confident in my work and saw something I did not see in myself. Because of his class, I learned to write in the "now" and think a lot about how I write characters which translated into my animation work. As I work on my first novel for Lil Sengi, I remember his teachings.

Graeme Stout—Thanks to Graeme's class, I became a stronger writer and discovered my love of editing for other people. I did not realize how far behind I was in my English education and grammar, and his class helped improve my writing and voice. This has come in handy not only in writing stories and my resume but also in writing copy for big client projects.

Joshua Namdev Hardisty—Joshua's continuing education classes helped me break out of the creative block I experienced off and on for YEARS post-graduation. I found the joy of process and ideation thanks to Joshua's classes and how he approaches life and design. He truly helped rewire my creative brain. Now, I have the opposite problem: I have too many ideas and projects and not enough time!

David Sandberg- Thanks to David's storyboard and character animation classes, I learned the skills to bring story, composition, and characters to life and in sequence. His teachings have and continue to help me as both a Storyteller and a Designer. This one time, while working at a studio, Sales impromptu reached out to me because they needed help organizing and pitching their ideas to a big-time potential client, Amazon. I translated Sales scattered ideas and packaged them into nice storyboards they could pitch and present. They WON the client because of my boards and ability to organize their pitch into something cohesive and understandable.

Honorable Mentions: Andrew Chesworth, Annelise Capossela, Barry Mortenson, Chris Hajny, Craig Rice, Dave Novak, Justin Weber, Katie Nelson, Lindsay Nohl, Schell Hickel, Stevie Rexroth, Tom Schroeder

Describe your internship(s).

I experienced my internship internally at MCAD, so it was not different from being a student working on a big group project. The one difference was that the scale of work was higher since it was for an external client (UN Women). That being said, this was such an invaluable experience for me that not only pushed my limits but gave me the experience of working on a team, getting into the habit of tracking hours for work, accepting that not all projects see the light of day, and most importantly why I will NEVER work for free. I worked as a Cleanup Animator, and working with my peers who had far more experience, skills, and knowledge than myself, I had to grow and grow FAST to keep up with them because we all were working toward the same goal. Doing cleanup was the final art the audience would see on screen, so I had to make sure the Animation linework was clean and the inbetweens accurate. One of the things I remember was trying my best to avoid creating more work for my teammates when I made mistakes. Not only am I a slow learner, but I often had far less experience with software, and my technical skills were not on the same level as my team, so despite feeling that insecurity, I kept myself open, humble, and listened and learned as much as I could from my peers and the project. If I made a mistake, I would try to fix it until it was right. During this time, I started to discover my strength and ability to mediate and work with all kinds of people with differing values and personalities. Being able to set aside differences, emotions, and be able to compromise is an important skill to have. You would be surprised how unprofessional and catty some people in management/teams can be and being able to be the person who is calm and empathizes with your peers is a powerful skill to have to ease the team and keep everything moving forward. In the end, the project took about 3 months, basically all summer until we successfully finished our animated commercial. Sometime later, we found out the client never used the animation we worked so hard on during summer break, and that was my first-hand experience where I found out many of the projects we may work hard on for a client may never see the light of day. It is unfortunately a common occurrence. It bummed me out, especially since I had to sacrifice my day job hours and lose more money to do the internship work, but the growth and experience of my internship was a valuable experience for me. However, not being paid, not having the project go any further, or not be seen by an audience made me realize I will never work for free again. Your efforts and skillset are always worth compensation.

Best thing you ever found on the free shelf?

OMG! I found so many treasures on the Free Shelf! I scored a Heart CD, comic-style Converse, Pokemon figurines, a Fruits Basket book and a book on Japanese fashion, some wicked goth arm warmers, office supplies, expensive art supplies, and much more. Being an Animation major who basically lived in the studio all hours, I always found the good stuff on my breaks. ^_^

Did MCAD prepare you for life after graduation? In what way?

Yes and no. MCAD pushed me past the limit as an artist and gave me the language and exposure to the tools I would need to start navigating life outside of art school, but there is SO MUCH I was not taught and had to learn on the job and ask around in my community. Examples of things I had to learn outside of MCAD were where to start searching for jobs, how to price the art and services I offer, how to write invoices, look at contracts, protect myself from being underpaid or taken advantage of by big corporate companies, how to pitch projects and defend designs, where to find more resources as an artist, and more. The most challenging hurdle right after graduation was losing access to resources like the print shop, drawing tablets, cameras, and computers. How do you put all you learned into practice if you don't have the tools anymore? This limited the type of work I could do for a long time till I could save up for these resources over the years.

Your biggest takeaway from MCAD?

A lifetime of crippling debt but an invaluable source of knowledge and life-changing experience as a working artist. I was able to grow so much faster being surrounded by so many skilled and talented artists from around the world. My experience at MCAD is one of the toughest obstacles I ever had to face and I had to sacrifice a lot to study and be there. Through the trials though, I became so much more resilient, independent, and was able to grow an insanely strong work ethic that has strengthened my mental endurance and took my art to the next level I needed.

What inspires you/your work?

Classic anime, manga, animals, books, music, romance, nature, and the drive to publish my own work. I have always been a daydreamer and a hopeless romantic. My mind is filled with whimsical stories and ideas I want to see on paper and the screen. What keeps me going is the pure desire to bring these ideas to life. I want to see my books The Adventures of Lil Sengi and Melody's Kiss on my bookshelf, in the shops of my community, and in the hands of my friends and family. (And one day on the big screen!)

How do you network yourself and your art?

I show up as much as I can. I attend and participate in the communities I am interested in. Whether working out in a group fitness class, having craft nights with my friends, or selling my art at a local anime show like Anime Detour, the topic of " what I do" and am working on enters the conversation. I will leave my art on any community boards I find in any coffee shop; I gift freebie stickers to people I think are nice and cool, I stream my art on Twitch, I share my process with The Jolly Club on my Ko-fi page, I run and interact with the Jolly Discord Community weekly, I post updates across my social media, and most importantly I try and help other people genuinely when I can. When you show up for yourself, help others, and expect nothing in return, the network expands, and people will notice you. Networking does not have to be schmoozing or something you must do out of desperation, you can be yourself and casually talk about the cool things you do. Keep talking about your dreams and projects out loud; everything will fall into place.

What advice do you have for students and artists?

Hold onto your voice as creative. Lean into your strengths and quirks, and embrace what you love to make and what makes you curious. Keep practicing your fundamentals, get 8 hours of sleep (bragging about lack of sleep is not cool), eat enough food, keep your body active and healthy, and take long breaks away from art and hustling all the time. When you rest and experience life, this feeds into creating better, more honest art from your own experiences, which will help your longevity as an artist. It can be easy to get sidetracked in a world that bombards us with information and imagery that makes us feel like we " need " to create art in a certain way to get attention, jobs, and money. Many voices and doubters may pull us in so many directions that we can forget why we love what we do and burn out. Always remember why and what you love to create in the first place to avoid getting lost. Don't compete with others and embrace the best YOU you can be.

What was your experience living in the Twin Cities? Any hidden treasures?

I grew up in the Twin Cities and still live here. I did not have college dorm experience since I lived on my grandma's couch when I attended MCAD, but as a local, I can tell you how much I love the nature and our diverse weather. No matter your direction, you will find a beautiful lake and some trees to relax under. Check out Wet Pet and Anchor Paper if you want art supplies. If you want to score some rare imported anime goods, say hi to my friends at Fragmented Nostalgia; they will hook you up.