Inspiration & Influence (CalArts MFA, EA 2012)

"Inspiration & Influence" essay submitted for my application to the MFA Experimental Animation program at CalArts for fall of 2012.

My creative birthplace was in theater and opera, so the stylized dramatics are very much second nature for me. Because of my history with these mediums I cannot help but to be heavily influenced by both. They are each very powerful in their own rights. I am inspired by playwrights like Samuel Beckett, Henrik Ibsen, Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, and William Shakespeare. My Shakespearian influence is similar to my operatic influence; in that they both utilize large and beautifully stylized visuals. In addition, both opera (by definition) and Shakespeare’s work communicate through music. Shakespeare’s use of musicality in his language, I believe, is a large reason his work is not only still prevalent but produced in mass all over the world. The timelessness of opera and Shakespeare resides in their ability to resonate with the human spirit no matter the background of the audience. This is why I think most of the stories can be re-imagined in contexts other than their original. I have always been interested in the many ways a story can be told. My theater company in Chicago, The Neapolitans, makes it our purpose each season to present the same story through multiple perspectives and interpretations.

Ibsen, Pinter and Miller’s ability to present an understated and restricted reality can be felt in all walks of life. Everyone encounters societal constructs as obstructions of one’s true self at some point, if not all points in life. Although they are very different writers, Ibsen, Pinter and Miller taught me about the naturalistic approach to a script that is steeped in subtext. They are able to present the frightening reality of how relationships and societies function. Each of these playwrights has their own unique and deeply effecting use of silence as well. The dramatics of these playwrights are in the quietest corners of the script; their meaning is to be found in the space between.

The way something is communicated can lose or gain an audience based solely on structure. When it comes to storytelling, I prefer carefully chosen minimal language and pointed use of repetition and silence. One of my biggest influences in the composition of a story is Samuel Beckett. He was able to capture bits of humanity at the base line with his minimalistic language and abstract composition. Beckett’s use of repetition in Endgame is hugely inspiring to me because it demonstrates the power of context and causes an analysis of the purpose of speech. Endgame is by far one of my favorite plays, and I would love to explore it in stop motion at some point. The setting, imagery, and concepts are far reaching and leave plenty of room for interpretation. His use of humor to break up the dramatic is brilliant. He gives the audience a chance to breathe, and I believe that this breath is essential to the effectiveness of both the comedy and the drama.

The Coen brothers reimagining of Homer’s The Odyssey, O Brother Where Art Thou is one of the few films that I feel embodies all of the theatrical elements I hold dear. It is a perfect example of the balance between comedy and drama. It is extremely entertaining while at the same time presents vast ideas and concepts about humanity. It is visually, aurally, and intellectually engaging. Every detail of the film has something to examine, think about, and/or enjoy. I discover something new every time I revisit it, and that is the sort of composition I am interested in creating.

I most admire artists that are able to let go of the expected constructs of what they are creating and reach beyond those imposed borders. Aesthetically, some of my biggest influences have been Jackson Pollock, Henry Selick, Don Bluth, Philip Hunt, and the images produced by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope. Henry Selick’s James and the Giant Peach was the first full-length stop motion film I ever saw, and I immediately fell in love. His use of light and glow is extraordinary. There is something about specified glow and reflection that amps up the sense of magic and intrigue. Additionally, with James and the Giant Peach I started to see more texture than I had ever seen on film. Then he went and outdid himself with Coraline. The combination of animation techniques is stunning, and the hair was truly inspiring. Don Bluth is another major animation influence. He showed me that animation could be used to illustrate the darker and more honest side of the emotive being. The Land Before Time remains, in my mind, to be one of the most beautiful and touching animated films to date. Other Bluth films that I hold dear are The Secret of NIHM and An American Tail. He taught me about the importance of the visual relationship between a chaos and order. The more this relationship is developed, the more interesting the image will be. It is also a clear representation of how I feel this universe functions. The more my work reflects this functionality, the more I feel it can resonate on limitless levels.

Another visual aspect that is very important to my work is that it maintains a handmade quality. It is something that I greatly admire and attempt to embody in my work. When I first viewed Philip Hunt’s Ah Pook is Here I was left feeling big-eyed and exhilarated. The texture and lighting of this piece are absolutely captivating. His use of silence and vocal quality of the narrator (William S. Burroughs) pulls you in. The way in which the beings move communicates what the words do not. The visual design is unique and reflects life in its various grotesque beauties. With Ah Pook Hunt was able to walk that edge; the edge that leaves you thinking and feeling, with new connections poised to touch.

Outside of the art of animation, two of my biggest visual influences are Jackson Pollock and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Pollock communicated in pure emotion. He used the paint as an extension of his body and deepest self. He allowed himself to simply be the vessel through which his subconscious communicated. His process is one that I admire above all others. Not to plan every last element, but instead to plan the feel, the essence of the piece; allowing that essence to move through you as you create without stopping off for logics input. The combination of harmony and chaos in his work is honest, and something I strive for every day.

The Hubble Space Telescope has produced images never seen before. It has provided us with a new context in which to view our universe. When we look at, for example, the star nursery housed in the Orion Nebula, one cannot help but to be transported to an intangible and indescribable place. The Omnimax Hubble 3D at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry was one of the most moving film experiences I have ever had. Becoming engulfed in the nebula was soul-shaking. I will be forever grateful to Toni Myers for having the foresight to send Omnimax film on the last Hubble repair mission. The beauty and magnificence of the universe is spell binding. These photographs show us what we are made of. They are both empowering and humbling; a true common denominator in the human race. We all live under the same stars, and are made of the same stuff.

This is a concept that inspires me in everything I do; that we are all essentially the same. I believe the differences we perceive in one another, are actually similarities that have been dealt with in different ways due to whatever each individual’s life experience has taught them. Linked with that idea is the concept of micro reflecting macro. This was introduced to me through Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series, which is consistently a great source of inspiration. I believe that on every level of life there is a reflection to be found in something both smaller and larger than itself. There is an invisible common thread that binds us all together in both structure and function.

The last concept that informs my work at the very base is that we all have the ability to change ourselves. We have the power to change the way we think, act, and see the world. The book The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge changed me forever. It focuses on stories of neuroplasticity, meaning that the brain is plastic; it is changeable, moldable, and moveable. The power of thought is extremely strong and has measurable physiological impact. You always have the power to become the person you want to be no matter where you are in life. If animals and plants have been able to evolve; change with the changing world throughout time, then there is no reason why anything or anyone should be stagnant now. My heart, my hands, my mind, and my spirit are dedicated to exploring and sharing what it means to be human and a piece of this universe.