Spring 2022 Animation Exhibition (Virtual)

Lydia Alverson is an animator and digital artist based in Atlanta, GA. She draws her inspiration from past experiences and her favorite animated films and TV shows. She hopes to start her career with character animation and grow in the industry by experimenting in different areas of animation. 

I have always been a storyteller. As a kid I would play make-believe and go on fantastical adventures to other worlds to pass the time. I spent countless hours exploring new worlds, meeting creatures, and having epic battles with imaginary characters in my backyard. Now that I am older, nothing brings me more joy than to share the stories in my head to the world. If I can emotionally move people, make them think, or send out a message to the masses that can help make the world a more understanding and safer place for all living things, then I have found success as an artist.

When I first came up with the concept for my film, “Mother”, I kept all these things in mind. I wanted to leave behind me a film that would make people more aware of animal abuse situations which are tied to pet stores and the pet industry. Many of the scenes I included reference real things I have seen while researching breeding mills. I wanted to both raise awareness of puppy mills and evoke sympathy for the characters in my film as they represent real animals who have suffered, including my own dog who was rescued from a mill herself. The film follows the life of a mother chihuahua as the audience gets a brief glimpse of her life as a breeding dog at a puppy mill. I wanted the audience to instantly side with the animals in my film and cheer her on as she tries to escape to freedom. Animal rights and mental health have always been topics I have been passionate about, and I frequently include them in my artwork. I will never shy away from illustrating or animating the raw emotion I want viewers to experience. Afterall, every experience we have, be it fantastical or horrific, is still just a part of life as it exists. Many are just too afraid to highlight the bad parts of life. As I head out into the unknown, I will continue to touch the hearts of my audience in as many ways as I can.

Visual art and more specifically animation as a medium is one of the most powerful tools for storytelling in the modern age. I have had a deep love and admiration for animation since I was a young child, and this film is a step toward realizing my personal goals for this inspiring art form. Animation is a way to share ideas and compassion in a way that is universal and yet incredibly personal, and I am excited to share my creative visions with the world and with you.

Creating stories and characters has always been a passion of mine. I have been an artist for many years, but one of the things that pushed me to major in and pursue animation is seeing what a versatile and rich medium it is. Animation can be used to tell stories that could not be told any other way. In a great animation, so much love and detail is put into every frame. I hope to someday share stories through my art that let people feel the same joy and emotion that such media has brought me over the years.

My senior film “Seasons” tells the story of two unlikely friends, Cornbread the possum and Snicket the raccoon. The duo bonds over time and comes to learn that, much like the seasons, friendships will grow and change. Although the emotional core of the story didn’t truly come together until later in development, the film has been since its inception a lighthearted adventure between childhood friends.

In my early twenties I started feeling like I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I figured I’d go to college for computer science and at least get a “real” job. Then I started working at KSU creating videos and motion graphics, and I fell in love with After Effects. I silently changed my major to Digital Animation. The last art class I took was in middle school, and never really had any real training other than my daydreaming doodles in all those K-12 classes that are just oh so entertaining.

I was absolutely terrified in my first art class, and felt like everyone else was already miles ahead of me in the quality of their work. So I relentlessly applied what I was learning in my classes, and failed. Failed quite a bit actually, but that’s learning. I kept going, kept drawing, kept failing.

It wasn’t until my final semester that I felt comfortable with what I was creating. My short film “Burrito Assassin” is a piece that shows off my love of After Effects and what I want to do. Tell funny stories, to make silly things and have fun with art, have fun with life. Life’s better when you’re laughing.