5 lessons from a Former Disney Animator for your Artistic Homeschooler

Your homeschooler is beginning to show promise in an artistic endeavor like music, drawing, theater, or something else! And that’s exciting. But if you’re like most parents, it can also feel intimidating. While you know that it’s possible for your child to grow up and make money as an artist, you might not be able to get the image of the all-too-cliche starving artist out of your head.

To be honest, my parents had a similar reaction when I decided in 6th grade (in 1980!) that I was going to be an animator when I grew up. Now that I’ve been a professional animator for about 30 years (with some of those years at Disney), and have worked on 20 films, my parents and I can look back on my bigger-than-life childhood dreams with fondness, but I know they must have been pretty nervous every time I brought up this career they knew nothing about.

These days, I teach animation to kids who are just like I was, dreaming big and hungry for a career as an artist. And I’m going to be honest, getting to where I am today wasn’t easy, so when they ask me what they can do in order to turn that dream into their reality, these are some of the things I share with them.

Get Really Good at Your Craft

When I was finally “successful” enough to get a lawyer who would help me negotiate salaries and navigate the film industry, she told me something that has stuck with me ever since: “I cannot get you more money unless they really like your work.” Essentially, she was clarifying with me that at the end of the day, it was on me to be a good animator if I wanted a job, she couldn’t simply hack the system for me.

If you want to “make it” in the film industry, or the music industry, or any industry, there’s no way around it -- you’re simply going to have to be good at what you do. Unfortunately, there’s no way to hack the system or cut corners if you want to be successful, so practice. Practice a lot.

Embrace Critique

One of the things I struggled with while I was at Disney was critique of my work. I was just too insecure about my animation. Whenever someone asked for a change, I took that as judgement and condemnation of my artistic ability.  And I had my identity so tied up in my artwork and animation, that it also felt like I was being judged and condemned as a person. Needless to say, I fought back a little too much. When I moved over to Sony Pictures, I decided that whatever a supervisor asked for, I would just give my best attempt, with no argument. And lo and behold, I started learning things. Lots of things and my animation got a lot better!

If you’re going to become really good at your craft, there’s simply no way to do that without embracing critique. Critique can be one of the hardest things to face as an artist, especially since you likely poured your heart and soul into your work. However, it is impossible to improve without accepting what it is that you need to improve, so swallow your pride, and accept criticism from everyone.

Yes, I mean everyone, even people you wouldn’t consider experts. Art is a vessel for communicating an idea, so if the average person doesn’t understand what you’re attempting to communicate, then your art hasn’t been effective. Now, if you’d rather just create things for fun and don’t really care if it turns into your career or not, then no need to listen to anyone’s criticism (although you’ll be stuck in one single perspective - your own). If, on the other hand, your desire is for others to consume and enjoy your art, you’ll need to listen to the feedback of others.

I get it, it’s extremely difficult to let people tell you what they honestly think about something you’ve poured so much into, but if you want to become an expert, push yourself to embrace critique.

Learn to Collaborate

When I first started on the film Cats Don’t Dance, I got some great opportunities to take on and lead a small character. I was also given some key shots for the main character, Danny. Of course, I was extremely excited so I let my success go to my head a bit. As this was my first time leading any project professionally, I thought that being a ‘great’ artist meant telling everyone else what to do, and telling them to do it my way. However, I was missing out on the great skills and experience that many of the people were working with me had! Because I was so hard to work with, the finished result might not have been as good as it could have been since I didn’t trust the team of people working with me.

If you’re going to be a professional creative, whether that’s an animator like myself, something else in the film industry, a photographer, a musician, a graphic artist, or anything else, you’ll likely be working on a team. In my experience, sometimes the most talented person can be the least fun to work with. Even if they’re extremely skilled, no one will want to work with them, because they aren’t a team player.

If you can practice collaborating, compromising, listening to, and respecting others, you’ll have a leg up on most of the creatives around you. If you’re a musician, start a band; if you’re a photographer, shoot a project with friends; if you’re a filmmaker, make a film with other filmmakers. This one simple thing differentiates those who go far in their careers and those who don’t. Learn to collaborate with others and be a team player.

Follow Directions

When I started work on my very first projects as an animator, I often didn’t follow the directions I was given by my supervisor exactly. I would vary a bit, thinking that maybe my supervisor would appreciate the awesome creativity I had to offer. However, I was working on a team of literally hundreds of other people, so to be frank, no one wanted my opinion. Dazed and confused after multiple scathing reviews of my super-awesome-stand-out sequences, I finally realized that if I didn’t follow my supervisor’s instructions, I would only get penalized.

Following someone else’s vision feels uncomfortable. It sometimes requires you to work in a different style than you’re used to, maybe even one you personally dislike, not to mention that creatives generally thrive on individuality. But if you’re going to pursue a career as a creative, you’re going to have to learn how to follow someone else’s instructions whether that’s your director, your client, or anyone else giving you a project.

Now here’s the fun part: when I finally realized that it was in my best interest to follow directions, that’s what I began to do. After a while, I noticed that my supervisors began to really trust me and they even began to ask my opinion. Delivering what your supervisor, director, or client asks for in the first place is the surest way to be able to flex that creative muscle and get your original ideas in the final project.

Put yourself out there

During my initial time at Disney, I learned that each film operated kind of like its own company. The directors and many of the lead artists were different from film to film. Even if you connected and made relationships with one set of people on one film, you might find yourself out of a job if you didn’t put yourself out there and meet the “Big Cheeses” on the next film. This was very difficult for me! I was much happier just sitting and drawing at my desk than making the “cold call” or putting myself out there. I knew that I had to do it, though, so while I was working on Tarzan, I looked up the phone number for a director that I greatly admired and was developing a film. As I called him, I was shaking in my boots, but he graciously set up some time with me to see my work. And he liked it! That led to a small role on his film in Fantasia, which kept me going until The Emperor’s New Groove. I took that small lesson and applied it to a grander scale when I launched into the world of freelance. I was going to have to meet, mingle and repeat.  Of course, not every opportunity panned out, but enough did that I was able to succeed.

We’ve all been there - you finish creating something only to feel like you’re coming up for air after pouring literally everything you have into your craft. Because it takes so much creative energy to make something, it’s extremely easy to hold your art close and never share it with the world. However, that defeats the purpose of your art and denies you any sort of successful career!

If you want to start making any money from your art, you need to put yourself out there. Try these things to get outside your comfort zone and practice sharing your craft: 

1. Post it online and share it with your friends (I know, terrifying). However, if you’re confident, you’ll be surprised at how many people will take you seriously and think that what you’re doing is really awesome!

2. Call someone you respect and ask if you can show them your art and get their opinion. It’s incredibly beneficial to have people more experienced than you giving you feedback.

3. This one is the easiest, and yet can be so hard: when others inevitably ask to see your art, maybe at a family gathering or party with friends, show them. When someone is asking to see what you’ve created, they already want you to share it with them, so take advantage of the opportunity, and share your art with others.

These are just a few things that I’ve learned over my 30 year career as a creative. I have worked as a professional animator in film and television for almost 30 years both with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Sony Pictures on films like Emperor's New Groove, Tarzan, and Polar Express. Now I’m bringing my wide experience—both from the professional animation field and from being an expert homeschooling dad—into teaching students ages 11-18 about this fascinating art form. If your child is interested in animation, filmmaking, or storytelling, check out The Animation Course!

Chad Stewart
Founder & Teacher, The Animation Course
Former Disney Animator

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5 Careers for your Cartoon-Loving Kid You Didn't Know Existed

What does it mean to “make it” as an animator? Maybe you’re asking this question if your child has a huge interest in cartoons and is showing promise in their drawings. Over my last 30 years as an animator, I’ve realized that what was true for me when I wanted to “make it” as an animator in the 90s isn’t true anymore. Back then, there was one college I could go to (California Institute of the Arts) and one city with almost all of the jobs (Los Angeles). Now, it might be harder than ever to become a Pixar animator (a dream I find a lot of my students have), but with so many new career paths, it’s actually much easier than you’d think to work in animation! Here are five jobs for your cartoon-loving kid you might not have known about.

1. Video Games

Industry Size: $120 billion

Business Insider predicts the industry might be as big as $196 billion by 2022 while Forbes predicts $300 billion by 2025.

Average Salary: The average entry-level video game animator will make around $50,000 per year but can start to make around $100,000 per year after six years of experience.

Level of Education Required: I recommend that my students get good animation training.  Sometimes that means getting a bachelor’s degree. Sometimes an online trade school.  But training is key. It’s not unheard of for an animator to be hired based on skill alone.  In fact, it happens all the time. If you’re a good animator, you’ll get a job. If you aren’t, a bachelor’s degree won’t necessarily help you get a job. So, get a bachelor’s degree if you have the opportunity, but make sure you’re really good at animating too.

Where You’ll Need to Live: Contrary to popular belief, not all the animation jobs are in California. You’ll probably need to work at a video game studio, but you’d be surprised how common it is to have a studio close to you, no matter where you live. Among the top 50 video game studios, there are some in California, but many are in Washington state, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, and Nevada. Chances are, you’ll be able to find a job close to where you live.

2. Phone Games/Phone Apps

Industry Size: $68 billion

Average Salary: The average salary for these animators is very similar to those of video game animators, so entry-level jobs can make around $50,000 per year and can make around $100,000 per year after a few years of experience.

Level of Education Required: Again, this is similar to video game animators, and a bachelor’s degree can help, but it is possible to be hired based on experience and skill alone. I would also recommend training (or even a degree) in computer engineering or coding as having those skills will make you much more well-rounded and valuable to phone app development.

Where You’ll Need to Live: You’ll likely need to live near a studio (which can be anywhere in the world), but there’s also a good chance you’ll be able to land remote employment!

3. Freelancing

Industry Size: $1 trillion

Obviously, this massive industry doesn’t just include animation-type jobs, but some of the most common freelance jobs are 3D Modeler, Graphic Designer, and Game Developer. More and more professionals are moving to freelancing for all of their income, and in fact, I was a freelance animator successfully for seven years!

Average Salary: Just starting out, you can expect to make around $40,000-$50,000 per year, depending on your hourly rate and how many hours you work. As you grow your portfolio and your list of clients and get better and better, however, you can start to charge a higher rate and make substantially more!

Level of Education Required: Potential clients tend to want to look at your portfolio, years of experience, and sometimes certifications, but don’t often care if you have a degree, as long as your work speaks for itself. I would still recommend and prioritize good, quality art and animation training, but if you know that you want to be a freelance animator, consider taking classes or even get a degree that will help you with your business, like marketing, communications, or general business management.

Where You’ll Need to Live: Literally anywhere you want.

4. Scientific & Medical Animation

What it is: Scientific and medical animation is a little known sector of the animation industry, and one that I didn’t discover until late in my career. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, scientists & researchers, universities & curriculum developers, and even the judicial system hire animators to help clients, patients, or different involved individuals visualize operations, treatments, and other medical procedures.

Industry Size: This industry was $116 million in 2016, and is expected to reach $301 million by 2021.

Average Salary: As an entry-level animator, you can expect to make around $62,000 per year while director/supervisory positions can make up to $175,000 per year.

Level of Education Required: You’ll need a high level of training in animation, and you’ll likely need to have a Bachelor’s of Science in something medical like biology.

Where You’ll Need to Live: You’ll need to work at a company that provides these services, but that can be all over the country.

5. Social Media

What it is: Like most kids these days, your child probably consumes a lot of social media content. Believe it or not, the people creating that content make money by working with brands to promote their products, or selling their own products to their audience. This is a risky industry to decide to build a career in, but it is possible! Some of the most successful YouTube channels are Lucas the Spider, Jaiden Animations, The Odd 1s Out, all with millions of subscribers.

Industry Size: $8 billion

Average Salary: The salaries of influencers are incredibly variant, but one good metric is the salaries of what are called micro-influencers who have 6,000-100,000 followers. These micro-influencers average about $40,000-$100,000 per year. Like I said before, this is an incredibly risky career to pursue, but if you feel comfortable with your student creating a YouTube channel and building a following (with your supervision of course!), then it can be a great learning experience, and potentially something more for their future.

Level of Education Required: No education requirement, just really good animation.

Where You’ll Need to Live: Literally anywhere.

These are just a few animation career paths that many people don’t know about! I have worked as a professional animator in film and television for almost 30 years both with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Sony Pictures on films like Emperor's New Groove, Tarzan, and Polar Express. Now I’m bringing my wide experience—both from the professional animation field and from being an expert homeschooling dad—into teaching students ages 11-18 about this fascinating art form. If your child is interested in animation, filmmaking, or storytelling, check out The Animation Course!

Chad Stewart
Founder & Teacher, The Animation Course
Former Disney Animator

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Your Child Wants to be an Animator? 3 tips from a Former Disney Animator

Each year as the summer closes and a new school year begins, I tend to see a predictable trend emerge. All of my animation students and their parents start thinking about the same exact thing -- college. They wonder, “Where should I go to college?” or “Should I go to college at all?” and, “Can I work in animation and not live in California?”

It’s a difficult thing to be able to answer these questions since one constant in the animation industry is that it’s always changing. And to make it even more complicated, there’s not one particular path that will take everyone to Disney or Pixar. I’m sure if you asked 10 people at each studio, they would tell you 10 different stories and describe 10 different paths that led them there. But there are some factors that seem to stay consistent in the animation industry whether you work with a mouse, a stylus, or a pencil, and I’ll try to explain some of them here.

Be a good animator

The most important factor in getting a job is the quality of your work, pure and simple. It’s been my experience that most studios don’t care if you have a degree or not, and they don’t even really care what school you attended. They’ll ask questions like, “How good is this person’s animation?” and, “How well do they fit into the style of the film/show/game that we’re producing?” 

On a different note, experience is important and will be helpful, but many places actually look for young talent on purpose. If your work is equal in quality to an experienced pro, you are usually going to have a good shot at getting hired. As a result, going to the perfect school or having the most degrees (or credits on your resume) won’t matter when it comes to getting a job. In short, going to college isn’t a golden ticket to an animation job, just be a good animator.

Invest in quality training

Even though, like I said before, a college degree doesn’t necessarily matter as much, you’ll still need high-quality training to get better, and you’ll usually find that training at college. It’s the type of training that you really need to consider, however, when choosing a college or trade school. You can get training in all kinds of skills, both technical and artistic, and all of that training will add benefit to you. But it’s my experience that good ol’ fashioned art training is the most important if you’re looking for a career in the creative side of the industry. 

Look for classes on classic drawing or painting. You’ll need to get really good at drawing humans and animals in motion, not to mention story, design, and cinematography. The more you understand about the entire process of creating a film, the better chance you have at being a valuable player on the team. So practice, practice and practice some more. The goal, above all else, is to become a better artist! And that will only come through hours and hours (and a few more hours) of practice.

Be prepared to work really hard

Unfortunately, there’s still no guarantee that these skills will get you your perfect job. And that’s where you’ll need to ask yourself, “How much do I want this?” Because this is going to be HARD. But, with enough determination and a lot of hard work, you can be an animator!

To be honest, it’s impossible to put into words how hard you’ll have to work in order to succeed. Most artists I know can’t help but measure themselves against an invisible line of success and quality that always seems to move just as they get close to it. But working in animation sure is a lot of fun if you don’t let it drive you crazy and get you down. Relax and enjoy the process of improving and becoming a better artist/storyteller. It took me years to learn that I don’t have to put so much pressure on myself, and to remember that even the best artists have their good days and bad days.

Above anything else, I credit ‘determination’ as the single most important factor to any success that I’ve had in the animation industry. Early on in my career I would miss out on a job, or not measure up to my peers in an assignment and I would get extremely discouraged. But every time that happened, I forced myself to move forward and continue to improve the quality of my work. And it’s that determination that allowed me to succeed, just as it did for many, many others that I’ve seen in my career. If you are prepared to fail, pick yourself up, and keep improving, you’ll be able to make it as an animator!

These are just a few things that I’ve learned over my 30 year career as a creative. I have worked as a professional animator in film and television for almost 30 years both with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Sony Pictures on films like Emperor's New Groove, Tarzan, and Polar Express. Now I’m bringing my wide experience—both from the professional animation field and from being an expert homeschooling dad—into teaching students ages 11-18 about this fascinating art form. If your child is interested in animation, filmmaking, or storytelling, check out The Animation Course!

Chad Stewart
Founder & Teacher, The Animation Course
Former Disney Animator

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How I Became a Disney Animator

My name is Chad Stewart and after 30 years of working as a professional animator, I now teach students ages 11-18 how to animate. When my students ask what it’s like to become an animator, I like to tell them a little story...

Once upon a time, there was a little kid who loved to watch cartoons.

This story started about 35 years ago. This kid, let’s call him, Tadd was in middle school and liked to draw.  He was pretty good at it too, at least that’s what many people told him. Tadd was around the age that people started to ask “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and expected a serious answer. Tadd knew he couldn’t just say “professional baseball player” and call it good. He needed a plan, something that seemed legitimate with a college to go to and proof that he could do this and make good money.

Around this time, Tadd’s family embarked on a road trip that included such timeless sights as the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam and to top it all off the piéce de résistance...Disneyland. Tadd was already enamored with cartoons in general, but somehow on this trip it made it seem all the more real. This was California, where the cartoons he had loved had been created, by real people!

So Tadd started dreaming about being an animator. His mother called up the Walt Disney Feature Animation Company and asked how her son could make cartoons. They told her that the best thing Tadd could do if he really wanted to become an animator was get better at the drawing of humans and animals in motion. They also told her about California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), a college Walt Disney himself had helped create to promote all the arts, with one department specifically devoted to training animators. In fact, it was the only accredited college in the United States at the time that had an Animation Department.

Suddenly, Tadd had the answer to that ever-present question. “When I grow up, I’m going to be a Disney Animator,” he would explain to people who asked him what he was going to be when he grew up. That answer remained the same through his middle-school years and into high school. As he was improving his drawing skills, Tadd knew his dream could be a reality and even told his high school guidance counselor of his animation goals. At first, Tadd’s guidance counselor was skeptical, until he looked into Tadd’s dream school, CalArts. His guidance counselor admitted, “Well, it seems like you have a plan.”

Turning a Dream Into Reality

Things began to get real for Tadd as his high school career drew to a close. He had loved watching cartoons and drawing them since he could remember, but he had no formal art training. Unfortunately, the portfolio he submitted to CalArts to apply for admission was rejected. Tadd knew that if he was going to “make it” as an animator, he was going to have to get much more serious about his art. Whatever natural talent he had wasn’t going to be enough, it was time to get to work!

Tadd swallowed his pride and embraced a humility he wasn’t comfortable with. He realized that if he was going to improve, it would be because he listened to the people and voices that gave him critique, not just encouragement. In fact, Tadd had been existing on an “encouragement-only” diet when it came to his art. Like for anyone, it felt good to have people tell him that they thought his art was awesome, but the reality was, it didn’t help him develop his skills. So, Tadd applied to another art school to study fine art.

Over the next two years, Tadd worked really hard. He even had one professor who wouldn’t grade his work at first because he knew that he hadn’t spent enough time on it and he could do better. After Tadd applied himself over the next two weeks, he surprised himself with the project he produced! This gave him the determination he needed to apply to CalArts again. He was rejected. But he still didn’t give up!

Finally, during his second year studying fine arts, he applied for CalArts one last time and… he was accepted! Packing everything he could fit into two suitcases, Tadd set off for California. His determination, humility, and hard work had paid off, as he was now studying among the very best artists he had ever met!

Getting To Work

Before he knew it, Tadd got his very first job on the second season of The Simpsons! But, he was determined to reach that dream he had had ever since he was a young child -- to be a Disney animator! So he continued to take as many jobs as he could in order to build his resume and become skilled enough to work for his dream company. Finally, after years of hard work, he landed his first job at Disney, on the team of Tarzan.

You may have guessed already that Tadd isn’t Tadd, he’s actually me, Chad! I’ve worked as a professional animator on over 20 films and tv shows for the last 30 years and try to pass on these lessons to my kids and my students. It took a lot of hard work, practice, and humility to get where I am now, and the reality is, I’m not special. If it worked for me, it can work for you! With consistency, over time, these principles transformed that little kid who liked to watch cartoons into the grown up ‘kid’ who got to make them. And with some dedication, determination, and a little splash of humility, you can too!

These are just a few things that I’ve learned over my 30 year career as a creative. I have worked as a professional animator in film and television for almost 30 years both with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Sony Pictures on films like Emperor's New Groove, Tarzan, and Polar Express. Now I’m bringing my wide experience—both from the professional animation field and from being an expert homeschooling dad—into teaching students ages 11-18 about this fascinating art form. If your child is interested in animation, filmmaking, or storytelling, check out The Animation Course!

Chad Stewart
Founder & Teacher, The Animation Course
Former Disney Animator

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3 ways to set your creative homeschooler up for success

If you’re reading this, my guess is that you’ve discovered that your child has a lot of creative and artistic potential, but you don’t know what that means. You probably know by now that it’s possible to make money as a creative, but you just don’t know exactly how to set your child up for success. Even as a career animator, I get it. Other, “traditional” careers are easier to predict. If your child wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor, for instance, you know there’s only one way in, through very specialized higher education.

Landing a career in a creative field is largely unknown and can feel really unpredictable.  My parents were always very supportive, but a few years into my career my father confessed to me that he had always worried about, “This animation thing,” and he joked that he fully expected me just to walk in the door and say “I’m a business major!”  Now, after 30 years of working in the animation industry, we can all look back on that unknown time and laugh, but you’re still stuck in that scary period thinking, “How do I know my child will be able to make a career out of this?”

I’ve now worked as a professional animator in film and television for 30 years, and began my career even before animation became the giant industry that it is today. So, I get it if you’re a bit overwhelmed that you can’t quite envision your child’s future creative career. There are a couple of key things that I had to learn the hard way for myself and that I’ve now passed on to my creative children, so if you’re searching how best to guide your child, allow me to share these three big things you can do to set them up for success.

Help them build solid habits

On my first day of my first animation job, Season 2 of the Simpsons, I put my pencil down for the first time after six straight hours. I was exhausted. I had never drawn this long before! And it was only Monday afternoon!  Over the years of drawing for fun when I was growing up, and even during my four years of art school, I had only ever drawn when I felt inspired, a feeling I might be able to ride for one or two hours at most, but never six.

Years later, as I witnessed my 12-year-old daughter who had begun to compose her own music, rush to the piano whenever she had an idea, I decided that I wasn’t going to let her make the same mistake I had made by only creating something when I felt like it. So, I created a routine for her. Every evening at 7 pm, I had her sit at the piano and write, even if she wasn’t feeling inspired. For the first week or so of this, she would yell at me, “I don’t have any ideas!” I would yell back, “Just play something!” At first, whenever that hour was up, she fled from the piano like it was her nightmare. But after a few weeks, she began to be able to compose music during that hour, and would even stay glued to the piano past the hour I had set for her!

Now, my daughter is 24, and is a professional creative herself, making a living taking graphic design clients and even running a successful YouTube channel. In a world full of creatives who depend solely on inspiration to create anything, she has turned her ability to create something even when she doesn’t feel like it into a business. If your child is showing talent in some creative field, chances are they still depend on their inspiration to strike in order to make anything. Try helping them set a time where they have to create something even if they aren’t feeling inspired. They might yell at you now, but trust me, they’ll thank you later.

Business Training

In 2020, there are careers for artists left and right -- animators, graphic artists, musicians, photographers & videographers, you name it. However, with all this opportunity also comes more competition. There is no doubt that the most financially successful artists know how to market themselves and their art.

I suggest finding ways to help your child understand business from a young age. In my opinion, the best way to learn good business savvy is real-life experience. Challenge them to get a job and learn how their company operates successfully. Encourage them to start a business and sell products they make. I’d also suggest getting some business books or curriculum for your child to learn some business basics.

Understanding how business works has helped me land positions and be monetarily valuable to my employers, and it’s also helped me run two very successful businesses as an artist. I can guarantee that I would not be where I am today as an artist if I didn’t understand the different aspects of business (marketing, sales, etc.), pure and simple.

Don’t rush it

It’s a common tale: a gifted teen over-practices and burns out before college and their career. I’ve seen this with ambitious kids of all kinds, and especially with creatively gifted kids. It breaks my heart to see extremely well-intentioned parents know that their kid has a huge amount of potential, push them just a bit too hard, and then be disappointed that their child doesn’t pursue their awesome talent.

Instead, encourage your child to have fun! Becoming a really good creative requires a lot of time and practice -- it isn’t something that anyone can learn in 1 year, or even 5. If your child does decide to make a career out of their creative gift, they will inevitably experience a lot of pressure. Don’t start that early. Help them instill good habits and be encouraging, but above all, help them to understand that a good artist/musician/designer/animator/writer/photographer/filmmaker and yes, even YouTuber might take 10 to 20 years.  So don’t be in a hurry.

These are just a few things that I’ve learned over my 30 year career as a creative. I have worked as a professional animator in film and television for almost 30 years both with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Sony Pictures on films like Emperor's New Groove, Tarzan, and Polar Express. Now I’m bringing my wide experience—both from the professional animation field and from being an expert homeschooling dad—into teaching students ages 11-18 about this fascinating art form. If your child is interested in animation, filmmaking, or storytelling, check out The Animation Course!

Chad Stewart
Founder & Teacher, The Animation Course
Former Disney Animator

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