Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

 I had the honor of interning with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History as an animator, creating an animated film that will be a part of the temporary exhibit Cellphone: Unseen Connections that opened up in June 2023. The exhibit discusses everything from how cell phones are made from raw, earthly materials to how we can help the environment by repairing our phones instead of constantly replacing and upgrading them.

My biggest takeaway from this experience is that working with a professional team for a creative project is incredibly valuable and fruitful, as every member has something very different to offer and their own unique perspective. I also appreciated how much everybody genuinely cared about the message and purpose of the film. When working collaboratively, the most important thing I learned was how to translate the core team’s ideas and words into visuals that they approve of. They helped me push my own ideas and also gave me some of their own to work with and visualize.

Some new skills I have required through this internship are communication, time management and improving my drawing and animation skills. I have grown a lot in communicating in a professional environment, through emails with my supervisor and also in the group meetings. I can better explain my ideas and artistic thought processes to the group and clarify their requests. I have also improved in time management, now having experience with professional deadlines. 

This internship has helped clarify my career goals because it has given me a truly professional work experience that I want to be a part of. For the first time I am creating an animation for someone that is not myself or a school assignment. I now know what it is like to have these deadlines, feedback, critiques, scripts and meetings that are solely about the animation. I love the whole process and am reassured that this is what I want to do in my career. I truly enjoy working with others and bouncing off ideas with a team. I greatly enjoy a client, manager or supervisor telling me what they want me to animate and translating their wishes into the desired product. It is very exciting to me. I am so thankful for this opportunity!