From Los Feliz to The Rancho; A Change In My Dream Neighborhood

 For those who know me pretty well, you have heard me talk about my dream neighborhood, the ideal neighborhood I see myself living in for the rest of my life, and raising my family there.

For the past 4-5 years, I dreamt of living in Los Feliz. Every time I drove to Burbank for animation events, I'd stop by the Walt Disney Studios and explore the Rancho Equestrian Neighborhood, but on my way back to Anaheim, I always made sure to stop by Los Feliz. I'd wander the streets, let my imagination run wild, dreaming of the life I wanted to build for myself and my future family.

Before I dreamt of living in Los Feliz, I dreamt of living in other neighborhoods around Southern California:

– Anaheim: From 4th-8th grade, I longed to live very close to Disneyland, to be surrounded by the wonder and nightly fireworks that played a part in inspiring my animation dreams.

– Irvine: From 8th grade-my first year at CSULB, I dreamt of living in a safer neighborhood with access to good Asian food in a community very similar to that of where I was in Redwood Shores at the time.

– Silver Lake / Echo Park – During my 2nd year at CSULB, I admired the Echo Park Lake that was shown in one of the Disney Channel ads.

Then came Los Feliz, where Walt Disney's journey inspired me. But the more I walked and drove through the neighborhood, and the more I thought about my future family, the more I began to wonder,

Los Feliz initially felt like a dream come true to me because...

1. It held Walt Disney's original studios on the Kingswell storefront and the Hyperion lot. It's right where his dream started, a dream filled with faith, love, and childlike wonder and imagination. Walt Disney himself lived there for 27 years from 1923 to 1950.

2. It's right next to Griffith Park, the park that inspired Disneyland and reminds me of Walt Disney.

3. It has a large motion picture and television community, filled with many working in the industry.

4. It's just 15-20 minutes by car from Burbank and the animation studios, allowing for an easy commute.

However, walking through the neighborhood, I noticed that there are many more single young adults than children and families. Instead of play areas and parks, the Los Feliz Village is filled with mostly coffee shops, expensive restaurants, and nail salons. Almost all of the industry events I've heard of there or been to in or near there are more adult-oriented or not as family-friendly, including the Silver Lake Shorts comics event at the El Cid. The residential streets are pretty narrow, many on steep hills. Some of the nearest grocery stores are in East Hollywood, a sketchy neighborhood right next door to Los Feliz. With me wanting to raise a family where my kids are encouraged to dream, to wonder, and to be curious about new things, all without the pressures to grow up too fast, I asked myself, 

1. Would I want my wife and kids to struggle driving through the traffic and the narrow streets?

2. Will my guests struggle to find parking near my place?

3. Do I want my children to constantly feel judged by trendiness and their appearances?

4. Would my kids be pressured to grow up too fast in an environment like this? Will my kids be happy here?

With that, I began to notice that neighborhoods can change over time and that the modern Los Feliz is much different than Los Feliz back in Walt's time. One example is that the site of Walt's first studio on Kingswell is now home to a skate shop. Despite selling Oswald T-shirts, the skate shop carries an edgy and adult-oriented tone that feels very disconnected from the wonder that inspires me. 

Despite its charm, Los Feliz is also significantly more expensive than Burbank, less spacious, and not as family-friendly as I originally imagined. Even more surprisingly, while Griffith Park is close, my favorite parts of the park, Walt Disney's Barn, the L.A. Live Steamers Railroad Museum, Travel Town, and the L.A. Zoo, are all on the Valley side of the park, right across the river and the 134 Fwy from Burbank.

Then came the Rancho Equestrian Neighborhood, and with it, something deeper than just pure admiration. I felt the peace, the wonder, and all the endless space and possibilities. Most of all, the neighborhood felt like "home".

A few months ago, one night in The Rancho, I walked to the big piece of land that was originally supposed to be Walt Disney's "Mickey Mouse Park" before he came up with Disneyland in Anaheim. I heard the cars on the 134 Fwy in the distance passing by, along with the crickets and birds chirping, and I felt very inspired. With the pretty scenery, picket fences, and enchanted green leaves, I felt like I was in the "Hundred Acre Wood" or a fairytale wonderland with my favorite characters. 

I also walked through many of the neighborhood streets. The house designs and architecture reminded me of Mickey and Minnie's houses in Toontown. I was even greeted very warmly by a stranger who happened to be one of the residents in the neighborhood. Her greeting was so soft and heartfelt that it felt like a greeting from a charming Disney character, like Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) or Alice from Alice in Wonderland (1951). 

As I visited the neighborhood and the parks inside and around, I discovered mostly the sincere laughter of children and their families (like at the recent movie events at Johnny Carson Park), many walking their dogs, horses, and even goats, and residents saying hello and looking after each other. With this, Burbank's family-oriented community is clearly a much better fit than the adult-oriented culture of Los Feliz.

Beyond the heartfelt charm, the Rancho is significantly safer than Los Feliz, patrolled by Burbank PD. Children are assigned to Burbank USD schools, which are much better and more consistent than LAUSD schools. The houses contain more land to expand one's dreams, all for a lower price than most Los Feliz homes. 

Compared to Los Feliz, the commute from The Rancho to the studios is even easier. Being right next to the Walt Disney Studios and minutes away from many of the other animation studios, many residents in the Rancho are animators and professionals working in the industry. It's much easier than Los Feliz; my future kids can potentially walk to my workplace or my studio after school.

With all of this, The Rancho feels like a hand-drawn Disney animated cartoon: very warm, wholesome, and filled with life. It's not just where I want to live, it's where I can truly raise a family to believe in their dreams, love each other, and embrace their imagination and inner child. More so, the Rancho feels like a spiritual calling that has been calling me all this time.

In the end, this shift reflects my dream becoming more purposeful and intentional. I'm dreaming not just as an animator anymore, but also as a loving husband, father, and studio founder. My values have never changed; they've become even clearer:

1. Have faith in your dreams and believe in your wishes.

2. Love and serve each other from the heart.

3. Let your conscience guide you. The best actions are always those that genuinely come from the heart.

4. Use that vivid imagination inside of you. Believe in the impossible, including all the endless colors and possibilities.

5. Embrace the child within you. Don't forget to appreciate the little things and have fun.

While Los Feliz will always be part of my creative journey, The Rancho lives these values through every street, tree, and trail. I am excited for all of the adventures, magic, and wonder the Rancho will bring to my future family and I.

Inspiration Behind My Raffy and Friends Easter Drawing

 

This image...  you probably have seen it on my profile pages, whether it's on my Instagram, my Linkedin, or even my Facebook. Today, I wanted to discuss why I chose this image to be the one. A while back, I made this painting for Easter of this year. As a devout Christian and rabbit lover, Easter is my 2nd favorite holiday, after Christmas. 

Every year, Easter brings so much wonder and possibilities to my eyes. In September of last year, in hopes of finding a church community closer to Burbank and the studios, on Sundays I spend around Los Feliz and Burbank, I started attending the Congregational Church of the Chimes in Sherman Oaks, the Congregational Church closest to Burbank in the same NACCC denomination as FCCA (the Congregational Church I have already been attending in Anaheim). Little did I know until I got there that Skip Jones, a veteran Disney & Don Bluth animator, attended there. Ever since my 1st day attending service there, our bond together over animation and the classic Disney studio films has gotten stronger and continues to grow today. This past Easter, I enjoyed attending Easter service and hearing the chorus sing. Easter egg hunts are always very fun for me.

In this drawing I did, on a sunny Easter morning in their home city of Starwood, Raffy the Rabbit, his girlfriend Rosey, and their furry chihuahua, Cary, are collecting eggs to deliver to their friends and family around the city and the movie business. Starwood is inspired by the dreams I have had since 5th grade to move to L.A. to make it big in the animation business. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, my family and I made the drive down to L.A. and Southern California 3 to 4 times a year when I was younger to visit the theme parks like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and LEGOLAND. Every time I drove in L.A., I felt like I was in a "cartoon fantasy" where my favorite characters and objects came to life. Starwood's location is similar location to that of Hollywood and Burbank, California. A lot of the places in Starwood are inspired by real-life places and attractions I have visited around L.A. and Burbank, like Griffith Park, the animation studios in Burbank, Hollywood Burbank Airport, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Feliz Village, Silverlake Reservoir, The Americana at Brand, and much more. In Starwood, anything can come to life, whether it's a human, an anthropomorphic animal, a 4-legged animal, or even the local library building.  Like Hollywood and Burbank, Starwood is home to many film and television studios. 

L.A. has a very special place in my heart. After being inspired by my favorite Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and his pals and finding out Los Feliz and Burbank was where all of this magic started, I knew L.A. and Burbank were the places I call "home" and where I belonged. I love seeing all the palm trees, the vast number of freeways, and the nice sunny weather, especially in the summer. Most of all, I appreciate the diversity of this beautiful place and seeing so many people come from all over the world to follow their dreams. Today, my L.A. animation dream still lives deep within me and is broken up into 2 components:

1. I want to start a successful animation studio and enterprise in the Hollywood-Burbank area. I envision inspiring audiences of all ages, especially children and their families through original characters and storytelling. Compared to the classic Disney cartoons and films, I feel many modern cartoons and films lack the innocence, charm, and good moral lessons that the classic films had. I hope to preserve classic traditional hand-drawn animation and create more charming stories that inspire them and enlighten their hearts while teaching them to clearly differentiate between right and wrong. While keeping traditional hand-drawn animation alive for all Yip Studios animated cartoons and features, I hope to start in the short cartoons area first before expanding to full episodes and feature-length animation. I eventually even wish to expand to theme parks and build my own theme park and resort hotel centered around the Yip Studios characters someday.

2. While I have dreams of creating a successful animation enterprise, I also have dreams of being a dad someday. I hope to start a family in the Hollywood-Burbank area and live here for the rest of my life. I dream of marrying the girl of my dreams and having kids with her someday. Especially in this world dominated by technology, I hope to inspire my wife and kids not only to find their path and dream in life but also to appreciate nature and find inspiration wherever they are. I will make sure to take them to fun places like Griffith Park, Walt Disney's Barn / the L.A. Live Steamers, the L.A. Zoo, Universal Studios, Disneyland, on various studio tours, even the beach on hot summer days, and to many places around the world. Most of all, I dream of being the light of inspiration to my family. I will be my wife and kids' biggest fans and will always be there to support them in every step of the journey, no matter what career or path they end up following.

Well, that sums up my L.A. animation dream for the future. While many uncertainties lie up ahead, I am ready and excited to face the obstacles I encounter. I can't wait to see this dream come to life someday.

This Is My Idea of Love; An Insight Into My Hopeful Relationship into the Future

 Hi everyone! Jonathan here back on the line! So many things going on, from work to finding internships, to school, and more fun animation projects. But today, I wanted to update all of you on something I have always been thinking about ever since I decided to pursue animation in 5th grade: what my future family will look like and when I will meet "the one".

    Valentine's Day is the time to appreciate those we truly love and care about. For Valentine's Day, I created this drawing of Raffy and Rosey kissing each other. The 2 of them complement each other very well. While Raffy loves creating animation and cartoons, Rosey is more into nature and flower paintings. While both of them are pretty shy, they met after discovering their common nature with each other. Like Raffy and Rosey, aside from creating my own characters and running my own successful animation studio, I also dream of marrying "the one" and starting a family someday. Many of you may be asking what are the ideal qualities I am looking for in "the ideal princess" I hope to marry someday?

First and foremost, my ideal princess loves Disney characters, cartoons, and animation. She's really into these interests that she forms and maintains a strong bond with me over them. She also dreams of becoming a successful animator someday, not just to make money, but more because she is passionate about animation and loves the joy and laughter it brings to many. She will always be there to support me and my dreams.

Second, my ideal princess will always see the world through the eyes of a child. She likes to dream and see all of the possibilities the world offers. She loves to do pretend play, whether she and I are playing with our stuffed animals, building a scene with our action figures, or even dressing up/cosplaying as our favorite characters. Even when our lives may be overwhelmed with items left and right, she still remembers to have fun and always have faith.

Third, my ideal princess loves animals. She loves animals so much that she's always happy to see them, especially rabbits. On a trip to the zoo or the dog park, I can see both of us petting the animals and sketching them together, helping each other move forward in our animal exploration for our features. She is okay with me adopting a chihuahua into our family.

Fourth, my ideal princess loves Disney and animation so much that she wants to live around the Hollywood-Burbank area for the rest of her life. She loves being near the animation studios and likes the nature and vastness of Griffith Park. I see us going on walks together in Griffith Park and attending many industry events at animation studios and conventions like ToonCon, LightBox, and CTNX. She may be from anywhere around the world, but dreams of living in L.A. for the rest of her life.

My ideal area I would like to live in

Last, but certainly not least, my ideal princess is someone who loves and accepts me for who I am. While she may be a Congregationalist like me, part of a different Christian denomination, or even a completely different faith than me, she respects my commitment to my faith and how my faith made me into who I am today. We appreciate each other not just for our strengths, but also for our weaknesses. We are there for each other not just on the bright good days, but also on the most depressing of days. 

That said, finding "the one" is not easy, especially as someone who grew up different than most. Often, it's hard, if not impossible, to find someone who fits all of these qualities perfectly, so I created a list of the 4 most important conditions for me:

1. Someone who truly loves and accepts me for who I am

2. Someone whom I can bond with over Disney and animation (classic Disney and traditional animation is a big plus)

3. Someone who would love to spend the rest of her life with me near the animation studios around L.A./Burbank

4. Someone who does not smoke, doesn't do drugs, and doesn't excessively drink alcohol

That being said, I've also thought about where I may first meet this wonderful soul. Is it someone I already know? Is it someone I still have yet to meet? When and where will our souls connect? Here are the 5 places I feel are the most likely for us to first meet:

1. Disneyland Resort/Disneyland/Disney California Adventure or Walt Disney World - We both love Disney cartoons and the Disney Parks are such wonderful places to see our favorite characters in real life.

2. Universal Studios Hollywood - We both love animation and going to theme parks. Universal Studios is also the closest theme park to Burbank and the animation studios 

3. CSULB - Many of the animators I have met have been from my school, CSULB.

4. Animation Studios (Disney Studios, Warner Bros., etc.) / Animation Conventions (ToonCon, LightBox, CTNX, etc.) - Wonderful places to meet more animators of all kinds.

5. Griffith Park - Home to many attractions that inspired Walt Disney or reminisce of his times - The Griffith Park Carousel, Walt Disney's Barn, L.A. Live Steamers Railroad, Travel Town, etc.

Many of you may be asking, does she need to be of a particular race or ethnicity? Does she need to be Christian like you? When will you get a girlfriend?

    For race/ethnicity, while I did have a preference in the past, now, I am open to any race/ethnicity. Like what Derek learned in The Swan Princess, what determines the best partner is their character and who they are on the inside, not their skin color or looks. In other words, love is much more than just looks. 

    On faith and religion, this is more of a who they are on the inside question: While it is nice to marry someone who shares my faith, I am open to anyone of any faith or religion as long as we respect each other's faiths and don't try to pressure each other one way or another. There is more to a person than just their religion. My ideal princess likes all religions, respects my conscience and faith, and respects our decisions to share our faiths with our young ones. For my kids, the religion he/she identifies with would be completely up to each of them and their conscience to decide. Most importantly, my ideal princess is very genuine with a kind and loving heart, regardless of religion.

In terms of when it will happen, I'll leave that to the spirits and God to decide for me. One thing I do feel is very important beforehand is a close friendship. It's important to me that I'm close friends with her for at least 1 year in person before I even think about taking the next step, so we can form that bond, build trust between each other, and find out whether we're compatible with each other in the long run. This friendship is one where we are always there for each other because we truly care for each other from our hearts, not just when we need something from one another. 

With all that being said, someday, my princess will come.

How I Decided to Become a Member of the Congregational Church

 Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. School has been very time-consuming with quite a bit of projects, but now I have no more school, I hope I can come back more and post!

Today, I wanted to share with you all how I found my church and what led me to become a Congregationalist. 

As I said in my testimony, I didn't enjoy going to church as a young kid, feeling it was an "extra day of school". In my elementary and middle school years, I attended 2 evangelical churches in the Bay Area, 1 every Sunday until around 4th grade, the 2nd as a participant in their Day Camp Program both as a camper and as a staff. While I did believe in the Savior back then, I was not very active in those churches. Me and my family stopped attending the 1st evangelical church around 4th grade due to disagreements in some of their teachings. 

As many of you know, I was inspired by my favorite Disney characters and Disney classics to pursue animation around 5th-6th grade. However, the Disney feature films and short cartoons weren't the only things that touched my heart. Walt Disney, the man who started it all, also inspired me with both his way of seeing the world and his vision to bring entertainment to the "child within us all".

In high school, I was curious to learn more about Walt Disney and the amazing animated films he made. I found out that Walt Disney was a Congregationalist and even that the Disney classics, many of them and the inspiring messages were inspired by his Congregational upbringing. Without a church to call home at the time, I looked more into the Congregational Way. Being inspired strongly from the Disney animated feature Pinocchio (1940) to believe in my dreams and trust my conscience, I found similarities between my beliefs and that of the Congregational Way. 

I really like how the Congregational Church emphasizes the importance of the individual's conscience guiding one's spirit. While many other Christian churches expect their believers to believe and do certain things based on a literal interpretation of the Bible without questioning, the Congregational Way respects the freedom of the individual believer and his/her/their personal relationship with Christ as the guiding force in his/her/their life. I also like how us a Congregationalists not only read scripture, but also are open to different interpretations based on time, place, and circumstance. It's heartwarming hearing all the different interpretations that come from reading scripture.

With that, in college, I started looking for Congregational Churches to attend. With many Congregational Churches belonging to the UCC (United Church of Christ), during COVID, I attended a UCC virtually for a few months back in 2021. While I did appreciate their acceptance of LGBTQ and other disenfranchised individuals, I left due to the church preaching too much politics. 

Turning away from the UCC, I still believed that there are Congregational churches that truly believe in the Congregational way. So, I turned to the Congregational churches part of the NACCC and as I currently live in Anaheim, I started attending First Congregational Church of Anaheim (FCCA) in November 2021 virtually for a few months, before making my first in-person appearance in March 2022. Knowing no one at that church before, I first felt shy to show up in-person. However, my experience has always been much better than expected. Since Day 1, everyone at FCCA, including Pastor Jim, Pastor Emily, both Toms, Susan, and many more, have been very kind and accepting to me and my differences. I enjoyed every service, as well as the church outing to Peralta Park to celebrate 4th of July last year.

In December 2022, nine months after my first in-person service at FCCA, a few days before my trip to Hawai'i, I heard that the church was hosting a new members class in late-January. When I expressed my desire to officially join the church, both Pastor Jim and Pastor Emily were excited. And so, on February 5, right on Peter Pan's 70th Birthday, I became an official member of the Congregational Church! And yes, I will always remember to have faith, trust, and pixie dust!

Even when I move up to Los Feliz or Burbank, I still hope to make the drive down to attend FCCA on certain Sundays. I like the diversity at my church, where individuals of all different backgrounds attend and are respected. I even appreciate how my church is friendly not just to the Congregational Church members, but also non-members and those of different faiths and religions. I even see some Catholics and those of different faiths attend every now and then. So many interfaith marriages at my church. It even reminds me of thinking about marriage in the future. Will my spouse and I both attend FCCA, will we attend our respective different churches, or will we attend both of our churches on different Sundays (like we go to my church one Sunday, my spouse's church the next Sunday)? Will we both be Congregationalists, or will we be of different denominations? No matter what the stakes present itself, I believe that the Lord will find a way to make it work out. 

Going forward, the Congregational Way will be in my heart forever. I can't wait to see all the wonderful things I accomplish as a Congregational Christian today, tomorrow, and forever!

Happy Easter: My Video Testimony

 Hello everyone! Happy Easter! I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful celebration. 

On my end, most of my family is not in the faith (besides myself, only my mom, my younger brothers, and maybe my Uncle Martin are Christians). Most of my family is far away. However, guess who I celebrated Easter with today? ...

Yes, I celebrated Easter with my church, First Congregational Church of Anaheim. We had a wonderful breakfast, an Easter egg hunt, an amazing church service, and much more. 

Devoting my life to Christ took some time. When I was in elementary school, I attended church in the Bay Area with my family. At that time, dreaded going to church and felt it was an extra day of school. Around 3rd-5th grade, we stopped going to that church because my mom did not like some of the teachings that church preached. However, she shared many inspiring stories with me of Christ bringing miracles to many, like helping one who's blind to see again, and bringing life back to those that many were hopeless would ever survive. Growing up with special needs, these experiences led me to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior and really taught me to always have faith and hope in Christ, even in the darkest of times. Anyway, here is my testimony if you would like to learn more on how I came to Christ:

More photos from church: 

Very Excited to Become an Official Member of My Church

 Hi everyone! I hope you all are having a great start to your February. I'm writing today because tomorrow, Sunday, February 5, I am going to become an official member of the Congregational Church! I'm really grateful to have found this church. Through faith in Christ, I've met so many wonderful individuals there. 

Finding the right church took quite a bit of time. When I was young, I attended a non-denominational church back in the Bay Area. As someone who did not like going to school, I at first dreaded going to church on Sundays. My family and I stopped attending around 5th grade because we felt their teachings were too harsh. From the summer before 6th grade to the summer before 9th grade, I attended a summer Christian day camp at another church near my middle school, 2 years as a day camper, 2 years as a staff volunteer. When I was staffing for them, they had us try to convert the day campers into Christians, in the name of "Spreading the Gospel", which I felt uncomfortable doing. 

Both of these churches would try to drill in my head that 'anyone who doesn't believe in Christ goes to hell'. With most of my relatives on both my mom's side and my dad's side (including my grandparents) identifying as Buddhist and meeting so many kind individuals who did not identify as Christian, I started to question that statement. Even though I am a straight male, I also did not like how these churches had beliefs that marginalize individuals who identify as LGBTQ. As a man who embraces diversity and all religions, I personally feel that God loves everyone, not just those who identify as 'Christian'. 

Surprisingly, when I share my tough experience at these churches to many Christians today, they tell me, "Oh, the stuff they are preaching is actually from the Bible." After they said that, I felt a little hurt, and felt that they didn't really validate my experience. From my experience, the Bible has taught me many important truths and lessons from Christ through his word, however, there are things in the Bible that I would question, "With the love and hope God provides to myself and many, would God really do this today?"

While I may not have had the best experiences at these churches, what encouraged me to continue to have faith and believe in my Lord and Savior are the love he gives me and the hope he provides along the way. I saw a Brazilian Healer who visited New York 3 times in my 5th, 6th, and 10th-grade year. These experiences helped me to see more of the spiritual side of Christ. 

Anyway, back to the search, the search continued on, especially after I moved down to Southern California. Around 5th-6th grade, if you know me well, that was also the time when Walt Disney and my favorite Disney characters all inspired me to pursue animation. I was looking into Walt Disney's life and found out how his Congregational upbringing and faith had a big influence on the creation of his films. With that, I looked more into the Congregational Church and the Congregational way. What really resonated with me was the freedom of interpretation of the Gospel, the importance of individual conscience (Pinocchio), and most of all, the importance of a personal relationship with Christ. 

So then, I looked into Congregational churches. From mid-2021 to late-2021, I attended a UCC (United Church of Christ) in L.A. virtually through Zoom. However, while I really liked how open and accepting they were, I stopped attending since I felt the talk on politics was too much there to the point where I started to feel worried every time I would attend a service. I also felt the Congregational Way at that UCC was not really being emphasized there. At the same time around December 2021, I started attending service for my current church, First Congregational Church of Anaheim, virtually through Facebook Live. I really valued Pastor Jim's sermons and how he emphasizes what it means to serve as a believer of Christ. As a result, in early March 2022, I started attending in person, and that's when I started to meet all of my wonderful church friends! 

Ever since I started attending, I'm really blessed getting to know many there, including Jim Weddell (the DVD man who knows the son of Frank Thomas, one of Disney's Nine Old Men), Tom and his wife Susan, Pastor Emily and her husband Ricky, and Pastor Jim Schibsted and his wife Penny. While this church is mostly composed of older adults and seniors, everyone there I have met is very accepting with true love that comes from the heart. 

Even when I do move to Los Feliz, or elsewhere in the Hollywood-Burbank area, I still plan to make the commute down when I can on Sundays to attend service at FCCA. Whether I end up attending just FCCA or 2 churches (FCCA and my wife's church), whether I have barely any time or a lot of time, I have faith that God will find a way to make it work out.

So tomorrow, I am very excited to become an official member at my church. Not only that, I am also going to get baptized for the very first time through sprinkling tomorrow, not because it is required (it's not required), but rather because to symbolize the dedication of my life to the Lord. I'll make sure to post pictures! 

Thank you for reading my piece here. I hope you all have a magical evening! No matter what you may identify as, always know that you are very special and that there is something very special inside of you that the world is waiting to see! 

I say this in Christ's name we pray, Amen!

The Three Characters That Changed My Life

     

Sorry I have been away for so long. I've gotten very busy with my film and being in the Animation BFA at my school.

My 3 favorite animated movies of all time that inspired me to dream of becoming an animator are Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940), and Peter Pan (1953). It's not just the moral messages that inspired me, but rather more, the characters that encouraged me through these messages. Today, I drew my 3 favorite cartoon characters, Peter Pan, Jiminy Cricket, and most of all, Mickey Mouse.

 Third to foremost, Peter Pan always reminds me to not grow up too fast and to always have faith and trust. When I was in elementary school, I was often made fun of for liking things people thought I was 'too old' to like, such as dressing up as Mickey Mouse and watching shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. That made me both question my childish personality and feel pressured by society to 'grow up'. At the same time, Peter Pan encouraged me to embrace the child inside of me and to never let that go, to embrace my immaturity in that there's always something new to discover. 

 Second to most is Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio (1940). In elementary school, I also really doubted myself on many of the decisions I was making back then and felt tempted by my tutors and parents to conform and have similar interests as peers who are the same age as me. At the same time in 5th grade when I was starting to see and believe the miracles, angels, and spirits that my Lord and Savior can bring to me, Jiminy Cricket came into my mind during the Remember Dreams Come True firework show at Disneyland, reassuring me to trust my heart, to follow my conscience, and to believe in my wishes and dreams. For the first time, I felt then that my dreams and ambitions were validated. 

 Most of all, as a lonely child in elementary school with barely any true friends, Mickey Mouse shined the light. In Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I felt welcomed by Mickey and his pals into the clubhouse. I would always feel sad when he has to say 'so long' at the end of each episode. In the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons, he taught me what it means to love and care for each other and what true friendship means. In the Fantasmic! show at Disneyland also in 5th grade, he also inspired me to keep using my imagination and to be open to all the amazing possibilities out there. 

These 3 special characters are not just my favorite cartoon characters, they are the first true friends I met. Yes, many of you may think I am weird for saying this, but this is why I say 'Happy Birthday' to my favorite cartoon characters. 

I feel like my struggles to make friends, while it did come with feeling lonely and excluded through the end of high school, I also felt it came with a blessing in disguise. Owing to my loneliness, I thought about how Mickey and his pals, Jiminy, and Peter Pan all made me feel less lonely through their inspiration. This made me think about all the other kids and adults who may be feeling lonely and want to create my own cartoon characters to inspire them and give them lifelong friends they can relate to.

These characters didn't just gift me with my dream to move to/near L.A. and pursue animation. They also helped me to transform my heart, to open up and be vulnerable, and also blessed me with all of you, especially my wonderful and amazing friends I've met both in-person and online since I started at CSULB. 

Thank you for reading my story and for always supporting me throughout this lifelong journey. I'm really grateful for all of you and can't wait to see where this journey leads me.