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.