Who the heck is Annie Hobbs??
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to my little corner of the web, and thank you for stopping by!
I figured it was time to do an introduction and backstory, considering it's been a hot minute since I initially published this site. okay okay.. it's actually been a year... but who's counting? Well, here it goes...
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I started drawing and painting when I was very young. My parents were wonderful and highly encouraged my desire to constantly create. I know my situation is not the norm and it hits me deep when I hear stories of the opposite. (I've actually had people ask me to tell their children that being an artist is a bad idea.. but that's a whole other blog post) You know how everyone always has that one dream as a kid, and then you kind of grow out of it, and it never actually happens? Well... what if it could actually happen? What if I told you, mine came true?? Not in the way I had planned as a kid, that's for sure. But what would have happened if I had stopped believing it could actually be a possibility? Where would I be now?
I think we all start out with these grand ideas of what your life will be like when you get "older". Truth is, I'm "older" and I still feel like I'm 12. Why do I not have an adult with me at all times?? Oh right, I AM the adult. That explains quite a bit of my experience, actually!
High School, Jr. College, and then finally the UC System held the most learning for me as I made my rounds through art classes. Looking back, I know I could have boosted my talent so much farther had I actually applied myself like I do now. (But in my head, I'm 12, remember??) I goofed around, made lots of friends, and put in just enough effort to get the assignments turned in. I didn't start to really develop my art until I was a few years out of college. Freelancing and getting paid for work still seemed like a far off dream. I mostly did things for friends and then friends of friends. I painted shoes, took small commissions, made stationary, booklets, and yes... I even did the dreaded logos.
I think around this point I realized I wanted (and needed) to further teach myself additional skills. Youtube held a wealth of information and Blogger was taking off as was the amount of illustrators using the platform. (RIP Blogger) I think that was the biggest turning point in my brain... I wanted to be like them! I networked, copied the steps they took, and tried to emulate "the working artist" persona. I did okay. I had pretty much resigned myself to thinking "well, {insert dream here} would be cool, but it's super hard to do and there are artists far better than me". It was still there, it had just taken up residence in the cupboard under the stairs.
There were quite a few curveballs thrown at me in my early years of finding a steady "normal" big girl job. I was broke and moved back in with my parents. I took jobs that more fulfilled my inner spirit rather than my wallet. Some were great, others not so much. It was during one of these down times that the ONE call came in that changed my life.
I always tell people, "Don't burn your bridges!". It's one of those things adults like to repeat (aw man... I've become one of THEM!) and you always sort of shrug and reply back with a "yea.. yea.. I know...." But for reals guys. Don't do it!! You literally NEVER know who is going to be the link that turns your life around.
For me, it was a long time friend in High School. We were both in drama classes together, hung out in a big group of theater kids, talked Disney all day long, and did the stupid stuff teenagers do. On a whim, one afternoon... we decided to go fill out an application and get jobs at Disneyland. At this point, we had both graduated and were taking community college courses to finish our general education. Well, as luck would have it.. Disneyland was desperate for people because they were opening up their newest park, Disney California Adventure!! *cue confetti canons*
Long story short, the opening of the park wasn't received as hoped and I didn't last very long as a Cast Member. Nothing bad happened, it just wasn't the right timing for me. My friend stayed and moved her way up through the ranks to where she still works today.
Fast Forwarding many many years (we wont divulge the actual years because for all you know... I'm still 12 in my head!), I'm at a super low point in my life. I'd worked really hard to achieve some occupational goals, but they just never lived up to the expectation I had in my head. Regular jobs pretty much sucked. I felt unfulfilled and depressed. My art was suffering and I felt burnt out emotionally.
Then I got the phone call from my dear, dear friend...
"Would you be interested in being an artist at Disneyland?"
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... to be continued..
~ Annie