Chasing that sensation, Shannon began taking art classes during elementary and middle school that helped her improve her artistic skills. She moved on to watercolor and oil painting classes in high school. With an otherwise normal high school experience when it came time for her to go to college, she realized hadn’t put much thought into what she wanted to do with her life. She figured she would go to a nearby college and wing it. That’s when her father shocked her by suggesting a career in art. So, in 2015, Shannon took the leap and enrolled at DigiPen Institute of Technology, a college where artists, coders, game designers, and sound designers come together and make video games and animated films. There she learned everything about how they are made; most shockingly that 2D animation was created frame by frame, each image drawn on a separate piece of paper.

By her sophomore year, she still felt directionless as an artist and as a person, but that all changed when she joined a 2D animated film team. She was surprised to discover how rewarding collaboration was to not only her own artistic growth but her personal growth as well. She suddenly felt invigorated to give it her all. Shannon worked on many aspects of the film from producing, to storyboarding, to 2D animation, and editing. It was like she had woken up. She stayed up until all hours of the night to work on her film, drew until her hand hurt, and even trudged to school over winter break in the snow, in flip flops, uphill both ways. It was so much fun. She was free to discover and create something with her own hands. 

From there she went on to her senior 2D animated film team, which combined the love of teamwork she fostered during her sophomore film with the stakes and pressure of making something that pushed her artistic limits. Getting the chance to tell a story about a young Indian girl in her senior film got her excited about making stories that allowed people to see a part of her and her culture. It was cemented in Shannon’s mind that the animation industry was where she needed to be. Shannon focused on visual development and color styling during her senior film motivated by her previous training in painting and design and the specific way that color tells and elevates a story.

After graduation, she applied to visual development and color styling positions in the TV and feature film industry. With a series of rejections at her feet, Shannon dove into self-improvement as an artist, pushing herself to network with artists online, taking on new personal projects, and even moving with her friend to California to get closer to the industry she wanted to be in. With many new art pieces under her belt, she put together a portfolio for the Nick Artist Program. After a whirlwind interview process, Shannon received the call that she had been selected for the program. Exhilarated and grateful, what she takes away from this opportunity is the value of pushing through fear, trying new things, and never forgetting her love of the collaborative process behind making great animated films and cartoons.