Today we wanted to interview an artist who has been working in various forms of animation, one of those being Stop Motion. In Minnesota, the stop motion scene has had little attention, so seeing artists like Kiera is inspiring to animators wanting to try and bring that form to life again. However, before I go too much into her works, I’d love for you to hear what she has to say about her works.
Has there been any challenges you’ve faced when creating Stop Motion art in the cities?
“Oh yes, there have been many challenges, and there will be more to come. My struggles tend to reside in the puppet-making portion of it- this step is fun but is very time-consuming, and usually, something goes amidst while making my silly figures. However, it’s here in the twin cities that I realized how much I enjoy stop motion, and the support from friends, family, and professors have helped me troubleshoot such problems.
Along with that, I think another thing I struggle with is my confidence in the medium- more so how others will take in my work. I usually set the bar too high and give myself too much work… I also tend to expect a poor reception of my work, due to its weird creepy themes and looks. However, here in the twin cities, people genuinely enjoy stop motion- they enjoy my uncanny designs and stories, and it feels like there is a real appreciation for the craft here.
People here push me to challenge myself, they believe in me and my work. When I want to give up, there is always at least one person who will make me keep going. I will always be thankful for their kind words and support. It’s something I haven’t felt anywhere else and is something I cherish dearly.”
So how does your process go? Materials, methods, etc?
“My process is a weird mix of intense planning and improvisation. I typically make a pre-production schedule and like to try to stick to it as much as possible. However, things may go south and life happens. I have to be flexible to accommodate for such things.
Material-wise, I enjoy using found objects. I try to minimize the materials I have to buy and instead search for what I have on hand. The base for my puppets is pretty standard, but for their face and clothes, I will utilize whatever I can. Clay, wood, fabric, cardboard, paper, and felt. Textures are so important and can make or break a creepy puppet. Sometimes it could even push it too far…
I also have some old thread and buttons from my grandma, so I like to sew and incorporate those into each puppet I make (even though she thought some of my work was too creepy) Oh! And before making the characters, I always sketch them out, both small doodles and life-size drawings! Many many many sketches…”
A loaded question, but, how would you say you are connected to your work?
“My work is a weird mix of both cute and kind of creepy. My horror-like work revolves around death and monsters. As someone who grew up around a fair number of deaths, along with nightmares, this creepy art is more so a way to decompress. It’s a way for me to get such thoughts out of my head. I also believe others may share similar experiences.
Through my work, I use these scary themes to both allow others to be heard, as well as to show that, in the end, it isn’t so scary. None of my work is true “horror art”. I want to show my fears, and other people’s fears, and help us all overcome them (or at the very least, acknowledge them). However, a little spookiness is also fun 🙂 like Halloween!
As for my cute art- I just enjoy cute things~ They make me very happy and are a good break from my other films and drawings.”
If you could say something to the stop motion crowd in the Twin Cities, what would it be?
“Fantastic. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t enjoy the craft here. If anything, it seems like folks in the Twin Cities want to see more stop motion. In general, everyone is amazing and supportive and they all deserve a good hug.”
It’s okay if you don’t want to answer this because of spoilers but… What’s your next project going to be about?
“Hoho! I don’t know if it’s considered my “next” project, but right now I’m working on my senior thesis. It’s a small video game demo about a kid who breaks a window while delivering newspapers, and everyone disappears because of it. It’s set in the mid-1900s and is a tale about forgiveness and finding those who will support you, as well as weeding out those who perhaps don’t have your best intention in mind. Some things are cute, some things are a little creepy, and there is something darker hidden in it… My project involves both a demo and a trailer, and both will be showcased at MCAD!
Depending on how that goes, my next project will either involve expanding upon that game via a Kickstarter, or other funding, or working on a 2D pilot I’ve had in mind for quite some time now… No spoilers for that! All I’ll say is it involves some kiddos I’ve drawn in the past. :)”
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Stop-motion is something I’ve always admired and it looks as if Kiera Joseph is well on her way to achieving her goals! It will be exciting to see how her next project turns out. If you want to see more of her works, visit her social media here! For more contact information, you can refer to our rolodex.
I hope you all enjoyed this first artist interview as much as I did. I’m going to be contacting more artists throughout the Twin Cities as the days progress. So stay tuned!
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