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By Kelsey Brownlee

On Fri., Nov. 4, Department of Art alumna and 2016 CAAD Alumni Fellow Val Cripps gave insight to art students at MSU.  She spoke on her experience in art and on how she got to where she is today.

According to Cripps, she has always identified as an artist/creator.  Her passions have always included drawing and painting.  She told the students, “Think about what you did as a kid.  What I did as a kid, I do now.”

For a time in her life, she always had ideas of what she wanted to create.  However, sometimes when getting these ideas to real life, it was hard for her.  She felt that there was something she was missing out on.

“I felt like everyone else was in on some secret art training that I didn’t know about.”

She gave inspiration to the students, explaining that with your brain and heart, you have all the tools you need.

“Everything you’re looking for out there that you think you need – that you don’t have yet, you have it now inside of you.”

Cripps wasn’t always so lucky and didn’t always have all the answers.  She explained that her parents began to question her decisions on majoring in art, saying she wouldn’t be earning much money and that, “money doesn’t grow on trees.”

This got her down for a while, but she eventually went out and started looking for work.  Before she knew it, she had an offer for a job – but no money.  A friend gifted her the money to boost her along, and she was quickly able to pay it back.

Cripps has now been working in feature animation and has worked on many popular movies and shows. She also has a coloring book out and sells digital portraits.

She left the students with a piece of advice to inspire them to keep going for what they want.

“It takes a lot of dedication to become good. Unless you really want it, you won’t ever get good.”