Letter of intention

To the admission board at The Animation Workshop

My name is Mia Bødker Nissen, and I am a storyteller, striving to become a comic book artist.
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved stories. Whether they came from movies, books, video games or comics. I believe stories are one of the most important parts of being human. They are essential to us because through stories we can grow, learn and maybe try to be better than the day before. We, humans, have been telling stories since the dawn of time. I think that is one of the most beautiful things about our world. The only thing that changes is the medium they are told through.
I believe comics is the way to get your story out and that is why I’m applying to the Graphic Storytelling line at The Animation Workshop.

I love many different kinds of genres and the stories they hold. It depends on which mode I’m in. Sometimes I like a good action movie where there might not much plot but you watch it for the action. Other times it’s the crime stories where you get to use your mind and see if you can solve the crime. And when you’re sick. Nothing is better than watching a chick flick because you will feel so much better knowing that even though you’re sick. You’re still ten times smarter than them.

Some of my favorite writers are the Nolan brothers, especially their work on Memento, Interstellar, Inception, Man of Steel, and Westworld. I do like the Dark Knight trilogy as well, but I find myself missing the old Batman, the humorous and compassionate Batman. One of my favorite Batman moments is in Batman Gotham Adventures number. 26 where he has to protect a baby, but that doesn’t stop him from fighting crime. Another moment is in the Justice League series, where he sits down with the dying girl Ace and is just there for her. Because Batman’s greatest strength is his kindness, and it’s kinda lost in the new movies. (And let’s not talk about Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, just pretend it doesn’t exist)

Brian k. Vaughan is one of my favorite comic book writers and I’m currently reading both Saga and Y: The Last Man. Both really amazing comics. For kicks, I read some of the very first Spiderman comics. And I didn’t like them. The time difference is definitely the reason behind it, but boy, they were bad.

I read many independent webcomics and I’ve supported a few on Kickstarter. One of my favorites is the webcomic Wilde Life by Pascalle Lepas. I love how that despite there being supernatural elements in it, the characters are still just people. And it is those type of stories I want to create. Stories about people, by people, for people.

It has always been easy for me to empathize with the characters in movies, books, games, or comics. That is why, for me, stories are all about the people, the characters, in them. One of my most recent experience with great empathy for characters was when I played the Witcher 3. (Spoiler alert) It was when the father figure, Vesemir, died. During the game, and the previous two games, you really bond with him, so when he died I was devastated. I truly felt with Ciri and Geralt in that moment.

A friend and I once discussed our favorite movies and such, and he said that some of the movies I liked were cliché. He even said that they were for simple-minded people. I simply replied “I have seen a sunset a million times and I will see much more. But that does not make them any less beautiful or magical”
I know that many stories have been told before, but sometimes we need those stories. Yes, they might be for simple-minded people as my friend put it, but I choose to the beauty in the world where I can. Otherwise, the world would be a dark place to live.

I can’t brag about traveling the world, though I really want to travel more. Money has just always been the issue there. Though one place I’ve visited has stayed with me for a long time. It was during our family road trip from Los Angeles to Texas. We’ve just arrived at Grand Canyon, in the dead of the night and the sky was illuminated by millions of stars. I’ve never in my life seen so many stars. You could actually see the Milky Way. I felt so incredibly small and insignificant under that starry sky. One of my more recent experiences was from our student trip to Amsterdam. On our last day, we visited the Van Gogh Museum. Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists and I never thought that I would get the chance of being in the presence of his paintings. My favorite painting is the Almond Blossom, 1890. I even got a mug with it on as a souvenir. The reason I like it is that it’s so different from what he usually painted, but also because of the story behind it. The painting was a gift for his brother Theo and his sister-in-law, who had just had a baby son, whom they named Vincent Willem, after Van Gogh. Later, Vincent Willem went on to found the Van Gogh Museum. I cried in the museum because I was so overwhelmed with joy.

I’ve been drawing all my life. I can’t recall a single moment where I didn’t draw. And it was during my years at Visual HF that I found my true passion for drawing, and when I was told that the Graphic Storytelling line was in the works I just knew that that was where I was meant to be. Visual HF is where I grew the most as an artist, and I will be forever grateful for that experience. Our main teacher Iben Lindeberg, really showed the way when it came to life drawing. She showed ways of drawing that I hadn’t thought of before.
I applied to the GS line in 2015, got to the admission test and interview, but I didn’t get in. I’m not going to lie, I was devastated, heartbroken, but I believe it was the right decision on your part. I can see now that I was not ready to back then, but I am now. I believe in my previous letter of intention, I wrote something about me not giving up easily. Well, that is definitely still true. Since I’m here again.

As a former Visual HF student, I know the drill when it comes to paying for the education. I’ll take SU loan and I got a very sweet and supporting family who’s willing to help in time of need.

I’m currently studying Multimedia design, it was my emergency detour, but it has taught me many things, and I even made some new friends there. I’ve learned a lot about communication and marketing. Group work and a great deal about myself. I’ve learned that I’m an Integrator when it comes to working in groups. Which means that I care very much about the people in the group and creating a good work environment. I’ve also become quite profound in many of the Adobe softwares such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, InDesign etc. It has taught me skills I didn’t think I would need, like coding a website. Which is a good thing to know if you, for example, would want to start a webcomic.

I told myself the day I started there that I would get an internship at The Animation Workshop. And I did. As I’m writing this I’m currently an intern at the Open Workshop. I will do almost anything to achieve my dream. The best encouragement speech you can give me is by telling me I can’t do something. Because then I will do anything in my power to prove you wrong.

My biggest discouragement is definitely myself, and most of all, fear. It’s the reason why I’ve not gotten any of my stories further than writing them down. The fear of people not liking them and outright hate them. The logical side of me knows that you can’t please everyone and just pull a ‘George R.R Martin’. He does not give a shit about what other people think and just does what he wants to.

Fear has held me back, but I’m only human, and I will not let fear control me anymore. Therefore, if you decide that I, again, should not be a part of the Graphic Storytelling degree, I will not let it stop me. I will tell the stories I have to tell. Just wait, it will be magnificent!

-        Sincerely

Mia Bødker Nissen