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Kristina "Kina" Mickahail - Giblin | Animation Artist
Kristina "Kina" Mickahail-Giblin
Animation Artist
So, tell us a bit about who you are, and how you first got involved with Epiphany Space.
I’m Kristina “Kina” Mickahail-Giblin and I’m an animation artist, freelance illustrator, fiber artist, sculptor, painter, and so many other things - I contain multitudes and unexpected plot twists.
Recently, I was a Color Designer and Background Painter on
X-Men ‘97, a life-changing experience and one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. Previously, I worked on animated shows such as
Baby Shark, Final Space, New Looney Tunes, Bunnicula, and lots more.
On some occasions I do set decor, makeup, hair, and costuming on live action sets - a short sci-fi film I recently loved working on called
Bright Forests was screened at the Austin Film Festival and Dances with Films. I even got to do costume design for the
Love From the Other Side music video with Fall Out Boy.
In my spare time, I’ve been known to illustrate my favorite native SoCal and ancestral plants and create diagrams and exhibit illustrations for my small-group summer NASA challenges. Some mornings I try to paint or draw how I’m feeling to warm up and ground myself.
Epiphany Space was first a place where I could get away from the noise of life and focus on being artistic, inspired and in community with other creatives like me. Over the years, I’ve volunteered, been part of the co-working space, taken classes, and hosted several events at Epiphany Space.
Who inspires you? What creative people or creative works make you say, “I want to do that”?
My childhood painting teacher Elaine was the first person who really saw me for who I was and accepted all of me. She helped me cultivate a passion that fuels me even today.
Otherwise, so many people from different walks of life inspire me - my indigenous Coptic Egyptian ancestors, astronomy photographers, botany illustrators, scientists of all studies, classic painters and sculptors, modern cinema giants, historians, video game concept artists and developers, futuristic architecture, and fashion designers….
I want to see it all, I want to do it all. There’s not enough time or energy for me to do it myself, so I live vicariously through them and let their work inspire me.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced along the way, and how did you deal with them?
I’ve experienced hunger, homelessness, joblessness, uncertainty, and a lot of anxiety for most of my life. It’s been hard to talk about because it hasn’t always been safe to - eventually I found people that truly saw me and supported who I was and wanted to become, and found refuge in those communities and spaces. It’s especially challenging when misunderstandings can be there - It’s easy for folks to forget where I came from when I seem “okay” nowadays. It’s getting easier for me to express where I came from and how hard I worked to get to where I am now.
The fact is, I was dealt a bad hand and it truly sucked, to say the least. However, I had to recognize that I alone was responsible for myself and my actions. No one else could rescue me - to become my own hero, I had to take calculated risks to make things better, as terrifying as it was.
It took an insurmountable amount of perseverance and courage along the way - it still does, even when things are significantly better now. To trust the right people, seek support from folks who were able… to ASK for help and receive it. I had to be okay with seeing my shortcomings and where I could improve.
The best practice for me was to frequently “feel the fear and do it anyway”. Essentially trust-falling with myself and my support groups.
Are you working on anything cool or interesting right now? Anything you’d like to tell us about?
I’m working on a book cover for an independent author, and it’s been a fun collaborative experience as the creative process has shifted.
I’m working on a series of classes for being creative in times of crisis - something I happen to know a lot about as art and imagination kept me alive. I was made for these times, and I want to show others how to keep their spark of inspiration and hope alive even when things are formidable or chaotic.
Personally, I’m experimenting with embroidery - historically Coptic Egyptians tattooed early Christian iconography and motifs on their bodies, so I’m studying texts, traditions, and images from that time and applying it to my own clothes using this technique. Right now I’m allowing myself to explore and have fun with it while connecting to my heritage.
Where do you see your creative journey taking you? What would you like to be doing, say, five years from now?
I have no idea where the future will take me. I have interests in so many things, and I learned the ability to pivot my skills and career by necessity - for all I know, I could be building sets for a fantasy film or doing illustrations for scientific case studies. I hope it will be fun and that I’ll work with lots of amazing people, wherever that is.
Though it would definitely be a bucket list experience to possibly work with Guillermo Del Toro someday!
What advice would you give to other artists and creatives in your field? Any words of wisdom for those looking to follow in your footsteps?
When things go well, ENJOY THE MOMENT! Savor it. Milk it for all its worth in the most respectful way possible. When things inevitably do go wrong, know that you’re in good company and most certainly not alone. There is absolutely no shame in having to work different jobs to fund your creative endeavors.
Look for the people who support what you’re doing - sometimes that will look different depending on the person.
Don’t take anything personally unless it becomes personal.
Be patient, learn resilience.
Be open to possibilities, look to alchemize your experiences and talents into other modalities to keep yourself going.
Be kind, have gratitude, and help others up when you can too, even when you’re struggling. You never know where a genuinely kind word might go.
And, if you love it enough, keep going in any way you can.
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Epiphany Space is a global artist community. We bring together artists and creative entrepreneurs to engage in community and peer support so that we can cultivate meaningful connections, overcome challenges, and achieve our creative goals.
We are a 501c3, Non-profit Organization.