Salt
This hand-drawn animation was inspired by the song Salt by Bad Suns. I was glad to find a song that was specifically about what its like to be transgender.
I want to use my skills to create content that will move others, and I have to become more comfortable about talking about my own experiences. So I used this song to create something that would show change, acceptance, and positivity speaking from my experience.
I create a story board by mapping out the lyrics first in a pattern that reflects how I see it in my head. I match it up with key frames and draw multiple times. When I have enough boarded on paper, I move to digital. I constantly replay to the song while looking at my boards to help me map out the movements.
For this animation, most of it was created in a stream of consciousness manner to create a balance between dream and reality shown in the narrative.
I used some obvious symbols like pink, blue, and hair length to signal to the audience that this was about a transition. There are some more subtle hints like the room being cleaned up, the new prescriptions, and the mirror changing from a feminine oval to masculine square.
I am conscious about the lack of LGBT+ representation in media and want to help fill the gap of misrepresentation of trans men. It is important to use artistic mediums to speak your truth and help others. It is validating to see accurate gender non-conforming characters in media, especially when they are otherwise ignored or misrepresented. This piece aims to show the feeling of transitioning into yourself an embracing who you are.