My boss once called me into his office and asked, "On a scale of one to ten, how good are you with animations?". In a split second, I traveled back in time when I made the decision to add animation to my set of skills.

I had a background in self-educated graphic design, so I longed for a guide/mentor in this field because I barely knew where to start. I used platforms like Powtoon and Renderforest as a start. A well-meaning acquaintance then advised that I go to the basics themselves.

It was in the search of something more that I was connected to Damilola Solesi of Smids Animation Studios. She gave me a road map, the one I would later use to answer that question. "Four out of ten," I replied to my boss.

The number was a sincere admission of where I am compared to where I want to be. But even at that, I know I have come a long way from the guy who had no clue years ago. I have gotten my hands dirty and learned so much. But there's so much more to learn.

Fast forward to September 18, and I met my guide in real life for the first time ever. I could not contain my happiness. I even took the celebrity selfie that the real me wouldn't have. 24 hours after that, she asked me to send my reel.

I was grateful that she will consider me worthy of having a reel now. The problem, however, is that I had no reel. I saw this as life's way of reminding me that LUCK is just an opportunity that meets preparedness. I may just have missed this one.

Regardless, I made sure I created my first reel. Cheers to growth.

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