The Search

an animated film

The Search is an animated short film following a young girl looking for a missing piece of herself. After spending much time and energy searching for what made her whole, she realizes that perhaps what she was looking for was within her all along.

Spring 2022

official selection for:

2022 Raleigh Film and Arts Festival

2022 Motion Commotion at ICON: The Illustration Conference

Thumbnails and Ideation

This project began with the prompt, “searching for solace.” Considering what it meant to carve out new paths while coming to terms with identity, I sketched various thumbnails of what this journey could look like.

The origins of this story began as a scene of two beings standing under the stars, gazing up in wonder as the sky encased them and water surrounded them on all sides.

Character Design

I designed this character to have a visibily missing part of her body. During her journey, she finds something that fills this missing part, but leaves her visibily empty.

As she comes to terms with this missing part of herself, she becomes whole.

After self-reflecting on cultural identity, I developed a story about how we are plural beings.

We are both our past and present selfs, always evolving, and on a continuous journey of developing our own identities.

s. j. sosa

︎︎ PROJECTS ︎︎

Animation: The Search

Booklet & App: Remodel Minority

Digital Zine: Becoming

Illustrated Story: Sense of self
Picture Book: I’m Buying a Cabin
Publication Analysis Site: Kinfolk
Print Zine: Undivided
Sine Theta Magazine

Type Explorations

︎ GRAPHIC DESIGN

︎ ILLUSTRATION

︎ CULTURAL WORK

︎ ABOUT

The Search

an animated film

official selection for:

This project began with the prompt, “searching for solace.” Considering what it meant to carve out new paths while coming to terms with identity, I sketched various thumbnails of what this journey could look like.

The origins of this story began as a scene of two beings standing under the stars, gazing up in wonder as the sky encased them and water surrounded them on all sides.

I designed this character to have a visibily missing part of her body. During her journey, she finds something that fills this missing part, but leaves her visibily empty.

As she comes to terms with this missing part of herself, she becomes whole.

After self-reflecting on cultural identity, I developed a story about how we are plural beings.

We are both our past and present selfs, always evolving, and on a continuous journey of developing our own identities.

︎︎ PROJECTS ︎︎

The Search

an animated film

official selection for:

This project began with the prompt, “searching for solace.” Considering what it meant to carve out new paths while coming to terms with identity, I sketched various thumbnails of what this journey could look like.

The origins of this story began as a scene of two beings standing under the stars, gazing up in wonder as the sky encased them and water surrounded them on all sides.

I designed this character to have a visibily missing part of her body. During her journey, she finds something that fills this missing part, but leaves her visibily empty.

As she comes to terms with this missing part of herself, she becomes whole.

After self-reflecting on cultural identity, I developed a story about how we are plural beings. We are both our past and present selfs, always evolving, and on a continuous journey of developing our own identities.

After self-reflecting on cultural identity, I developed a story about how we are plural beings.

We are both our past and present selfs, always evolving, and on a continuous journey of developing our own identities.