Today we’d like to introduce you to Brea Sargent.
Hi Brea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story begins at home in a region near and dear to my heart known as the “DMV”. I am a proud multi-disciplinary artist from Chesapeake, Virginia who brings forth dreams into this reality. Born with many gifts, I discovered at a very young age that I have the ability to travel to realms and dimensions both seen and unseen that do not abide by the rules of our current reality. Due to this discovery, my parents gifted me a dream journal that allowed me to archive every astral experience that I ventured to. This aided me in reviewing, analyzing, and deciphering each occurrence for awhile throughout middle school but as I began developing more of these entries (the influx of dreams started skyrocketing as I was evolving with age) words were not enough to fully encapsulate these bizarre experiences I was having so I began alchemizing them into visual art.
I never left the house without my dream journal and sketchbook. Yes, I was THAT kid who always got in trouble in class for drawing in the middle of a lesson. On a daily from friends to even teachers, I would receive requests to draw on their notes, binders, and even T-shirts in which I happily obliged. Their joy brought me peace seeing their reactions to even the simplest of sketches and that thrill still ignites a fire within me today.
Art was and still is, the only thing that makes sense to me. It’s a language within its own right filled with more than just what is visible to our naked eyes as it engages all of our senses when experiencing work up close in person. I took on numerous different mediums from charcoal to graphite and paint to ink, constructing more and more work to the point where I was filling up binders over the years.
From developing original characters with full backgrounds, creating immersive environments, stories, and even languages, I forged these realms and experiences into fruition but wondered if there was an outlet or place that would help me fully express not just myself but the realms and worlds that reside within me.
After graduating from Western Branch Highschool in 2012 (GO BRUINS!), I decided to pursue my animation degree at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida; as it was a field that seemed to not only peak my interest, but it was the closest thing to what I was already doing at such a young age. Reading comics, manga, playing video games, watching cartoons/anime, and immersing myself into mystery novels, as well as studies on ancient history, were bridges and pathways that fortified me growing up. I found very relative connections to a lot of these mediums within their story telling and even the artwork.
Curiosity ran rampant through my developing mind as I wondered if the creators of this modern time and even creators of ancient times, were akin to myself having similar dream occurrences within their era and found ways to transmute their experiences into our reality through film,books, shows, etc.
Due to this curiosity, so many more questions began to develop around this mystery in which I began deep diving into the studies of theology, philosophy, and quantum physics. The relativity of these studies utterly shattered and reconstructed my mind in the best ways. I knew without a doubt that I was aligning on the path destined for me and that our purpose here was much larger than I could ever imagine.
In search of more answers, the combination of everything in my life led me to becoming the artist I am. Traveling to these infinite worlds that reside within and bringing them to life here for others to experience through a language unforeseen but felt by many, was my calling. Thus, my journey began.
Throughout my studies in college, I accomplished a lot of goals and worked on numerous projects as my art began to evolve through the knowledge I was attaining within the industry. Those 4 years were dedicated to my studies and upon pursuing my education, I also worked and interned for local game studios and paid programs that my school provided. Interactive Entertainment Media, who was at the time partnered with EA Games, was my first gig as a concept artist developing original characters, props, and game assets for upcoming new game releases in the later years.
I received another gig creating free-handed murals in collaboration with other artists for our “Hall of Fame” season in celebration of our alumni actively working in the industry who were returning to share their stories and inspirations. Teachers from all departments were invited to speak on the alumni panel as many of them used to be in our shoes before graduating into the industry. Majority of teachers within our curriculum were former, currently active, or retired, animators and game developers from Disney, Pixar Studios, DreamWorks, EA games, Rockstar, ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) and many more.
I attended every seminar that I could and made sure to ask my teachers their experiences and critiques as they would absolutely know what we will need and what awaits us ahead. We would spend countless hours at our workstations freezing in labs, running on days with no sleep, barely any sunlight, switching between programs such as MAYA, Z-Brush, Unreal Engine, and NUKE, to create and collaborate on projects with our peers and other departments including Film and Game Development. It was not for the weak and every 6 months to a year, new software was emerging in which we had to relearn, adapt, and integrate into the new technology.
The “talk” of AI or integration of new technology, isn’t a new concept everyone assumes as these conversations were had consistently across all of our departments for years. It has only continued to progress now that we are in 2026 with the rise of AI art and AI interfaces being placed in every fabric of our existence.
Witnessing these tools being introduced to the public as “new” and a “breakthrough” to society considering my colleagues and I experienced the earlier stages of it in our industry, has been both interesting and yet uncanny (Feels almost like we’re living through a season of “The Outer Limits”).
Automated programs and tools have been utilized in our industry for over a decade ago. We were right in the beginning stages of it all and in a way, were trained and prepared for what was soon to be our future. New departments and studies were being introduced such as introduction to simulation and relative fields in programming to gain our interests in pursuing this new field of study in which they held an event for us to attend. We were one of the first classes to test out the prototype of the Oculus Rift CV1 in 2016 back when Facebook (now Meta) had acquired the company 2 years before (2014) our graduation year.
I remember this caused some controversy amongst teachers and peers who worked so hard keeping the traditions of creating animations and games alive. Some teachers and peers would boast about “not needing to ever draw again” because “the programs will do it for you”. Others would counter argue their fear of reliance on something so uncertain. “If the power goes out with no backups, file gets corrupted, and no one knows how to go back to the traditions of drawing or conceptualizing work, how would we complete the project?” A quote from my 2D animation teacher that still resonates with me.
With pursuing my education, attending networking events, and working in these programs, I began developing freelance work on the side to create extra funding in order to sustain myself as well as hone my skills and reputation within the new age digital world of art. Being able to do all of this allowed me to gain more knowledge, work ethic, and experience to prepare me for the industry ahead during my undergraduate years. Then at the age of 22, after years of serious dedication and hardwork, I received my bachelor in Computer Animation in 2016.
After graduation, I spent my last 4 years in central Florida being in and out of the industry still pursuing animation and gaming but became burnt out due to the heavy demands on the technical side of working. The more I worked in the industry, the less creativity started to unfold within the workplace as the rise in dependency of technology at the time was becoming more prominent than artistic freedom.
As a Concept Artist, companies were always laying off the art departments due to “financial reasonings” or their ideologies on artists being “expendable”, and relied more on ”trends”, quick turn-arounds , and corporatization of games and films rather than the personal experiences and perspectives of their loyal employees.
By loyal employees I am referring to both fellow gamers and artists who have devoted their livelihoods producing these projects for 3-5 or even 10-15 plus years. We were responsible for the artistic development of every product existing yet our voices combined with our hard work began no longer carrying weight in the workplace. I’ve witnessed the most talented and amazing people get removed from long termed projects and very much earned leadership positions all to be replaced by more “yes-men” lacking artistic value and talents. As new CEO’s started taking over our industry and market, it was clear it wasn’t about the love of the art anymore. Everything was all about profit.
At this point in time to combat my technological burnout and stay afloat creatively and financially, I began to develop skills back in traditional-based art forms such as comic book artwork and started working with local small businesses including figures in the Orlando area to ease myself into a new industry of art. As mentioned before, I was already on the Freelance train during college but kicked it into high gear after what I was experiencing and witnessing within an industry I once loved but no longer recognized.
I did pretty well for myself and even started developing my reputation working in the comic and anime convention scenes for the next couple of years. I traveled and worked many conventions such as Orlando Megacon, Anime Festival Orlando, Holmat (Holiday Matsuri), Cosslesium Con Atlanta ( no longer a convention today), and Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in Kentucky. I have also worked with some huge names within the culture. I had a blast working in these fields but then wanted to take developing my personal business to the next level.
I was still on the hunt trying to find those answers to my questions in my earlier stages of life.
I pursued and completed a few projects both personal and business related while working full-time jobs for a retro-game shop and then eventually transitioned over to becoming a tech for a local tech recycling business up until the pandemic hit us and caused massive layoffs to our industries.
Although, I was fully freelance at this point, still working in tech but no longer bound to an industry company during that time , it still heavily effected my clientele base in the search for more new projects considering that the current projects that were in progress were put to a halt and never utilized for development ever again. Most, if not all, of the companies I partnered with were put out of business due to financial reasonings pertaining to this event. Never to be seen again.
Due to the uncertainty of the economy, rise in the cost of living, businesses shutting down left and right in the city, I decided to make my final decisions to move out west to the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Upon my many adventures over the years temporarily residing within the state of New Mexico, I’ve accomplished and established quite a few goals, projects, and have gained valuable connections with the wonderful locals of this area who are involved in the arts community including locals within other states and regions across the nation.
In 2020-2021, I accomplished painting a 20 x 20 foot indoor mural for Zia Comics just weeks after I moved there in October, was hired by a film company known as DAP Studios based in Los Angeles California in 2022 appointed as the lead concept artist for an upcoming animated film project being picked up potentially by Pixar-Studios Pipeline as of 2024 (no updates on that yet), made history being selected out of thousands of applicants to be apart of the Historic Jamestown Settlement Virginia Artist Showcase 2024 exhibition where I gained the opportunity to showcase my dream paintings for the first time to an international audience in my own home state, successfully opened my art business, built my in-home studio and workshop, developed my website where I sell my fine art prints and provide my artistic services locally and nationally.
I became the showcased artist for the 2023 NAACP banquet held at the Las Cruces Convention Center and even created and accomplished 2 big murals (2024/2025) for Support Portsmouth Public Art Virginia (SPPAVA) and the Portsmouth Museum Of Fine Arts to whom I have a business and personal partnership with. These murals are on display for public viewing suspended on historic city buildings in Olde Towne Portsmouth and many more will soon appear.
In 2024, I was nominated and written into the Creative Industries grant by Doña Ana County as one of the 24 top visual artists representing this region and representing my home of Chesapeake, Virginia. My position within the Creative Industries team entailed many contributions that led to our first year becoming successful within those 5 months. I’ve spoken at seminars, developed presentations, created original graphic art for flyers and promotional work marketing our events and workshops, visited local community centers to ensure that the communities needs were met, and traveled all over to the surrounding areas of the county for networking roles.
Within both years of 2024 and 2025 my work gained interest by not just locals but the galleries as well. I was selected to showcase my dream paintings for “A Room of Her Own” an exhibition inspired by Virginia Woolf’s writings honoring women in the arts for Women’s history month and finally in 2026 “Words to Image”, an ekphrastic poetry exhibit turning poetry into art hosted at The Mad Hatters Gallery.
I am currently working on one of my largest mural projects yet for a local business in the area that involves 5 large exterior walls. Words can not describe how awesome this is going to be once it’s completed and revealed.
All of these ventures were truly an honor to be apart of but my story absolutely does not end here as more adventures have been revealed in my life currently and many more soon awaits me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I of course encountered numerous obstacles and challenges on my journey so far. One of which, is a constant reoccurring dilemma involving my image. Often times I’m faced with people who struggle with equating my work to my being. I have been questioned, mocked, copied and even stolen from due to their ignorance or bias. Assuming that “I could not possibly” create the work they are witnessing at hand. People have asked “Who is the artist of this amazing work?” Or “ I’ve never seen work like this before! Artist name?” In which I reply and their demeanor of infatuation and smiles quickly change to disdain and glares.
I imagine if I wasn’t as articulate, educated, and a brown young woman who produces work out of the ordinary (most people assume because you are “this” you have to make “this kind of art”), then these questions and unusual behaviors wouldn’t even arise. I’ve been even ignored or purposefully left out of conversations in crowded settings listening to them speak so highly about my work yet show no respect nor give credit to me as the creator.
The demographic of the fine arts industry is mostly older or wealthy (sometimes both) people in spaces deemed “exclusive” with most galleries and if you don’t fit what they think “meets” their criteria of what art is and what the artist is supposed to present as, they’ll make it known to you by displaying these behaviours.
Unfortunately, from my experience so far with this scene, there aren’t many spaces for younger artists to fill as these environments are often gate kept. Politics have infiltrated this industry immensely to the point where some galleries will only showcase artists who share the same political views as they do or how quickly can the work make them profit. Not by whether the artist exudes phenomenal work that deserves to be showcased, sold, and experienced by the world like it used to be.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s not about the art anymore.
This challenge has done nothing but revealed to me who is deserving of being in the presence of my work and who isn’t. We as artist should keep note of encountering people such as them in relations to continuing to hold our work at a high caliber. When those who are not meant to be in your alignment expose themselves, remember that it is a blessing in disguise and you are on the right path. Often times I’ve seen artists make this very exact mistake of conforming to these groups out of fear in order to be included.
Rest assured, I didn’t make it this far by “fitting in” and I don’t plan on it so you as an artist or creator reading this interview shouldn’t either.
We were made to stand out from the rest.
Be proud of it and shine your divine gifts.
On the other hand, with the animation and gaming industry, including the comic and anime scene, I somewhat faced similar obstacles but because our industry has been well diverse (long before DEI) for decades, my challenges were more cultural pertaining to those scenes rather than what I face in the fine arts. I didn’t really have a problem with being the only woman in my workplace considering that majority of the men I had the honor of working with were great and truly helped me elevate my skills. They introduced me to new ways of bettering my concept work and for that I am forever grateful for their contributions to my journey. I already knew what the demographics were like going into this profession and that didn’t hinder me from going forward.
These industries are predominantly male and there weren’t many women in these spaces at the time. If there were it was still much less than the quantity of our male counterparts (we were practically Unicorns). Often times I saw this as an advantage being in lead positions as a concept artist because it kept me on my toes and my work stood out often. However, with standing out comes challenges.
My knowledge in these professions were tested quite often by others who wanted my position because like I mentioned earlier, some people didn’t believe a woman like me created the work I produced even when they witnessed me create it in front of them. Others refused to listen or take my advice while I gave critiques or spoke during a presentation even though it was my job to do so.
My personal favorite, “Do you actually game and watch anime or do you just work here?”. Sometimes these questions led to strange assumptions in which rumor mills would formulate and then of course dissipate once it was deemed false. For example, because I was a young woman in these roles, I “must’ve worked my way up in other ways” implying that I would compromise myself in an inappropriate manner to get hired. This was a constant challenge when working in the animation and gaming industry but was more prevalent in the comics and anime scene. I have experienced people with no boundaries attempt to make physical and verbal advances towards myself or other women working the same conventions. I have even seen this happen to men as well.
This challenge bothered me the most at the time and it reminded me that no matter how hard you work within your means or the amount of hours and years you’ve spent dedicating to your craft, there will still be those people with primitive mindsets who will choose to view you as less, take advantage of you, or believe your are not deserving of your position, especially if the industry has a demographic imbalance and you’re the odd one out that doesn’t fit the demographic majority. Expect to face these challenges.
That is not to blame all the men of the industry in anyway, as they are not at fault for the percentage gap nor are they responsible for the actions of another displaying these behaviors inside the culture. Believe it or not, there were more men protecting me and many others in these spaces from those who crossed the line than anything as they also knew upfront what comes with being apart of this environment.
Hence, why I stated earlier about it being a societal/cultural issue displayed within these industries. You will encounter the strangest people from all walks of life in these fields regardless of gender or racial identity.
Remember, no road nor path regardless of who we are, is truly a “smooth road”. We all face challenges and hardships despite of how we choose to present ourselves or what we choose to align with in this temporary existence. Challenges are apart of this journey to fortify us into the evolution of our true being. There are always lessons to be learned in this life all of which are different and subjective to each and every individuals perspective. It’s all in how you perceive these experiences and what you choose to do with them later within your journey.
Do you view them as “obstacles” and “challenges” to dwell on for eternity or do you view them as “necessities” and “stages” to fight through and become triumphant?
Which wolf do you feed?
Understand that by default , we as artist are already a threat to many but most importantly a threat to ourselves. This is displayed all throughout our history as a species on how we are our own worst enemy. The fight for control of us and our work goes hand in hand as it is still prevalent today due to our power, influences, and contributions to society. We are the blueprint of human civilization and if we allow ourselves to be confined to artificial tethers, false “gods”, and taken advantage of, then we have failed our destiny and no longer serve within our divine purpose as creators. Don’t stop creating.
The obstacles and challenges are the necessities in stages
Ride the Spiral and keep going.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work consists of bringing dreams into reality and I do just that. As an avid dreamer since childhood, my work is a reflection of the realms and universes that live inside my consciousness filled with vibrant colors, whimsical shapes, prophetic messages, and spiritual experiences not of this world. In the astral realms, colors are more vibrant but some colors don’t exist in our realm, beings exist that defy our natural order, forms are ever flowing, and shapes do not follow specific laws or limitations as they are ever changing.
Patience is truly a virtue when encapsulating these experiences from my memory onto canvas as I am transferring every color, shape, detail and even messages that I witnessed upon my travels.
All that you see in my work is exactly what I experienced.
These experiences are what has drawn me to pursue the spiritual as well as the unknown in the arts. It has helped me seek answers to some of those questions I had in my earlier years in life involving my gifts and why I have them. I discovered that my purpose here as an artist is to utilize, uplift, and challenge those to delve deep within themselves in order to truly explore who they are without the limitations and fears. My work is not just for me but most importantly the people.
Our materialistic and constructional society prevent us from seeking our connection to divinity. We are more than just this material existence beyond this waking life and I believe some of us as artist and creators are placed here for a higher calling to ignite the furnaces within those people to restore the order. I truly believe being in this purpose and my work alone is what sets me apart from others and if you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing my work up close, you already know.
Not only do I display my works and pieces in museums and galleries but I also travel across the nation creating colorful and impactful murals for all communities. I apply the same principles to my mural work as I do for all of my work as I truly believe in allowing more unique art in public spaces.
With my background in years of experience with digital artistic avenues in concept art, illustrations, 2D/ 3D animation and even graphic novels and comic art, I still display and work in these areas with my business on top of my traditional and personal work. If there is a studio,business, or anyone in need of these services, whether it is a logo or character designs for a film or show, I am always open.
I am truly most proud of myself with everything I’ve endured on my path so far and of the work I have produced over the years because of it. I have met some amazing people along the way too who have impacted me and contributed to my success in which I am thankful for their existence beyond imagine.
There’s no room for limitations for me. Wherever I am called to create, I will be there.
I am the Ink Dragon and this is what I am known for.
What matters most to you?
The things that matter most to me are happening right now in this very moment. It’s this being, these experiences, the journey and wonders we call “life” . It’s the stressful sleepless nights, the fond memories we share with others, family, love,the wins, the loses, the dark, the light, and the knowledge, as well as lessons, we gain along the way.
With the roads being paved ahead for the big tech push on modern human civilization, I fear many of us have lost the plot and have forgotten these values of humanity that were instilled within us by our ancestors. To a lot of us, AI is simply just a tool that has been around a lot longer than most believe. For the mainstream, it’s marketed as a “way of life” and a “convenience for all” that almost feels suffocating at times with how adamantly it’s being pushed.
As someone with years of experience, appreciative of both digital and traditional artistic ventures, I still prefer the traditional and always will. It is a reminder that we are the blueprint of creation while the other is merely an emulator.
Being able to transmute your energy using your hands to create a piece that others can actually touch, share, and physically experience with the world is utterly unmatched compared to an image created from a prompt. That’s not to say that both of these areas are not unique within their own right and some may argue that one is more convenient than the other as previously mentioned, however, convenience does not equate to superiority and with the progression of technological advancement in art and society as a whole, I fear that our reliance will cause detriment to the disciplinary construct of producing these creations and even civilization.
We must learn to crawl before we can stand and we must learn to walk before we can run. This is and always has been the law of our evolutionary process. We have created with our hands since the beginning of time and will continue to create well beyond.
We rely on our senses to encounter the material realm around us and I believe the need, production, and physical experience of traditional art is sacred to our evolutionary well being and overall, spiritually as a species upon the Earth.
When attending an exhibition where there are hundreds of pieces on display, we seek ourselves within each and every brush stroke, every color that harmonizes, and every texture that speaks made by a creator for us to encounter, energetically absorb, and emotionally digest. It is a reflection of us experiencing our daily lives in this realm of natural order and laws of our universe. Not only are we here to observe but we are here as the perceiver.
If we rule out these necessary steps involving creation, then we are ruling out our very own existence for the sake of “convenience” since we ourselves are made within the same laws of creation. It’s extinction.
AI absolutely can not give these experiences to us. It does not wonder nor does it feel. It only assimilates and simulates. It does not know what it means to be born from the ancient waters of a mother’s womb. It can not witness divinity with all senses engaged. It doesn’t possess hands with millions of intelligent nerves, infinite highways of sentient cells traveling at the speed of light, and liquid fire running through these highways called veins connected to a furnace that powers these tools used to create outside of us. As we create these worlds outside of us, we are being powered by infinite worlds within.
To me that is absolutely remarkable.
What are the odds that we were made in creation and are all sharing this plane of existence together within the same lifetime? Everyday we wake up telling ourselves how unworthy we are. We are “not enough” or we don’t “fit” within the societal construct by comparing and confining ourselves to artificial and materialistic limitations.
Ask yourself how exactly is it possible to be made of matter, stardust, and every component of the universe personified and yet you truly believe you are “not enough”?
Understand that you are loved by so many in which you can not see. There are museums and galleries decorated ornately with precious metals and minerals from the cosmos filled with portraits of our likeness admired and celebrated by beings from other infinite realms. There are parades held in honor of your glory.
In due time, all will be revealed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therealmofinkdragonxx.art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkdragonxx?exln=ZmdxbHozOGc3dTk2&utm_source=qr
