I’m a 24-year-old self-taught animator, and for the past 2 years my life has revolved around one thing ,an independent animated series called Marlene.

Marlene is a 2D dark fantasy psychological series about a mysterious girl raised in a quiet church who discovers she isn’t human, but a cosmic anomaly created by an ancient force that wants to erase existence. When a corrupted Guardian kills the priest who raised her, Marlene’s suppressed power erupts, fracturing reality and dragging her into a war between chaos and balance. Now hunted by voidborn beings and forced into a destiny she never asked for, she has one choice: fight her nature… or become the destroyer she was created to be.

Marlene started as a random idea I couldn’t shake. A character, a world, a story that felt too important to ignore. I didn’t have a studio, funding, or industry connections ,just a small group of friends who believed in it as much as I did. So we decided to build it ourselves from nothing.

Since then, we’ve gone through the entire process the hard way writing, storyboards, animatics, character design, concept art, visual development learning as we go, making mistakes, improving, and pushing forward even when it felt impossible. We’re a team of artists and 2D animators from different parts of the world, connected only by this shared vision.

The truth is, it’s been exhausting and honestly scary. Low engagement online makes you question everything. Funding it myself  . And trying to create something this big without connections sometimes feels like shouting into the void.

But I genuinely believe Marlene could become something special not just another animation, but proof that independent creators can build something powerful from the ground up.

We’re planning a Kickstarter to fund the series, and this might be the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life.

So I wanted to share our story and ask:

If you’ve ever worked on an indie project, chased a dream, or taken a huge creative risk ,what helped you keep going when things felt uncertain?

I don’t want to regret not trying. I just don’t want to crash and burn alone.

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Thanks for reading ❤️

THE Reality of Creating an Indie Animation with Zero Industry Connections