A highlight reel of my 3D animation thus far, focusing on character animation. The music track is called "Big Noise From Winnetka" by Al Caiola, which appears on "Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 18: Bottoms Up!".

Animation for me is the closest I can come to the childhood dream of having my toys act out a story while under their own will. Not only do I get to make up any character design I want, but they get to live and act out in the world that gets made.

Michelangelo once said that his statues were already finished inside the huge blocks of marble. All he had to do was remove the unneeded bits around it. In a way, the same can be said for animation. The characters and their world already exist somewhere and all I do is describe it.

Yeah yeah, I’m insane and I know that. The point being that allowing the work you’re making to be “itself” and to just remove any obstacles in its way is a huge part of the creative process. I’ve had approximately 0% success rate when I try to force a character or story into something that it shouldn’t go, all because I’m acting as the “creator” of the work. Actors have to make sure that they really listen to each other when performing a scene, whether for stage or screen. If they’re not and they just go through the motions, then a scene can seem phony. I’m finding that listening, not only to others, but to that quiet little instinct one can feel, is one of the most important things any artist in any field can do.