Who am I? What do I do? How do I do what I do?
These are all valuable questions that I, as an artist, am always trying answer. My answers fluctuate as technology and I evolve. If you ask someone in my family what I do, they may say things such as, “she’s an animator,” or “she does graphic design, I think.” You may also get, “she made the so-and-so exhibit in that museum.” The confusion is valid because my practice takes on many different forms and spaces. My work includes things such as animation, graphic design, game design, 3D modeling, and more.
At a young age, I knew I would pursue some kind of artistic career. Having a strong love for cartoons, animation seemed like the way to go. Once I started college, I found myself wanting to expand outside of animation and into areas such as 3D modeling and film. I began labeling myself as a 3D generalist or 3D artist in pursuit of jobs to keep my work more broad. I knew I wanted to explore mediums outside of just animation.
When I began my professional career as a 3D/VFX artist, I put on hold some of my artistic passions such as sculpting. This medium became more of a hobby rather than part of my professional practice because I didn’t think I would need any physical objects outside of the digital. 3D work remained in my computer and I strictly would create around the parameters of a screen. As time went on, I began to think outside of the computer and into a physical space. This changed how I was working. There were many more things to consider now; scale and perception was now at play in relation to the viewer.
My work began taking form on 140 ft long screens, holographic projections, and on elevator walls that made you feel like you were flying through the world. I needed to think of ways to better immerse the viewer and how to marry digital with the physical world. I often mock up the physical space in 3D software such as Cinema 4D to get a better sense of what different viewers may experience. I’ll place cameras in multiple spots to get various view points. I’ve incorporated new tools such as the Unreal Game Engine to simulate the interactions within a space. I sculpt my digital models in zBrush and texture them using Substance Painter.
I’ve been working as a professional 3D/VFX artist for over 5 years now, and my practice continues to evolve. My career has always felt separate from my personal work as an artist. Labelling myself as standalone professional artist still feels foreign to me. The word “professional” feels commercialized or that I’m searching for some sort of validation. I’m proud of the work I’ve done alongside a team, but I look forward to creating more JC pieces. Even more so, I look forward to pass on what I’ve learned and experienced to my students at East Tennessee State University in my role as Assistant Professor in Digital Media.
