Posted on 11 Dec 2023
DECEMBER ALREADY?!
By now, you might know it’s been a few months since I set out on a sabbatical to do some discovery and soul searching to satisfy the creativity trying desperately to fight its way out.
Time flies when you’re having fun and recently for me, that’s meant joining the NextGen Showcase Program. The international team I’ve joined have welcomed me with open arms and seeing the work that pre-dates my addition has been nothing short of inspiring.
Working across three time zones to unite a response to a brief, we are coming toward the end of the 4-month creative phase before moving into schematics. I’m thoroughly enjoying working as part of a talented team from across Europe and the US again. Each of us bring our own varied life experiences, strengths and expertise toward a shared vision. Since starting on the program, I’ve had the opportunity to apply myself to new challenges with new tools, attending weekly education sessions with seasoned professionals, and receiving mentorship from industry professionals. I can't wait to share what we have been working on and am hugely grateful for all of those working hard to pull off the NextGen Showcase Program.
In terms of my own 3D practice I’ve been enjoying making some festive inspired animation loops using Blender as seen below along with some close up shots.
I’m sad to see the animations lose some quality in compression by hosting them on this site but as I make more I’ll consider moving them to YouTube which should keep them intact. For now you can also follow me at Ste.3Dee on Instagram where I share the bits I'm most proud of.
I’ve also started working in Unreal Engine and am working my way through a course to expand my tool kit. Here is a first look at a landscape I produced, with some scenes in the pipeline as I progress through a Skillshare course.
I've finally gotten around to diving into the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and using Premier Pro, After Effects and Media Encoder to contribute to some of the work seen on this page. Most of my experience with Adobe until now has been with XD for prototyping experiences, and Lightroom for street photography - YouTube has been my best friend along with Skillshare and it's amazing how many people go out to share their knowledge with others.
This brings me to my last point. In recent weeks I've reached out to a number professionals on LinkedIn seeking the opportunity to chat about the type of work they do and learn more about their fields. It has been incredibly encouraging that many of them have responded, willing to offer their support and answer my questions. A few Zooms and in-person coffees later and I am truly grateful for their time with nothing expected in return. I'm also happy to say I've been able to pass this on having recently been approached by someone looking to get into UX Design.
Having recently joined the Themed Entertainment Association as a member I'm looking forward to connecting with others across the industry in the weeks and months to come.
Thanks for checking out what I've been up to!
Until next time,
Ste