Interviewed by AI: A Freelance Animator's 2022 Review · Issue #9 · 2022
This was the most successful year in my creative career. Another big part of this year was the (controversial) rise of AI. Let's see how well AI can hold an interview to help me review this year.
This is “The Inspired Animator”, a newsletter about my adventures in animation, illustration & the creative process! The UPs & DOWNs of building a creative business. Discovering new tools, experimenting, talking about failed and proven workflows with occasional tutorials, or behind the scenes of my animations and techniques.
AI is an exciting and terrifying tool to aid our creativity. With an entrepreneurial mind, I always try to see the possibilities to improve my life with it rather than thinking about how it will do my job eventually. Why not use it for something that is not always easy, like a yearly review, and make it fun.
Why is it not easy to conduct a year review? What to focus on, what to omit. I wanted to free myself of some of that responsibility and just let AI do the questioning. Here’s how it went.
Goscha:
Hi! I want to do a year 2022 review in an interview format. You will be interviewing me and asking me questions. You will ask one question and then I will answer it and you can ask a follow up question or move on to the next! I want it to feel like I am being interviewed by an art magazine about my year. Everything should be included that is in a typical review: achievements, goals, wins and fails and whatever else comes to mind. Keep in mind I am a freelance animator and motion designer, but I am also many other things professionally that are related to that, like a programmer, sound designer, and more. So it might make sense to ask questions about who I am and what I do in the beginning or whenever it makes sense.
AI:
Sure! I'd be happy to help you conduct a year 2022 review. Let's start with some basic questions about who you are and what you do.
What is your name and what do you do for a living?
Goscha:
Hi thanks for having me. I am Georg Graf, but most people call me "Goscha", hence my online identity "justGoscha", pronounced like "oh my gosh!-uh". I am a freelance motion designer and animator who helps startups introduce and hype their products with engaging animations and audio-visual experiences. When I am not working on a client project I create tools that help other animators be more efficient at their work. Small things like After Effects plugins, templates, presets, but also brushes for other programs. I also like to educate the next generation of animators to jump-start their careers or improve their craft with video tutorials and with my writing.
Great, thanks for introducing yourself, Goscha. So, looking back on the year 2022, what were some of your biggest achievements or milestones?
Artistically, I am most proud of my work for LAVAMACHINE this year. I worked with them on an animated short film that they were producing for META. That was the first time I collaborated with other really talented professional animators on a bigger production. The special thing about that project is also that it was entirely animated in VR. In general, I was excited by all the VR work I have done this year. I made big leaps in the quality of my work when it comes to that. I also experimented a lot with importing my VR-built assets into Blender and then rendering them. It's also how I made my short film "Pumping Iron".
It was also animated in VR and rendered in Blender, another milestone this year.
I am also really proud of the commercial work I have done this year for LEVITY and PARADIME. Those animated trailers for their products were really challenging projects. And I got to collaborate with my partner Erika to make the voice-over for one of them.
That sounds like you had a very productive and successful year, Goscha. You mentioned a few different projects that you worked on, including an animated short film and some commercial work. How did you go about securing these opportunities? Do you have any tips for other animators looking to find similar work?
Great question. When it comes to that animated short film I did for LAVAMACHINE it was a combination of luck and preparation. Right before being added to the animation team for that project, I was struggling creatively. I felt unfulfilled because all my recent work was strictly "business" and I did not have any projects that just told a fun or engaging story. I started to make weekly VR animations, something I really wanted to do for a long time, with the prompts from the "Virtual Animation" Discord run by Goro Fujita. After a couple of weeks, I had an epiphany. I should look for a job or project that involves this kind of VR animation. I always learn extremely fast on a project with external stakeholders. That's when I searched on LinkedIN and found LAVAMACHINE they were looking for exactly that. A VR animator who uses Quill! I wrote them, sent them a showreel I cut in 2h. The next day they called me. It felt surreal, because it happened so quickly.
Wow, that sounds like a great opportunity that fell into your lap. It's interesting to hear how being proactive and putting yourself out there can lead to unexpected opportunities. Do you have any other tips or advice for other animators looking to find work in their field?
I believe it's important to get clarity first for yourself! Once you actually know what you want to do you just switch to execution and your mind becomes hyper-focused on the opportunities that are exactly right for what you want.
That is often the hard part. What do you actually want to do? Writing helps with that. Writing a daily journal when you feel lost and putting all your thoughts on paper, for no one else but yourself. Decluttering your mind. If your mind is cluttered you might see many opportunities, but you will struggle to decide, or you will not be committed enough to see it through. At least, that's how it is for me.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Goscha. It's important to have a clear vision and focus in order to achieve your goals. On the topic of goals, did you set any specific goals for yourself in 2022? If so, how did you go about achieving them?
In the beginning of 2022, I set myself a couple of yearly goals. My personal OKRs, so to speak.
I defined 3 main goals for myself.
Number 1 was called "Small Bets", and the goal was to "release 12 products". The idea was to build a portfolio of small products that would generate passive income. That would get me through times when I don't have client income. All kinds of products — plugins, books, digital assets, video courses, small and large — to encourage experimentation. It could be something I have done over a weekend. Oh, and they didn't have to be paid ones either.
I ended up releasing 8 different products. That's a 67% achievement. Not bad, but I could have pushed harder. I had more ideas. I ended up releasing After Effects plugins, presets & templates, Blender shaders, a resource collection on how to learn animation, and an illustration collection.
Number 2 was "Writing" and the goal here is to "write 24 articles". I always liked writing, but getting into the habit of it never seems easy. This goal was there to push myself to write at least on bi-weekly basis. It went really well for a while. I have my own publication on Medium called "The Inspired Animator". Then I somehow convinced myself that I need instead to start a Substack, I guess they have really great marketing. So I did that and started writing on Substack, but with a more personal touch, focussing on what I am doing week to week as a freelancer, what I am experimenting with, struggling with, or thinking about. This worked for a bit, but my writing style was all over the place. It was difficult to stay on a single topic because I would do SO MANY different things in the span of just two weeks.
I think that was also the first time I realized I might have ADHD and that I am doing too many things at once. Instead of focusing on a single thing. I ended up writing 14 articles in total throughout the year. 14 out of 24, that's 58%. I am a bit disappointed by that number, it is still more than 1 article per month on average which is probably more than I have ever written in a year. Many articles I wanted to write are still in DRAFT mode, too.
The third goal was "Short films" and entailed "releasing 2 animated short films".
This goal was driven by personal creative ambition. I felt like I haven't done many things to express myself in 2021. I wanted to develop my own creative voice.
I kind of finished one short film, which wasn't really planned as a short film, but in the end, it became one anyway. It doesn’t have much story to it though. "Pumping Iron" was completely animated in VR and almost looks stop motion. All the camera work, materials, and rendering were done in Blender. It's a comedic short. I’m happy with the result and also wish I could have made more in that style and deeper narratives.
I can count my collaboration with LAVAMACHINE as half a movie for myself. I just worked on one 30-second scene and the movie is not even released yet, unfortunately. But I am super excited to see the final version of it.
There was also one VR experience I worked on which felt like a whole short movie production. I recorded voices for it, build a set in VR, designed like 6 different characters, painted a fake movie poster and animated them. It was called "The Exterminator" and was also a weekly prompt from the Virtual Animation group.
I still have another short movie in production, even though it is on hiatus, right now. It's based on a short story by my partner Erika. I wanted to release it before the end of the year, but then I prioritized client work to survive in the last half of the year instead. Hopefully, I finish it next year.
So I would say I achieved 1.5 short films out of the desired 2. That’s 75%, not bad. I also had a secret goal related to goal 1.
Wow, it sounds like you had a very productive year in terms of setting and achieving your goals. It's impressive that you were able to release 8 different products, write 14 articles, and work on several short films. It's understandable that you may have not achieved all of your goals, but it's still an accomplishment to make progress on them and continue working towards them. Do you have any plans for the upcoming year in terms of setting and achieving goals?
I still have to reflect a little bit at the start of the new year if I want to have similar goals or change them up a little. I feel like I also need some new personal goals for next year. This year I proposed and got married so that was a huge milestone! Now, the question is, what's next? I need to find a good balance between personal, creative, and business goals.
It sounds like you have some important things to consider as you plan for the upcoming year. Setting and achieving goals can be a helpful way to focus your efforts and make progress towards the things that are important to you. I hope that you are able to find a good balance between personal, creative, and business goals in the upcoming year. Is there anything else you would like to discuss in your year 2022 review?
Maybe let's look at some failures or learning in 2022?
Certainly! Looking back on the year 2022, were there any failures or challenges that you faced? How did you handle them, and what did you learn from the experience?
There are two things that I am bummed about not finishing.
I planned to release a "30-Day Animator" email course that would teach people the basics of animation. Every day you would get an exercise to complete in one hour and send back for feedback. Additionally, it would come with a tutorial and instructions how to complete the exercise. My philosophy is that learning only works by doing. That's what this whole course is based on. And it's how I learned to animate.
My main failure is that I already announced that course a couple of times and had good traction online. A nice group of people was interested in joining. But I had to move the release date already a couple of times. It feels like breaking a commitment. Nobody paid yet, so there was no real commitment or expectation. But I broke my own deadlines here. I think it was possible to get it done with a stricter schedule here and there. At this moment I am about 50% finished. It would take a month to get the other 50%.
The other thing was that I couldn't get my previously mentioned short film off the ground, yet. I am still at a stage with an unfinished animatic. The progress stopped once I didn't schedule the time anymore to sit down for an hour and work on it without interruptions. It all comes down to scheduling the time and doing the work. I guess that is the main learning for me this year. The importance of scheduling your time and working on it. Making estimations and then working to see if those estimations are correct. It worked really well on my commercial projects. The initial estimations are never correct, but when you keep working on it you come up with better estimations. And you find shortcuts on how to achieve something faster, or even better. That's how creativity works. You try to do a thing, then you encounter hurdles or borders along the way. It could be a technical hurdle, time constraints, or even your own skill. But when you keep working on it you find creative solutions to all these constraints. And you find a way to finish your work. But that only happens if you keep returning to it.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights with us, Goscha. It sounds like you faced some challenges and setbacks this year, but you were able to learn from them and continue making progress towards your goals. Scheduling and managing your time effectively is an important skill for anyone, especially for freelancers who have to juggle multiple projects and responsibilities. It's understandable that things don't always go as planned, but it's important to stay focused and try to find creative solutions to the challenges that you face.
Ask me what I'm excited to explore in 2023 or something like that.
Sure, what are you excited to explore in 2023? Are there any new projects, techniques, or areas of focus that you are particularly interested i
First of all, I am really excited to finally release the "30-Day Animator" course. It will be a completely new experience to run a course and interact with people who want to learn animation directly from me.
Apart from that and finishing my short film, I would love to experiment more with VR and 3D and interactivity. So far my work has not been very interactive, or for that matter even very enjoyable on its own. It all seemed like content and not art. I want to create something that touches someone, that inspires someone to think and to feel something, and to discuss my work.
Additionally, I would love to record some music. With my voice. I'm kind of scared of it because I don't always like my voice. But I want to experiment with sound and music. I want to do something in the direction of what Son Lux is making. That kind of music. More experimental. It can be funky and have some nice hooks, too. But mostly I'm looking to create something atmospheric. That surrounds you and tells a story on its own.
It sounds like you have some exciting plans for the upcoming year, Goscha. It's great to see that you are interested in exploring new areas and techniques, and looking for ways to create more impactful and meaningful work. Good luck with all of your projects and endeavors in 2023! Is there anything else you would like to discuss or cover in your year 2022 review?
Hmm not sure is there something else you can come up with?
Let's see... How about discussing any challenges or obstacles that you faced in 2022, and how you overcame them? This could be related to your work as an animator, or anything else that you faced in your personal or professional life.
I had the situation a couple of times this year where I felt directionless. My mind wanted to do many things, but at the same time, everything seemed overwhelming. It was just too much at once. One thing that helped me through this was personal journaling, but also writing in general. It brings clarity. Declutters your mind. It works wonders when you do it consistently. But even doing it occasionally helps.
…and exercise. I’m really bad with my sleeping habits. Exercise helps with sleeping and the mental and emotional turmoil.
Seeing the movie “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” also helped me realize that I am not the only one with these feelings in the world. Being overwhelmed by all the choices we have. I can literally be everything. What do I choose to be? Why do I choose sometimes to be the worst version of myself? There is so much choice that it’s paralyzing.
It’s a phenomenon of this generation. Of this time. We lived in abundance. Merely surviving is not enough anymore for personal happiness. We have to make something of ourselves. And we have to be our BEST selves. Because, look, people on Instagram are their best selves. Why am I not my best self? What’s wrong with me? It’s an industry to make us feel inferior and to make us want to fix ourselves. The self-improvement industry. There is value in self-discovery, self-acceptance, and becoming a kinder version of yourself. But it’s a process and you can’t rush through it. Social media doesn’t necessarily help, since it is designed to sell us products and keep us attached to the screen (and sell us more products).
Well, it got pretty bleak for a second. But yeah I really loved “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once”. And do journaling. It helps!
Let’s end on that note.
Okay, it sounds like you've had a thorough review of your year 2022. I hope that you've found the discussion helpful and that you've gained some insights into your achievements, goals, and challenges. If you have any other questions or want to discuss anything further, don't hesitate to reach out. I'm here to help!
That concluded my interview with ChatGPT.
The cool thing was that I didn’t have to think too much about the structure of the yearly review.
But as an interviewer, it was not very successful at asking interesting follow-up questions. I did not feel the curiosity that a real human would have. A good interviewer can get insights out of the interviewee that they might have not thought about before. It was not able to achieve that, but otherwise, it was a solid interview.
It might be a good companion to reflect on things. Someone who listens and answers, but does not have a personal agenda or curiosity.
If you are interested in my other thoughts about AI I can recommend to you an article that I have written on: “The Inevitable Rise of AI in the World of Art: Opportunities and Challenges for Creatives”
Thanks for reading! See you next year.