How to balance the technical and the creative to get those amazing results, with Gabriel Morala.
Gabriel Morala is a Houdini artist, Art Director and motion designer. Take a look at his website so that you know what I mean…
He loves taking natural elements and manipulating them to give them that very slick contemporary and modern feel. Not only is he awesome at what he does but he’s also a super nice and genuine guy who is going to let us in on a few secrets to his successful career.
¿Could you give me a little bit of an overview of your career?
Since I was at uni I’ve really liked using Cinema4D, so I enrolled in a master class run by Tavo Studio and they then asked me if I wanted to be a C4D teacher at an academy called Creanavarra. After that I worked at an event agency, where I had a lot of free time that I used to learn Houdini. Knowing this program has really helped my career, because there aren’t that many Houdini artists that know how to implement design and creativity as well. Then I went to a Master class held by the studio Kutuko and it turned out they liked my work and offered me a job at their studio. I stayed there for 3 months, then I soon moved to the studio Serial Cut. Serial Cut are pioneers in the industry, so I learned so much from them and this helped me take the next step in my career to go freelance.
How did you become so good at the technical side of 3 Dimensional design?
I am self taught. I think having passion for what you do is what really drives you to make the decision to learn something difficult. The best thing to do, is to combine being good at the technical side as well as the creative side. So on the one hand it’s important to look for the technical challenges: what can I do that hasn’t been done before? So if you learn something cool from a tutorial, try to think of a cool way of switching that technique up. On the other hand, it’s also important to be up to date with what the pros are doing and have a critical eye when observing. Things can become instantly famous, but it’s the creative’s job to know whether or not it is well executed.
Do you like art directing and would that be a route you are interested in exploring even more?
I like art direction but I wouldn’t like to only be doing that. It’s true that I have an unusual profile because I have combined using a very technical program like Houdini with creativity and design. The aesthetics of 3D design are what drew me to using Cinema and then Houdini. I wouldn’t mind working on projects where I only art-direct but I think I will be creating more projects from start to finish, using the technical side and the creative side of 3D graphics.
Milk & Honey premiere wine coterie for Hither & Yon.
Do you think it’s important for a junior designer to have a website?
Anyone in the industry who wants to be seen as a professional should definitely have a web. Just by having a professional email, you are already going to be seen in a better light by studios and designers. I think it’s crucial because we have to sell our work. When I first got out of uni I made myself a website; it may have not looked great, but that’s not the point. The point is to have a place to put all of your work and all of your social media links. Later on you can maybe make a better web that looks more professional. Since I’m not a web designer or a branding designer, I asked the studio Silencio, who I am friends with, to make my site and logo.
Your career kicked off really quickly. What actions did you take to make this happen?
I believe it’s having a lot of passion for what you do and networking, of course. I don’t think talent even exists, I only believe in passion. Everything can be taught in my opinion, so If I spend my entire life drawing I will obviously be better at it than someone who’s just started. As I mentioned earlier, it’s also important to make connections with people in the industry. Go to all of the events that you can or enroll in master classes and courses to get to know the people who run them. I also think that planning goals is very important. Plan long term and short term goals so that whatever program/skill you decide to learn aligns with that. For example I really wanted to learn Houdini so I decided to really challenge myself and make 36 days of type only using this program. This is how I think you really learn.
What useful tips would you give junior motion designers starting their careers?
For those who are starting out, the best thing that you can do is to enjoy the ride. Have fun creating whatever it is you love in 3D.
3D is a super creative tool that allows us to create everything. So first of all be creative, lpay close attention to the aesthetics of things, enjoy what you do, create something new. Do as much personal work as possible and give them all the hype you can on social networks.
The rest will come, little by little, when networking with other creatives and getting to know the Industry. However, if you’re not passionate about this job, it can be very difficult to make a living from it. It’s something that I’ve seen during these years with classmates, workmates and students. 3D cannot be truly learned if it’s not something that you’re passionate about and really enjoy. So it’s crucial to love it and constantly be creating.
Lastly, it’s normal to start as a generalist so that you can find what you really like and what you want to specialise in. If you specialise, you can come up with better projects so my advice is to find what you are most passionate about within 3D itself and become an expert in it.
