We were lucky to catch up with Victor Maury recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Victor thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I consider myself fortunate that, although I am completely unsure about a great many things, I have never had to question my purpose or career in life. The exact details? Logistics? Sure. But the path has been set since day one. I draw, I tell stories. I latch onto this one fundamental truth at my core like a sailor strapped to the mast in a storm.
Seriously, when you are a Libra like me and take 3 hours for the most inane of decisions, it’s nice to have the big stuff figured out.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Fueled in equal parts by a supportive and loving family and a voracious appetite for shonen manga which left me with a misguided sense of invincibility, my early life was characterized by a headlong rush into my passions. With lofty aspirations of greatness, I strived with defiant determination to learn all I could about drawing, painting, animation, storytelling, observation, film, history, culture, and philosophy.

Blessed with countless friends, peers, and mentors along my path, I eventually “broke in” to the industry with my first job being an illustrator at Riot Games on their flagship franchise League of Legends, bringing their iconic champions to life. I am convinced to this day that there was no better place to learn and to grow than among the illustration team at Riot at that time. Never before had I been surrounded by such motivated, intelligent, generous, hardworking people striving to elevate the craft beyond what anyone thought was possible.

In time, I am proud to say that I was able to leave my own indelible mark on the game and the team, however small and definitely standing on the shoulders of giants.

I then turned my attention to another childhood dream of mine: working on an animated show like the ones I had grown up watching. This came in the form of doing character design for the hit Netflix series set in in the League of Legends universe: Arcane. This was a career-high project and a particular treat for me as a sort of liaison between the LA and Paris studios as a bilingual French native. It’s hard to think of myself as but a tiny piece of a truly mind-boggling collaboration of talent on this prestigious masterpiece.

I was humbled to do my part and reminded just how much I had still to learn.

After close to a decade in Los Angeles, I have set my sights for Europe, moving with my wife and cat to sunny Copenhagen (ha!) to work on a top secret project which I will have to divulge at a later date. In the meantime, I have picked up traditional painting in the hopes of accomplishing yet another bucket list item: painting illustrations for my favorite game, Magic the Gathering! Now that I am further along in my career, I am proud to call many of my childhood heroes, who have been painting for Magic 20+ years, my friends. What a trip!

So long as I keep happily hopping between interests and curiosities, I think I will be fine. Following my passions has never led me astray thus far.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being an artist hasn’t always been the easiest lifestyle. It demands nothing less than everything I have. I’m either working, thinking about ideas, maintaining and honing my skills, seeking inspiration, resting, or actively trying to undo the damage that sitting all day does to my body through movement and exercise. That being said, what I receive in return is priceless. Art isn’t just my job, it’s how I fundamentally perceive the world, the lens through which I experience all of reality. It has given me a deeper appreciation for all things, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It’s taken on many forms and permutations throughout the years, but my North Star artistically has always been “to communicate my love of the natural world through thoughtful storytelling”. It’s a fancy way of saying, I want you to know I cared about this image I made and maybe that will in turn make you care about it too. This doesn’t just apply to artists but seems to be a universal human phenomenon. You can always tell when someone loves what they are doing, and it’s contagious.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://victormaury.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/moulinbleu
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victor.maury
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-maury-8162ba22/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorMaury_
• Other: https://www.artstation.com/victormaury

Image Credits

the photo of me in the armor is © Christopher Garcia Photography