We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Acruxicon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gabriel below.

Acruxicon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project that I have worked on to date was Sonic Adventure 2: Reimagined. That project not only represents a piece of my childhood but also how the media that I consumed growing up has influenced my creativity. Growing up in the mid to late 00s, Sonic was basically my whole persona. I was so invested in the series as a child, I would find ways to expand on the lore in my own way..(that’s just a fancy way of saying creating fan fiction). With just MSPaint and Windows Movie Maker, I started making a plethora of these animated home videos. As much as I enjoyed Sonic Adventure 2 as a child (and still do), I find myself being more appreciative for what it was. I loved being able to play as different characters and see their journey from perspective. That’s what always gravitated me to the game and the series. The diverse range of stories to tell no matter how nonsensical they were. It’s amazing but also comical how a simple game about animals saying and doing the most over-the-top shenanigans can change the trajectory of my art.

I started playing the piano as young as five. The moment my parents noticed I was playing simple songs such as Beethoven’s Fur Elise by ear without the use of piano sheets. Wanting to refine my skills, I was enrolled in piano lessons with the intent to play for recitals. Once I started taking piano lessons, I used my skills and understanding to create my own composed songs and add them to my little animated home videos to give them some flare. It was by no means a professional production, but for an eight-year-old who had very limited access to video editing and animation software, it was pretty innovative. It was pretty cool how I was my own director, lead animator, writer, and composer. Once I got older, I realized my desire for wanting to create a high-quality motion picture wasn’t something I could do entirely on my own.

As I got older and continued to refine my skills, I discovered an animation community that created projects from reanimating episodes from old cartoons to creating animated music videos in collaboration with other animators across the globe. I initially created Sonic Adventure 2: Reimagined in early 2018. The issue was, at that time, I didn’t have any connections or a large platform online, so getting people invested in this project was tricky. Initially, I was feeling really ambitious and wanted to create an animated film based on the video game. While it wasn’t impossible, as a full-time college student with no understanding of a budget, work ethic, and teamwork, my chances of success were very slim. Upon joining my first reanimated project in mid-2018, I still had very limited knowledge and experience in animation at this point, but during my involvement in the project, I had the opportunity to work very closely with the director who showed me how creative projects are curated, learning when and how to use different communication strategies, and marketing. Learning that there was more to making a project than drawing and animating made me realize how much work goes into creating a project. Upon the release of the reanimated project, I gained a following and garnered an interest in SA2:R.

Over the course of those three years of development, it went from an ambitious animated movie to an ambitious animated music video. Besides the fact that making an animated film would take much longer, I believed that creating an animated music video would provide the animators with more creative liberty to retell the events from SA2 from the unique perspective of the artist. It’s safe to say that we succeeded in this! But it’s not an independent project without experiencing a few bumps in the road. We’ve experienced date setbacks, people dropping out of the project, and backlash. I remember when I first tried advertising this project and people hated it instantly.There were many people who told me that it was a project designed to fail, that it was a stupid idea, and that nobody would tune in. However, the few people who trusted me and the process taught me to trust myself. As a result of this collaborative effort, we were recognized by the official Sonic the Hedgehog social media page and reached 1.4 million views on YouTube. I have recruited well-established musicians, prolific voice actors, and animators with a wealth of experience under their belt. All of these talented creators shared the same passion and goal as I did and that’s what made the project all the more special to me. This was my first time leading a project and I made so many mistakes along the way. But I also made a lot of progress alongside my peers. And the best part about all of this, I get to relive it all over again. I am working on a new animated project, but this time, I get to do what I always wanted: make an animated series!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello everyone! My name is Gabriel Mayers! I’m a New York native artist a hobbyist illustrator and animator, and a professional pianist. I am notably recognized for my fan project Sonic Adventure 2: Reimagined and my up-and-coming animated fan series Sly Cooper: Rise of the Legendary Thief. I’ve pretty much been drawing since I knew how to hold a pencil. I was an…unpredictable child. People described me in many ways growing up. Quiet, shy, loud, animated, creative, and weird. I guess you could say I was a mixed bag. Though people were quick to label me, I never knew where to categorize myself. Even now, I don’t. Like most kids, the best and only way I knew how to express myself was through art. Moreover, I always felt the most “grounded” when I played video games. I have always gravitated to platformer games with colorfully designed protagonists with the likes of Mario, Sonic, Crash, Spyro, Sly Cooper, Rayman, Jak, and Daxter, etc. I’m a simple person! If you take a glance at my art, you’ll find that I drew a lot of inspiration from each franchise. (No pun intended!).

When asked about how I got into the industry, It depends on what your definition of “getting into the industry means” because, at the end of the day, it’s all about networking. What most people don’t know about me is that I do not have a professional background in animation. I didn’t go to art school, nor did I work in television. Instead, I have a career in public health and research and this was a choice I made willingly.

How I got to where I am today is by simply talking to people who are in the industry. Back in undergrad, I participated in a lot of animated projects where I got to learn and work with some insanely talented animators who were more than generous to share tips and tricks about not just animating, but also understanding the fundamentals of art–something I didn’t possess prior to getting involved in the community. Having a basic understanding of anatomy, textures, shading, and lighting was all very imperative to my artistic growth. I have made connections with animators who have worked at Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and on independent animated web shows as well.

Shortly after publishing Sonic Adventure 2: Reimagined, I immediately started working on my next project. A lot of people told me that I should’ve used more time to recover from the strenuous work SA2:R brought, but the thing was, something in my gut told me if I didn’t pursue this now, I may never get a chance to do it in the future. I had a lot working against me when I initially announced my new fan passion project. One, I was in the midst of applying to grad school, two, it’s based on a franchise that isn’t as mainstream as Sonic, and three, it’s an expensive investment! These were all things that I considered, but I did it anyway. Similar to SA2:R, when I first announced Sly Cooper: Rise of the Legendary Thief, a lot of people had, let’s just say, strong opinions about the redesigns and overall direction I chose to go with this reboot. Admittedly, some of the criticism did get to me and made me question my decision to create this series. However, I have been fortunate enough to be supported by cast members who are just as, if not more confident in my vision. Moreover, I just have the most understanding cast ever! Since the beginning, they knew I had other obligations so they have been patient. Not a lot of directors are afforded the same grace I’ve been given and I acknowledge that. However, this also motivates me to find ways to keep production active and maintain consistency..which isn’t always easy to do.

Because of my vastly different occupations, I do run into issues with time management. Running a passion project full-time while working and going to school full-time isn’t easy. In fact, it’s sometimes nearly impossible. How I have managed thus far is by simply being transparent with the cast members. There have been setbacks, and there have been periods of no activity. You have to understand these are professionals who are putting their time and their talent into this project. I have learned to humble myself and ask for help. I can’t manage writing all the scripts alone, so I now have a co-writer who is full of fresh and fun ideas. Obviously, I cannot animate everything on my own so I am in the process of recruiting and paying animators. I have voice actors who also specialize in audio engineering, and a few even play instruments and sing! Being a director isn’t solely about delegating tasks and dictating what needs to be done, it’s also about sharing a vision. My priority is always ensuring that my team feels like they have a say in production. As I’ve said before, I do not have a professional background in any of this. Every day I am learning from the people I collaborate with, so it’s really cool to always get feedback from the cast about what I could do differently or how I can improve production. I won’t lie and say that anybody can hold a job while running a passion project with a small budget. Sometimes, it isn’t meant to be. It isn’t a sign that you failed or did anything wrong, it just wasn’t the right time. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. If you’re coming from a background that is the complete opposite of what you want to do, it doesn’t matter. If you’re going to pursue something you really want, be open to learning. There are so many professionals who are just dying to share their wealth of knowledge with you. Regardless of where you came from, or how old you are, it is never too late to start doing what you’ve always wanted to do. Having these connections has afforded me the opportunity to grow into a well-rounded artist. I have made a lot of meaningful and professional connections and led a fulfilling life by being able to make a difference professionally, academically, and artistically.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Non-creatives just don’t understand how long animation takes. You’d be surprised how many people think animation is just this very intuitive task that has been watered down to just drawing the same thing for each frame. There’s so much that goes into even just planning an animation! For me, personally, I have a lot to consider before I even start animating. Such as writing a script, boarding the scene multiple times, editing the audio, and then ensuring the lip sync aligns with said audio! It’s like I always say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Everything you create takes time, sometimes it takes longer than others, and that’s okay. If creating art and animation were that easy, we would have another Spider-verse film right about now!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Sharing my passions with others, especially those who resonate with my work and interests always reminds me why I’m still a creator. The most satisfying feeling is also just being able to share a finished product and say that this was something you made. So many of us depend on the approval of others to build the confidence to share our creative side, I know there were times when I felt I had to accommodate certain audiences just to have my work be seen and taken seriously. That’s why just learning to create things for yourself is so freeing. By default, you get a sense of pride and joy knowing that you created something you can call your own, regardless of how others react. It’s easy to get caught up in the social media hype and have engagement, but it’s important to remember why you created content, to begin with, and why it matters so much to you. Because that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day, how you feel about the work you produce and if it makes you happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acruxicon.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acruxicon/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Acruxicon
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/acruxicon