We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dusty Saunders a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Dusty thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Learning how to animate was a bit of an evolution for me. Some of it I learned in school, and a lot of it I learned on YouTube. With animating I think taste is probably the most important skill. You can do some very simple non technical animations and if done in good taste it, it can be very well received. As far as obstacles, definitely computer hardware has been the biggest obstacle. I remember trying to do CGI work on my computer in 2012 and it just crashing every time I booted the program. Technology has came a long way since then, but even today I find myself fantasizing about buying a monster workhorse of a computer to help speed things up for me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a 2D and 3D animator. I make homemade cartoons, that are often psychedelic or existential. The work is very time consuming and tedious, but I find myself walking away from each session feeling very refreshed. It is very similar to meditation honestly. Kind of like coloring in a color book.
My clients are simply anyone who enjoys the work I put out. Everything I make is free and available on the internet. Often times I collaborate with other artists, usually with musicians, but also with voice actors as well. I’ve been slowly and steadily releasing new content for the last 7 years or so, and I have a lot of work that I have been sitting on, that I am just waiting for the right time to release, and I’m very excited about it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Just being able to express myself without any exterior motivations is something that I think is very good for my mental health. It’s a privelage and a luxury to be able to have the time and resources to do this kind of work, and I am grateful for everyday that I have the opportunity to do so.
Also recently a web series “Happy Transmissions” that I animated in collaboration with Kyle Mayfield who did all the music went to a bunch of film festivals and won some awards, and that was really cool.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I would say that it’s easiest to create after being inspired by something that already exists. So because I enjoy creating so much, I am very motivated to stay inspired, and the motivation to stay inspired keeps me constantly trying new things, and meeting new people. Looking for inspiration in the world keeps me present, and that feeds my health.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blottofilms.com
- Instagram: @blottofilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlottoFilms
Image Credits
personal photo by Tia Naayem