We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jorge Norgaard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jorge below.
Hi Jorge, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Practice, discipline, failing, repeat. Failing is a crucial part of success, it is when you learn the most! For instance, when you’re creating a piece of art for the first time, you may have many versions or mess-ups along the way. You keep pushing yourself, practicing and growing, even if the end result isn’t as glorious as you pictured it in your head. Eventually, you’ll get there if you keep at it. Keeping an open mind as to what might evolve helps, when you’re not too attached to the outcome. Also knowing when to take breaks is just as important to avoid burn-out. To be a successful sculptor, whether digital or traditional, foundational skills like anatomy, perspective, design and composition, are very important. Aside from the art skills, it takes resilience to keep going in this industry. Creating a portfolio to get you an interview or a job can be a lot of work and being told “no” can be defeating, but you have to keep putting yourself out there. My social platforms and website serve as a portfolio, which largely display my clay and 3D sculptures. These sculptures show my foundati0nal skills and design sense. I started illustrating, then sculpting in clay, I then learned to sculpt digitally, and moved on to learning UV maps and topology so the characters could be passed on to animators in a production pipeline. My skills can be used in many different areas, but especially in the entertainment industry including film, games, advertisement, marketing and toys. Using multiple skill sets so you can diversify your job opportunities is your best bet. Also, I’ve made sculptures that I thought that would sell and didn’t but I keep on creating. My passion for creating is what drives me. Ultimately, sculpting in clay is my favorite. I think doing what you enjoy and pushing yourself to be better at it drives success. It also opens new doors for expansion and opportunity of your craft.
Jorge, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
It all starts in Caracas, Venezuela, where as a kid, I’ve always loved drawing and creating from my imagination. I used to draw characters and creatures in the back of my school notebooks constantly. From a young age, I’ve always known I would be an artist, but I didn’t know exactly what that meant as a profession. The career options I heard about were becoming a lawyer, architect, or engineer; positions my family members held. Both of my grandfathers drew as a hobby and that was the only real exposure to art I had within the family besides our love for music. A lot of my inspiration came through my discovery of artists responsible for creating artwork and designs behind my favorite films. It was around 16 years old that I really discovered one can actually make a living out of their artwork. Some of these books were The Art of Star Wars Episode III and The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Right after High School, I choose Illustration as a career at the Design Institute of Caracas. I worked many sleepless nights finishing art assignments for my courses. I learned patience and discipline are very necessary! My favorite school project was to create a character and sculpt it traditionally. It was the funnest thing I had ever done. During this sculpture class, I discovered my true passion for traditional sculpture. Even still, I continued with illustration in school as it was the only option available I knew of. Sculpture was not an attainable avenue at the time. After graduating, I got my first job as an Illustrator at a company called Watto Studio. I was making characters, environments, and designing user interfaces for mobile games, but everything really revolved around advertising. I wanted more than that. I still dreamed of working in films and video games.
So I moved out to LA in 2012 and was admitted to ArtCenter College of Design. I realized pretty quickly that I had a lot more to learn as this school was on a whole different level. I was surrounded by the most amazing mentors and instructors that were incredibly inspiring to me. At home, I was constantly pushing my personal projects by diving into traditional sculpture and studying anatomy; drawing from life at museums and zoos to keep pushing myself. Once graduated, I embraced the freelance lifestyle where I was able to continue to push my sculpting skills while working in advertising, 3D modeling for studios, and creating concept art. This was a trying though enjoyable time, because on one hand, I was able to have time to pursue my love for sculpting, and on the other hand, I was just getting by with gigs to pay the bills.
I also taught Traditional Sculpture at ArtCenter College of Design, and digital sculpting at Brainstorm School, Cinema Makeup School which was super rewarding for me and I am currently doing online workshops. Although I love teaching, working in the film and AAA games industries is still my dream, so I heavily pursued that! These past 3 years have been incredible, I’ve worked with Studios like The Mill and 9B Collective creating characters and creatures for film and TV. Last year, I was hired by Polyarc Studios, a VR game studio where I now work full-time developing video games along with incredibly talented people. I continue to push my personal sculptures and 3D printing. I sell limited editions of these online via my Etsy Store and at art conventions like Monsterpalooza and LightBox Expo. And now I’m a proud husband and dad of my 3 y/o son and 1 y/o daughter!
How did you build your audience on social media?
The best way to build your audience is to stick to what you love to do. Focus on doing what lights you up and the right people will come to you. Avoid posting for likes, do it for yourself and don’t compare yourself to others. You are your only competition. Also don’t put so much pressure on yourself about posting something perfect! That can stop you. Just post! Interacting with your audience and the people who follow, comment and support your work also matters. They bolster your engagement. Your art and interaction positively impact and inspire them. It’s also an incredible way to connect with people you look up to as well as your peers in the industry.
I started posting my sculptures and drawings on Instagram since 2012. There were some periods where I’d slow down because I was working on bigger projects, or life was busy. but the key to growing is consistently showing up. This consistency may change, but keep putting yourself out there however you can. Once a week is better than nothing. This can be done with a plan, for example, a line-up of characters you want to create. Make sure to share your work on as many social platforms as you can. Share your work in groups who focus on that discipline. For instance, on Facebook, join a sculpting or illustrating group and share for feedback. You can grow your network that way and get valuable direction and even make friends.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is being able to create a product you can hold in your hands, share it to the world and see people’s reactions. Working with creative people who share similar passions and elevate each other’s skills is awesome. I look forward to waking up in the early morning, having a cup of coffee and sitting in my studio to work on a clay sculpture. Things changed post-pandemic in the entertainment industry where now some studios let their employees work from home. I feel incredibly fortunate to be one of those employees. I get to stay with my wife and kids and not drive anywhere. My adorable 1 y/o and 3 y/o, pop in with little visits in the home office sometimes. These are some things that make being an artist nowadays special. I feel incredibly grateful to be able to do what I do and share it with the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artstation.com/jorgenorgaard
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jorgenorgaard/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jorgenorgaardart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgenorgaard/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCirUaH5yPuF6TH_W_3uvJMw
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCreatureHouse
Image Credits
Jorge Norgaard