We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leigh Williamson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Leigh , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

The motion design and the animation industry are starting to merge. I’ve seen the motion industry starting to become better animators and purest for the art form.
The animation industry is moving away from high-detail art in favor of stylized graphical-looking art.
In both, there is a need to create art that caters better to telling the story and meeting the deadline.

Leigh , 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?

I have always loved to illustrate. Even since my parents picked up a drawing of mine and said – “I think you have a talent”.

I thought I may like to become an architect. Then I discovered graphic design and art direction and pursued that in college. In my 3rd year of college, I deviated along this branch into what was known at the time as new media or multimedia. Suddenly the idea of seeing my art move stirred up a wave of excitement inside of me.

I found out later in life that I am dyslexic. As disempowering as this may seem, it enhanced in me, a need to create beautiful art that could tell a story. I never felt I was clever enough. This lent well to motion design. I found our mission is to tell a story in such a way that even the most complex concept could be understood by anybody.

I, like many others, have grown tired and impatient to consume large amounts of information. To be engaged, entertained, and educated I believe this is the mission of motion designers.

Currently, the work I’m most proud of, is a side project to discover my own unique offering. It is 3D illustrations that look like 2D. I wanted to create something that didn’t look like a style that was currently being regurgitated in the motion industry. My mission was to have a style that clients would come to me for, rather than being asked to emulate something they had seen.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

11 years ago my wife and I lost our child Ethan, four hours after he was born. We have learned many lessons from that loss.

One was how to become an effective team. Learning to carry the weight of a partner when another fell. Trial has a way of producing a bond that makes us an effective husband and wife business team.

I have also learned about empathy in the workplace. I carry my heart into my job and with my clients. Everybody has a weight they carry. Learning to be aware of my clients as people beyond just the job at hand.

I’ve been freelancing for 20yrs and I have to learn to adjust to new environments, people and briefs and deadlines fast. It’s a little like being a kids TV presenter. You have to put on a Mickey Mouse club face, just to get on with it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

During the time my wife was pregnant with our first child I was walking around with deep sorrow, knowing that when our child was born, he would eventually pass away.

I was on a train commuting into London. The train was full and I was standing.
A woman shouted at me in anger because the bag on my back was rubbing up against her back.
She shouted “excuse me, I am pregnant!” This cut deeply as she had no idea the weight I was carrying. I felt ashamed and cut at the same time as I removed my bag from my back. In anger, I whispered in her ear. “Yes, my wife is pregnant too and our child is going to die”. I moved to the other side of the carriage and began to weep. Through my tears, I could see her feeling hesitant to leave me to get off at her train stop. She came back and comforted me and said she had only just recently found out she was pregnant and she apologized.

I learned a lesson that day that I carry into my own life. That everybody carries burdens. When you meet difficult people, before you judge them, ask yourself if there is a piece of information that is missing. And if you knew what that was, would it change your opinion of that person?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leighwilliamson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighrenaywilliamson/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-williamson-b4a60a7/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/l3ighrw
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/leighwilliamson