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

Marco, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve liked making art ever since I was a kid. My earliest works consist of Spider-Man drawings on Mother’s Day cards and little clay figurines of my favorite Pokémon. Even still, at this age, I was probably thinking about becoming a zookeeper.
It wasn’t until high school that I had toyed with the idea of a creative career. I would usually talk myself out of it before giving it any serious thought. I didn’t think I had the portfolio, the talent, or the money to go to art school. So when it came time to decide on a major for college, I made a practical decision and started my computer science degree.
It wasn’t easy. I felt like I was only motivated by the fear of failure and anxiety surrounding deadlines. I saw my lack of motivation as a personal failure, and not the mismatch in career values that it was. While I struggled through my coursework, I picked up animation as a hobby and continued to make personal projects a few times a year. As the stress piled on, it became clearer to me that I wanted to animate for a living. I knew I was ready to make the switch after being fired from my coding job gave me a sense of relief.
Looking back, I realized I owe this decision to many people and moments fostered my confidence and love of animation. My high school art teacher created a separate curriculum for me after I ran out of art classes to take. My freshman writing professor allowed me to research and create an animation instead of writing a final paper. My “animation for non-majors” professor was the first to tell me that I could have a future in animation if I wanted it.
Making the switch to a creative field has been so affirming. I finally feel that I can chase what excites me, rather than run from what scares me. From what I can tell, most freelancers have the same or similar stories. It’s been amazing to finally find a community where I belong.

Marco, 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 originally went to college for computer science, but near the end of my degree, I felt that I wanted to pursue an animation career. By the time I graduated, the effects of both the writer’s strike and tech layoffs made finding a traditional path forward hard for both of my career paths at the time. At some point during my many software developer job applications, I founded UPPERCUTT animations and became a freelance animator.
Being a freelancer means I’m a bit of a generalist. It’s a job title that comes with the freedom and responsibility to do so much more than a traditional animator. I’ve had opportunities to produce, creative direct, storyboard, and animate on both 2D and 3D projects. Although 2D character animation is my favorite, I find that the variety of experiences usually leads to new ideas and keeps things interesting.
What makes my art unique is my creative vision and my passion. My style is chaotic yet satisfying, the kind of art that you want to watch on repeat just to notice all the little details. I get immense satisfaction from finding just how far I can push something before it becomes overwhelming.
I’m most proud of my persistence. I shifted from a career with little to no overlap with animation and without formal art training. Yet, through my devotion to animating, I’ve found some success in my animation career. I will always aim to improve. I don’t think I’ve “made it” just yet, but I think it’s just a matter of time.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I first started animating, I wanted nothing more than to be a part of the Spider-Verse movies. Both of those movies have had a lasting impression on me. I always say that the first one got me started animating, and the second made me become a professional animator myself.
While I don’t think I have the time to work on the third movie, I don’t think it was ever necessarily about the IP. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a huge Spider-Man fan ever since I was a baby and would probably sob if I ever got to animate for a main series project. But those movies meant so much more to me and so many others. What I want is for my art to have the same profound impact on someone else.
I remember after getting home from seeing Across the Spider-Verse for the first time, I stayed up till 3 or 4 am sketching and roughing out a new animation. The story, characters, the mashup of conflicting styles and strong colors, so many atypical and unique ideas came together to make a truly mindblowing movie. That night, I knew that if I could ever work on a project so incredible and so impactful that I could die happily.
That movie, along with the many people who have always supported my art, built my confidence enough for me to start pursuing my dreams seriously. I’m still early in my career, but I want to build my skills, grow into my potential, and one day give that back to my younger self. I want to help younger artists find their confidence and help them reach their own potential so that they might help the next person. My mission is to always grow as an artist and give back to those starting their journey of self-discovery, however I can.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Something that non-artists don’t realize is that the relationship between art and artist creates a uniquely challenging career. The motivations for becoming an artist are often deep and personal: art can be a form of therapy, a way of connecting with others, or capturing complex feelings. Which is why it’s so difficult for artists to shape this skill to fit the needs and tastes of the industry.
The pursuit of money and the pursuit of higher art can rarely coexist. Most creative industries are extremely competitive. This creates an environment of constant comparison of skill. Instead of being inspired by great art, it can feel threatening, which can really damage your creativity. Having experienced animation as both a hobby and a job, I can say that, artistically, my feelings of perfectionism and self-doubt didn’t exist before I wanted a creative career. Riding the line between passion and financial benefit is something that all creatives must navigate for themselves.
Despite the challenges, the reward is equally as sweet. Knowing you’ve created something beautiful and important can be reward enough. So if you’re in a non-creative field and benefit from the labor of creatives, appreciate the struggles artists go through to create your favorite media, and advocate for them when the time comes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uppercutt___/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uppercutt_

Image Credits

Image 1: Still frame from my Music and Motion project, which I created, inspired by the movements of Capoeira and the style of AfroFuturism. Still frame of a project created during my time at the Gunner School of Animation.
Image 2: Still frame of a project created during my time at the Gunner School of Animation. This still frame shows my character animation and storyboarding, along with the help of Dr. Anaissa Ruiz Tejada for Visdev and Styling, and Kevin Surowiec for supporting Animation and Compositing.
Image 3: Still frame of Character animation for Heritage Works, Backgrounds by David Castellano and Al Caruso, Character Designs by Al Caruso. I was co-lead alongside Mel McCann with Eatrice studio; we co-directed, produced, art-directed, animated, and storyboarded.
Image 4: Still frame of a music video visualizer for “Gotta Do” by Justyn. Produced by Jamal Jackson at ok! Entertainment. I created the Diner and terrain, as well as composited and animated the video.
Image 5: Still frame from “nomu – all of it ft. mental” music video. I created character designs, storyboarded, rigged, modeled, and animated for. Produced and composited by Jamal Jackson at ok! Entertainment.