We recently connected with Matt Yeomans and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew as early as high school that I wanted to work in design, but I didn’t know in which form or how to make it happen.

I ended up (falsely) convincing myself that there was no money to be made in this industry. Which, ironically, lead me to taking a completely different path in education; studying philosophy and religious studies. A degree that I don’t think I personally ever made a single dollar off of.

It wasn’t until years later at the age of 28, that I decided I wanted to professionally pursue a creative career. That’s around the time I started self-learning animation and motion design in an attempt to rekindle a childhood flame.

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

I got into the motion design industry after coming to the realization that I no longer wanted to run a business. I have been a creative person and computer nerd since a very young age. But it wasn’t until my late twenties that I decided to pursue motion design professionally as a self-taught artist, with no formal education on the matter.

As a freelance animator, I provide creative and technical solutions to studios or clients who want to tell a story in a visually engaging way. Whether it’s as a solo artist or an artist in a bigger team, I help ideas come to life and I make them look nice while doing so. My goal is to always provide clients with a sense of reliability, so they can rest easy at night during a stressful project.

In my career I am most proud of the fact that I was able to give up a comfortable position, take a risk to follow a dream, and eventually find fulfillment from it everyday I work.

To anyone reading this, I want to tell you that anything’s possible when it comes to changing your trajectory. Regardless of your age or your skill levels. As long as your hunger to learn is consistent, results will be yielded.

To any clients reading this, I want to tell you that I will work hard and smart with you to make a vision come to life. I love to collaborate with others and to be challenged in new ways.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before ever getting into the creative industry, I spent 8 years of my life running a largely popular rock climbing gym as the general manager. I’ve always been a naturally creative person, but in this position I was tossed into a world of conflict management, difficult conversations, hard labor, and dealing with the nitty gritty of running a successful small business.

While I had a lot of passion for rock climbing and the our gym’s role in the community, the nature of the job was burning me out and creating a huge disconnect of who I was versus what I did for work. I began to realize that my favorite part of my job was doing graphic design for pamphlets, posters, or branding work. I far more enjoyed being locked in the office designing in comparison to the day-to-day work of a manager.

Coming to that realization, I began studying design and animation on the side while running the business full time, with the intention of leaving the position for more creative endeavors. COVID sped this process up tenfold, as our business could no longer financially survive the storm of gym closures in California, and I had no choice but to take a shot at pivoting to a new career.

It was around that time where I lost my job, my income, my apartment, and my car in a freak accident. I was in a huge amount of debt at the time when I made the decision to move back to my parents house at age 30. I was living in my parents’ garage, living off of unemployment checks, and animating every single day with the goal of learning After Effects well enough to work professionally in the industry.

I treated everyday like a ‘job’, where I would clock in for 8-10 hours working on motion graphics pieces for my first demo reel– which I eventually finished 6 months later.

It was that reel that got my foot in the door as an intern at a large production house, where I eventually became staff for close to two years. That studio is where I built the confidence as an artist which allowed me to leave that position and follow my dream of becoming freelance, which is what I have been doing now for a little over a year.

While my career pivot started off with intentionality, life had much more chaotic plans for me that required me to work under a pressure cooker. While I wish the circumstances were different, and I could have left my gym with more grace, I am still thankful for how this pivot went down. That time of my life was very scary and depressing, but I look back on those memories fondly and am proud to have laid the foundation of my career under the circumstance.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As an artist in the professional sense, there are so many things that are rewarding in our job versus some other more traditional jobs.

Personally, one of my favorite feelings in this profession is feeling the sense of accomplishment after beginning, finishing and delivering a project in a team environment. There is something so satisfying about bringing a vision to life from scratch as a collaborative team, especially after suffering long days together. The comradery felt in those moments are unbeatable.

Being able to help a client see their vision, which has been living in their heads for a while, come together in a tangible form right in front of their eyes is extremely gratifying. I’ve had a client come to tears once when they saw the work that our team had did for them. It’s moments like that that make you realize what creative folks have to offer to people who don’t operate in the same realm, and why our position is so important in the business world.

As in artist in the general sense, self expression has always been something extremely rewarding to me. I just like to create and doing so makes me happy, in any form possible. Whether it’s doodling, writing, or making polished animation work. Any form of self expression is an exercise in reminding the world you were here.

On a more egotistical note, sometimes it just feels really good to make cool stuff.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meowmans.tv
• Instagram: @meowmans
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-yeomans-aa64a11b7/