We were lucky to catch up with Mattheu Tracy-Thompson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Mattheu thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
From when I was a child, I’ve always wanted to create and entertain people. My first real exposure to the field was when I took a summer camp for game development. That’s when it clicked, I had found a path in my life. I wanted to make games in all ways. I had already been decent at art and coming up with creative ways to solve problems. Working off a laptop and a cheap drawing tablet, I taught myself art styles through books and the internet. Game development, however, is an entirely different beast altogether, and I love the thrill of learning new software. Learning how to level design and the basic concept of what makes a game are now ingrained in my mind. I took two years of beginner game development in high school, went to college, and had an associate’s degree in the field. I am in the process of creating a game as a solo developer and have been a part of many game jams and smaller game concepts. Furthermore, I currently run a podcast with my co-host and plan on streaming my game development progress in the future.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Mattheu Tracy-Thompson, I went to collage for game design and have been a multi-faceted artist and editor for almost ten years non-professionally. I have two years of studying character and improv acting. I love comedy and absurdist humor, one of my main inspirations is the late Robin Williams. My focus is entertaining people and making them laugh, even just making them smile is enough. I currently Co-host, edit, and produce my own podcast called the SCT Podcast (Secure Contain Talk) that has been going for about almost three years. Me and my associate work hard every week to release an episode. From working on this project, I have learned a lot about audio and some video editing. I had already had a few years of video editing from a previous YouTube show called ONE MORE PIXEL. I plan on delivering quality work with a professional level of understanding of the industry in art editing or otherwise. Furthermore, I want to make sure the end result fits in the client’s needs, wants and desires while being entertaining. My way of thinking is things should be fun and entertaining, if it’s not fun, why are you doing it, and how can we make this fun? Everything in life is a learning experience.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding moments are when the product is released into the public. I love being able to work on something to go through the hardships of the creation process and see what people think of the final product. Seeing the fruits of my labor is one of the most exciting parts because I get positive or negative feedback and learn how to make my next endeavor all the better. Improving and learning is the best part of any project, cause you get in touch with your audience, and you connect with what works and doesn’t. It’s a given, but you also just get to make cool stuff all the time and that’s the best feeling, just creating.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to make something that I would enjoy and people like me can enjoy. I am driven by the ability to just create, no matter what it is. Hard work and dedication is in my DNA and I get entranced by creating and learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artstation.com/skullytoonz
- Other: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/securecontaintalk