Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael McAfee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I think a landmark project for me was my collaboration with Adult Swim — I created a little short film that aired on their infamous T.V. show, “Off The Air”. It’s a show that airs at 3 a.m., and it’s a collection of the most trippy, psychedelic, and odd animations you’ve ever seen.

Most people come across it on accident, only seeing it because they’ve fallen asleep on the couch and wake up in the middle of the night — people recall feeling like they’re in a fever dream watching it for the first time, half asleep, still unsure of if they’re awake yet. I loved that cryptic, odd feeling the show gave you.

I remember creating a pitch for what I would create if given the opportunity to direct a segment. I even made a dedicated website for it. I sat on the pitch for over a year, hesitating to send it out to anyone. I was probably afraid of getting no response. Or a rejection.

I was talking about my idea with another animator friend (Matt Siegel) who mentioned that the creator of the show was following me on Instagram this entire time. I finally grew the balls to send the email, and he responded enthusiastically. I put the film together, and at the time it was the longest piece I had made (1 minute, haha).

I watched this show coming up as a young designer and all of my favorite animators have had their work featured on it. To me it was like a nerdy status symbol, being lumped together with all of the artists who have had their work on the show. It was very exciting and meaningful that I got to do this.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an artist and designer based in Chicago. My work exists in a universe that I call Polymorphic. It’s filled with psychedelic creatures and forms inpsired by underwater organisms, nature, and biology.

I’m probably most recognized for my art style, which is created with modern digital tools, by stylized with imperfections to look like it was drawn by hand.

Most of my work is digital, but the medium is always changing. It’s taken the form of digital installations (most recently an interactive installation for Intel), concert visuals (for artists like Excision, Tycho, and Avenged Sevenfold), paintings, posters, stop motion, etc.

It’s only recently that I’ve shifted focus entirely into my personal work. Previously I worked as an animator for ad agencies, and most recently for Google. I’m glad to be in a positon where I can now get hired to do work in my style. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my work featured in cities all around the world, including Madrid, Malaysia, Japan, New York, Miami, etc.

I’m inspired by working with other artists, fusing my work with different mediums, and creating immersive experiences at a large scale.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part about being an artist is having a fan reach out, letting me know that their work inspired them to create something of their own. Or when someone mentions that a technique they incorporated into their workflow was inspired by a piece of mine. I love being a part of the creative ecosystem in this way — when I was younger I would idolize animators and artists. When I was in high school, I grew the courage to reach out to some of them as a fan. My mind exploded when some of them would respond to my emails and be receptive to my questions.

I hope that I can provide this feeling to aspiring artists in some capacity.

Also, being paid to do something that I would do on my own merit is incredibly rewarding. I was making these things before I knew money could even be a part of the equation, so making a living doing it is inconceivable. Granted, when money is involved, there are stakeholders and clients you have to consider, but this is a small price to pay :)

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There is great benefit in looking towards your favorite artists when thinking about your creative journey. What did they do to get to where they are today? Were they self taught? Who were their favorite artists? When I’m at a roadblock, I often go back to this

I think that my greatest asset was being inquisitive — I obsessively researched my favorite artists, and would consume every piece of media that I saw them appear in. Sometimes, I would reach out, telling them that I would like to create at their level one day, and ask to pick their brain. I actually still do this, and sometimes it leads to work.

People love to give advice on what they’re most passionate about, especially artists. Having colleagues and mentors was immensely beneficial to my career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mcafee.design/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcafee.design/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcafeedesign/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcafee_design

Image Credits

all photos are taken by me (michael mcafee)