
Creative Metaverse Podcast
By Ryan Kingslien

Creative Metaverse PodcastOct 23, 2019

Career Talk Jet Olaño
Hello creatives, Ryan wants you to meet Jet Olaño. Jet wears many hats; he works with Unreal Engine Virtual Production Fellowship as an Instructor/Unreal Engine Technical Artist and is the Owner Operator at The Secret Hideout. He helped to instruct Industry Professionals learn a hands-on approach to In Camera Visual Effects (ICVFX) using the Unreal Engine. Also, to teach skill such as: Camera Tracking with Optitrack System, Camera Calibration, Ndisplay Configuration Creation, LED Wall Panel Replacement of ROE Black Pearl panels and Stage Operations.
Make sure to learn more about Jet Olaño at the links below.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jet-ola%C3%B1o-6a55709/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejetshow/?hl=en
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Career Talk Jason Belec
Hello Creatives, Ryan wants you to meet Jason Belic. He has known Jason for a really long time. All the way back to when Ryan worked at Pixologic. Ryan is putting the spotlight on Jason, so you can see a whole other dimension to the type of people and jobs in our industry. Jason is an artist, but he’s worked in development and building technology solutions most of his life. All of this is to get you ready for a class we’re building that will teach Creatives more about coding.
Make sure to learn more about Jasonat the links below.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbelec/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonbelec
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Career Talk Ashley Sparling
This week we're bringing you a talk by the amazing Ashley Sparling filled with career advice for those looking to get into the game industry. Ashley is a veteran of the industry having worked at studios like Ubisoft and others and now running his own company, K9.
Make sure to learn more about Ashley at the links below.
Ashley Saprling's Artstation: ArtStation - Ashley Sparling
Instagram: @ashleysparling
K9 DIGITAL: 3D character art | K9 Digital | United Kingdom
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Career Talk Jacob Claussen
This week Ryan is turning the mic over to Jacob Claussen and his career talk. Jacob Classen is currently a Lead Environment at Fall Damage Studio in Stockholm, Sweden and a Mentor at Vertex School.
In this episode, Bita and Jacob go through his amazing journey to become a professional artist and the courage to continue push his creativity. Along with being a recognized artist in our industry.
Jacob is also an educator who resonates with his student and shares many of the workflows that he uses in the Game Industry. He has worked on with studios like Ubisoft (Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and The Division 2: Warlords of New York Expansion) and Starburst (Overkill´s The Walking Dead).
Make sure to learn more about Jacob at the links below.
Jacob Claussen's Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/jacobclaussen
Jacob Claussen's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobclaussen
Fall Damage Studio: https://www.falldamagestudio.com/
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Alwyn Hunt And Andrew McDonald, Co-Founders Of The Rookies
This week Ryan is talking with the Co-Founders of The Rookies, Alwyn Hunt and Andrew McDonald. Together have put together a platform for first year artists to show their hard-earned talent, in a highly commentative industry. Alwyn has an established background in fine art and the CG industry. Some notable credits are The Hobbit 1 & 2, Watchmen, Harry Potter and many more. Andrew's background is as an Industrial Designer, Animatronics Specialist, and Full-Stack Web Developer. Some notable credits are Suckerpunch, Watchmen, The LEGO Movie, Legend of the Guardians and many more.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Filipe
(20) TheRookiesCO (@TheRookiesCO) / Twitter
Learn more about Alwyn
Alwyn Hunt | The Team | The Rookies
(20) Alwyn Hunt (@alwynhunt) / Twitter
Learn more about Andrew
Andrew McDonald | The Team | The Rookies
Andrew McDonald - Creative Director (myportfolio.com)
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Sean Spitzer, Unreal Enterprise - Senior Instructor/ Master Mentor Artist for VP at Epic Games
Join Ryan this week as he interviews Sean Spitzer, Unreal Enterprise - Senior Instructor/ Master Mentor Artist for VP at Epic Games. Sean has been in the games industry for 18 years working in both console and social gaming verticals. He has an extensive background in education teaching game art and design related topics at both the Academy of Art University and The Art Institute of California. During his time in the Games Industry, he has worked within and alongside companies such as Sony Entertainment, Interplay, Infogames, Zynga, Shiny Entertainment, iWin, and Gazillion. His credits and experience encompass titles like Run Like Hell, Enter the Matrix, Tribal Rivals, Yo-ville, Family Feud, and Wheel of Fortune as well as others. Over the last 8 years he has focused on servicing the social gaming industry and has built a deep knowledgebase of different art methodologies and pipelines. Sean’s experience includes TV production and the development of animation content. He has worked with the Academy Award Nominated studio, Bold Studios on interactive TV, animated children’s TV projects in Europe, raining Disney’s animation team and visual development to help create Frozen’s MYTH a VR experience and even Worked on Love Death and Robots Season 3’s short Vaulted Halls with lighting and shading work.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Sean
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/spitfire2709
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanspitzer3d/details/experience/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/snsptzr
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Dan Weiss, Senior Character Artist at Untold Studios
This week Ryan is interviewing Dam Weiss, Senior Character Artist at Untold Studios. Dan has worked as a Character Artist, Creature Artist and look Dev Artist in some very well-known films and shows. From titles such as Man From U.N.C.L.E., Captain America: Civil War, Renegades, Lion King and Moon Knight. Dan gives us a glance at working film in today's evolving industry, form being ready to strike at unexpected opportunities and how normal it is to move between studios.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Dan
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/danielweiss
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artofdanweiss/?hl=en
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Nora Shramek, Senior Lighting and Render Artist
This week Ryan is talking to the industrious Nora Shramek a Senior level Lighting and Render Artist. She helps shed some light on what it is to be a lighting artist in a studio. Learn how a robust skill set helps in her communication and collaborate in her studio pipeline. Plus, how modern artist can benefit from a background of traditional art skills, married to a fundamental knowledge of science and math to attain not just a look; but rather a functional understand of why the end result looks right.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Nora
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/norashramek/profile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/norashramek?lang=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXrWRJ8ovHu__md8U_VDivA
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

James Jacobs, Co-Founder of Ziva Dynamics and Director of Technology Incubation at Unity
Tune into this episode were Ryan sits with James Jacob Co-Founder of Ziva Dynamics and Director of Technology Incubation at Unity. James talks about his time working on project like Lord of the Rings and Avatar, as well as his current venture in tools for Rigging. See how the industry has blossomed through James eyes.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about James
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesj/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Vimal Kerketta, Digital Sculptor/Character Artist Working For Movies, Video Games & Toys
This week Ryan has the pleasure to present to you a conversation with Vimal Kerketta, a digital sculptor/character artist whose work has been featured in many movies, video games & toys. To shed light on his beginnings for aspiring artists, Vimal recounts how he started off his artistic career. Like many it did not start in the area of art, but rather in a different field. Vimal has an unapologetic attitude that is too be admired about making art that he loves first and then share it with the world. Which helps us better understand what so many artists say, "...do what you have passion for." And he reminds us that this is different to each person and to be thoughtful in where our passion stems from.
Vimal Shares what it was like to work on the Matrix and what it was like to sculpt some of the most recognizable face in the production.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Vimal
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/vimalkerketta/profile
Portfolio site: http://vimalkerketta.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerkettavimal?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vimkerk/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VimalKerketta87?app=desktop
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Ian Spriggs, 3D Portrait Character Artist
Ryan is excited to present his conversation with Ian Spriggs, 3D Portrait Character Artist, who's portraits push our expectation of 3D character work. Ian's work is raw and true to the subject, but in his chat with Ryan we are shown the artistry woven into his work. How there is an intension behind the eyes, or a thought placed into the mannerisms and posture.
Listen in, Ian talks about how he started in art, the trials encountered with finding artistry in higher education to how he found his niche in 3D. Also, we ponder on the future and how we can evolve art past our current understanding to utilize 3D to newer heights.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Ian
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/ianspriggs/profile
Portfolio site: https://ianspriggs.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpriggsIan
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYL_RE56zhEA9_DuUPyyCGA
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Jasmine Jai, Senior Sound Designer at HoYoverse
Ryan has the pleasure to chat with Jasmine Jai, Senior Sound Designer at HoYoverse. She crafts the sound and acoustic mood in games. Listen in on this conversation and start to listen to the ambient noise that defines your surroundings. Jasmine's job is one layer that helps build an immersive experience in the game design pipeline.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Jasmine
Portfolio site: https://www.jasminejia.com
Twitter: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKgTDwH6ihX3V5Gnn4-w1b
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKgTDwH6ihX3V5Gnn4-w1bg
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Nacho Riesco, Freelance Digital Sculptor of Organic Jewelry Designs
Listen in on Ryan's chat with Nacho Riesco. Nacho is a Freelance Digital Sculptor well known for his elaborately crafted jewelry and highly engaging demos on Pixologic's YouTube channel. They will discuss Nacho's start as an artist and his view on digital sculpting from the point of view of a traditional who is less concerned the technical side of digital art.
Nacho's work often ends up printed, cast or even translated to run on a CNC machine. He touches on the integration of digital sculpting in modern projects and how it aids modern tractional artist with sculptures and reliefs. Plus, we learn from Nacho the art of freelancing and with a focus in the jewelry arena.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Nacho
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/nachoriesco
Portfolio site: https://www.nachoriesco.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nachoriesco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esculturadigital15/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NachoRiesco
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Thomas Tobin, Senior Technical Artist At Unity Technologies
This week we have our Producer at Vertex School, Jean-Marc standing for Ryan. Join Jean-Marc's conversation with Thomas Tobin, a talented Senior Tech Artist at Unity Technologies. Also, Thomas teaches Houdini at the Vertex School and shares his knowledge of procedural design with his students.
Thomas gives us an in-depth view of his process and how he found his niche as a Tech Artist, from working as an Environment Artist to an internship at SideFX to learn about Houdini.
Kurtis has worked on with studios like Scanline and Zoic Studio.
Make sure to learn more about Kurtis at the links below.
Thomas Tobin's Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/thomasctobin
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/

Kurtis Dawe, Character Artist And Lead of the Prime Ape Planet
We invite you to listen in on Kurtis Dawe and Ryan's conversation about Prime Ape Panet. Kurtis Dawe now has decided that he wants to use his skills and experience to bring a high-value project to NFT space with Prime Ape Panet. The project is headed up by Kurtis and a team of designers who are known for many productions like The Lion King, Godzilla, and many other animations for Marvel, Disney, MGM, and much more.
Kourtis gives us an in-depth view of his process for how his team creates the insane volume of work, from sculpting in Zbrush to rendering in Houdini and finally the loving touches in Photoshop. Also, he gives us a sense of perspective from the Artist point of view as a creator in the ever-evolving NFT community.
Kurtis has worked on with studios like Scanline and Zoic Studio.
Make sure to learn more about Kurtis at the links below.
Kurtis Dawe's Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/kurtisdawe
Kurtis Dawe's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kurtis_Dawe10
Prime Ape Panet: https://opensea.io/collection/primeapeplanetpap
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
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Chico Spans, Vegetation Artist at Massive Entertainment
Have a listen to our chat with vertex mentor Chico Spans. Chico is a vegetation artist at Massive entertainment. Before that Chico was an environment artist at playground games as part of the road team working on Forza Horizon 4 and before that he was at Sticky studios.
Chico gives us an in depth view about his journey as an artist and how he intentionally set specific goals to work for a AAA studio and the perseverance needed to get there. Chico talks to us about mega scans and some of the most powerful artistic lessons he has learned. Have a listen and get inspired by Chico's unique story.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Chico: https://www.artstation.com/chicospans/profile
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Datagen, Simulating the Data that the Growing AI Industry Needs
Datagen provides high-performance data that is key to production-ready algorithms to accelerate R&D and improve computer vision models with access to a fully controllable synthetic data generation platform.
In this episode, Ryan meets with Gil (CTO and Co-founder), Teddy (Marketing Manager) and Evan (Director of 3D Technologies and a Vertex Mentor) to discuss the synthetic approach to computer vision.
Make sure to learn more about Datagen at the links below.
Datagen's Website: Datagen | Synthetic Data for Computer Vision Teams
Datagen's Twitter: https://twitter.com/dgupdate
Datagen Careers: https://datagen.tech/careers/
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Jacob Claussen, Lead Environment at Fall Damage Studio
Jacob Classen is currently a Lead Environment at Fall Damage Studio in Stockholm, Sweden and a Mentor at Vertex School.
In this episode, Bita and Jacob go through his amazing journey to become a professional artist and the courage to continue push his creativity. Along with being a recognized artist in our industry.
Jacob is also a educator who resonates with his student and shares many of the workflows that he uses in the Game Industry. He has worked on with studios like Ubisoft (Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and The Division 2: Warlords of New York Expansion) and Starburst (Overkill´s The Walking Dead).
Make sure to learn more about Jacob at the links below.
Jacob Claussen's Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/jacobclaussen
Jacob Claussen's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobclaussen
Fall Damage Studio: https://www.falldamagestudio.com/
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Larry and Tyler, That's Nifty Podcast Hosts
Tyler and Larry have a PHd in NFTs and host a popular podcast called That's Nifty where they interview amazing artists working in this space.
In this episode, Ryan talks with Tyler and Larry to unpack what an NFT and what they've learned from collecting and interview artists like Aeforia, Smeccea, Kid Mograph and more.
Learn more about That's Nifty Podcast: https://twitter.com/Thatsnft
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Jama Jurabaev, Concept Artist / Art Director, Lucasfilm
Jama Jurabaev is a concept artist working at Lucasfilms and is founder of BigMediumSmall Studio. Recently complete design work for episodes of Boba Fett on Disney +.
In this episode, Ryan and Jama go through his twitter feed to talk about Jama's amazing artwork and the tools he uses. Along with being a recognized artist in our industry, Jama is also a powerful educator and shares many of the workflows that he uses on a daily basis on his twitter and Artstation.
Make sure to learn more about Jama at the links below.
Learn more about Jama: https://www.artstation.com/jama
Jama Jurabaev Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamajurabaev1
Big Medium Small Studio: https://www.bigmediumsmall.com/
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Andre Holzmeister, Artist/Creator of ArtMonkees
Andre Holzmeister is the artist behind ArtMonkees' upcoming NFT release. In this podcast, we catch up with Andre just as he finishes up the last piece of art. Andre goes on to talk about how it has been his dream to create a toy collection and how that dream was impossible or insanely complicated back in 2007 but now is within his reach because of the power of non-fungible tokens.
He also mentions how Doritos' beat CryptoPunks to the market by over 10 years. Make sure to check out the podcast to learn more about Andre, his upcoming project, and get an inside look at what it takes to put together a 5,000 character NFT drop.
Artmonkees goes live January 23rd on the Solana block chain January 23rd.
Learn more about ArtMonkees: https://www.artmonkees.io/
Learn more about Andre: https://www.andreholzmeister.com/
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Super Pop Drop, Digital Wearable NFT creators
Have a listen to our chat with Doug and James from Super Pop Drop as they talk to us about digital artists in the fashion metaverse space! Think digital wearables and all the other assets that you need to create a fashion show like avatars, runways, lighting setups etc...
You'll hear all about their journey to Super Pop Drop from their days as creatives in luxury fashion and how to find jobs with companies like theirs who are seeking out 3D artists.
Doug and James were photographers and branders for luxury brands for Neiman Marcus, Diesel, and Loreal. They created the first images for Amazon fashion and photographed countless celebrities like Kate Moss and Kylie Minogue before they started Super Pop Drop. Super Pop Drop has partnered up with model coach extraordinaire Miss J Alexander and DressX to create a digital wearables NFT collection and an online Shopify store that solely sells luxury NFTs.
With the next Metaverse fashion week upon us there is much to learn about how digital artists fit into this space and how to find jobs with a wide variety of companies.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Super Pop Drop - Crypto Couture: https://superpopdrop.com/
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse?
Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Auriea Harvey, Digital Sculptor
Have a listen to this fascinating chat with digital sculptor Auriea Harvery from her home in Rome and Vertex here at the Leona art gallery in the heart of East Austin, TX.
Auriea Harvey is a digital sculptor producing simulations and objects that bridge physical and virtual space. Auriea Harvey is a boundary-breaking artist originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. She talks to us about her journey as an artists in the digital space from student to video games to NFT's.
After plumbing the depths of net art and video games, she has now turned her attention to digital sculpture, 3D printing, and mixed reality. The work is presented as sculptures that blend digital and handmade production. She is half of the artist duo Entropy8Zuper!/Tale of Tales/Song of Songs, known for their pioneering works in Internet art, video games, and XR. Auriea lives in Rome and is a Professor of Games at Kunsthochschule Kassel. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Walker Art Center, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the RF.C Collection, and Rhizome’s Net Art Anthology.
Her video games and VR works have had international success, including exhibitions at the Tinguely Museum, Basel; the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the New Museum, New York; Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York; and ZKM, Karlsruhe. She is the recipient of a Creative Capital grant and a winner of the Independent Games Festival Nuovo Award. She is represented by bitforms gallery, NYC.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Auriea: https://www.instagram.com/auriea.harvey.studio/?hl=en
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Omar Awediah, Character Art Lead at Sucker Punch Productions
Omar Awediah is the Character Art Lead at Sucker Punch Productions and a mentor at Vertex school. Before that he was a character art lead at Amazon game studios and Obsidian entertainment and Cloud imperium games.
Omar gives us a glimpse into many aspects of his life as an artist creating characters for a major studio. You get to hear all about Omar's journey in art from being an intern all the way to a character art lead. He talks about how to be a better artist with critiques, and how to overcome a lot of the vulnerability that comes with the territory. Have a listen to our chat taped live at the Yellow Jacket Social Club in Austin, TX and his home in Seattle.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Omar: https://www.artstation.com/thatguyomar
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Gio Nakpil, Creative Director
Giovanni Nakpil, Creative Director
Gio, has been a digital model supervisor for Industrial Light and Magic, worked on principal creatures for "Star Trek" and "The Avengers," amongst other notable Hollywood films before switching gears to designing and building video game assets for Valve Corporation, then onto Oculus and now working at Adobe. Listen to Gio's thoughts on education, apprenticing yourself, perfect practice, hierarchy of forms, listening to your gut and software evangelism (yes, that's a real thing).
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Gio: https://www.artstation.com/gionakpil
Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Creativity & Integrity
Start projects and never finish? What does this say? To help you understand it I read a poem by Jack Gilbert called "Lovers". It's pretty neat.
This lesson helped me honor my own work more and see myself differently. Hopefully it can do some good work for you as well.
Much Love,
-Ryan
P.S. This is the last of the special series of podcast episodes talking about the creative process for the holiday break. Let me know if you want to hear more like this.

Creativity & Capacity
What is mastery? How do you build skill as a creative? These are questions that drive me to this day. They drive my work at Vertex School, the classes I run and my own practice as a 3D Artist.
In this episode, we look at the idea that mastery is not magic, it's process. Learn the process and you become the master.
Enjoy!
-Ryan

Creativity & Being Worthy Of Inspiration
In this episode we talk about my own journey as a creative man and a bit about how I learned to allow myself to be open to joy and that spark of inspiration. As a man, I have always struggled between the joy of creating and my need to provide for myself and my family. While there is no easy answer for this, knowing and accepting yourself is key. Remember to make time for yourself and give yourself space to create.
Much Love,
-Ryan

Creativity & Your Creative Rules
Discover your rules for what makes art... what makes you an artist... and what you MUST do to finally give yourself that pat on the back that we all need. This exercise changed me and helped me understand how I was screwing up my creative life. It took longer to stop doing it but this was step one to accepting myself and my own process.
Much Love,
-Ryan

Creativity & Your Inner Critic
Our inner critic can be our biggest source of strength or it can haunt our every creative moment. What does he/ she want? Why do they do what they do? What does it say the things it says?
You might be surprised to find out. Listen to the whole podcast episode and I hope this helps you on your creative journey!
-Ryan

Creativity & Creative Identities AKA Roles
Lets learn about the three creative roles that help us bring our creativity into the real world:
- Visionary
- Realist
- Critic
I hope this helps you understand your creative journey!
-Ryan

Creativity: Reverse Engineered Success Meets Creatives Drive For Freedom
In this episode, Ryan Kingslien starts this special conversation about being a creative by looking at the two poles most creatives struggle with... engineering success or disappearing into the dark wood to find their own special magic.
This is episode one of this special series designed to help you understand your own creative journey more and give you a few more tools to unlock the genius inside of yourself.
Happy Holidays from Vertex School!

Introducing The New Podcast Name!
Welcome to the new/old podcast: The Creative Metaverse where we interview creatives, artists and technologists helping to create the new creative tech universe! I'm super excited to bring some new voices to our podcast to both interview and to be interviewed.
You know, there is a great saying by Arthur C Clark, "The Future is already here. It's just not evenly distributed." You and I are riding a wave that most people can't comprehend yet but... soon will. Whether you call it the metaverse, the mirrorverse, Witcher season 2... creativity is making a bigger dent in the universe than it ever has before and it's bringing along with it some very cool tech.
I look forward to sharing some new voices with y'all from our new home base in Austin, TX.
Much Love,
Ryan

John Jasper Fielding (Lead Animator @ The Mill)
Check out this awesome interview with John Jasper Fielding, a Lead Animator at the Mill! John's got some amazing history with cinematic animation. Listen in and learn from him! Enjoy!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about John: https://johnjasperfielding.com/
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Robert Morrison (Lead Animator at Certain Affinity)
Listen to this awesome interview with Robert Morrison, a Lead Animator at Certain Affinity! He's got some amazing insights into the world of animation.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Robert: http://www.robertanimator.com/
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Elaina Scott (Senior Pre Vis/ Post Vis Artist @ THE THIRD FLOOR Inc.)
Listen to this awesome interview with Elaina Scott! Elaina Scott has worked on titles such as Iron Man 3, Avengers 2, The Hunger Games, Fast Five, Insurgent, Transformers 4, TMNT, and The Fantastic Four. Hear her tips about landing a job in the industry.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Elaina: https://elaina-scott.posthaven.com/
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Andrew Tan (Animator @ Sucker Punch Productions)
Listen to this awesome interview with Andrew Tan, an animator at Sucker Punch Productions!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtananimation
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Mark Peart (Lead Animator @ Super Spline Studios)
Check out this interview with Mark Peart, a lead animator at Super Spline Studios. Mark has animated for huge franchises, such as Lego and Call of Duty. Enjoy!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Mark: http://www.markpeart.co.uk/about/4564871070
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Sophie Shepherd (Associate Animator @ Creative Assembly)
Check out this awesome interview we had with Sophie Shepherd, an animator at Creative Assembly!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Sophie's Twitter: https://twitter.com/smshepherd
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Matt Tovar (Character Animator & Assistant Professor @ University of the Incarnate World)
Check out this interview with Matt Tovar, a character animator who also works as an assistant professor! Matt shared with us a lot of great insights into the world of animation and his journey to get where he is today. Enjoy!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com
Learn more about Matt: https://vimeo.com/matthewtovar
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Ju Li Khaw (Senior Animator @ Arkane Studios)
Listen this interview with Ju Li Khaw, a senior animator at Arkane Studios! Ju Li had a lot of insight into being a professional animator. Enjoy!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Ju Li: http://www.animstate.com/author/julikhaw/
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Jess Simard (3D Animator @ Playground Games)
Listen to this interview with Jess Simard, a 3D animator at Playground Games, as she sheds light on her experience working in animation.
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Jess: https://www.artstation.com/jesssix
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Mike Jungbluth (Animation Director @ Bioware)
Check out this interview with Mike Jungbluth, an animation director at Bioware. Mike has a lot of insight to being an animator!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/
Learn more about Mike: http://www.animstate.com/author/mikejungbluth/
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Jonathan Mack (Senior 3D Animator @ Facebook)
Listen to our interview with Jon Mack, an amazing animator working for Facebook's VR-AI department. With years of experience working for AAA games, he's got a lot of insight into the world of animating video games. Enjoy!
Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com
Learn more about Jonathan Mack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-mack-4025512/
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Lana Bachynski (Senior Animator @ Riot Games)
Check out this new podcast with Lana Bachynski, a senior animator at Riot Games!
This will be the first podcast of an Animation series, spearheaded by the head of animation at Vertex school, Dan Perry.
Learn more about Vertex: https://www.vertexschool.com
Learn more about Lana: https://www.artstation.com/latienie
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Michael Rudd & Kaushit Saha (Art Director/CEO of Playwood Games & Freelance Artist for Wartime)
Check out this interview with Michael Rudd and Kaushit Saha. Michael is the CEO and Art Director of Playwood Games, and Kaushit is a freelance artist who worked on the game "Wartile."
More about Wartile: https://www.wartile.com/
More about Kaushit Saha: https://www.artstation.com/kaushiksaha
More about Vertex School: http://vertexschool.com
Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-artist-program

Nayoun Kim (Senior Character Animator @ Jellyfish Pictures)
Check out this interview with Nayoun Kim, a senior character animator at Jellyfish Pictures! She was so fun to talk to, and has a lot of insight into being an animator in the industry today. She's worked on big pictures, such as Kung Fu Panda 3, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and The Croods. Enjoy!
Nayoun's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ncharoenchai/
More about Vertex School: http://vertexschool.com
Want to be an Animator in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming 3D Animation Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/animation-bootcamp

Brandon Pham (Game Dev Unchained)
Check out this new episode with Brandon Pham
Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/

Vuk Banovic (Lead Environment Artist @ New World Interactive)
Check out this new episode with Vuk Benovic
Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/

Mohanad Hossam (3D Generalist & Art Director)
Check out this new podcast with Mohanad Hossam
Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/