Meet Amarildo Santini Junior

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

Amarildo, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
As time progresses, I feel that I just can’t overcome burnout. It looks as if burnout is going to be part of me as a worker/artist and there’s nothing I can do to overcome it (not permanently). Currently, I’m always studying or working (in 3D/CGI), and that produces burnout. If I stop studying/working I feel useless. It’s likely a symptom of our ever-evolving lives as we get older, I guess. Either that or humanity is simply walking directly towards full mental and physical burnout as life gets faster/more complicated.
(keep in mind that “evolving” doesn’t mean “for the better”, it just means “changing”).

It didn’t use to be this way back in the 90’s and early 2000’s. It’s something modern, at least for me.
I’m always glued to the computer screen.

One thing that does seem to alleviate burnout for me, even if it’s just temporarily, is doing chores around the apartment. I live alone with my cat, so I must do everything. And when I do, it’s…. peaceful.
Funny how when I was growing up I thought doing chores was something stressful, boring. I hated it, and thought going to the computer was fun. As time went on, doing the chores is something extremely peaceful to me, and going back to the computer feels bad, likely because it’s a vice and because I need it for work too.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
People come to me in order to solve problems, more specifically when they have a brand and need promotional material in the form of 3D/CGI commercials or when they have an ongoing project and need help in the production.

I usually do everything alone. This is both good and bad. It’s good because I have more control over the quality and production. It’s bad because the time to complete some projects is really short and doing everything on my own can be stressful.

The best part of my job is the feeling of butterflies in my stomach every time someone contacts me for work. The reason for that is simple: I don’t know everything about computer graphics (nobody does), and so I’m always curious to see if I can deliver or not. It’s the feeling you get when you go to somewhere you haven’t yet visited, you don’t know HOW you’ll get there so you imagine the entire trip, you get anxious for “the new adventure”, and you feel great knowing you’ll embark on another journey.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My best advice is for people to experiment with everything. Go nuts, do the swan dive in areas you’re not familiar with. This is immensely helpful for your career.

Want an example? My gig with Autodesk.

At the time I had a low-end computer and just couldn’t deliver the project if I were to use it. What did I do? Just said “excuse me, chose another artist”? No, I accepted it and made a gamble: if I deliver this, it’ll be great for my career, and if I don’t I’ll lose on the opportunity.

Given the way I charge (50% upfront and 50% before final delivery) and the fact that the job paid quite nicely, I got the 50% upfront and started working on the simpler parts of the job, which didn’t require the good computer. Meanwhile, I bought some new parts online. While the parts didn’t arrive, I was working.

When the good parts arrived (about a week later), I was able to continue working on the project and finished it on time. The client loved the result.

If I just hadn’t accepted the job? I’d never be able to do it.

Now, let’s consider you’re a 3D artist as well and do modeling/texturing and someone asks you to do a simple animation or VFX = DO NOT REFUSE IT. Read what the client wants, and go to YouTube looking for tutorials on the matter. I’m not joking, sometimes all you really need is the help of someone who was at your place some day and then decided to “teach the ways” so more people can benefit from the gained knowledge.

Knowledge is power and the internet is full of it. Do not hesitate to accept jobs and look for tutorials on the matter. Many professionals do it, even doctors (and that’s totally fine!)

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Brad Rushing. Brad has been the most helpful person in my career, helping me in all areas you can imagine. A mentor, an angel. A friend. I’d probably not be where I am if it weren’t for him. I’m eternally grateful for what he’s done for me, and there’s nothing I’m capable of doing to repay his efforts.

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