We were lucky to catch up with Matvei Lisitsa recently and have shared our conversation below.
Matvei, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Usually, to nurture my creativity, I endeavor to broaden my horizons. I watch many films, seek inspiration from the works of old masters, and listen to music. These are some of the primary sources for maintaining my creativity. Additionally, I strive to stay abreast of all developments in the design industry, conceptual art, and CGI. The market is very dynamic, and everything changes rapidly, which helps me stay relevant and constantly motivates me to explore new approaches, thus fostering a creative mindset.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a professional designer and artist. My creative journey began in early childhood; I have always loved drawing. Even during my school years, I attended extracurricular drawing classes, where I learned the fundamentals of academic drawing and painting. Later, I enrolled in the prestigious Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry S.G. Stroganov. It was around that time that I became acquainted with design and CGI. I was deeply fascinated and began exploring various 3D programs, animation, and reinforcing my design knowledge. In our field, I believe it is crucial to be versatile and curious about everything our world offers.
After college, I honed my skills in business tasks. I assisted my brother in creative direction for his company specializing in unique portraits. Additionally, I took freelance orders, which eventually led to referrals.
At one point, I experienced a minor creative crisis and shifted my focus to entrepreneurship. Looking back, I realize that even during that period, I continued to strengthen my knowledge in the design field. I delved into the principles of creating design identities, studied product photography principles, and enhanced my skills in art direction. Then, my creative thirst resurfaced—literally overnight, one of those moments when you wake up and realize you need to make a change. Thus ended my brief creative hiatus. I resumed taking design orders, finding it easier to communicate with clients as I now understood business-related issues and could offer more relevant solutions.
Soon after, a friend passed my contacts to acquaintances who were seeking a concept artist for a film franchise in the pre-production stage. Although I lacked sufficient experience in the realm of concept art, I had a solid background in academic painting and decided to give it a try. I completed a test assignment, and everyone was pleased. Thus began my journey into concept art.
Currently, I am actively developing in the direction of concept art for games and cinema. My experience in various fields, from brand design to CGI, greatly assists me in this endeavor. The role of a concept artist requires a great deal of creativity, idea generation, and the creation of unique worlds, props, and characters. I am grateful for all my life experiences and hope to continue my development and achieve all my goals.
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?
I believe three key qualities in my life journey can be named: curiosity, perseverance, and the ability to listen. Creativity is undoubtedly an important aspect in the creative industry, but it is the ability to listen that helps you understand what the client expects from you, as many clients may not always articulate their ideas and tasks visually; it’s important to ask the right questions and hear the necessary answers, to be somewhat of a psychologist, in a sense. Curiosity and perseverance, on the other hand, work in symbiosis. It’s equally important to be eager for new knowledge and to sit down and practice the acquired knowledge. I can sit like this for hours if time allows. Without this, it’s impossible to improve any skill.
To all beginners and future creators, I want to recommend never giving up, not scaring yourself, and believing in your ideas, even if the whole world doesn’t believe in them. Learn to distinguish constructive criticism from destructive criticism and grow. I would also recommend distinguishing between your ambitions and work tasks. When you work with a client, you act as a partner, not just a Creator who knows better what the client wants. No, the client knows better, as they have taken many steps in their business/project before turning to you for help. But when you do your own projects, show courage and don’t hesitate, and you will surely reach where you want to be.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone who approaches you to help solve their problem, rather than seeing you solely as a pair of hands with a skill, where the client’s advice and gained experience are not valued. However, overall, I believe every client, if not rude, is ideal. When working with any client, you absorb their experience, their knowledge; you can learn something and share your own experience. There is a symbiosis happening that provides you with many new and unique insights, while also being realized in a creative project. I think this is one of the most interesting aspects of creative professions; it makes the creative result unique.
Contact Info:
- Website: matthewfox.art
- Instagram: matthewfox.art
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/matthewfoxart
- Other: Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/matthewfoxart
