We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Peter Godshall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Peter, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
3d art is a blend of technical ability and traditional art principals; I find creativity can be inspired by either of those two aspects. Sometimes while learning a new software or workflow you’ll find an image that turns into a new project. The second half of the equation is curating an internal visual library to pull inspiration from. Every place you’ve visited, walk in the woods, book you’ve read, every life experience fills a well of visual language that you use to create. I think the easiest way to build that visual library is through books. When two people read the same descriptive text in a book their minds will create entirely unique visuals, never seen or imagined the same way by any other person. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book without coming away with a list of new imagery I’d like to create.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m a 3d generalist/CGI artist based in Charlotte NC. My work includes a wide array of digital design. Ranging from visual effects for film, 3D motion design, abstract simulations and print media. Which means one day I might be working on a 3d animated short film and the next a print advertisement combining photography and CGI elements. It’s an ever changing field of digital art with no two projects the same. That varied possibility of creation is what I like most about my field.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think without a doubt the skill that has served me best through my life is a passion for learning. Picking up new software or workflow has always been the vital core of my skillset. In addition to that, my background in photography has been an important foundation in my career. A camera is perhaps the best way to build an understanding of composition, shape language and most importantly, photography is a pure study in the use and quality of light.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Working as a solo 3d generalist I find it most important to be well rounded rather than to specialize. Having the flexibility to work on a wide range of jobs is much more advantageous. Not to mention I found that getting to solve a new problem every day is more rewarding than tackling the same task over and over.
Contact Info:
- Website: Petergodshall.com
- Instagram: Petergodshall
- Other: https://www.behance.net/petergodsh7196
Image Credits
Peter Godshall
