Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ayesha Furtado. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ayesha, 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.
By actively keeping myself inspired! As an animator, I find myself getting easily burnt out by spending weeks or months on projects that always seem so far from the finish line, but watching short films and looking at illustrations by fellow artists always gets me excited about the new techniques I observe, and then more motivated to find a way to introduce and develop those skills in my own body of work. I guess it’s a spark that always finds its way back to me. I can never run out of things to learn and that’s what keeps me excited!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a senior in Animation at CCS (College for Creative Studies) in Detroit. Before I finally landed on the perfect practice for me, I spent a couple years studying Architecture and Visual Communication in the American University of Sharjah, UAE. I like to think that I got lucky despite my indecisiveness because it led me to so many more experiences as an artist that still show themselves in my work and life today. My recent work, particularly my short film Bloom Later has been heavily influenced by my own struggle and grief during life-altering events; the heavy themes juxtaposed by a soft and rounded child-like art style. I am currently working on my senior thesis, a short film titled “Womb” that is based on my emotionally intense relationship with my mother, shown through multi-media animation. Apart from that, I am also working on a tattoo portfolio and hope to be an apprentice soon after I graduate!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Top of the list would definitely be constant experimentation. I decided to try stop-motion animating this summer – something I never thought I’d have the patience to do – and I ended up loving it so much, that it’s all I think about now. Through a completely new form of animation to me, I have learnt so many techniques and skills that are still relevant in my 2D animations, further developed in editing and compositing, and now I feel so much stronger in my skillset.
Collaboration is also super important to me and my work. My peers not only provide assistance in areas that I am not too confident, but also in just working beside each other, I feel like I have the opportunity to interpret my own work through different lenses, which is so special to me when I get bored of only seeing things one way. Working on projects that are not my own also allows me to break away from my own brain for a minute and pushes me out of my comfort zone which is so refreshing.
Lastly, being open to changes. This was something I really struggled with as a perfectionist and always wanting to see things through the way I planned. I found that this always left me feeling unsatisfied with my final product where there were issues I could never resolve. Being able to let go of that need for order allowed me to have a better creative flow which pushes my work in ways I don’t expect, but am always welcome to!
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
My immediate response to feeling overwhelmed is making lists. Most times I forget they’re even there, but just collecting my thoughts and writing them down helps me slow down a bit. If it’s an overwhelming frustration with a project, I usually step away from it until I am ready to continue. I never allow the chaos behind the scenes to show in final work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ayeshatheundercat
