We recently connected with William David Hogan and have shared our conversation below.
William David , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
It’s important to embrace mistakes and remember to play. As a kid, you created with reckless abandon. It’s tougher when you’re older, of course, but the elements of play must be kept alive. For an artist, mistakes are how you get to the truth of what you’re working on. There’s no shame in making it fun: blasting music, playing Legos as a warmup, scribbling on large sketchpads — if it unlocks your play, it’s working!
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 write, draw and direct films in the motion picture industry. My experience as a Storyboard Artist allowed me to work with some of the greatest minds in cinema, learning how they approach storytelling and how they handle challenges while working. As a Storyboard Artist, you’re making words on a page visual, taking the abstract and making it real, specific and tangible. In many ways, you’re making the final film before it’s even started. The skills I developed in this field were immensely helpful when I began directing films. Starting in independent and low-budget TV movies, the schedules are short and the money is tight, so pre-planning is critical. I was able to make my mistakes on the page before a single dime was spent. It helped me elevate the material I was working on and, in the case of my IMAX documentary, helped me to land the job. I drew the entire film and edited it together, with narration and music, before I actually had the gig. It worked, and I directed IMAX’s 3D documentary “Asteroid Hunters” with Daisy Ridley in 2021.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The ability to write, draw and willingness to fail were by far the three most helpful skills and approaches. I start everything as a rough sketch, refining and paring down, finding ways to speak it quicker or show instead of saying it at all. It’s all about pushing beyond your first choices, your second and third, to get into unknown territory. That’s where the surprises and joy in creating lie.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I always had blank paper, loads of markers, a giant bag of Legos and free time. Everyone, especially children, seems so over-scheduled these days we don’t make time to wander, sit in silence, daydream. I’m fortunate imagination and creativity was valued at home.
Contact Info:
- Website: wdhogan.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-david-hogan-6167276/
Image Credits
All the photos and artwork upload belongs to me, W. D. Hogan.
