Juan Casini is a multidisciplinary designer juggling various mediums and keeping his passion alive by traveling and designing. He is a free spirit who loves to draw, travel and experience new things. Here, he talks about his journey and inspirations of becoming a designer.
CG: How did your tryst with design begin?
Juan: I started working as a 2D game artist for a video game company while I was in the early years of college. I learned a lot there and it was the perfect way to start exploring the video game industry and understand how such a complex product as a game is made. I found that I could really use my illustrations skills there so I focused entirely in the video game field and I worked in more than 50 game developments since then.
Today, design for mobile apps is my main area of expertise, collaborating in small-scale game development for indie studios to major developments and educational apps.
CG: Any role models who inspired you early in life?
Juan: My father used to draw with me when I was a child and I’ve always been supported to get involved in artistic studies. I am very lucky for the education I got at such an important time of formation of a person, as is the childhood. But the most important thing is that they always encouraged me to do what I love. So I can definitely say that my parents are my role models
CG: What influences you for your artworks?
Juan: I really like Japanese anime and the way they handle expression and visual impact. I’ve watched a lot of series and movies, thus animation and Manga are a great influence for me. I also believe nature is art in its pure form, so I keep traveling and constantly learning by watching and living on this beautiful planet.
CG: What do you want to express through your artworks?
Juan: I always try to give the best of me in all the projects I get involved in, and that means not only putting your best energy on it but also try to create a powerful and stimulating experience for the user or audience. So I try to keep the level of expression very high, adding many details and playing a lot with the colour palette, so no matter what the product is about, the eyes of the viewer can be positively affected in a more subtle and deep visual experience.
CG: How do you avoid creative burnout or what do you do incase you feel creatively exhausted?
Juan: Initially during the early days of my freelance career I found myself working for too many hours on too many projects at the same time. Eventually, I realised that organisation and discipline are essential but it’s also important to take days off, rest well, go out and explore nature to have refreshing and exciting experiences as much as possible. It’s imperative to find your own rhythm, but most important, finding what you love to do and stop seeing your job as an obligation. It takes time and a lot of energy to stay away from the comfort zone, but if you can accomplish that I promise that it can change your life completely. Nowadays, a creative burnout with this nomad journey is really rare, when you are constantly discovering new places and cultures! It is just the best for your mind and soul
Published in Issue 33
We all face it! But everyone has their own unique way to come out of it, in this issue we try to explore different ideas of handling the ‘Creative Burnout’. The most common of all was #travelling, through everyone do it in their own unique style. Like Luke Ritchie from South Africa finds the nature and mountains as the best source of inspiration while Sushant Ajnikar says riding his bike and meeting four-legged loyal friends, dogs, on the way is the best way to learn. So, pack your bags and don’t forget to subscribe your copy before you leave!
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