Have your country's borders ever stopped you from pursuing your dream?
We believe there is always a way to find your own way, so to speak. And when we have a chance to catch up with creative professionals such as Daria Pankeeva, we realise there are so many people in this world who would refuse to let themselves be stopped by the circumstances.
For this Member Spotlight, we are getting to know an animator and 3D artist who travelled all around the world to chase her dreams, always open to new inputs, never refusing to learn something new.
How did you get into the industry?
My first studies in art were with an Illustration course in Barcelona. During this course we had some animation assignments.
One of the most exciting classes was animation with Pablo Navarro, a famous Animation Director and Character Animator. After his lectures I got enthuasiastic in learning animation more in detail and seriously. So I moved to London to study Animation, where I did the animation short "Know what I mean? ;)" in my graduation year.
Also, after watching the music video for the song of The Chemical Brothers "The Salmon's dance", where the visual effects were done by Framestore, I realized that I wanted to study 3D animation and this brought me to Bournemourh University.
Most recently I worked at visual effects studio Main Road Post as a CG artist. There I was inspired by the work of my collegues from The Art Department, and they told me about the course "Concept Art for Films" by Jama Jurabaev, one of the best concept artists in the world and currently working in ILM. During this course I did the project "The New World".
For the moment I participate in different projects as an independent animator and artist, also doing some pre-production work for a short film by a talented young director based in Moscow.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
If I were not in my current industry, and let's say, if I started practising when I was a child, I would now be a professional tennis player. This is what I dreamt about if art did not work out.
Can you explain your creative process?
The creative process is usually different from project to project, but in general, I can say that, firstly, I think about the story I would like to tell or I have an image or a character in my mind, and then, to visualise the idea, I get an inspiration from the masterpieces of famous artists and authors from different eras who had become classic.
How has technology affected the way you work (if at all)?
Technology has a big impact on my way of working, as different 2D and 3D programmes are my main instrument of work, though I complement them with traditional drawing and painting techniques.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
I love my job. This is a big part of my personality.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
I hope that the work achievements to be most proud of are all to come.
How do you recharge away from the office?
I have some hobbies such as tennis and windsurfing, or Russian ballet. Also I am very keen on reading.
Communication with my best friends from Bournemouth University is also important. They are in different parts of the world but we still see each other as often as we can. We meet in different countries all together and I can say that the weekend with these people or even just some short group chat gives me energy for a long time.
What advice would you give to other aspiring creatives looking for work?
Understand what you really like to do the most, what is the most interesting thing for you and become a professional in this area or a combination of fields. Do not be guided in this choice by what is in high demand at the particular moment.
Also, set goals for yourself and go for them, and be ready to always learn.
What’s your one big hope for the future of the creative industries?
I hope the technologies will continue developing and this will give even more opportunities for bringing the big ideas to life. I also hope there will be more collaboration between different areas of the creative industries.
