The Naked Texture Artist - Adam Capone - Episode 2

The Naked Texture Artist is a podcast where VFX/animation veterans have deep and honest conversations about their challenges and growth as working artists.

Eagerly back for the second slice of my conversation with the world's most famous texture artist, Adam Capone.

This is the part I really wanted to explore: 

When you have an artist, or you yourself have a period in your life, where you are outrageously creative, and then it changes? What happens? What causes it? Where does it go? What does it feel like for the artist in question?

Adam was a wildly creative maverick when I first met him. Over the years he has changed into something completely different. He still has a large personal output of art projects, but the subject matter and the nature of them are night and day different.

What happened? 

Trying to uncover that, we work our way around a lot of topics that influence, shape and motivate artists. 

As artists we strive for perfection. But “perfection” is rarely available to us in the commercial world...

Do yourself a favour, please, and explore and support the amazing work Adam does on the side:

https://www.artstation.com/caponeart

https://www.instagram.com/caponeart/?hl=en

https://creativecloud.adobe.com/learn/substance-3d-designer/web/stylized-materials-with-adam-capone

https://www.wired.com/2012/10/ff-peter-molyneux/

https://kotaku.com/play-more-than-200-ridiculous-peter-molydeux-games-righ-5898401

https://kotaku.com/real-molyneux-pops-up-at-fake-molyneux-game-jam-5897949

https://www.mobygames.com/person/280524/adam-capone/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-capone-4b9590/

The Naked Texture Artist is produced by Marque Pierre Sondergaard.

Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thenakedtextureartist

Contact us on thenakedtextureartist@gmail.com

Follow us on https://www.instagram.com/thenakedtextureartist/

Music copyright belongs to Tycho for the song Awake - https://tychomusic.com/

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Chapters

• 0:16 Intro
• 1:44 What happened to the original Adam Capone?
• 7:06 Interview Start – Strengths, weaknesses and turning weaknesses into strengths
• 9:20 Imposter syndrome
• 11:20 Intermission: Imposter syndrome handled the courageous way
• 13:15 How teaching others help you
• 14:21 What Adam is working on to improve as an artist
• 15:21 The joys of mentoring
• 16:53 Motivation for short term versus long term personal art projects
• 19:58 Chasing “likes” as an artist
• 22:22 Intermission: ArtStation envy
• 23:34 FOMO as an artist – and giving yourself permission not to be perfect
• 25:53 Throw-back to Adam in full creative flow
• 28:16 Intermission: Keeping your creative voice intact
• 31:31 Can you fit in your creative voice in a commercial world?
• 33:05 Adam getting zombie textures from rotting chicken carcasses
• 34:15 Adam's personal projects changing from animated shorts to material tests
• 38:33 Personal projects, or practicing skills needed for your job?
• 40:00 Finding ways to use your creativity in the workplace
• 44:15 Traditional art practice or practicing work related skills?
• 45:00 Adam's advice to a younger self: “Limit noodling...”
• 49:03 What to do on bad days, where inspiration is scarce?
• 50:19 Intermission: Chuck Jones apology
• 50:42 “Inspiration is for amateurs!”
• 51:29 Adam's advice to a younger self (continued): Responsibility – who is to blame?
• 54:52 Outro