English
We’re glad to introduce the interview with Maurizio Gastoni, a SOA student from the Masterclass#8.
Could you present yourself to our readers and tell them the position you currently hold?
I studied at State of Art Academy 3 years ago while I was working as Freelance Engineer in Italy. Back then I had the passion for rendering but no technique, and almost no knowledge of postproduction, so I wanted to take an important step and understand whether I could be or not a professional in the Visualization field. The masterclass has been a great kickstart giving me the tools to understand how to work and how to be professional. Of course, after that I had to work a lot before being able of producing something interesting enough to get me a job and. When I started I wasn’t ready to produce in the industry but I was there and from there I learnt (hopefully quite well) what was needed.
Now I work in a Danish company called VISMO. Each single person in the company (it is a small one) takes care of any phase of the image, often of a full project, depending on the amount of work we have. My task can go from dealing with the client in a preliminary phase to seting up the project, from preparing the 3d model, to just doing the post-production. I can even just help somebody to finish an image doing a part of it, our roles are mostly swappable.
Why have you chosen to become an Arch-Viz Artist?
I coudn’t really stand the fact that working as an architect or an engineer, the creative process was so much “castrated” by laws and rules. Eventually, I came to a point in which my job was not to create something but it was more about knowing what I could do, draw a project in some days and then fight for months to get it approved. The creativity was gone. So I started to play with the visualization.
Maurizio Gastoni
What were the biggest difficulties you faced at the beginning of your career? How did you handle and overcome them?
The main difficulty is that even a very good school cannot get you ready for a job in the industry unless you already have a strong background. I wasn’t ready and I knew it; that was the difficult part. I also knew that I had some rough knowledge after the masterclass so I needed an internship to build a career up. In the end I created a portfolio good enough to get me an internship. Waiting for an answer while motivating yourself was tough as well but that goes for anything in life.
Is there a work/ an image/ a project that you created which is most valuable to you? Why?
I think the first image that I did from scratch was a milestone. In that moment I actually realized I was 100% doing my job. After that, there are many other goals that you feel you can achieve during the process. I remember as a great relieve the day in which I realized that, no matter what, I was finally able to say that I could deliver a good quality image despite the difficulties encountered during the process. Now I have that confidence every time I start an image. I know what I can do and I know that it will be an high standard even if the feeling with the project or with the model is not the best.
What do you do in your free time after work? Can you balance your working life and your private one?
I do have a very good balance between work and private life. I rarely overwork or stay late therefore I have time to do my stuff like going to the gym or just going out for a drink with my friend or doing whatever I have to do. Sometimes I work in the weekends but it is a very rare occasion and in any case it is something I have a complete control upon. It could be interesting to have more flexibility of coming and going during the week or to have a fresh Photoshop start on Monday or just to meet a deadline with less pressure. In any case the balance is very good.
