Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Cook.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My creative journey began when my chill, Cali buddy talked me into taking a motion design class with him so he wouldn’t have to sit alone. I had no clue what motion design was, let alone that I had a deep natural-knack for bringing static images to life. I was a Graphic Design major, but I was struggling to keep up with my classmates and I was considering changing my major. But on that fateful first day of animation class, my world exploded with ideas, thoughts, designs, and a creative program I meshed with like nothing I had experienced before. My professor, Dirk, was so unbelievably stunned with my animation that he hired me to work on a professional project. As a student who was simply average, that was a massive victory. I knew I had finally found my creative calling and I have pursued motion and graphic design fervently ever since.
Please tell us about your art.
My specialty is crafting motion with a smooth, sleek energy, all in a nutshell of awesome moves. I do this by creating vector graphics and bringing them to life in After-effects (animation). Most of my work is inspired by the stories that my clients want to tell as I share their journeys with them. I think of myself a s a translator: I take their ideas, stories and background, then I transform them into visual elements that come to life on the screen.
The most important aspect to my artwork, is that there is reason for everything. Every moment, movement and pixel has been placed intentionally; I’ve crafted it all from the depths of my soul. Nothing is accidental. There is a certain beauty to motion and the relation it has to the world. I hope that everyone will take the time to stop and think about the beauty of motion and how it speaks to them.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
The role of artists has never changed: we are influencers, thinkers, and raise important questions that demand answers. We push the bounds for the possible, probable and hand-craft a world of new ideas. My work speaks softly to the local and national issues around me through color, shapes and the style of texturing I use.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work is available on my website, thethirdfloor.tv. The best way to support my work is to either share my animations, reach out to team up on a project, or by starting to have conversations with friends and family about motion design to spread that word about my creative field.
Contact Info:
- Website: thethirdfloor.tv
- Email: matthew@thethirdlfoor.tv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethirdfloor.tv/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thethirdfloor.tv/?ref=bookmarks
- Other: https://dribbble.com/TheThirdFloor
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
