Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Miller.
Hi Cameron, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
**Childhood: A Glimpse Into The Past**
**ACTION FIGURES! CARTOONS! PEW PEW! BOOM! POWWW!** This about summed up how I grew up as a child. Remember Toys “R” Us? Oh yeah. If I wasn’t a mischievous little rascal, my mom would take me every once in a while to Toys “R” Us, and let me tell you, I thought it was the best thing ever invented since sliced bread. Every time I went, I came out with, you guessed it… **ACTION FIGURES!** Some even you might recognize if you grew up in the early 2000s. Marvel, DC, Power Rangers, you name it. I’d come home, and these action figures were real to me. I’d create vivid worlds for my action figures to live, posing them, making intricate backstories and personalities up in my head, and coming up with creative scenarios to place them in. I always had an action figure in my hand at all times. I also had a big passion for cartoons growing up. Pink Panther, Tom and Jerry, and SpongeBob SquarePants, to name a few. Which were all visual representations of what I was actually doing with my action figures. Looking back at this, from a young age, I had developed a creative sense for storytelling. We all do, really. It’s in the air you breathe, the food you eat, the things you hear. It’s everything and in everyone. Storytelling is the most important key that makes us who we are. It’s how we connect and relate to each other and the world around us as humans. Humans have been telling stories since our creation, and it is something we all share in common. I am blessed because I was granted an intuitive gift, something I thought I’d never lose sight of.
**Teen years: Loss**
I did, however, lose it, and to my own fault. High school came, and I changed. I told myself that I had to change, that who I was wasn’t good enough. I told myself I had to do away with silly action figures and their stories and personalities I gave them. I had myself convinced to become someone I wasn’t. My once passionate, lively, carefree personality that made me who I was dissipated. Boy was this a BIG mistake, I’m all for change but this wasn’t the right way. My world got bigger, and my mind smaller. I was lost, confused, depressed, and turned into something unrecognizable from what I was growing up. It showed too. I was a phony and hid. I didn’t talk to most people, didn’t party, wasn’t active on social media, and submerged into video games. It was my escape. It was an escape into storytelling. I’d come home from school every day and play. It was the only thing at the time that made any sense, and it released the pain of facing what I had turned myself into.
From a young age, I was really into art and started to take art class at school. My work directly reflected how I felt inside. Art is a mirror into the soul. My work was heavily inspired by Jackson Pollock, a famous abstract expressionist born in the 50s. I combined his color scheme and style with my feelings, and I would just paint. No game plan, no nothing. Just a brush, buckets of paint, and my thoughts. Looking back at it, I laugh. I had a whole section of the classroom blocked off and pinned down. I had mats that I placed under my canvas and around the walls to catch my paint flicks and drools that I flung. It kind of looked like those murder documentaries after the investigators come and cover everything up. I’d wear the same jacket every day, so by the end of school, I was covered in acrylic paint. The beauty of this is that it directly encapsulated my feelings of the time, and I got to show my blinded self who I’d become. You got lost in my paintings; they didn’t make any sense, and the visual colors made you feel what I had been living with.
But through this experience, it helped me process what I had been feeling, and slowly through it, I started to feel like myself again. It wasn’t the best work by any means, but it was honest, pure, and intimate… It was authentically me. It broke down my walls I had built, the pain I had caused myself and healed me. My work painted a picture of who I was, and a story was told… My story. Slowly, I began to realign with my past I knew so long ago. My head felt lighter, my senses clearer, and my body whole again. Through my art, I learned to let go, and my mask I placed lifted. Every story has a lesson, and this one was mine. It follows a young boy given an amazing gift and what happens when you lose sight of it and who you truly are. It follows a boy who was once lost and is now found again. When I look back at this, I can only really be thankful. I showed myself how precious it was to have what I had growing up by losing it. I made my peace only through suffering. You cannot have one without the other. It showed me who I was and who I am not, and what I want to be.
**Adulthood: A Glimpse Into The Future**
Although I’m still writing the early chapters of my ever-changing book of life, I found my passion: Animation.
In high school, around junior year, I realized I wanted to be a 3D artist. To me, it was both a terrifying yet awesome experience trying to get into 3D school, but I was super passionate about it at the time. I heard that the best school to learn 3D was Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games, and Animation. So for the next year, I worked tirelessly to create a 3D portfolio for Gnomon, even though I knew entirely nothing about how to make things in the world of 3D. A year passed, and I was a senior ready to graduate. I had finished my portfolio and submitted it to Gnomon, the best 3D school in the world. Not only did I get in within 24 hours, but I also received a big scholarship! Finding out this news is maybe in my top 5 happiest Miller moments. Everything at this school interested me, which is one of the reasons I knew this field was for me. The more I learned about 3D, the more I realized how closely it aligns with storytelling: textures, environments, props, animation—it’s all storytelling. I came into Gnomon wanting to be an environment artist, but I found it overwhelming, and I got really burnt out halfway through my time there. I had a crisis because I wasn’t happy and I didn’t know exactly why-I even thought about giving up, but then I took an animation class a fell in love all over again. So how did I know Animation was the right field? For one, my body tells me. Whenever I get goosebumps, it’s my body’s way of letting me know that I’m doing something very meaningful, and good lord, do I get them when I animate. Pretty cool, right? Remember how we talked about my action figures and how I would create stories about them and give them living, breathing personalities? It’s funny because I realized animation is no different. Animation is not just “moving” stuff around; no, no. Animation is storytelling. It is my direct portal to who I was growing up. It’s bringing something to life to tell a tale. It’s conveying believable emotions that anyone can relate to. It’s a guide showing people how to deal with real problems in life. I want to make people cry, laugh, and love, and the medium has the ability to educate people so that they’re empowered to handle and understand the things in life that get thrown at them. To me, it’s the pinnacle of empathy and service, that I could ever give to someone. I know this to be true because it’s happened to me, and it’s a wonderful feeling to share…
Looking to the future, I want to create an animation that is compelling enough that you forget you’re watching a puppet, that you believe with me that the characters we make are as real as you and me, someone we can relate too. I want to work with a team of like-minded animators to make something amazing, and eventually push the boundaries of what is possible with the innovation of animation for the next generation of animators. I want to touch the hearts of as many people as I can.
Now we’re about caught up to present-day me. I just graduated from Gnomon and compiled a whole animation demo reel! I’ve completed a huge chapter in my life, and I’m excited to see when my next one begins!
If you made it to the end, a personal thank you from yours truly! 😄
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey through my life and passion for animation has been far from a smooth road. There have been several struggles along the way:
1. **Identity Crisis in Adolescence:** One of the significant struggles was the identity crisis I faced during my teenage years. I felt the pressure to change who I was, which led to a loss of my passion and creativity. This internal struggle caused confusion, depression, and a sense of being disconnected from my true self.
2. **Academic and Artistic Challenges:** Transitioning into the world of 3D art and animation was not easy. Learning the necessary skills and creating a portfolio for a prestigious school like Gnomon required tremendous effort. The creative burnout I experienced halfway through my education at Gnomon also posed a challenge.
3. **Personal Growth and Rediscovery:** Overcoming the challenges of identity crisis and creative burnout requires deep introspection and personal growth. Rediscovering my true passion and aligning it with animation was a process that involved self-reflection and overcoming inner barriers.
4. **Financial and Educational Hurdles:** Pursuing a career in animation often involves financial challenges, especially when attending a specialized school like Gnomon. Scholarships were essential for me to access the education I needed to follow my passion.
Despite these struggles, I’ve managed to overcome obstacles, rediscover my creative spirit, and graduate from Gnomon. The journey has been challenging, but it has also been a transformative one, helping me find my true calling in animation.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in 3D animation and storytelling. My work revolves around bringing characters and worlds to life through animation, with a strong emphasis on conveying emotions and telling engaging stories. I am known for my ability to create believable and relatable characters, as well as for my dedication to using animation as a medium for conveying meaningful messages and experiences.
What I’m most proud of is my journey of self-discovery and transformation. I faced significant challenges during my adolescence and early adulthood, including a period of creative burnout and identity crisis. Overcoming these obstacles and finding my true passion in animation has been a personal triumph. My ability to use animation as a means to connect with others emotionally and intellectually is what I take the most pride in.
What sets me apart from others is my deep connection to the storytelling aspect of animation. I see animation as a powerful tool for empathy and communication. I am not just interested in creating visually appealing animations, but also in crafting narratives that resonate with audiences on a profound level. This passion for storytelling, combined with my personal experiences and artistic journey, makes me uniquely positioned to create animations that are both visually captivating and emotionally impactful.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like best about Los Angeles:
1. **Cultural Tapestry:** Los Angeles’s rich cultural diversity is reminiscent of the diverse characters and stories I encountered in my journey through animation. Just as I created vibrant worlds for my action figures and found inspiration in various cartoons, this city offers a real-life tapestry of cultures to explore and learn from.
2. **Entertainment Oasis:** Much like how animation became a way for me to tell stories and connect with others on an emotional level, Los Angeles, as the entertainment epicenter, is where creativity and storytelling thrive. It’s a place where dreams come to life, and the energy of the entertainment industry resonates deeply with my passion.
3. **Scenic Diversity:** Just as animation allows me to bring characters and environments to life, Los Angeles surprises with its diverse landscapes. From the urban sprawl to the serene beauty of its beaches and mountains, the city mirrors the versatility and creativity inherent in the world of animation.
What I like least about Los Angeles:
1. **Traffic Nightmare:** Much like how I faced challenges and obstacles during my journey, Los Angeles presents its own hurdle—the notorious traffic congestion. Navigating the city’s web of highways can be as intricate as crafting an animation sequence. It’s a daily struggle that mirrors the challenges I’ve overcome.
2. **Sky-High Living Costs:** Just as I had to work hard to overcome personal and creative hurdles, the high cost of living in Los Angeles can be a barrier to entry for many pursuing their dreams. Affordable housing, like a good plot twist, can be elusive, impacting the pursuit of artistic aspirations.
3. **Air Quality Concerns:** Los Angeles’s air quality concerns are a reminder of the importance of perseverance and resilience. Just as I faced obstacles and setbacks, the city’s pollution and smog require residents to adapt and endure. It’s a shared challenge that mirrors the resilience I’ve built throughout my animation journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cameronmiller3d.com/
- Instagram: cameron.miller3d
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cameronmiller3d
