Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Hawthorne.
Ryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a digital artist/creative director based in Los Angeles. I’m self-taught and began my career by learning digital design software such as Cinema 4D and Adobe CC primarily for free online while working odd jobs out of college. After about a year & a half, I took my small portfolio and what I had saved up to New York, going all in on art but having no idea what I was doing. Once in NYC, I quickly got an entry-level job at the post-production giant The Mill where I paid my dues, running errand answering calls and getting to do Junior Design roles on a few commercials. I got my first real break turning art into a full-time career when I got a full-time design role at the boutique post-production house Artjail. At this point, I was about 2.5 years in and finally able to make a profit while doing something creative for a living, and by profit I mean being able to pay my bills and have enough money for beers with friends at the end of the day. At Artjail, I had to learn quickly being one of only two designers at the company, during my time there we got to tackle some really cool jobs including spots for Nike, a Superbowl ad for Budweiser and a viral music video for OKGO.
During this time, I also began to create my own personal artwork outside of work, by posting these designs on Instagram and Behance I was able to catch the attention of experiential directors at the LA production company Tool of North America who offered me an opportunity to move back to LA to work on large scale physical events & installations. At Tool, I got to work alongside some really innovative directors such as Aramique and Gmunk taking on projects for Intel, Amazon Prime Video and Infiniti as well as being able to take on lead roles on projects for Verizon & HP. This year I took the leap and went freelance mixing between experiential & post-production design working with a growing list of brands and studios tackling projects for Facebook, Cyberpunk 2077 and HPE to name a few.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge for me was just getting started. Coming from a self-taught background, I had no experience or connections to the industry. For the first 2.5 years, I had some work but honestly I was broke and was really close to giving up. I was about a month away from throwing in the towel when I finally caught a break and was able to get a full-time design role and turn a small profit. Since that point, it’s been pedal to the metal and I’ve been lucky to have grown my career at a rapid pace.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a digital artist/creative director. I specialize in experiential installations, post-production design and concept art. I’m most proud of being able to make a career off my work coming from a self-taught background it’s really humbling looking back at where I started compared to where I’m at. I think what sets me apart from others is my mix of personal and commercial work. I enjoy pushing myself in both areas, commercially getting to work with big teams on awesome projects while balancing out my portfolio with personal art series done simply for myself.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I love working with a range of clients from studios and brands as well as other artists. I’d encourage anyone who is interested to check out my work either on my website or social on Instagram or Behance. If you see something you like, feel free to reach out I’d love to make something rad with you or your team.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ryhawthorne.com
- Instagram: @ry.hawthorne
- Other: www.behance.net/ryhawthorne
Image Credits
Most pics taken by myself, amazon pic by Lauren Hurt
