Meet Maya Khalil of New York

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Khalil

Hi Maya, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I initially went to school for Graphic Design but quickly realized it wasn’t for me by my third year. So I used the time I had left there to take as many electives as possible as a way to figure out what I want to do. I took a lot of motion classes and one 3D class and really found my calling by my senior year. So, I worked in the design industry for almost three years and then decided to go back to school to do my masters in Computer Arts.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all! Every choice I made was super risky but I knew I had to. Leaving a stable job was something I didn’t feel like was a great choice but as soon as I started school, the passion that I thought I lost came back very quickly. I knew then that it was the right decision to make and that I have to keep pushing forward and not regret anything I did.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an Egyptian 3D Generalist & Motion Designer. I wear many hats in the art field! I did same Game Development, Mocap, Motion Graphics, Character Sculpting, Modeling, VFX and Compositing. I was also a Video Editor and Motion Designer in my professional career before I went back to school. I’ve won awards for my work and I was asked to be a juror for a few competitions in my field. My shorts have also been picked up by festivals for live screenings and I carry a lot of experience from the Middle East as well as here in the US, artistically and I love sharing my knowledge with others and mentoring anyone that needs it.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
The first time I discovered how rich my family’s love for the arts was (and still is). I grew up in an Egyptian household and my extended family have either grown up trained to play a variety of instruments or have grown up with drawing and sculpting skills. Every summer, I’d visit my extended family as they all lived in one building. My Grandmother would show me her sewing patterns and she’d tell me how she made them. I was especially blown away when she told me that they were done by hand! My Grandfather played the Lute. He loved it so much and he’d tell us about how his parents didn’t approve of that because it was messing up with his studies. Even after getting rid of it in his household, he found a way to play it anyway. My Aunt was a painter and my other Aunt was a flipbook artist. My parents both have vast knowledge in music and art and growing up, it enriched me and encouraged me to dabble in everything. Thankfully, this led to where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mayakhalil.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayakhalil.c4d/