Daniele Danko Angelozzi: On Creating Good Work and Pulling Through Frustrations
Despite doing what you love, it is completely normal for you to encounter hurdles and frustrations. All labors of love go through a trial by fire, something not even the artistic field, (if not especially) is absolved of.
And with these trials, the mark of the of a true artist is resilience.
He or she pushes forward despite feeling that the odds are against him or her. The artist goes through fire so that he or she may re-emerge as something stronger, something better with his or her craft inching its way to its full potential. Mr. Daniele Danko Angelozzi is one such artist and Xeno Creatives is more than honored to feature him.
Xeno Creatives (XC): ZBrush technology brought a lot to the industry. What processes did you have to learn to be skilled in it?
Daniele Danko Angelozzi (DDA): Creating good things in ZBrush, like in other artistic fields and mediums, require a minimum level of technical skill related to the knowledge of the software. Basically, digital sculpting is more about knowing anatomy, composition, rhythms and gestures, and all the concepts that are required also in traditional mediums.
XC: As a dedicated artist, how did ZBrush help you further your art?
DDA: ZBrush gives a capable artist (which I am not) the possibility of speeding up the process of sculpting. It has tons of cool features that are aimed to free the creativity from technical limitations that were historically connected to 3D modelling. These include topology, handling massive amounts of polygons and so on. So in short, ZBrush transforms the digital medium in an experience very close to traditional sculpting for what concerns the freedom to focus on forms and shapes.
XC: Was your craft really a passion to begin with, a hobby, or a mere job?
DDA: Everything started as a passion. Now that it has become a full-time job, I always try to keep the passion alive, dedicating some time to personal projects and trying to explore new forms of expression. Creativity nourishes itself and lets you stay always hungry.
XC: Given your experience in the industry, what do you think is your edge as a 3D artist?
DDA: Well, I don’t consider myself to be really good, but probably I can hit my clients’ expectations. This is the main goal when I’m doing a job.
XC: Whom do you do you consider your influence(s)?
DDA: There are way too many. My favourite artist is Alessandro Baldasseroni, but the industry is full of amazing artists that I admire. Rafael Grassetti, Daniel Bel, Vimal Kerketta, James W Cain, Dylan Ekren, Antonio de Luca. and this without counting the ones from the past. Caravaggio, Bernini, Michelangelo.
XC: So far, what were the challenges that you had encountered working in the 3D industry?
DDA: As a freelancer, every new commission is always a challenge. It is never an easy job to make a client satisfied; you really have to put the same amount of focus and effort on every project.
XC: What is your most exciting project to date?
DDA: Hard question, I always try to put myself in a mindset of being excited by the project I am currently working on. Although I do understand that at a certain point, every project ceases to be 100% fun with a big percentage being replaced by some level of frustration, for instance, the need to refine stuff, revise, etc 😀. This also happens in personal projects. When you love what you do, you want to push beyond your limits and this leads to the feeling of your work not being good enough. It can sound bad, but this is the real thing fueling your will to do better.
XC: Do you have any advice to aspiring artists?
DDA: Always aim to improve your craftmanship first, then to promote yourself. These days, it seems like a lot of people are more interested in getting “likes” than creating good work.
In order to improve, always be curious and explore also different art fields. Every new thing you learn can be used in order to make your work a bit better.
Want to see more of Mr. Daniele Danko Angelozzi’s works? Click here!
