What Inspires...

I am pretty damn lucky.

I get to instruct, inspire, and motivate students day to day in a field [animation, storytelling, entertainment] that happens to be one of the most yearned for in the last 95 years and has grown in the most exciting ways in the last 20. Yet it isn't the medium that makes us lucky, it is what drives creatives in general.

Often times I'm confronted by friends and family and asked about "what I've been working on." This question is always bitter-sweet because they ask and because they know some of my 'work' weighs heavy on me always.

I had a conversation with a dear friend tonight about how my work can hardly be called such. Often my biggest struggle with what I do outside my job is that it takes so much of my love, energy, and time away from those whom I love. Worse, I sometimes fear that those I love don't understand that what I spend so much time on is in fact far from work.

Inside the classroom and outside the classroom I get to both create and show how to create things that I hope will change people's lives. That's why I do what I do, and it can hardly be called work.

Back to the point.

I think I'm pretty damn lucky to even get to know what I want to do in my life so early. I aim to infect passion and inspiration in people. All too often both inside the classroom and out, inside industry and outside industry, I see my students, friends, and peers struggle to find their way in life, their passion; to find something that matters.

My message is to just move forward, don't stagnate.

My hopes is that they and you (through your passion) can help others do the same.

I encourage everyone especially my students to use what they are learning to inspire others. Its what I think is the greatest way to use art in any medium. I also believe art is the last great way to inspire change without criticism of agenda.

We have the technology and creativity to inspire what I see as an uninspired generation. To share our passions and inspire thousands with a single click. I see our biggest fight(s) actually being the act of beginning, of ever trying, and the fear of failure. Its so natural, but its important to realize some of the greatest moments in history and art were at moments of great risk. I assure anyone who is afraid; that by starting, that by your attempt and refusal of failure you will only fuel your own fire. With any luck you will also fuel the fire and passions of others to do what they love.

That is my hope. It could make the world and our little slice of it Indiana so much better.

Here are some dear friends, students, and colleagues that I know share some of my viewpoints and that I see using their passions to help others find inspiration. They are leading by example in their own ways, in their own interests, by their own perfect passion. And yes they inspire me, please keep doing what you do guys.


Steven Brown | Current Student\work-o-holic | 1 Awesome Artwork a Day
Atomic Big Wheel | Motion Graphic Artist Infecting Media into Indiana.
Ickydime | Indie game developer | Pushed me far in so short a time.
Joshua Corken | Local Life Lover\Designer that Inspires countless.
MG Collective| Indiana's Hungry Media Artist Professionals and Students
IndianaUploaded | Indiana's Hungry Future Movers & Shakers
John King | Little Round Mirrors | Over 500 DVD's contemplated A-Z.
rickyleepotts.com | Opinionated Realist
Chris Perkins | Guttamind | 2D animator


This is but a short list of people that are doing extraordinary things in the local area and state. If you know of anymore, please message or email me, I'd be happy to do more of these in the future!!!

Keep working hard! In the near future IndianaUploaded and new Short project developments will be my way to keep people motivated!

Return to the ring.

Hey all,

I've been way out of touch. This post marks a promise of one post per week minimum, soon this blog will be much improved and forwarded to one of the snazzy WordPress Video oozing websites at zebwood.com/ pretty excited for that!

Here I am going to post some past student work over the last quarter! Its important to showcase truly hard work, the work that spent much more time than was required, and for that I am proud and eager to see what each of these students will put out in the future.

Rigging: Our Intermediate 3D Animation course is actually all rigging. We don't use scripts although some add them to the machinery portion of the assignments to get automated rotation and chains. Anyway students are to by quarter's end to have a fully functional Organic [creature/human] and a mechanical rig [robot/weapon/vehicle]. The entire rigging process is covered with exception to Motion Capture data integration. Hopefully we can squeeze that in down the road.

As always here are the best in no particular order:




Character Modeling: This has to be one of the most stressful classes for students to take. They are introduced to character modeling and edge-loop modeling, unwrapping, Zbrush, and normal/displacement mapping in this class and asked to create a fully realistic character that is rig-able as well. Our pipeline is Maya-Zbrush-Maya and we are getting some really great work. I'm taking a traditional sculpture class in hopes to increase my vocabulary and instruction in the ways of Gesture and Proportion. Thanks Jacob Dobson for allowing me to join in the class.

As always here are a few of the best form the class in no particular order:



Finally, I'm proud to show one of our graduates first solo-shorts that in my opinion is the first totally complete capstone. This includes pre-production, production, and post production artwork audio. Brit Baue is now employed full time at Ganett. Congrats Brit.

Britt Baue Capstone: