Reading Blog #2
- Nadia Martin
- Mar 24
- 2 min read
The article “Making Flow—Interview with Director Gints Zilbalodis,” discusses Flow, an animated film made entirely in Blender that has amassed over 60 awards worldwide. The overwhelming recognition received coupled with the use of an open source program contributes to this conversation about what digital art is and what the future of digital art looks like, emphasizing how digital art offers a wide range of possibilities and potential for success, regardless of budget.
An interesting aspect of the creation of Flow is how the creators learned and approached Blender in a similar way to how we did in class. Zilbalodis discusses how, when it came to Blender, he “...just dove in and figured things out along the way” and the team often referenced tutorials online when they encountered problems. Seeing how our beginner learning methods paralleled with these award-winning creators pushes the idea that digital art is not bound by skill level and involves constant learning. This idea is further emphasized as Zilbalodis mentions that he was learning how to use Blender during the first year of production while writing the script, and even after creating the project, he notes that “...learning never really stops. I still feel like there’s so much I don’t know about Blender or anything else.” The interview spotlights the constant problem-solving and perseverance that’s required of digital artists, as Zilbalodis states “That’s often the case with Blender: you encounter obstacles, but with enough effort, you find a way through.” Collectively, this constant learning and problem-solving demonstrates how digital art is ever-evolving and you can never learn or know enough as a digital artist, especially in a world where technology advances rapidly.
Given the difficulties I’ve encountered with making simple characters in Blender, it brings so much more appreciation for digital art projects of this scale, and the amazing results of the film show the possibilities of digital art tools such as Blender. The recognition Flow has received offers a hopeful future for digital art and indie projects, alluding to a greater appreciation for them in the mainstream world.
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