Mastering Blender and Navigating a Creative Career with Elijah Sheffield
Release Date: 01/29/2025
The HONEST Truth About Motion Design in 2025 | Year in Review
School of Motion Podcast
It's that time of year again—the School of Motion End of Year Podcast is here, and this one is our longest yet... by a lot. Buckle up for an in-depth look at everything that shaped motion design in 2025, and a look ahead to 2026! 🗒️ SHOW NOTES This year, we're joined by 17 industry veterans and special guests to break down what "motion design" even means anymore, how AI is actually being used in production, and the real state of the motion design economy. We cover major software updates from Adobe, Maxon, Unreal Engine, and more, discuss the recovery of the VFX industry, and explore...
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School of Motion Podcast
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info_outlineBlender artist and motion designer Elijah Sheffield shares how he transitioned into 3D, built a standout demo reel, and turned personal projects into career-defining moments. Check out the corresponding blog post (with episode highlights) here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/elijah-sheffield-blender
👉 CHAPTERS 👈
00:00 Coming Up
00:22 Elijah Sheffield's Background and Early Career
01:29 Discovering Motion Design
03:32 College and Grad School Experience
13:30 First Job and Career Challenges
18:11 Finding the Motivation to Make Demo Reel Pieces
23:31 Transition to Freelance
26:41 Social Media's Impact on Career
34:52 Having a Freelance Plan
42:00 Pain and Rainbows of Freelance Work
44:18 Challenges and Rewards of Learning Blender
49:35 Finding a Style
55:16 Blender Learning Curve
01:03:28 Integrating Blender into Your 3D Pipeline
01:20:21 The Future of Blender
01:24:12 That's a Wrap!
🗒️ SHOW NOTES
Artists:
Elijah Sheffield https://www.behance.net/sweetboymotion#
EJ Hassenfratz https://www.youtube.com/@eyedesyn/videos
Myles Bolden https://mylesjbolden.myportfolio.com/
Jonathan Winbush https://www.youtube.com/@JonathanWinbush/
Norm MacDonald https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Macdonald
Chris Smith https://csmithstudios.com/
Joey Korenman https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeykorenman
Andrew Kramer https://www.videocopilot.net/
Studios:
School of Motion https://www.schoolofmotion.com/
SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) https://www.scad.edu/
Pixar https://www.pixar.com/
DreamWorks https://www.dreamworks.com/
Work:
Museum of History and Magic https://www.museumhm.org/
Killdozer https://www.instagram.com/sweetboy.motion/p/Cw0os46AIZN/
Spider-Verse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Across_the_Spider-Verse
Ninja Turtles
Arcane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcane_(TV_series)
Resources:
Greyscalegorilla https://greyscalegorilla.com/
Maya https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview?term=1-YEAR&tab=subscription
ZBrush https://www.maxon.net/en/zbrush
Cinema 4D https://www.maxon.net/en/cinema-4d
Blender https://www.blender.org/
Unreal Engine Course https://www.schoolofmotion.com/courses/unreal-engine-for-3d-artists
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/
Demo Reel Dash https://www.schoolofmotion.com/courses/demo-reel-dash
Arnold https://www.autodesk.com/products/arnold/overview
Eevee https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/render/eevee/introduction.html
Grease Pencil https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/grease_pencil/index.html
Clay Pencil https://pepeschoolland.gumroad.com/l/ibbls
Donut Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0J27sf9N1Y&list=PLjEaoINr3zgEPv5y--4MKpciLaoQYZB1Z
STL files https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)
Blender Market https://blendermarket.com/
Freelance Manifesto https://www.amazon.com/Freelance-Manifesto-Modern-Motion-Designer-ebook/dp/B071JRYMSG