FIVE MINUTES WITH RIK SCHUTTE

Blender Studio's lead animator talks about the influence of video games and changing sources of inspiration

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Where did your artistic journey start?

I've been drawing figurines, cars and animals for as long as I can remember. I'd say the spark was already there in primary school, when a friend and I decided we wanted to make video games together. We drew our own stories, characters and enemies on paper. That was really the beginning of my artistic journey.

What is your main source of inspiration?

I've got to say that this has changed quite a bit over the years. As an aspiring artist, I used to look up to experienced animators from major animation studios. Nowadays, I try to find inspiration in the ordinary things in life.

As a father of three young kids, I'm often inspired by the chaos, drama and charm they bring into my world. Spending holidays in nature or clearing my mind on a long hike also helps a lot. It creates space for new ideas and inspiration to enter my brain. Weird how that works, but it does!