Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Graphic designer Azarikh Amran, 29, recently collaborated with Yuna on a project where he created the album cover art and the VFX edits for her music video! But Azarikh had not always had this life planned out for him. Everyone struggles with finding their passion, and Azarikh was no stranger to this feeling. Yet, Azarikh continues to follow his heart and work hard towards turning his passion into a career!
Here is his story!
How He Came To Work With Yuna
[image provided by azarikh]
“I was with a video production company for five years. But then the pandemic hit, and I started to move towards freelancing.”
For the project with Yuna, I was working with a production company that was involved with commercial acts like TV shows and music videos. At the time, Yuna was in the works of launching an online music festival, so she wanted to do a pre-recorded live show. She was looking into making background visuals, so that was where I got involved.
A year later, after I left that previous company and focused on freelancing, she called for artists to make 3D art for her album cover. She didn’t know me personally or the work that I do, so I was the one who approached her by email.
[image taken from azarikh’s behance]
How It All Started
“During high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do yet and considered myself a nerd as I enjoyed gaming and things related to the computer.”
My dad is a Mechanical Engineer, so I thought I could follow in his footsteps by going to Technical School when I was 16 – 17 years old. Of course, back in high school, there was the anxiety of not knowing what I would do to sustain myself as an adult. But, I knew that I didn’t want that lifestyle of a 9-5pm desk job.
At the time, my classes had assignments like mechanical or architectural drawing, which were somewhat related to design. It was around this time that I found myself interested in graphic design. This was happening around the MySpace era. I had fun designing my page, and my parents then started seeing my potential and suggested we look into pursuing my interest further.
[image taken by the author, armani]
“Soon after, I explored design software like Photoshop and dabbled in some typography. As a passion, I started to learn more about 3D software.”
At UiTM Lendu, I began by obtaining a diploma and a degree in Graphic Design. Of course, the fact that we had to attend classes unrelated to our majors made it challenging to concentrate on developing my own sense of style during this period. Subjects such as third language, sejarah seni, and more were slightly distracting.
I started working for motion graphics and design companies after I graduated and worked on commercial projects like VFX and music videos. I had also worked in the corporate world but found it monotonous because the tasks were always the same. Now that I work for myself, I can create cover art for Malaysian indie bands.
I used to prefer cyberpunk designs, but lately, I’ve been drawn to more natural and landscape-inspired designs. Freelancing seems more appropriate for my chosen direction because I like learning from doing these assignments. To set myself apart from other artists, I enjoy experimenting with new methods and being creative with my designs.
The Difficult Graphic Design Process
[image taken from azarikh’s behance]
“Ada times that we feel unsatisfied with the final product. So, we spend most of our time there making amendments.”
Regarding creative freedom, well, it was Yuna who decided on the still images. However, for the moving designs, I discussed them online with Yuna’s husband and the director of the music video: Adam Sinclair. So I was mainly doing the VFX editing. Still, Yuna and Adam’s team handled the shooting itself and colour grading.
But the changes I have to make before showing the finished product are where I struggle the most with graphic design. Therefore, if I work for someone, they might ask me to replace or fix various sections, where the work frequently becomes tedious at that point. Discovering and comprehending what the client really wants is often a problem.
Azarikh’s Inspirations & Why He’s A Freelancer Now
[image provided by azarikh
“I get inspiration from overseas artists that also do 3D art. I also had a mentor I met during my internship, whom I truly consider a great friend. He had taught me everything I needed to know about 3D designing.”
With freelancing, I have a lot of time to juggle between projects and personal interests. Ever so often, I would be a Visual Jockey for live performances, especially for indie bands and where I help with the visual controls for the band.
Usually, people would contact me, and these are people that I’ve already had connections with from past projects and such. Sometimes, people would find my online portfolio through Behance or Instagram and approach me for their projects. My Behance profile has been active since my university days, and I have my lecturers to thank for that. They suggested we use this website as our portfolio since we’re graphic design students.
[image taken by the author, armani]
His Favourite Part of The Whole Journey
“When you finally see everything come together and watch other people react or respond positively to your artwork – to me, that keeps me going lah.”
This is what makes all the struggle seem worth it for me.
Know anyone with an interesting story to share? Drop us an email at hello@inreallife.my, and we may feature the story!
For more stories like this, read:
Freelance Platform Scams – Why You Need to Go Through the Site’s Terms & Conditions
The “Glorious” Freelance Life! The Grass Will Be Green On The Side You Water It
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