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God Forbid
Canadian director, animator and illustrator Greg Holfeld tells me the most rewarding aspects of his job: "I get to scribble funny pictures all day! It beats working!"
Holfeld's most artistically challenging projects are "the short films I do, because I tend to write my own scripts. You get the proverbial blank sheet of paper, unlike commercial work where the client and advertising agency have their agenda."
Asked whether it's difficult to balance the various calls on his time from book illustration, comic books, his own film projects and his job at Anifex, Holfeld quickly responds. "Oh yeah - but the alternative's worse! A lot of that's a career necessity. From the moment I was in college, I determined not to do anything resembling a real job. So I made sure that I was useful, as broadly as possible, as far as applied artwork went. Perhaps the difficulties lie in making sure you don't get caught up in drawing for a paycheck - that you get to feed the muse as well."
A native of the wide open Canadian prairies who made Adelaide his home after pursuing love, Holfeld advises people hoping to work in visual communication to make their own opportunities. "If you have ideas and stories, don't wait for someone to say 'Yes, you may have the film money, or the publishing contract.' The beauty of the age we live in is that nobody has to remain in obscurity. Thanks to the internet, you can make your film on your desktop, whack it on YouTube, and no, you're not going to make any money out of it, but you've done it and it's out there." However, he cautions, "Don't give it away - if someone wants you to work for them, by all means demand a fair and equitable return for that."
Holfeld will appear at the WORD Writing Festival, discussing his art and input on 'Creating New Worlds', one of the scheduled creative panels for the general public. "Most information, you take in visually: I'm creating visual worlds for a number of applications, be it a commercial, or for a children's book, or a world of my own making for a film or comic book."
He has eminent company on the panel... "I have no idea how I got invited! When you look at the likes of [fellow panellists] Shaun Tan and David Cornish, it's one of those 'Wayne's World' "I'm not worthy!" moments - like, what am I doing sitting next to them?"
An Adelaide resident for 17 years, Holfeld believes "The best thing about Adelaide is that it's a quiet space - you're not distracted by too many goings-on. It's easy to get your work noticed. It does have that friendliness and accessibility - you can phone up other illustrators and film directors, whoever you need to talk to, and most of the time they'll take your calls! Most people don't feel threatened by someone else's success. They consider that an advantage, as it brings more recognition, more work, and more opportunities for collaboration - that creative energy will expand outwards. I don't know if that philosophy is unique to Adelaide but it's a very strong and positive thing."
Word - the Fringe Festival for writers - runs from Wed 21 to Fri 23 March, centred on the Fringe Factory and the Garage Bar (off Light Square). The 'Creating New Worlds' panel is on Wed 21 March from 8.30pm
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