Russian
Name: Irina Sigova
Age: 25
Job: 3d-artist, owner of interior visualization studio «La-vision»
Country: Russia, Krasnoyarsk
Web-site: www.la-vision.ru
3DA: How did you start working in 3D field? How much time passed and what kind of studies did you do?
IS: I work with interior visualization since 2007. My background is in architecture, but I haven’t ever worked as an architect. After graduating I remained in the studio where I had my internship. There I worked as an interior designer and in the same time I learned 3dsMax – mostly myself, using books, asking colleagues and experimenting. After some years as a designer (first in the office, than freelance) I understood that this kind of job is not for me and started my cooperation with other designers making 3d renders for them. Then the amount of projects became too big for me to deal with evrything alone and I hired some assistants. Now I have a studio for 3d visualization, where I have several freelance employees – I am against office work with fixed hours. My job now mainly consists in the management of the working process, advertisement, marketing, looking for new clients. But still sometimes I do visualizations myself – just for pleasure.
3DA: Which are your favorite software and plugins for your daily projects?
IS: 3dsMax2011, V-ray 1.5, sometimes Photoshop. I think that one can achieve good results without using many plugins.
3DA: Tell us something about a project that gave you great satisfactions
IS: The project that I would remember forever was – funnily enough – more connected with architecture. It was a development of the architectural concept and visualizations of a huge office building. It is so important for me because it was my first freelance project – I found it myself and did everything myself independent from a studio. It was in 2008, my rendering skills were really basic and unfortunately no images were left from that time, but I clearly remember my feelings. I was very inspired by the fact that I can find a client MYSELF, can work for me and not for somebody else and not spend my time in the office. It was a huge step forward for me – I looked for new orders and worked a lot, but the first days after leaving the studio I was hours and hours walking in the city, enjoying my freedom!
3DA: From where do you take inspiration for your artworks?
IS: Now my main inspiration is in participating in web-conferences for 3d field. When many professionals passionate about the same subject can communicate with each other and discuss different buisness matters, one really can charge from their enthusiasm and energy.
3DA: How do you in live this period of economic crisis? How is it in your country?
IS: Is there really some crisis now? I don’t know anything about that – I don’t watch TV, don’t follow the news because of all this negative information they give. There is no crisis in my studio. I think that the crisis is in the heads of the people: it’s a very comfortable excuse for not doing anyting. “Now it’s not a good time to look for new clients, you can’t find anything in crisis”. But you can always find clients, it’s just important not to sit and wait but to do something. There are a lot of professionals working in Russia. And if you want to work you will always find an opportunity.
3DA: What would you suggest to people that are approaching to 3D and architecture?
IS: It’s important always to move on, not to get stuck at some point. A person, to my mind, should always grow: work for someone else, work for yourself, create your own business. 3d visualization is an ideal field for that, since you can work where ever you are, you should not be connected to any particular place, any city, any country – and this fact is very inspiring!
