First the basic introduction – Can you tell me who are you, what are you doing, where are you coming from?

I’m Laura Matikainen, a Finnish designer & video maker living in Antwerp, Belgium. I help musicians spread their music faster by making animated short clips and music videos.

How did you start to do collages? And then, how did you start to animate your collages?

I’ve always enjoyed playing with images & textures. I don’t see myself as a collage artist but it just happens to be an important tool to express myself.

I started experimenting with collage animation when I was studying graphic design at University. It was just one course, but it left a big impact on me.

What are your favorite source materials for your animations/videos? How do you find them? Do you spend much time while looking for them?

I like it when the material is limited and you need to use your imagination to work with what you have. I look for images from old magazines and online sources. Sometimes I use pictures or video footage from my clients.
I have become faster searching for the right material and see what can work for my animation and whatnot.

With the collage, the imagination is your only limit! I even used my daughter’s (3 yrs) drawing for one of the latest videos, which was a lot of fun.

When do you start to work on a new animation project, how do you approach your subject? Do you have a clear vision of what you are going to do or where to start?

The music gives me the vision. I’ll discuss with my clients to understand how I can help them to reach their goal with the video. Then I will create a mood board based on my feeling to see that we are on the same page with the visual direction.

Working with music gives me a lot of freedom to explore, but I want to make sure everything is according to my vision.

How much your works ”live”/change from your original vision? How much you improvise during the creative process?

I always leave some room for experimenting. I never know how a video will look exactly and it’s impossible to tell my clients what they will get.
That’s why it’s good to have a visual concept or a mood we are aiming for.

How much you process your works when you’re not actually working them?

If I’m not editing or animating, I might still be making the animation in my head. I also spend half of my time writing emails, reaching out to people, making plans, and having calls with clients. Without that work, there wouldn’t be any video projects.

How easy or hard is it to finish your video projects? Do you ever get burnt out on a piece, and what do you do to keep working and being

You can always keep on working the animation, adding elements and improve it. But when it creates the feeling we’re aiming for it’s ready. Not every project can be perfect and if I do my best that’s enough.

Having a daily rhythm, setting goals, going for a short run & dreaming keeps me productive.

What connection do you have to your works? Do you want your viewers to understand them or know why you made them?

My goal is to visualize music & present emotions visually. The viewers can have their own interpretation of my videos.

What would be your dream animation or video project?

I would love to make live visuals for a festival or a show and see the animations from a big screen.
Would be also nice to animate a short fragment in a movie.

If you should describe your art with one word, what would it be?

Surprising.

Laura Matikainen aroud the internet

Homepage: www.lauramatikainen.com
Instagram: @laurainka
Youtube: Youtube -chanel
Facebook: Facebook.com/Laura-Matikainen-296457134556989
Vimeo: vimeo.com/user22617306