Today we’d like to introduce you to Moriah Rodriguez.
Moriah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was influenced by art early on as my mother is a potter and painter. I can remember as a kid, trying to be careful running around the house not to bump into any of her freestanding pieces. She jump started my love for art by taking my younger sisters and I to museums, festivals, and even setting up paint shops for us on the back patio. I took the skills she taught me and applied myself to a Technical High School in my area and joined the Design and Visual Communications shop where I was molded into a little “beta designer”.
As a teen I’d save up money from cashiering in my oh so secure “between the mattress account” to take classes with Massart’s summer courses. This was an absolute blast as I took the classes with a couple of good friends at the time. It was so great to meet other young artist friends from outside our area and develop our skills while we were at it!
After joining the Army National Guard out of High School I came back from training and re-entered into the art world. I remember how surreal it was that first year to be attending Massachusetts College or Art & design, studying what I loved.
Today I’m a student, a guardsmen and a designer, this combination hasn’t always been easy but has shaped me into an adaptable creator and lover of hard work.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m really not sure if a smooth road exists, but if it does we need to find whoever has the directions! And quick!
I’ve been very fortunate to have always had an extremely supportive family along with a good group of friends to keep me going when things get tough. Of course, good support isn’t all you need when it comes to reaching your goals but it helps to keep motivation flowing when so many are rooting for you.
As a designer I’ve not stopped at the visuals, I’ve always tried to calculate and design my choices for the best possible outcomes. This is a great tactic that often gets skewed in one way or another but I’ve always kept faith that things would work out for the best. Even if they didn’t I’d have to find a way to make them. That’s the beautiful thing about being a creative, there’s always a way even if you have to create it yourself.
Over the years I’ve supported myself through the military, freelance work, odd jobs, and even working as a traveling security guard around Boston for a few years. Now that I’ve started in my career field, making new friends and connections within each company I’ve grown 10 fold. That being said, when someone recognizes me on the street from kicking them out of a club it’s always a whiplash moment! These kind of experiences help me to remember of all the steps I forget I’ve taken towards who I am today.
I would say my biggest struggle over the years has been keeping my eye on what I love to do. Life demands can really consume a creative mind and take time away from exercising and developing it. I’ve found that keeping up with old hobbies and activities really help me to hold true to my core and what makes me happy. Whether that means keeping up with my sketching or finding a place around Boston where I won’t get smooshed long boarding. Hot tip: Arnold Arboretum!
Over all, life is just going to keep going as it does, but you can choose to take hold of your time and be true to yourself, your health, and your development. This consists of trying new techniques in your trade, learning new skills, finding a good place to walk or even taking a nap!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Moriah Grace Design story. Tell us more about the business.
Well, it’s less a business and more a one woman band right now. As far as myself, I’m a designer who’s passionate about motion. I really feel that to be a designer is to be a jack of all trades. Its important have skills outside of what your career field requires and to continue to develop as the world shifts. I apply this mindset through my use of motion to relay message, story lines, advertisements, you name it. I’ve especially fell in love with 3d design and animation as I’ve been a very 2d designer for several years.
I’ve taken my love for 2d and 3d motion design a step further in creating with augmented reality. My first A.R. piece brought a poster I’d designed of sculpture, Richard Serra’s most influential pieces to life. I did this through morphing them into one another in sequence. Through this medium I was able to maintain the beauty and power of print while adding an interactive element and in doing so was able to illustrate the breadth of Serra’s work.
For my most recent A.R. piece I took this skill to a new personal level through creating an app called Synesymph where in chromosthesia can be explored. This is a sound visualizing application that uses imagery and music to evoke an interactive experience through augmented reality. I very much enjoy designing for interaction as we humans react and learn best through experience. Of course this can be achieved in so many ways other than through technology but I believe as designers we need to continue exploring ways to apply new tech. as our world advances.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see Ai like augmented and virtual reality to be the next huge shift within design fields such as advertising, medical, even editorial. This technology is already being explored and experimented in some truly amazing ways and I believe we’ll continue to see growth in this medium. Even over the past 5 years I’ve seen shifts in the thinking of brands I use and how they’re reaching their audience. A perfect example of this would be Pepsi Max’s “Unbelievable Bus Shelter (2014) by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO or Stockholm Art Week’s “Stockholm Is Your Canvas” (2015) by M&C Saatchi.
We of course have expanded from A.R. to V.R. as the technology is becoming more accessible, so I’m excited to see how creatives push this technology further and I plan to be one of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: moriahgrace.squarespace.com
- Phone: 978.495.6264
- Email: moriahgracedesign@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/moriahgrodriguez/
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