Life & Work with Zoë Soriano of Washington, DC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoë Soriano

Hi Zoë, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Throughout my life, I was always a bit artsy and enjoyed making things, drawing, and exploring different mediums. When I got to high school, I had a lot of pressure from my parents to pursue coursework in STEM — so I abandoned my love for making for a while. I did coursework in mathematics up until my sophomore year of college when I took a Mathematical Proof class and got a “D” in it. That moment was a wakeup call for me — I had tried my hardest to study and learn these new concepts and I failed. It made me realize that maybe math just wasn’t for me. I decided to transfer to MICA in Baltimore and fell in love with art all over again. I chose Animation as my major because I always loved animated films and tv shows and thought it’d be fun to get a chance to work on something that brings so much joy. Fast forward, and I might not be animating for TV, but I get to help create motion graphics videos for non-profits every day and it feels even more fulfilling to be able to make videos that could help people.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of my biggest bumps was one of my first full-time jobs in motion graphics — I was working for a studio ran by a super talented designer, but the work/life balance was too unbalanced for me. I ended up quitting without anything lined up right as the pandemic started. It was really scary at the time — the economy seemed shaky and now my income was unstable — but it ended up being just the right moment for me to begin my freelance career.

I’ve also had small bumps that I’ve had to overcome — how to work with clients, how to be a business person, how to advocate for myself and my work… these were hard lessons to learn for someone who, at the time, only had 2 years of working experience under their belt. I learned how to better navigate the business side of freelance over time, but it definitely was a struggle in the first year.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m now an Art Director + Motion Designer! I like to think that I’m know for my bold, saturated color palette and illustration style for my motion design work. A lot of my work is recognizable — I am drawn to a lot of similar motifs even when I’m trying to match a brand’s guidelines. I love making work feel like it was done by hand or has a human’s touch — especially in the age of AI.

I’m proud of all my work equally which sounds silly, but all of it I made with my whole soul, even the projects that I didn’t love the end product. I always put my whole soul into everything I make, it’s like every keyframe that I place is a part of myself that I give to the project.

How do you think about happiness?
Making things! Something about the craft of being able to make something with my own skills is so special. I’ve recently got into knitting, and it’s so incredible to watch a bunch of yarn balls turn into a beautiful, warm sweater. It almost feels magical to wield the power of making things from scratch, and it brings me so much joy!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zoesoriano.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/zoetrope.gif