Hello Reader 👋

This week, I realized something kind of beautiful.
Getting out of your comfort zone?
It works. It wakes you up in ways you didn’t expect.

I’ve been in Bali for 12 days — surrounded by Australians, Europeans Indonesians, locals, tourists, surfers, artists, all kinds of energy flowing in and out of this place. And somehow, it reminded me that animation is like biking. You never really forget how to see the world with those trained animator eyes.

Even when I’m not animating as much, I catch myself observing people walking, talking, scratching their heads, tying their hair, pausing mid-sentence to think. And I think: “Huh, that would be great reference.” 😄

The muscle memory is still there. Once you’ve learned to look — really look — at movement, behavior, rhythm, it never really leaves you. It just waits for you to remember. And an infinity of ideas an inspiration is just out there.

Back home, in the day-to-day, it’s easy to go blind. Same streets. Same routines. But drop yourself into a place where everything’s different — the heat, the colors, the smells, the food — and suddenly, you’re wide-eyed again. Observing. Feeling. Reconnecting.

That’s what happened to me this week while walking on Sanur Beach. I remembered that my animator brain is still alive and well. It just needed some fresh input.

So yeah. This is your little reminder too:
Get out there. Look around. Notice stuff.

You haven’t lost your eye. It’s just been waiting for the right moment to wake back up.

Now, on to this week’s issue 🌴😊

Matt Ferguson just dropped a fascinating interview with Sixte de Vauplane, CEO of Animaj—the studio now behind Pocoyo.
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It’s a deep dive into how Animaj is blending AI with animation production, and it’s packed with thought-provoking insights.

What struck me most? Their AI doesn’t just speed things up—it’s built for animators, turning storyboards directly into editable Maya files.

Even more impressive: they’re open about it. In a time when many studios are hiding their AI workflows, Animaj is showing their cards, and honestly? That transparency feels like a breath of fresh air.

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