Thomas Winged

During the last eight years, since 2014, of performing my profession in an industry of live events and virtual production I worked with various types of artists. Naming a few - motion designers, 3D modelers, illustrators, architects, lighting engineers, and real-time graphics designers. Every time, regardless of the position I started from, I always fluidly ended up in the middle, between an artist and a programmer, usually bridging both worlds.

Very often, I was also a team leader who managed its potential by teaching about various ideas in the field of computer graphics, usage of a version control system, researching cutting-edge technology, disposing of tasks, and generally looking for more efficient ways of managing resources, often on tight deadlines. I did not know how to describe my competence for a long time, and usually, I entitled myself as a "generalist". Somewhere in the middle of 2022, as I began my adventure of finding a new way in my professional life, I discovered the term "Technical Artist" and understood that this is where I have the most significant leverage.

Let me dive a little bit into my store. My passion and way of observing the world are strongly influenced by the field of computer graphics. Before I reached the age of adulthood, being a chubby and not-so-popular teenager gave me a lot of time and freedom to experiment with graphics and programming. I shot pictures of magical neighborhoods with my beloved DSLR camera, created digital paintings, modeled 3D objects from my close surroundings, and learned the basics of how raster graphics work by writing a prototype of my own graphics engine in WebGL.

I began my professional journey at the age of 19 with the craft of film editing and camera work. Working in a small but highly experienced team, creating documentaries for local television, I learned the essence of composition, rhythm, and quality of input material. My intense fascination with this subject led me to drop out of computer science studies and focus on the practical development of my skills.

Two years later, feeling the need to expand my competence and master the Adobe After Effects tool, I was creating animated advertising spots while discovering the world of motion design. It showed me a more sophisticated way of express ideas - and that every little piece of the puzzle is meaningful. Looking for new experiences, I also worked for a no-longer-existing Cracow theater group called "Vis a Vis" as a cameraman and editor of trailers for upcoming performances.

Years later, captivated by the world of real-time graphics, I created concert visuals in Notch software for Polish music stars. Using procedural solutions and programming an abstract logic, I felt the importance of consistent focus on the process and that every intermediate step has a tremendous impact on the end result. For me, it was a giant sandbox in which I could explore all kinds of connections between procedurally generated textures and logic-driven interaction between all sorts of inputs, like sound, the presence of a person, or the movement of its hands. My cognition about the fundamental graphics theory grew stronger and stronger. It was also a period for me to start international collaborations and learn how to optimize and automate workflow, often using the AutoHotkey programming language.

In the pre-pandemic era, I joined the movement of Virtual Production developers in the Unreal Engine environment. Co-developing a custom toolkit to support working with virtual sets, I rediscovered the strong correlation between graphics and programming. And in the meantime, doing research and development on the business application of Leap Motion, a hand-tracking controller, I became irreversibly fascinated with programming. I spent one and a half years creating shaders and custom tools using C++ for artists that never touched Unreal Engine before. I was learning the art of profiling and optimization, allowing inexperienced artists to create assets for realtime generated content. This period was the next pivoting point in my train of thought about exciting possibilities of using my prowess.

Continuing the trend and learning the Python language deepened my ability to talk to a computer. By immersing myself in the ideas of programming patterns, the essence of clean code, and algorithmics, I discovered a new graceful world with elements of organized and thoughtful structure and workflow that I had greatly missed while working as a professional graphic designer.

In the meantime, by coincidence, coming across the idea of personal development, I realized there is no such thing as coincidence in life. Instead, there is determination and consistency of purpose, thanks to which, among other things, I began the adventure of running this website. I also began appreciating every step I took on my twisty journey and rediscovered the joy of experiencing every day, starting before the sun rose.

Now I am consciously and open-mindedly using all gathered experience to pivot my career towards being an excellent Unreal Technical Artist. Learning about the fascinating world of programming, gleaning new ideas and methodologies, and elevating my skills to a whole new level of abstraction, gives me insight into the multifaceted nature of the process. Being aware of the essence of an appropriate company during such a journey, I constantly look for new, trustworthy, and passionate travel companions.

Therefore, please contact me if our cooperation would help carry your idea to fruition, bringing authentic value to the community. Together we can create something genuine and unique : )