Iuliia Bodrova, also known as motionstate, is another inspiring female creative that we’re proud to have in our Author community. 

Iuliia studied video and photography at university, giving her the tools to carve out a career for herself as a videographer. She soon started experimenting with After Effects, which quickly turned into a passion.

We caught up with her to find out about her inspiration, challenges, and top tips for other creators. Check it out below!

What’s your background and how did you get into video creation?

It all started very naturally. I was studying video and photography at university and a friend told me about After Effects, which quickly became my passion. I sat for hours on After Effects and watched YouTube studying Andrew Kramer’s lessons.

What do you love about working in video and why?

I love visual culture in general – design, comics, and photography. But when it comes to video or motion graphics, it’s always something more because there’s motion, sounds, and music, sometimes voice, and that mix is always more than each element in isolation. There’s always magic here, that’s why I love this work.

What inspires your work? Are there any emerging trends that you love at the moment?

In the last few years, nostalgia has been a big trend. It’s actually a lot of fun to find inspiration in old movies or comic books. We went through the ’80s and ’90s and it was interesting but now the new trend is the 2000s.

I grew up in those days, so it’s great to explore this era again. The 00s inspire my current motion graphics project, I can’t stop digging into CD covers and music videos, magazines, and product designs of those times for inspiration.

What main programs, tools, or techniques do you use to create your work?

My kit is very simple. Adobe After Effects and a piece of paper with a pencil. Motion designers have to be able to do 3D these days. It’s funny because my goal this year is to become more confident and strong in graphics and illustration. So it looks like I’m going in the opposite direction.

What’s the key thing for video creators to keep in mind when capturing engaging, unique video content?

I think every creator works hard to get the best quality and the best promotion for their work. And I think personality is what people like and what makes a creation unique. I’m not sure if there’s a right way to give personality here, but for me, it’s always about finding emotional or cultural connections to my work.

As a video creator, can you name any challenges that you face as a woman?

When I started out, it was impossible to find a job in my city as a female motion graphics designer. There were no women in that position. Just like there were no female cameramen. So I ended up leaving the profession for several years. It wasn’t until a year ago that I started working again. With all the new opportunities that have come up in the world in recent years.

Which other female Authors who you follow/take inspiration from?

I recently discovered the designer and animator Danaé Gosset. She is doing something amazing. She creates graphics in software, then prints them out, paints and scans them, and then animates them for motion graphics projects. It’s incredible! I’m not sure I could use techniques like this in my work as motionstate, but the way she pushes the boundaries is very inspiring. 

How can people better support female creatives?

I love the principle of visibility. And I believe it works. Honestly, I went back into motion graphics because I’ve noticed that women have started working in these positions. 

What advice would you give to other women trying to make it in the creative industry?

Always keep working, don’t stop there, but don’t forget that good work requires good rest.

Feeling inspired by motionstate? Head over to Envato Elements and start creating today! Or, for more creative inspiration, check out some of our other Q&As with talented designer RetroBox and video whizz ShotHappens.