Ep.134: How to build your credibility with Aiman Akhtar (Fungisaurs)

Hey, guys! In this episode, I am chatting with Aiman Akhtar, a freelance 3D Artist who specializes in character development and 3D print design. He is the creator of a toy line Fungisaurs, the cute hybrid of dinosaurs and mushrooms.

Get in touch with Aiman

Website: http://www.aiman3d.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Aiman3D

Art Side of Life Artletter

Key Takeaways

“Get comfortable doing lots of different jobs – social media, marketing, legalities, accounting – nothing to do with art, but you have to get comfortable to succeed”

In Chicago in 2008, during the recession, Aiman honed his 3D skills, but became also a generalist artist, he learned everything on the job – business, marketing and it helped him once he moved to LA
When Aiman moved to LA, he networked as much as possible. The more he networked, the more opportunities came his way. He just stayed in touch with people and reached out to them with new work every couple of months. They saw his progress and when they had a job opportunity instead of publishing the job ad they reached out to him first
Working on Fungisaurs, Aiman mentions that he wishes he knew how much marketing is needed, how much prework, strategy, press, magazines, publications. It’s a lot of hustle hustle hustle.

Resources mentioned

Note: some of the resources below may be affiliate links, meaning I get paid a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.

Aiman’s toyline: Fungisaurs
3D learning resources
- Zbrush central – sculpting tutorials
- Mold3dAcademy – Courses for 3d printing
Jurassic Park – Aiman’s all-time favorite movie and inspiration for his career