Step into the immersive world of Denver-based visual artist Loud Giraffe, who is quickly becoming one of the most emotionally distinctive rising names in the live visual scene, crafting 3D worlds rooted in vulnerability, connection, and raw authenticity. From navigating imposter syndrome and burnout to discussing the future of visual art in an AI-driven era, Loud Giraffe shares an honest look into the mindset, inspirations, and philosophy behind her work.
In this exclusive interview with Electric Hawk, she opens up about how art became “more of a need” than a choice, why she analyzes everything from concert visuals to “a tree or a field of grass” through the lens of Blender, and how creating became her way of making sense of the world around her.
In Conversation with Loud Giraffe
seradopa: I’d love to start at the beginning. What first drew you into art and visual creation in general?
Loud Giraffe: I have always needed to create. It was never something I wanted to do. It’s just more of a need. It’s how I interact with the world, and when I was little, that’s all I wanted to do was draw or paint.
I wasn’t very interested in interacting with other kids when I was little. I never felt I could be myself and felt misunderstood when I went through similar words and social interactions. Sharing my artwork is how I cope with that, and when I create something, it’s kind of my way of inviting people into my experience when I can’t always articulate it verbally. It’s all about connection!
seradopa: Now, tell us more about your name Loud Giraffe and how that came together for being the name that represents you.
Loud Giraffe: I’ve always loved giraffes ever since I was little, but I do think it is a bit deeper than that.
I originally chose to have an alias because I was ashamed growing up. My art did not always connect me to other people; it alienated me in a way. I knew that I couldn’t stop creating, because it was a need for me, but I was afraid to share my work as me. Also, I wasn’t comfortable being something I wasn’t, but I’m comfortable being a giraffe.
I also think that they’re awkward as fuck, and they’re always doing weird stuff, and licking trees, but they still walk around all confidently anyway. And they’re overlooked animals, and we as humans can learn a lot from them. I also want to note that giraffes communicate with deep bass-like frequencies, and I think that’s pretty cool.
seradopa: Was there something about 3D visuals specifically that felt more aligned with how you saw things in your head?
Loud Giraffe: In a weird way, I always knew that I would work in 3D in the future. I just had to give myself the permission to do so. It always felt like something was missing when I was working with illustration and animation in 2D, because it’s essentially like working in three and a half dimensions. Since teaching myself how to use Blender, everything else has made sense! The biggest disconnect was I never felt like I could create anything I wanted to until I had 3D as a skill set.
Now I feel like if there’s an asset I need, I can just make it, no matter what it is. Not saying by any means that I know how to do everything, I think there’s always stuff to learn, especially with 3D, but I think it helped me explore my style and what I actually like creating.
seradopa: When did creating visuals stop feeling like just experimentation and start feeling like a true path for you?
Loud Giraffe: Seeing my visuals on stage for the first time told me everything I needed to know. Then realizing that my work was valued by people who never met me before is what pushed me to take that and myself seriously. It wasn’t really until I worked with EMPUT, who is a Phoenix-Based artist, that I realized people liked my stuff. I saw her open for Level Up in Tempe, and she absolutely ripped an amazing set and gained a fan within the first three songs she played.
I loved her visual identity, and I thought to myself, I feel like I could nail this aesthetic. Surprisingly, she reached out entirely on her own, and we ended up working together, and I realized this could be more than a hobby. Honestly, I still really struggle to feel I deserve to be in the rooms that I’m in. Imposter syndrome can really trick you into believing that a good opportunity is the last one you’re ever going to get, which is just never true. Everything ebbs and flows just like the universe, and so I think remembering that when things get hard is important.
Change is scary, but I’m glad I did the scary thing. I wouldn’t trade this community for anything. Once I started getting a lot of inquiries, I decided to quit my office job as an OD tech because I was just too busy to do two full-time jobs. It was really fucking scary, but the pressure of it all really forced me to put my ego aside and just put myself out there and take myself seriously. It was really just the main thing I had to do.
seradopa: One thing that stands out about your work is how immersive and recognizable it feels. How would you personally describe your aesthetic?
Loud Giraffe: That’s a good question. I consider my work to be intentional, not just something cool to look at. It’s telling of an artist’s or project’s character when their opportunity for human collaboration is rejected and replaced with AI, and doing that tells me you are not pursuing what you’re pursuing for the sake of community, and, in my opinion, my work is the antithesis of that. I care about your ideas.
I want to know why you like the color blue, why you picked your DJ name, and when you think of your Aunt Betsy. Like that matters to me. It’s all connected. And I approach it as let me get to know you, so I can build a world that’s meaningful to both you and me, because authenticity always wins, and I think that is why people connect with my work.
seradopa: Do you feel like you’re creating a world for yourself first, and then inviting people into it, or are you more focused on building worlds around the music and artists you work with? What do you think are the recurring themes or emotions that naturally find their way into your visuals, even unintentionally?
Loud Giraffe: I think it’s all connected. I enjoy having some creative direction. It aids my process when clients send me mood boards or references for me to draw inspiration from, even if it’s my own work that they’re sending me.
I express my emotions visually, so having an insight into how my client visually expresses themselves opens the door and lets me see that part of them. And the ambiguity can be really powerful, because it opens the door for new perspectives, instead of just this is red, this is blue, and so I try to incorporate a lot of ambiguity into my work.
So, short answer, both.
seradopa: What does it feel like seeing your visuals come alive in a physical space, especially on massive LED screens surrounded by sound and people?
Loud Giraffe: It’s indescribable, honestly. Above all, it reminds me why I do this to begin with. It’s making meaningful connections, and that’s really the main thing; that’s really all that matters.
seradopa: Outside of music and live visuals, what kinds of things inspire you creatively? Movies, shows, animation, games, photography, sci-fi, anything like that?
Loud Giraffe: I have such a good answer for this. Okay, weird animation is the most inspiring thing to me. Adventure Time is my biggest inspiration. It is the most meaningful body of work I have ever experienced, and I draw a lot of my ideas from the lore of the show. Anyone who has seen the series in its entirety will understand what I’m talking about.
It’s also very metaphorical, metaphorical of me as an artist, because it seems like a childish, very unserious show, but when you actually look, there’s meaning throughout the entire show. You can interact with my work or anyone’s work and think, “sick dude,” but if you look, it means something, and I think meaning and beauty is everywhere if you choose to observe it.
Another big inspiration is that I grew up playing video games with my older brother. So sci-fi and post-apocalyptic storylines are huge inspirations for my work. Good examples would be Detroit: Becoming Human, Outlast, and The Last of Us, just right off the top of my head. There’s something like camaraderie in post-apocalyptic universes and worlds, and I think, especially in such a digital age that we’re in, it’s something we all yearn for.
seradopa: I’ve been asking VJs and visual artists this question. When you go to shows, are you able to watch visuals as a fan anymore, or does your brain immediately start analyzing how everything was made?
Loud Giraffe: I can’t even leave the house without analyzing a tree or a field of grass [laughs]
With 3D, you can just build anything, so I’m constantly looking at organic stuff while I’m walking my dog or out with my friends, trying to dissect how I would make it with nodes in Blender, or I’ll take pictures of leaves and stuff to use as textures. The same is true when I’m at a show. I love analyzing other visuals; it’s my favorite thing to do, and I think about how I would make it, not necessarily how they did, but yeah, I often open Blender immediately after getting home from a show.
seradopa: Where do you see the future of visual art and VJing heading, especially with evolving technology?
Loud Giraffe: That’s a really good question. I think my answer might be a little controversial.
I think that with the boom of AI, especially within this industry, people yearn for artists who care and are passionate. You can’t make an AI be passionate about your project. That’s just not going to happen. And I honestly think it’s going to make a larger disparity between production for entertainment and production for passion.
The examples you gave are really great examples of passionate people in this industry, and I think the community as a whole, especially the people in the crowds, has grown to appreciate that human-to-human connection. That’s why there’s more credit, I feel, in my opinion, of the visual artists; it’s not just this untouchable DJ that’s performing, it’s we made this together, and we are people just like you, and that is what is so amazing about where this is going, despite the use of AI becoming more popular.
seradopa: As a creative myself, I always love talking about this, but creative work can be extremely emotionally consuming sometimes. What does burnout look like for you as an artist?
Loud Giraffe: This is very true, but I try to take after Pollock. Do you know who Pollock, the artist, was?
As in, I truly want to be immersed in the process and not give a fuck about the outcome. Obviously, when creating deliverables for clients, you have to aim your arrow somewhere, but I think self-doubt and burnout are besties. Since I mentioned it earlier, creating is my oxygen, so I need it to function.
When I’m burnt out, it’s usually because I’m too worried about the outcome (you know, a perfectionist’s cocktail) and when I’m worried that I’ll never make something cool ever again, I make something shitty on purpose, art for art’s sake. That’s the only thing that reminds me why I love to do what I do. Fall in love with the process, and everything else will follow. It never ends up being something I would make on purpose when I do that, and I think that’s pretty cool.
seradopa: Outside of our jobs, since we are in front of computers, how do you also stay out of burnout by not just focusing on being on a screen?
Loud Giraffe: The art of noticing is huge. I like to ground myself, stay present, and not get stuck all up here. The best way I can do that, though, is to observe.
I love walking in the neighborhood with my dog and seeing how many new things I can notice, even though I walk the same path every day, or what patterns arise. I’ve always considered myself to be very observant, and in today’s world, no one looks up anymore; everyone’s looking at their phones. I’m definitely guilty of this, given the nature of my job, but reminding myself how small I am by looking up and how big I am by looking down shows me it’s not that serious.
It shows me that it’s not that serious. I’m alright, and whether or not I know it, there’s order to the chaos that I might be feeling at that current moment.
seradopa: As your work continues evolving. What excites you the most about where your art could go next?
Loud Giraffe: I’ve already done far more than I ever thought was possible. But it is a huge goal of mine to see my artwork play out at Red Rocks, I should say.
My biggest career goal is to work hand in hand with a touring artist who values my process, not just that they think my work is cool. Although I’ll be stoked for that opportunity, it’s important to me that I continue to grow alongside my partner, Owltavi. He’s the whole reason I started making visuals in the first place, which I know you know a little, but I’m really proud that we’ve done it all together, and this is just the beginning for both of us. It’s a lot less scary doing the thing you love with the person you love beside you, who’s just as terrified.
Beyond visuals, at some point, I would love to create my own animated series. I’ve thought about it for a long time, but it’s something I want to go into with a team of people whom I trust and who trust me. It would be a passion project of love. As of right now, I don’t have any real set-in-stone plans for that, but it is up there!
seradopa: Every visual artist is different, what is a tool you’ll love to learn if you had all the time in the world?
Loud Giraffe: If I had all the time in the world? That’s such a hard question!
seradopa: Mine would be Touch Designer.
Loud Giraffe: I think coding in general. If I could adopt someone else’s brain because mine doesn’t understand that stuff.
I have also really been enjoying character design lately. Like rigging and animating those characters. It’s been a lot of fun bringing something to life that way, but it’s also very time-consuming to rig, animate, and design characters.
If I had all the time in the world, I would get my assets together for my Pose Libraries and stuff, so that I could have giraffe rigs and animations. As opposed to just starting with a basic walk cycle or starting from scratch every time. I also would love to learn more about cinematography, because I love short films. It fascinates me how you can experience so much emotion within a 10-second clip. I think that’s really cool!
seradopa: Last one, for other visual artists trying to find their voice right now, what advice would you give them about trusting their own world and aesthetic?
Loud Giraffe: Take yourself seriously, or no one else is going to.
That also means listening to what actually aligns with you, not just nailing your deliverables, even if you think it’s bad. If you’re moving authentically, people will see that and will resonate with your work. Period.
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