Sean Solomon shares thoughts on visual art, music, and his personal projects

Transmission 146: Interview with Sean Solomon

Sean Solomon, best known for Lucas Bros. Moving Co. (2013), Animation Domination High-Def (2012), and an episode of Viceland’s Party Legends (2016), is a musician and artist based in Los Angeles. He sings and plays guitar in Moaning, an American alternative rock, post-punk, and shoegaze band he formed in 2014 with Pascal Stevenson and Andrew MacKelvie. After self-releasing a self-titled EP, the band signed with Sub Pop Records and has since released two full-length albums. Outside of making music, Sean creates web comics, animations, and trippy GIFs. A former CalArts student, his personal visual artwork focuses on bug-eyed naiveté, morphing heads, fast food, and satirical depictions of popular culture through minimalist yet captivating cartoons and illustrations.

Featured photo: Abby Banks
Sean Solomon’s official site | Instagram | Tumblr | Facebook | Moaning’s official site

Can you tell us about your beginning? What artists or styles have particularly influenced you?

I started making music when I was a teenager. I had a band called Moses Campbell and played at all ages venues like The Smell in Los Angeles. I used to book tours by myself, playing houses and coffee shops. I was sort of obsessed with Nirvana as a kid and inspired by their ability to adapt to the mainstream while keeping their integrity. I later went on to discover artists like Daniel Johnston, Elliott Smith, and Neutral Milk Hotel. I was drawn to things that felt authentic.

How do you find inspiration for your artwork? When creating a new piece, do you focus first on a visual concept, the lyrics, or the music? Could you describe your usual workflow from idea to completion? How long does it typically take for an animation or a music project?

Animation is a little more straightforward. You start with an idea, storyboard, design, and then animate. Music is still magical to me. I have no idea how to write a song. I just get lucky sometimes.

Can you share with us about a particularly challenging project that was especially rewarding for you? How did you overcome the technical or creative hurdles?

Animation is always challenging for me. I think that’s why I like it. It’s a struggle but then really rewarding when it’s done. I try to find simple solutions to problems. Like if a character has to walk across the screen- maybe don’t show their feet! That’s normally how I overcome technical issues. By cheating!

How do you balance your roles as an illustrator, animator, video director, and musician? How do these different mediums influence each other? What role does music play in your approach to animation? Does being an animator inspire you when creating your own music?

I sometimes write music with videos in mind. I like to think of the album art and all of it at once too. I’m a little obsessive. I draw and play guitar all day. The things eventually overlap whether it’s intentional or not.

How do you maintain a balance between artistic creativity and the technological demands of modern animation? Do you sketch on paper or your artwork is only digital?

It depends on how I’m feeling. I like paper but I don’t mind working on the computer either. I try not to be too pretentious about the medium or materials. Even though I’m personally drawn to labor intensive hand drawn work, I don’t think most people care or know the difference. However, I am working on an animation on paper right now…because I’m a psychopath.

In animation, every frame contributes to the final piece. How do you ensure your personal artistic voice remains clear while navigating creative differences with clients?

I’m lucky because I can only really draw one way. I think even with client notes or feedback, it’s very clear when I work on something and my style comes through. I also like people’s opinions because it turns the work into something collaborative and I get to be surprised by the outcome. I try to think of client notes as free ideas.

Do you have a dream project you’d love to create? Can you share with us?

I’m working on my dream projects now. My solo record that is coming out next year. But if I had to pick something new, I guess I would love to create an animated show one day! I’ve been trying but that process takes a lot of other people signing off on it.

Can you share with us a meaningful story from the backstage scenes of the music video Moaning – Ego?

I loved filming that music video! Ambar Navarro is an amazing director and I loved collaborating with her. That shoot was insane and hectic. I think I wore like 5 different outfits. It was my first time really working with a stylist. I dressed up as a woman in one scene and I think I looked pretty hot.

How do you see your music evolving in the future? Have you experimented with genres outside your comfort zone, and if so, what did you learn from that experience?

I’m really excited for people to hear my solo record. I think people will be surprised. Eventually I’d maybe like to experiment with more full band arrangements and longer instrumental sections.

Recently, we’ve seen video animations and even songs and music generated by prompts. What is your opinion about A.I.? How do you see the future of these fields?

I’m not worried about AI. I think it’s as good as it will ever be. It’s probably all just hype to inflate the stock market anyway. Art is about human connection. Hopefully the reaction to this bullshit is just more handmade personal work. These answers were written by ChatGPT by the way. ;)

Dominique Musorrafiti

Ciao! My name is Dominique. I’m Italian and I’m proud to be a mix. My father was an Italian chemical engineer and high school teacher, with Greek and Polish heritage. My mother is Haitian, she was high school language teacher, with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix makes me appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. I grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, travel around main European capitals, lived many years in China, in Spain and UK. Traveling makes me feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.