8. Matt Viglione, From Coworking to Video Game Development
Episode 8 - Matthew Viglione
Guest: Matthew Viglione, Co-Founder, Writer/Designer, Art Director at SomaSim
Listen to this episode with Matthew Viglione as he describes his path from French Literature, to being a Communications Director in the nonprofit world, to deciding to “cut the cord” and launch himself into co-founding SomaSim to follow his real passion of video game design.
Matthew on LinkedIn
Insights from Viglione:
Have confidence in yourself, speak up if you have something to say!
It’s normal to fear change and big leaps, but that doesn't mean you shouldn’t take them.
Once you've begun to realize your aspirations, keep moving forward.
Take advantage of existing networks of data, online, in your community, use experts.
“Don't get too comfortable, if you feel like your surroundings are familiar and comfortable, for me, I need change a lot. Some people are afraid of that kind of change, but I would tell myself that feeling in the back of your head that you should be moving, listen to it! There are impulses that you feel, if they are constant, like get out of here, or move, or do something else, listen to them no matter how uncomfortable they make you. Listen to what your soul is telling you.”
How is working out of a coworking space benefiting your business?
“It was sort of a necessity... there was no way we could work out of our studio (apartment). But also, we hadn't lived in Chicago in nine years...professionally we didn't really have a lot of contacts or a lot of connections. So we were looking to just get to know people, just get a feeling for what the scene was like in Chicago…. And being at Design Cloud, we walked in, and it just felt like the right place. There was art on the walls, there were artists doing installations, being able to interact with artists who were doing installation was fascinating…. These conversations that you don’t expect to have end up being the most valuable ones, you just talk to someone and you just find out inspiring things about who they are and what they've done and sort of drives you forward…. It’s an inspiring place to come every day.”
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast:
1849 - City building game simulation set during the California Gold Rush.
Design Cloud Chicago, Coworking Space: Design Cloud is a members-only coworking space that is specifically tailored to the art industry in Chicago. It doubles as an art gallery and event space as well.
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