In today’s society, there is constant pressure from social media – pressure to keep up with the Joneses, pressure to conform, and pressure to seek fame. Everyone wants to be a “somebody”! With so many influencers, each trying to outdo the other, it’s hard to feel happy just being yourself. In reality, a quiet life can be much more joyous than a life in the limelight. This is perhaps the reason, lots of creative and talented people shun fame. More than 100 years ago, Emily Dickinson wrote a poem “I’m nobody! Who are you?”. It’s a poem that struck a chord in me.

So recently, when I began experimenting with Adobe’s new tool, Character Animator, I picked this short and memorable poem to try out my newfound skills. With Character Animator, Adobe has reduced the barrier of entry for animation. Creating simple character animations is as easy as talking into your webcam. Let me explain. Adobe Character Animator is a magical tool that animates 2D characters, also called puppets, based on your actions in real time. As you perform, it takes input from the webcam and microphone and animates the chosen puppet with your expressions and actions, including eye and lip movements. Some puppets allow full-body tracking, so if you dance, it will dance too.

This is my first animation using Character Animator. I know it could be more polished, but I’m rather pleased with these results. I also used Audacity, After Effects and Camtasia, for the post-processing, but they aren’t essential. What is really key though, is a creative idea and a well-written script. A professional voice-over would also make a world of difference.

I hope you enjoy the poem… and the animation.