Maria Lapay's Reel

Recently, I was part of a creative chain working on a storyboard for a project — and honestly, I loved the process. There’s something special about turning a script into visuals, frame by frame, and seeing ideas take shape. Here’s a little peek into my evening routine while doing the storyboard:

Monday Motivation: When AI Makes Your Day! Mondays can be tough — but today brought me a pleasant surprise. I decided to experiment with MidJourney to animate some 3D renders I had previously created. And honestly? The results blew me away! Sometimes, all it takes is a little creativity (and a dash of AI magic) to turn a regular Monday into a day full of inspiration. So, I hit pause on everything else and dove straight into generating animations — because when the tech works this well,...

Yesterday I decided to give Runway a spin — just a little test drive to see how far AI can take us today in animation. And you know what? It’s not bad. A few results looked quite decent. Not perfect, of course — we’re not at the “push-a-button-get-a-masterpiece” stage (yet). But there’s definitely a spark of promise there. Still, after playing around with prompts and watching a few quirky generations unfold, I gently closed the tab... and went back to Blender to do things the...

When they ask me: Who does the acting? Me. Who came up with the idea? Me. Who built the entire animation? Also me. I create every single one of my animations from scratch. All by myself. And the truth is: I love it more than anything. Every stage of the process brings me joy — and somehow, each one makes my voice and vision louder and clearer. (Would love to work in a team one day though

This is my great creation — a short animated film that took a full year to bring to life. It was made by just two people: me and my sister. No studio, no sponsors — only our passion, our skills, and a deep belief in what we’re building. Everything you see — the 3D, the story, the world — came from love, sweat, and obsession. This film is part of the universe I’ve been crafting for years: PLASTIC, a surreal, hyper-stylized world of dolls, emotions, and hidden truths beneath glossy...