Motion Design & Code Shift
Recently, I’ve realized my role has shifted: I’m operating more as a developer than a motion designer.
I’m spending more time on the After Effects code side than I expected. More expressions. More data-driven animation. More staring at logic, trying to make something behave how I want.
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The expression side of After Effects always fascinated me, but it felt clunky compared to simply adding keyframes. Coming from an animation and design background, not math or programming, lately, I’ve found myself wishing I’d listened better in those classes.
What’s interesting, though, is that my visual background completely changes how I approach the problem. I’m not starting with the code and then designing around it. I usually start with the design, the motion, or the system I want, and then work backwards to make the logic support it.
With AI in the mix, I can work through issues without fully understanding every semicolon or math formula, yet still grasp what’s happening. It’s been a fun shift to notice. AI didn’t take a job this time, but it offered a new way to solve the problem.
This field is always moving. The role you signed up for and accepted never turns out to be the entirety of your job. Tools shift, workflows morph, and suddenly creativity means thinking in systems. I love that. It’s not just mastering new software this time, but discovering new ways to achieve goals.
