MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The widely-awaited Graphika Manila brought together multitudes of artists at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex on March 01 and 02, 2025 for its 20th anniversary. To celebrate this tremendous milestone, the Asian creative conference hosted some of the world’s leading multi-hyphenate powerhouses across animation, graphic design, illustration, and more, imparting the knowledge and skills they’ve accumulated over the years.
Ardhira Putra, an award-winning Indonesian animator, art director, and illustrator, took to the stage on the first day and continued Graphika Manila 2025’s thrilling momentum by guiding the attendees back to the heart of being a creative. Adobo Magazine took note of the speaker’s journey towards feeling artistically fulfilled in his talk, “Echoes of Joy: Rediscovering Creative Freedom.”
Ardhira’s artistic roots
Ardhira accredited his art style to his parents, who were responsible for all the pop culture he was exposed to growing up. He walked the audience through some of his earliest inspirations, mentioning Japanese culture like J-pop artist Eiichi Ohtaki and video game company Sega Corporation.
This inclination for the arts spurred a dream within him to work at established commercial studios like Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks.
His burnout and rediscovery
As Ardhira grew older, he started working in the corporate world, and that made him lose his creative spark as time went on. He described to the crowd how he “lost his soul as an artist” and ended up simply going through the motions. “I felt like a robot five years into the industry,” he admitted.
That season of his life became a turning point, and Ardhira began the search to rediscover what about art made him happy in the first place. He found himself gravitating back to the music and video games of his childhood and finally leaned into his own interests.
While juggling a 9-5 job and his marriage, he landed his first gig, which was to animate for an independent local band for free. He took it on despite not being paid in hopes for more opportunities to follow, and that project became a stepping stone in his career. “Do what you feel,” he encouraged the audience.
Embracing his authenticity
By aligning his work with his personal interests, Ardhira decided to post his creations on social media, which garnered major traction. His distinct visual language and exemplary animation style led to collaborations with Sony Music, MTV, and artist Engelwood, but one of the most special was with his childhood idol, Eiichi Ohtaki, and album designer, Hisashi Eguchi.
“If you already have a strong identity, brands will find you,” Ardhira said. Staying true to your passion isn’t just the key to personal fulfillment; it’s the path to creative success. To put it as simply as Ardhira did, “Always follow what you love.”
Adobo Magazine is the official media partner of Graphika Manila 2025.
