Utherworlds: Reawakening a Mythic Vision
More than ten years ago, I created an illustrated novel called Utherworlds — a journey through a mythic universe shaped by emotion, imagination, and archetype. The book sold out long ago, but the world it described never really left me. It lived on through the award-winning website I built with my friend Mark Stefanowicz, the soundtrack composed by Alan Hewitt, and the many products and partnerships that grew from it.
For years, Utherworlds existed as something complete — a finished work. But I always knew there was more to explore. The story was meant to expand beyond the page, into film, music, and interactive worlds. I just never had the time. Between my roles leading art direction and worldbuilding at Warner Bros. and Electronic Arts, personal creative work took a back seat.
This year, that changed.
Why Now
I’ve spent my entire career building worlds — from AAA games to children’s stories — always balancing art, story, and technology. As new AI tools emerged, I approached them with curiosity rather than fear. There’s a lot of debate around AI in the arts, and rightly so. But for me, this wasn’t about replacing creativity. It was about understanding it more deeply — seeing what these new tools could and couldn’t do, and how a human artist might still guide the process with intention, emotion, and taste.
So I decided to return to Utherworlds — not to remake it, but to reawaken it — through the lens of 2025. I wanted to see what it would look like to merge classic artistry, modern filmmaking, and intelligent tools to tell a story again from the inside out.
About the Film
The short film I’ve released is an origin story — a glimpse into the emotional foundation of Utherworlds. It follows Lucas Sellers, a man broken by loss, who is pulled into a realm shaped by the collective dreams and nightmares of all sentient beings.
This is the world at the heart of Utherworlds: a living reflection of what we feel, fear, and hope for — made visible. Every creature, every landscape is born from emotion itself. The film was an experiment in how to bring that mythology to life through a hybrid workflow: traditional concept art, photography, AI-assisted video generation, compositing, and manual finishing in After Effects and Topaz.
It’s not perfect — but it’s personal. And it’s the beginning of something larger.
Art and Technology: The Human Hand Still Matters
There’s a misconception that AI removes humanity from the creative process. In my experience, it’s the opposite — it amplifies your need for vision. These tools don’t create meaning; they respond to it. Every frame still begins with an artist’s intent — the decision about what should exist, how it should feel, and why it matters.
For me, this film was a reminder that technology will always evolve, but the human drive to create, connect, and dream doesn’t. That’s the constant.
What Comes Next
The Utherworlds project is evolving into something new — a space where mythology, emotion, and modern storytelling meet. This short film is the first step. Future posts will share behind-the-scenes breakdowns of how it was made, insights into the world’s mythology, and reflections on the intersection of art direction, storytelling, and emerging tools.
If you’re curious, inspired, or even skeptical — I welcome that. This is a conversation about the future of art and the imagination itself.
🎥 Watch the short film here
Closing Reflection
I’ve always believed that art’s greatest power is its ability to mirror the unseen — to make visible what we feel but can’t describe. Utherworlds was built on that belief, and this film is my way of rediscovering it — not through nostalgia, but through evolution.
Thank you for watching, reading, and being part of this next chapter.
