26 April is World Intellectual Property Day. The theme for this year's celebrations is Creativity: The Next Generation. As the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Dr Francis Gurry, stated in his message: "Young people have the capacity to dream in a way that far surpasses the capacity of older people. They are the future. So my message to the next generationon World IP Day is keep creating, keep innovating. And keep thinking about how IP should fulfill its role in the future social management of creativity and innovation." http://wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2013/dg_message.html

In keeping with that theme, our feature article profiles three young Australian creators working across a range of art forms.

Eitan Ritz – Visual Artist - Age 20

How did you get into art?

I’ve had an interest in the creative process since I was young but it was through taking art at school that I became really inspired.

What is it about sculpture in particular that attracts you?

The ability to materialise my ideas in three dimensions. My work is not limited to the canvas. I can engage with an entire space and create an experience for the viewer.

Tell us a little bit about your creative process. What inspires you? Do you use any new media in your work?

I'm inspired by the world around me. I try to make sense of my surroundings.

I also find that seeing and learning about other artists’ practices is incredibly inspiring. I generally begin with an idea in my head. I create sketches and research my ideas. I find artists who have looked at similar ideas or techniques for further insight. I then perform material trials and explorations.

I will use any material in my work as long as it links back to my ideas.

How do you promote yourself? Do you use new online platforms to do this?

Generally through word of mouth, but I also use a Tumblr blog as a type of online portfolio.

Are you concerned about protecting your art?

To an extent - I want my work to be protected but I also want my work to be easily accessible to anyone interested.

Where do want to take your artistic practice in the future? Do you think you will be able to make a living as an artist?

I still have a lot to explore in my artistic practice, such as the material nature of my work and its conception.

I'd love to be able to live off my art, but it’s not something I can be certain about.

Where can we find out more about you and your art?

Check out my Tumblr: http://eitanr.tumblr.com

I also have a public exhibition on in May at Victoria Harbour, Docklands (Melbourne) as part of Rising: the Victoria Harbour Young Artist Initiative:

http://rising-vca.org/about-this-site/

Eitan Ritz is a 2nd year student in Sculpture and Spatial Practice in the School of Art at the Victorian College of the Arts, the University of Melbourne.

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Josh Blashki – Musician – Age 17

How long have you been playing music?

I’ve been playing music since I can remember. My first instrument was a drum kit on my dads lap before I could walk. Then I moved onto string instruments, and from there, to guitar and singing. Now I use all three in my practice.

Have you studied or are you self taught?

I’m currently in year 12 studying music and have had lessons my whole school life. I also have musical mentors like my drum teacher, Alex, who has guided me. They are role models, teachers and friends.

Tell us a bit about your creative process when writing songs. What inspires you? What drives you?

When writing and creating music and lyrics I am inspired by the little things I notice in every day life, and also by my feelings and emotions about my surroundings and relationships.

I also listen to many different genres of music from different eras to gain inspiration.

The internet has facilitated new ways of reaching an audience which weren't around before. Have these enabled you to get the word out about your music?

New technologies have allowed me to share my music with a wider audience. For example, I can upload on to triple j Unearthed, and post to YouTube and SoundCloud and get an almost immediate sense of how people respond to a new song.

Are you concerned about protecting your music?

I am aware that everything I post to the internet is vulnerable. However, the advantages of getting the exposure outweigh the risk, and hopefully copyright laws are there to protect me if I were ever to find out that someone had stolen my original songs. I have also signed up to APRA and listed all my originals to make sure there is evidence of their existence and my original creative input.

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians out there?

As an aspiring musician myself, I find it hard to get my head around the realities of the industry, and how to really make a go of it as a career path.

Mentors seem to be the best way to get going. Also, going to gigs and meeting like-minded people and making contacts helps. It's a networking industry that relies on making connections.

I also think ultimately it's about passion and obsession with your craft. If you love what you do, it's easy to spend unlimited hours immersed in the process.

Where can we find out more about you, or listen to your music?

My music is on YouTube, SoundCloud and Facebook under the names Josh Blashki and Little Bear and The Blacksheeps.

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Saxon Cameron - Games Designer - Age 20

Tell us a bit about yourself - when did you get started developing? What are your goals as a game designer?

I started really programming in Year 10 and got into theoretical design when I received my scholarship to study games at Bond University. It's always been my childhood ambition and I'm really happy to be living it out!

I want the games I work on to resonate with and inspire people. I’m interested in using game mechanics to motivate people to produce real world results and hope to follow in the footsteps of game designers like Shigeru Miyamoto, Jenova Chen and Jane McGonigal.

Tell us about your creative process. How do you keep the inspiration and ideas flowing?

I draw a lot of my creative process from the teachings of Jesse Schell, game designer and author of the Art of Game Design.

I often look at an existing problem and wonder how I could approach the solution in game form or how game mechanics may be used to drive player motivation in a beneficial way. I also look for inspiration in other games and approaches to similar problems.

Are you concerned about protecting the software you create?

I've not suffered a loss concerning software security so generally no. Piracy is less of an issue on the iOS platform on which I have developed several apps for (one advantage of their closed system).

The thought of open-sourcing some projects is appealing. This could include making a tool for others to use or sharing what I've worked on so that others can improve and build upon what I've created.

Do you build any technology-based protection into your software?

I have not had to do so yet, but if I did, I would opt for the traditional license per-user validation (which requires a once-only online connection or can be done offline if the user receives a license key upon purchase).

Where do you want to take your skills in the future?

I hope to work towards a position at renowned game company Valve in Seattle - they are well known for their memorable games and large team of some of the most talented people in the world.

I'm also very interested in pursuing further study, maybe a PhD looking into serious games and motivational theory and how these can be combined to make games with real world implications.

Ultimately, I’d be very happy working at a number of places; the games industry is awesome and I'm excited at the thought of being able to pursue my passion professionally.

Do you approach designing for mobile platforms differently to traditional desktop or console platforms?

It depends on the type of game I'm trying to make. Some games fit certain platforms better than others. My main experience is in mobile development where it is important to accommodate different screen sizes and resolutions across devices in the one application.

The target platform(s) of a game is a key consideration during the design process. Mobile games suit a quick, pick-up-and-play style of gameplay (mainly for a casual audience) whereas console development is more suited to long, immersive fantastical experiences.

It's easier to distribute content directly to users and social media has made it easier to have a direct relationship with users and receive feedback. Does this change the way in which you approach your creative process?

Feedback from players is an excellent way of finding ways to improve a game - what better place to get ideas and feedback than from the very people playing the game.

I'm currently experimenting with stepping through a project's design by posting my thoughts and progress online as I go - allowing people to read about it and contribute their own ideas, thoughts and concerns. I think this would be a really cool way to guide and complement my own creative direction.

How do you see games evolving in the coming years?

There are so many exciting emerging technologies in games that it's hard to predict which will resonate.

‘Wearable technology' such as the Oculus Rift gives developers an opportunity to produce amazing immersive virtual worlds we will be able to experience like never before, along with augmenting our own real world with real-time displays provided by upcoming technologies such as Google Glass.

There's exciting things that are going to happen in the next five years, and I can't wait to see what developers can produce with these!

Any advice for aspiring game designers or developers out there?

Start now! There are so many amazing online tools that let you do really cool and creative things right now.

It’s important to play a lot and play a wide array of games but it's equally, if not more important to spend time thinking about games and working on ideas of your own.

The games industry is an expanding and exciting industry to be a part of. There will always be jobs for talented people that commit and distinguish themselves. Get yourself out there!

Where can we find out more about you and what projects you're up to?

I have my own website at saxoncameron.com, where I blog about game news and projects I'm working on.

I'm also active on Twitter @saxoncameron and my LinkedIn profile is publicly searchable and viewable. Just search for my name online to see games I have made in the past.