A couple of months ago I came across the works of Sean Conway; mapmaking genius and my personal inspiration. While his work seems like a distant dream/goal, I was enchanted by these beautiful maps and I sent myself on a voyage to learn more about 3D maps and cartography. As a huge fan of maps, geography and visual design, I thought to myself: with some practise and research, I too can learn the ins and outs of 3D cartography.

I went on to learn more about digital elevation models (DEMs), mapping software like QGIS and 3D rendering software such as Blender. With fairly little knowledge of mapmaking I created my first maps which I posted on my Behance page. With every map made and posted I noticed improvements and new techniques I could apply to my future work.

Surprisingly, about two months ago I received an email asking to collaborate on a project for Preemptive Love as a mapmaker. I never expected my new hobby to gain traction like this and I was hesitant to reply in the beginning. Even though my professional cartography experience was little and because this is a pretty niche skill, they trusted me for the creation of a 3D map. 

After a 6 weeks process of creating a 3D map of Mexico visualising the life-threatening routes migrants take to reach the US border I presented them with the work below. My official first published map. The map shows the locations Preemptive Love is active in as well as the three main routes the migrants take, by foot or by train.

What started out as a side project and a hobby turned within three months into a professional project. Loads of lessons learnt and more reasons to keep developing new skills. What will the next challenge be? No idea yet, but undoubtedly I’ll make some more maps.

Lastly, I want to thank Metaleap Creative and Preemptive Love for this opportunity. Check out their work, to see if you can contribute as well!