Lack of motivation
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For the past few weeks/months, I feel like I don't have any motivation to do anything, specially models, the only thing I've accomplished this past few week was fixing my old xbox. I feel like I've made a lot of bad choices in the past few week, stuff like leaving a game dev. project. I feel like I lost almost all my motivation since I left the project. Hell, I barely even have the motivation to play video games! I'd love to make more 3D models but I don't really have any motivation, specially since I'm not doing it for nobody, at least if someone would be like teaching me stuff, I'd have a reason to do 3D models. I'd also like to join another game project but I don't think I'd be a really good 3D modeler, the only thing I find myself really good at is coming up with ideas for the core game mechanic and stuff like that, too bad I can't really use these ideas right now since I'm not in any game project. I just wanted to post this somewhere because I feel like talking about this issues since it really annoys me. If anyone has an idea or know how to get motivated, feel free to post 
Replies
It startles me how much those two things are overlooked.
You need to be able to do 3D models for yourself and not someone else. You won't feel confident enough in your own work unless you can do it for yourself. You can most certainly use whatever ideas you have and do something yourself as well, waiting for a project is just giving you a reason to put off doing things.
Relaxing allows you to feel stress-free for a while, recharge your "creative juices," and in general, have fun without working. There are tons of games out there, why not grab a few and try playing them without thinking about how things were made or anything development related.
After taking a break, why not try to brush up on your skillset and do some personal projects? Working on other people's projects seems organized, however you have to remember that at the end of the day, you are bringing somebody else's dream to life (unless you are the leader.)
If you want to make dragons, go ahead and make dragons. If you want to make guns, make some kickass guns. Nobody can tell you what you can and can't make right now. This can be both a good and a bad thing.
Either way, have fun doing what you love and good luck gaining new motivation!
I'm kind of a newcomer in the 3D modeling stuff, I've been doing a few models here and there but I'm FAR from good right now, I can do some stuff but they are meeh. As for the project, what I'd love to do is find a small team of less than 10 people and make games together. I don't really enjoy being in a big team. What I'd also love is to find someone that could help me when I have questions and give me some tips when I need help. That would be really cool. I don't really do alot of exercise, I've never really liked to move alot. That being said, I think I eat decent food(not alot of Mcdonald and stuff like that) and I'm far from fat.
I can make 3D models for myself but knowing that someone will use my model or at least enjoy it is what motivate me
As for what I can do, well, stuff like that: https://sketchfab.com/show/50526949b74b43f898589479f82013eb
As for a team of 10, that is actually pretty huge for a newcomer such as yourself. I started doing 3D about 1-2 years ago and while I'm still not great, I have come a long way and people actually like some of the assets I make for my team.
You should try to work on your individual skillset before trying to get onto any team. Your model isn't bad for a newcomer however it is far from a professional level. Don't let that discourage you though, my first model was a plunger with a nail in it with a tricount of like 50,000. Good times as a noob, lol.
You will get pages of advice on this but at the end of the day it is up to you to change your mindset. I keep a mental note on what makes me feel positive because positive thinking and doing are key to motivation and also remember that a creative mind needs more than one outlet, food for thought !
Keep your head up :thumbup:
pete
The hardest part is getting started, so set aside the time and don't allow for distractions! Just plow through the first hour and let yourself get carried away with it!
Keep in mind, you're like an engine, and if you leave it in the garage for a while it might take a few chugs before it starts running again, but you will get it running in the end if you give it time.
Start with this:
You need to stop making excuses. That means,you can not wait for "motivation" to just pop out of nowhere, its something that you grow from inside out, mostly through time and failing at things. Many times this comes with maturity and sometimes a evolution of personality.
What you need to understand:
Learning is a fucking pain, progression comes with staggering steps. But it's passion that keeps driving you forward.
What you need to do:
Start from the ground and build up your weaknesses, if you think you have many, pick one and start doing it. And don't stop doing it...and if you fail, don't stop.
And lastly:
Stop making excuses.
If you think this post is unfair and not very helpful, then it probably hit you right on the nerve.
Good luck and go for it!
I started feeling like this maybe 2 years ago but it really got way worst after I quitted the project. It's probably not because of the winter since I like snow and stuff like that, it makes me feel relax.
I don't really do any of that, I know what to do but I want to do it but just don't instead, I end up doing something else like posting this.
[ame="
I always feel motivated hearing him talk about these issues.
Enjoy
it also helped me alot to try to find something inspirational something youve always liked even when you were a kid and focus on that. maybe sci-fi? fantasy?war stories? survival situations?
lets say you are a big science fantasy fan (I am ). then sketch up or write down your basic idea, a scenario or situation, lets say a person with psionic powers imprisoned in a research facility in a futuristic apocalyptic world that has a Fallout vibe. (trying to do that idea at the moment.)
then when you are learning from tutorials and stuff, try to use them to slowly build out the idea. make every item from those tutorials a prop or character that could be used for your project. so as a shitty example lets say you are looking at tutorials for plants. since its a sci fi apocalyptic scenario, model some mutated looking cactus exposed by radiation. done with that? grats, now you have your very first asset/prop.
personally i find it very hard to learn from tutorials just for the sake of doing it as an excercise. If you make a bunch of different random things as excersises, such as a plasma rifle, a german longsword, shirlock holmes, and a hi res bug, it may look good in a portfolio, but you can't really use them so easily together in a project.
when you are focused on your project, you'll start to see movies and games differently and maybe take a ideas from them to incorporate it to your own.
well anyway that's just something personal that helps me with my motivation. thought id share because i also suffer from depression.
also keep in mind often times huge projects were something that started out as something very small!
I just dont know if i can keep it up forever.
Like you, i dont feel the motivation sometimes. It could be mostly because i suffer from major depressive disorder, or schizoid personality disorder. I try not to let it get in the way of my school work now that i am in a university for it. It use to effect me so much. So much that i dropped out of high school. Not only that, but i was suffering from headaches since i was a small child. Chronic headaches, migraines, and morning headaches. Ugh. Lol.
So here i am. I dont know if i would prefer a major in music theory/composition or 3d modeling.
Strangely enough a LOT of developers in the industry have this dilemma.
Most of us went the game route because we wanted a more steady paycheck (but it's just as competitive).
No joke, a LOT of artists (even here on polycount) are semi-virtuoso guitarists blazing through Satriani/Malmsteen solos note-for-note.
b. take short breaks every hour or 2 while working (You tend to comeback with fresh eyes).
c. get a social life, people need human contact.
d. get a 2nd hobby (for me personally i found music to be just that, if i feel burn out from 3d, i work on my guitar or bass skills)
e. find a way to experience new things, you will do much better as a artist because of it.
almighty_gir i find malmsteen tries more complex stuff, but satriani has better mastery, his execution just sounds cleaner and more exact. Also influence is different, satch defiantly has more blues in him, while malmsteen has metal and a neo classical thing going.
This is good advice. I myself am coming out a bit of a rut. There was a line from Austin Powers that really fits into this whole motivation spiral, a certain over weight villain said he "eats because he is unhappy and unhappy because he eats, its a vicious cycle". In many cases, especially for technical art, it becomes a bit overwhelming... and so you pull back a bit, but then you start feeling "rusty" and getting back up to speed is also over whelming, just thinking about it is overwhelming and thus, at least in our minds we can make it to seem more mentally heavy than it really is.
The solution for me and I'm pretty sure its been the same for others, is to not think of everything you want and need to do all at once, but take it in baby steps...one piece at a time.
As another user mentioned, music... it literally makes all the difference in the world.
There's a good website that helps by providing work/inspiration music: https://www.focusatwill.com/music/#player
Anyways its also good to know that many artist struggle with this at times, its not just you or me or anyone else. When you think along those lines, it doesnt make it feel so bad you totally did nothing but read books for a week or make up chores to do as to not work on the skill set in question.
[ame="
Bare with me on this...
A little abstract, but not that far off would be using the example of Pavlov and his dog.
Initially, If he rang a bell.. nothing happens, but.. if he rings the bell while giving food to the dog....
There's now this associative reward based incentive being created for the pup. Every time from that point forward,
when the bell rings the dog would come charging in happy and expecting food.
The trick is applying this method of associative rewards to your work habit. (There's a reason why some companies have bonus's for project completions)
A basic example for me, is coffee.
If I get a certain amount of work done.. i reward myself with a cup of coffee.
If I don't get a certain amount of work done, then I begin feeling the effects of caffeine withdrawal.
So there's this positive reward of more focus (From the coffee) for doing my work and also a negative connotation for me not doing what I'm suppose to be doing.
it's a simple trick that keeps me going when I'm in a rut and need to push forward.
(Coffee's good, but it works best with crack and/or heroin)
coke would be better, heroin only slows you down which you dont need
seriously though, the only cure is to push yourself doing something constantly, say to model a pirate or shite like that, once you get there, it pushes you back on the track a bit, so keeping doing it until it becomes a habit that you'll feel unwell not doing it on a daily basis, but this is freaking hard, I've tried and failed a million times, and I'm not alone.
Fuck all that shit, coke will just get you hooked and perpetually talking about what you have to do instead of doing it.
if you are going the drug route theres a few options, Modafinil-which is pretty awesome prescribed for narcoleptics, amphetamine-which is a classic for people writing novels and getting through school (ritalin) and caffeine the most widely used drug in the world.
Now removed from all societal prejudice drugs can be awesome as can good sleep nutrition and working out, the only danger is some people are predisposed to addiction and using it as a crutch.
but beyond tweaking your Neurochemistry which I certainly think is not for everyone, I think the important thing is to just keep chipping away at it, you aren't going to produce your best work every minute of every day, some of your best work you ever do will look shit most likely the first few hrs you work on it, and even if what you made at the end of the day is not that good, at least you made something, it is better to try than resign yourself to a prism of fear and anxiety, and part of me believes failures can be a great teacher, when you accept something isn't right and understand what mistakes you may have made, you can avoid them in the future.
the biggest fault I think you can have is setting immeasurably high standards for yourself, we all want to make cool stuff and be proud of our work, but it seems clear to me getting really really good, isn't a sprint, its a marathon.
If you come back the next day and notice the girl model has bigger boobs than you remember... well ... A job well done then!
(This is not coming from personal experience :poly142: :poly124:)
Learn to have fun with it again and don't treat it like a chore... is the simplist & best advice i can share
Personally I wouldn't recommend beer, for me it just make me more sleepy and less likely to be able to concentrate/focus on what I'm doing. It might depend on the person, some gets more relaxed and can better get into work.
Maybe it just isn't for you?
That's what I realised this year. 3 years of uni then a year of job hunting/portfolio work/the odd bit of freelance and I decided to have a long think about what I'd done over that time and realised there was an underlying reason that I'd produced such a tiny amount of portfolio worthy work, I just didn't enjoy it enough to put the work in. I'm now in a completely unrelated (to 3D) job that I really like and going 'back to school' next year to do a distance learning course to progress into a career I'm confident I will love.
I may come back to it down the line as a hobby, who knows. But right now it's close to 5 months since I really thought about 3D let alone open some 3D software and I don't miss it at all! Plus I seem to be having more fun playing games than I was while actively doing 3D...
My 2 cents, probably a little controversial but I feel it was worth saying to break the norm that every single one of these threads is, being "put the work in, make the sacrifices and you'll come out on top".
the most effortless way to keep going is to enjoy it, and I think its pretty easy to enjoy myself.
Sure theres different techniques to buckle down and really bash out a polished piece, maybe some aspects you just want to run away from (creating uvs I find is often soul crushing) but at the fundamental level you have to enjoy what you're doing, or you are missing the point entirely, whether you can do it isn't the same as whether you should.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb0g_gWrNf8
good guy, good video, this is for anyone who are struggling with confidence! remember progress is hard but fighting through and believing in yourself can be the best, you got to learn to take the crits and use them wisely!