Life choices : crappy job + art at side or any other job + art on the back burner
polycounter lvl 12
I actually don't know where to begin but I since I need some serious advice about this I need to just get done with it. Do keep in mind that this is not a rant, this is not me acting like a kid, I tried to tackle this on my own for a long time but I got nowhere with it.
I got into 3D when I was 19, went to an institute where I didn't learn much except a lot of theoretical knowledge(most of it on my own), wasted a lot of time when I could've developed my portfolio. So needless to say my education qualifications are High School --> 3D Art diploma(not that special really, at least not the way they are being handed out there).
Fast forward to 2012, I moved to Canada, living with my younger brother, working, sharing rent and taking care of my expenses. I've been working night shift ever since and didn't start working on my art till last year end when I enrolled in a course at Zbrushworkshops(I absolutely love it, brilliant place to learn) and I've actually learnt more in 3 months here than I did in in 3 years at the bloody institute.
Right now I am working full time(night shift) at a little over minimum wage here in ON, barely able to give 2 hours a day to my art and saving a lot less than would like to.
The question that is in front of me is to either,
A)Learn a trade or get into college and do something that'll get me a better job, financial security and money to invest into art but lose out on time by putting art on a backburner.
Or
B)Continue what I am doing right now, earning almost nothing, giving as much time I can scrape to art but giving it time never the less.
For me doing art is more than a hobby, it is something that I want to do but being broke or having little money(no debt though) isn't fun.
I was thinking of getting into Sheridan's game art program so that I can still go to college and be able to focus on art but I missed the date and my portfolio is far from ready, so nothing in that direction till next year at least. I am going to be 24 in 2 month or so and it really drives me nuts seeing where I am with 3D, given my current skill level, and putting it on a back burner would mean even more.
I know that many of you have made far difficult life choices, been in worse situation that I have and I would really appreciate some advice. I've discussed this matter with some friends, some experienced artists, some of my own age though going through similar scenarios and the polar opposite suggestions and views have really left me frustrated. I'd appreciate some help.
I got into 3D when I was 19, went to an institute where I didn't learn much except a lot of theoretical knowledge(most of it on my own), wasted a lot of time when I could've developed my portfolio. So needless to say my education qualifications are High School --> 3D Art diploma(not that special really, at least not the way they are being handed out there).
Fast forward to 2012, I moved to Canada, living with my younger brother, working, sharing rent and taking care of my expenses. I've been working night shift ever since and didn't start working on my art till last year end when I enrolled in a course at Zbrushworkshops(I absolutely love it, brilliant place to learn) and I've actually learnt more in 3 months here than I did in in 3 years at the bloody institute.
Right now I am working full time(night shift) at a little over minimum wage here in ON, barely able to give 2 hours a day to my art and saving a lot less than would like to.
The question that is in front of me is to either,
A)Learn a trade or get into college and do something that'll get me a better job, financial security and money to invest into art but lose out on time by putting art on a backburner.
Or
B)Continue what I am doing right now, earning almost nothing, giving as much time I can scrape to art but giving it time never the less.
For me doing art is more than a hobby, it is something that I want to do but being broke or having little money(no debt though) isn't fun.
I was thinking of getting into Sheridan's game art program so that I can still go to college and be able to focus on art but I missed the date and my portfolio is far from ready, so nothing in that direction till next year at least. I am going to be 24 in 2 month or so and it really drives me nuts seeing where I am with 3D, given my current skill level, and putting it on a back burner would mean even more.
I know that many of you have made far difficult life choices, been in worse situation that I have and I would really appreciate some advice. I've discussed this matter with some friends, some experienced artists, some of my own age though going through similar scenarios and the polar opposite suggestions and views have really left me frustrated. I'd appreciate some help.
Replies
I have one but like I said, near minimum wage, low to no savings with less time to give to art, it's kind of hard. I am trying to look for something that pays well but doesn't require college, not many where I live right now.
Now, with a master degree and 5 years of engineer experience, I can take basically most of my spare time to do follow my dream, from a much safer spot in my life.
What you need to do is get your feet on the ground , which you seem to have to an extent already. Come to an understanding with yourself on how you want to play this game, either you take the long winded road, and try get a solid economic income which probably means a boring everyday job, meanwhile you work on what make your heart happy and makes you get up everyday. You keep working on your art, you keep doing it no matter what. And you keep doing it even longer than that. Until you feel safe enough to take the leap.
Or you take the leap without fearing to loose anything, from a point in your life that you are so convinced you can't do anything else than this.
Even though there are alot of external talks from peers all around regarding "following your dreams"...you still need food on the table and it's still the same game you need to play. You just need to make sure how you want to play it, and don't regret the step you take.
Good luck and keep your chin up!
+1
Not really, if I would be going back to school it would mean taking student loans.
I understand. I was doing that but once you get that nagging buzzing in the back of your head, it's hard to make it stop.
Thank and I do agree with you. I am nearly not putting out as much as I should, I can make countless excuses but at the end of the day the fact is that I don't have one completed project out. When I did have the time 2 years ago when I was in the institute, I wasted it doing things thinking that I'll have time. Now that I don't I usually put most of my free time into art trying to pick up things one at time albeit at an abominably slow pace.
The 'I need more money to make art' argument isn't what it seems what I did mean by it was that if in the future I need to upgrade certain things or spend a few grand on something, or I wanted to take a week off just to work on my art, I could do so without worrying about money.
I did make mistakes and I am trying to correct them, just that a few things are more or less ethical dilemmas for me. I know my situation if far better than what others have faced and I do look to those who have conquered adversity for inspiration. However of late I feel as if I am caught in an endless cycle of what if's and what to do, which is effecting what I put out.
I do hope that you don't see this as a rant or cry fOr attention both of which I don't and won't do(been there done that like a child).
xD
Actually not possible due to personal and family reasons. lol
Also I'm not sure where you're from, but waiting tables is an option. Depending on where and when (weekends, dinner rush) you work it will pay better than minimum wage so you might be able to cut back to part time.
About 14 years ago I started going to art school. After one year I realized if I were to finish I would accrue massive debt. I left school. But I fell into a situation that was similar to what you explain. I was working the night shift and not getting much time to practice art.
After several months of this I grew frustrated and managed to change my work schedule to a Friday night shift and double shifts on Saturday and Sunday. So I worked all 5 shifts on the weekend instead of every weeknight. This gave me Monday-Thursday totally free to practice art. The only difficult part was that all my friends would gather on the weekend to do things. But inversely none of my friends bothered me during the week.
But it only took me about 6 months (of focused work) before my portfolio started getting me interviews and about 8 when I got my first offer at a game studio.
Bottom line is you're thinking about how you can manage money to help you reach your goal. But I think you need to think more about how to manage time. The schedule I explained worked for me. Find a schedule that works for you, and stick to it. It won't take long to improve your work if you are working smart.
Being a part time teacher for an American school, there's a bit of perspective I want to share:
Imagine you had $250,000 dollars sitting in your bank account right now.
Then say to yourself "I want to spend every single penny of this, on an EDUCATION!
What do you expect know after 4 years?
Being a Canadian with heavily subsidized schooling, I can't possibly fathom paying that much for an education in Art. If I had to pay THAT much to learn anything about Art, I would want to know every fucking possible thing.
I would expect myself to be as good as Mr.Kite. I would be sure to work my fucking ass off to make sure that happens.
I certainly wouldn't jump into it without a LOT of thought. I also certainly wouldn't sit on my ass and do shit all.
What are you doing after work that reduces your art time to only 2 hours? If you want a job soon you'll have to make some sacrifices, cut down on socialization, cooking long meals, even working out. It sucks but you have to make up for the time you didn't spend busting your ass in college.
A common thread among most of the top guys out there is that they are always working. Always.
I spent about 2 months floundering at my home until I kicked it into high gear. 8 months after that I got an offer. For those 8 months, I spent all the time I could muster working on portfolio, applying, talking, networking, and everything. I was fortunate enough to be in a lenient situation that allowed me the opportunity to go for it full throttle. I have some friends who graduated with me who do the 9-5 as job X, and then do the 8-3 art. They do freelance, they learn from forums, they talk to anyone they can and they get their art out there.
Are they making awesome work? Of course. They can't waste time.
Are they working towards their dream? Yup.
Its super inspiring watching them grow and work, and it makes me feel like an awful freeloader, haha. Lots of people say polycount is the best teacher out there, so why would you pay for something we can help you with, if you want it as bad as you should.
Waiting tables here at least pays more or less the same, I’ll look into it, not the first time I’ve been suggested that.
I agree I have to bust my ass doing the very same. I have already minimized a lot but I guess there is always room for more. I am the only guy working on a graveyard shift and when I am sleeping the world is socializing so that is out, I spend an hour a day maybe making and eat my meals which is more or less making 2 at the same time. As far as working out is concerned I workout every alternative day because I have a back problem and the only way to not have it in the way is to build my back muscles. I will however have to cut my sleeping time.
Thank you.
That’s the exact reason why I decided to take the Zbrush workshops. Granted it is a bit advanced but I am learning a lot and with assignments given more or less every week, I know that I have to do stuff and it helps me do away with my procrastination.
Definitely food for thought. I’d be lying if say that I can see myself doing something else, that being said as stated earlier here, job satisfaction doesn’t always pay well. I’ll have to reconsider a lot of it, given all that has been said.
Less sleep would have to be the answer to that.
I’ll guess I will reschedule how my day goes, look around for a new job, hopefully one that pays better and that way put some more time into art. I’ll give myself some time doing that and see how it works out for me.
Thank you to everyone for chipping in. You have given me a lot to consider not to mention get coffee from a wholesale dealer in large quantities.
In the five years you've been working minimum wage, you could have completed an apprenticeship and would be making around $60,000 a year now. An apprenticeship would pay you while you are being trained, so it would have cost you almost nothing to start. There's also tax benefits and grants that go up for every year you complete. I'm getting $4500 from the government for completeing my apprenticeship this year.
I use my free time to work on my own stuff, mostly prototyping these days. I also have sixteen packages for sale on the asset store.
Reading over your post, you really aren't motivated to create your own art. You need school to tell you what to do. Without an external force pushing you, I doubt you have the motivation to finish anything.
Not much anyone on the internet can do to help you. You have a problem with motivation and you need to work on that first.
Start prioritizing what is important, and make as much time as you can for it. It's difficult, I know first hand, I worked full time and graveyards taking what little time I had to learn my craft. I took crappy freelance jobs, and sold really questionable items, just to fund the next step in the journey.
It was tough!
So, start small, a small prop, an asset of sorts, maybe following along on a tutorial to help gain your bearings with the technology. Set a hard deadline, finish it. No one is going to police you on this. Post it here on polycount, get that critique, and then go to the next piece as soon as you can. It doesn't need to be amazing NEXT GEN GRAFIXXXXX, but it needs to have your full attention, focus, and dedication in it's creation AND COMPLETION. You knock one out, get to the next one, and so on. Eventually small props will be too easy, it's time to stack on another plate, go to several assets, then a room, then a full environment. Do it for 3 months, I garuntee you, you'll see results, but only if you put in your full deposits, no half assing!
You don't need school for that, you don't need someone to mother you, you're an adult. It's time to start making your deposits that you'll build for many years to come. Stay focused, stay positive, and know that regardless there will be pain, but the delayed gratification is so sweet.
this works very well.
i've set for myself same kind of goal. i started in 2011 with 3D, worked a lot, in 2013 i set myself a goal to get a job in 2014. for those 3 years i had one friend, that i was in contact 10% of the whole time. so basically i've cut on social life a lot to achieve something i want. and also i was going to high school, which in the end i was missing 72% of the time, actual numbers from school.
it worked, i had 3 job offers in 2014 so far. it works. now because of visa issues i have to go to university, but still it's a success.
everyone here is going to tell you, you HAVE to work hard and that's the only way. yes i had it easy because i had someone to support me in the end, but there is always a way.
Hey Joseph, It's been a while. Thanks for the advice.
Based on what everyone has shared here, I've been able to draft a plan that should be able to help me focus and increase my output. I'll also be looking for something that is better paying with a bit more flexible hours so that I can take care of that as well.
Cheers everyone.
Personally, I never understand when people say they don't have time for art. During college, there was a point where I had 3 jobs. 1 full time and 2 part time. I still had time to do all my work for my classes and to do side projects at home.
/shrug
I've always been a workaholic.
So I'm currently working as an Illustrator and graphic designer in an office and also kinda their game artist because their trying to break into slot games. Some advice I really wish I'd been given in the past (and luckily worked out for me and fell into place anyway cos I ended up having to study graphic design) was not to limit your skillset too much. What I mean is, it may be best to also dip your toe into working as a general illustrator for any kind of company, or even a designer. From my experience, it's much easier to get work or a full-time job when you're a jack-of-all-trades so to speak. This doesn't mean you have to give up working on 3D, cos it seems like that's probably your biggest passion and you could specialise in it, but use your 3d skills alongside other skills i.e your drawing skills, design skills, even commercial illustration skills. You'd be surprised how many job descriptions ask for the sun and and moon, i.e. 'must have skills as a designer, illustration, the entire adobe creative suite, video-editing & 3d art' and it's usually the guy who can do all of these who gets the job (surprisingly)
I'm not saying that you should give up on your dream of being a 3D artist, it's actually a very sought-after skill currently and you could so get a full-time job at a game studio doing that if you continue to dedicate yourself to your craft and never give up. It's just that it could take the stress out of looking for work in the meantime if you have a little more of a range of skills to fall back on and to potentially earn more than just working in a supermarket if you got a slightly different art job temporarily - this could ultimately give you more freedom and time to work on your 3d art in your free time. Also, look at it this way, if you were an employer at a small to medium sized company looking for a 3d artist to work in a small team, are u gonna hire the guy/gal with just awesome 3d skills or the guy/gal with awesome skills as well as other useful art and design skills?
I wish you all the luck in the world, believe in yourself, don't take rejection to heart and never lose sight of your dreams!
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