Can someone working full time, 9 hours a day, really make it?
Hi.
This question keeps coming and going every time I stop and think about my future.
I deeply want to work in the industry, I always loved art and games. However, I took way too long to figure out this is what I wanted to do, and now I have to work and do my best with my 2 hours available each day.
But really, when I read people saying there were able to just chill out at their parents for 1 or 2 years, just studying, like 7 hours a day I think it will be impossible for me to become good at this.
Does anyone know about people who saved enough, quit their jobs, went full time studying and succeeded?
Or someone in my situation, having to work the whole day, being left with just a couple of hours to practice, and succeeded as well?
Or the only people who make it are the ones that live with their parents, go to art schools and have tons of free time to study?
Damn, I'm so lost.
This question keeps coming and going every time I stop and think about my future.
I deeply want to work in the industry, I always loved art and games. However, I took way too long to figure out this is what I wanted to do, and now I have to work and do my best with my 2 hours available each day.
But really, when I read people saying there were able to just chill out at their parents for 1 or 2 years, just studying, like 7 hours a day I think it will be impossible for me to become good at this.
Does anyone know about people who saved enough, quit their jobs, went full time studying and succeeded?
Or someone in my situation, having to work the whole day, being left with just a couple of hours to practice, and succeeded as well?
Or the only people who make it are the ones that live with their parents, go to art schools and have tons of free time to study?
Damn, I'm so lost.
Replies
If you think you dont have the time, you`re wrong. What worked for me was taking online classes. Plenty of sites offer online classes taught by industry professionals. You`ll get your weekly assignment, live reviews and lectures. You`ll learn a LOT, and because you`re paying to take the class, you`ll be more inclined to actually focus once you get home from a long day at work, rather than flopping down on the couch and being too "busy" to work on your art.
Honestly, you dont even need 6 hours a day like derek said. Ya, the more time you put in, the faster you`ll get better and the quicker you`ll get a job. But, even just an hour or two a day, with more on the weekends, you can build your skills. You just have to actually focus for the time spent. Dont half ass it and surf the net. Pick a time and make it work only.
Also, it depends on where you set your sights for how long it will take to break in. If you`re aiming for your first job to be in a AAA studio, you`ll need to spend more time to get to their level. But you can break in quicker if you find an indie studio that doesnt require top of the line stuff just because their budget cant handle it. There's no shame in starting in a smaller studio and building your way up.
It really comes down to how much you want it, and what you`re willing to do to get it.
My thoughts... most people have way more time that they waste than they realize. Really be honest with yourself and evaluate how you spend your time. I've worked fulltime 40 hr jobs plus 20-25 hours of freelance per week and STILL found time to have a social life, play games, and work on my portfolio. Obviously things are different if you have kids or something, but this is a really competitive industry. Bottom line, you have to work your ass off, and probably lose a little sleep from time to time if you really want to make it.
Once you reach a certain level all that dedication will really start to pay off. That said, even 2 hours a day on top of your regular job, plus more time on weekends I would assume, is a lot better than nothing. I don't know about you though, but if I get moving on a personal piece or I'm learning something new I'll be so excited I can end up staying up all night without even realizing it. You really do need a high level of passion and commitment.
Wow it is awesome that you could handle 6 hours after your daily job.
I wake up veery early and get back home by 8. So I guess I could stretch to 3 hours and a bit.
But you were already freelancing at the time right? I have the feeling that having to break that first barrier, taking those first steps to actually have some presentable work, is way harder than maintaining/improving a current set of already decent skills.
@slipsius I'm not aiming high for now, not at all. It would be awesome just to get paid for doing what I love, and that would motive me even more to push it further.
@shinku I will definitely try to keep better track of my time and see where I can improve.
And I guess in the end no one really quit their jobs just to study right?
I think quitting your job to just study is something that should be considered carefully. For example, how much money will you spend during your study time. How much money are you losing out by not having a job and investing that money in a retirement account.
A lot of people seem happy to lose out on making money when they're young, but that's really when saving up money and investing it has the biggest impact.
Derek's schedule looks very brutal to me but if you don't have a social life or don't want one, go for it. Also, sleep less and use the weekends. You can get by on 6 hours of sleep easy with a little coffee.
Everyone here is right, you can do it. Here's the key part-stop thinking so much and getting so down and take that first step. It's amazing what momentum can do.
EDIT: Oh yea, the home thing. I was in the middle of Indiana where there were NO JOBS (in anything) in 2009 so...it was part no options. I did freelance for a little while though and made a grand total of 1,000 dollars. I graduated with no intention of floundering at home for a year.
I started teaching myself back in 1998, when I was working as a glass cutter. I worked 12hr days, after which I'd come home and spend 3-4hrs doing artwork, reading art books and conversing with other artists. I'd make weapon models for CounterStrike, learning how to rig, animate and compile meshes. It grew from there, until I was confident enough to send out resumes and portfolios.
Was it hard? Absolutely. I didn't have much of a social life - I spent the majority of my time on the PC, learning. But if it's something you love, if it's your dream, is that not worth the most intense struggle possible?
I left the game industry for nearly 4yrs, back in 2005. That was around the time all of the "modern" techniques started exploding (normal maps, etc). I was doing scripting for slot machine games, not really doing any artwork at all. I fell way behind and I still suffer from that today.
It's not easy to make it in this industry anymore. You have to work hard, all the time - especially as an artist. Constantly evolving tools, techniques and engines. You have to stay sharp and on point or you'll get dull over the years. Put in the effort and you will succeed.
then no. Book time off work and savor the weekends.
if not, then even 9hrs a day, with 2 hrs commute, you can probably squeeze in an hour every other day. But do look into taking time off when you can, and get into a habit.
The hardest part is motivation - if you have a habit to at least work for an hour a day or half an hour day, you will find it easier to get started when its 8pm and you're exhausted, and you have that night shift in two days. It will feel slow, but stick with it. I've found that keeping a regular habit means that while you might not get much done during the week, you get into it much quicker at the weekend and whatever you are working on is fresh in your mind.
Stay strong and work hard buddy!
Never before or after work, I cannot handle such long days. At the end I just produce crap. Remember it is about quality, not quantity.
Now I just try to enjoy my weekends and enjoy that little bit of life each of us gets to experience. Unless work has a mega emergency. Then I am willing to do some work in the weekend to help out. of course, but it should not be regular thing.
When I try to analyse myself to see what I'm doing wrong, at a glance the first thing I noticed is that I spend sooo much effort collecting resources, images, references, books, but I can probably count on my hand how many of them I've used so far. Also, regarding guides and online tutorials, I mostly watch them, so I think I'm having a hard time getting the real practice done.
Not sure why, maybe it's lack of discipline or sometimes I'm mentally tired. I'll have to find a way to overcome that.
If anyone has some inspiring ideas about that matter, would be great too!
Not portfolio, YET. Just a bunch of random unfinished stuff unfortunately
I'm 23, birthday last week by the way.
"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires."
-Nelson Mandela
"All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get."
- Confucius
"It doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down but how many times you get up."
-Vince Lombardi
It doesn't matter when you start or how fast you go, just know that you won't get anywhere until you get off your ass and start moving. You need to stop asking if you can make it work and start making it happen.
In the long run, having your last few hours at a job you don't want drag is better than trying to learn and improve your art with a tired brain.
I agree about quality over quantity. One thing I regret about the way I tried to get into the games industry (never say never) is that I thought that being more ambitious would equal better work.
It's great being ambitious with large scale personal projects, but everything will still need to be high quality within that.
1 - 2 hours a night focusing on something particular - Characters - jaw muscles, Env. - Brick types / Metal surfaces, will focus you.
I spent a good part of 3 years unemployed trying to break into the art side of games - made games in Unity to try and show my knowledge - as a result I was getting programming job offers right, left and centre. Now I program, which I find easier now than making art.
Join either of the monthly challenges here, and do it for 6 months :P
What I always think about when I feel like there is no way I can make it. I play that video pretty regularly (once a month or so) in the background and just listen to it. Someone who is going to make it in this industry and really just kill it, needs to feel that way. Its cut throat, it absolutely is. I work full time with overtime right now, 6 days a week, but I find at least an hour+ a night and sacrifice sleep and read at breaks/lunch/downtime to dedicate to reading up on articles about art and programming. Pushing my skill set. I absolutely see this time studying adding up. While in High school I played sports before and after school and could barely walk up the stairs to my room 'cus I was so tired after the long days, but would spend 2-3hrs a night pouring over polycount, tutorials, magazines, books, etc. Now working in the industry without a degree, still pouring over content every night, pushing to get better.
You absolutely can do it. Working 9 hrs a day? Absolutely. If you want it, go get it. Doesn't sound like you are in a rush. Take your time and do it right and seriously take advantage of polycount and please do not shy away from critique and help. The one thing a lot of newcomers struggle with, they freak out when other artists rip their work apart in a constructive way.
i also gave up sleeping for a long time...so that's a thing. If you enjoy making art you should make it every chance you get. If you would rather have a portfolio than a social life you'll surely make it into the industry eventually.
If you don't enjoy doing it enough for that to sound appealing to you maybe you should consider a different line of work.
not that you have to be completely dedicated 24 hours a day to function in the game industry - but the job market being what it is you might need to bury yourself into it pretty deep to get that initial break-in opportunity.
i still only sleep about 4-5 hours a night. then again i've never been much of a sleeper.
Man that's crazy... Makes me feel like I'm not dedicated enough. I work on learning stuff for about 4-7 hours a day I think, everyday. As much as I possibly can until my body aches from sitting at a desk all day.
But I still sleep like a bear until 1PM on days off. One of my challenges is to stay motivated and stay fresh, and I'm learning quickly more about scaling back projects in lue of learning new things.
Way I see it, learn something everyday, and it stuff sticks then you've made a step forward.
Post your work so people can see what level you're at in the Pimping and Previews section, follow people's crits and improve as much as you can, if you're serious about this then drop playing games and any other distractions, make this top priority. Looking forward to seeing your work, good luck!