What is the thing called where you are insane and are running your own company and not allowed to sleep and are responsible for everything and have to do all the things.
after this game is made I might quit making games buckle down on my port for easier gigs, though I doubt it when the creative bug strikes I am a slave to it
Studio, because I wanted to be able to separate work from home. I worked freelance for nearly a year before jumping back into a studio environment, simply because I just couldn't handle the fact that home became work and work became home. Also feel like I am much more productive in a dedicated work environment, team to work with in person, and allows a disconnect to get away from the stress. Especially in crunch, sure you spend more time at work than at home in this period, without a disconnect I would drive myself crazy.
I would consider going back indie/freelance, but would need to have a dedicated work environment, like a section of my house/apartment like a full blown office that I could escape from when spending time with the family. Admittedly, my bedroom was half office/half bedroom, makes freelancing harder IMO. Too many distractions for me.
I'm freelancing now because so far, all of my studio experience has been disapointing.
I am really enjoying freelancing so far, chances to work on very different project from contract to contract, you are not stock on a specific franchise for years. Constantly learning new process/engine keep you on your toes. Plus I eat/work whenever I want and nobody to look over my shoulder , pyjamas are great too...
Working at a studio, great for the benefits offered and the usual time for vacations.
Is also good, for similar reasons mentioned above. It provides me with a switch to turn off 3D once I leave the studio and not worry about the craft once I get home. For us artist the studio can be a great perk. Since many of us can sometimes be unsocial or socially awkward, so constantly collaborating and socializing with others is a skill of its own.
I work freelance, I am on the lookout for a dream studio gig though. I feel like I have the right to be picky since I enjoy freelance and I work full time hours if I want them or when I need the money. Otherwise I try to keep my workload down so I can spend all day with my daughter - I only work at night when everyone is asleep. I'm not in a hurry to mess that situation up hence the lack of need to move to a studio.
Eventually I will have to shift gears and take the opportunities given rather than being content waiting for the perfect thing, and I look forward to shifting to a studio environment, but for now freelance is perfect, although I do get jealous of the guys I know working on some of the big kick ass IPs.
Lots to be thankful for now, lots to look forward to.
I work at a studio, though I did freelance for a year between studio jobs. The number one thing I look for in a studio is the quality of the people I work with. I enjoy being part of a team and learning and growing along side others. Working with awesome people makes the job extra great! Though the flip-side can be true, terrible co-workers can make it hell.
And if I worked freelance again I wouldn't get anything done since I enjoy hanging out with my kids more. hahah!
I have always worked in a studio. Though freelance sounds awesome, I just can't imagine being home alone and not around a team environment. I love being part of a team and specifically a great group of character guys. Fortunately, while the games I have worked on were not AAA blockbusters, I have had the pleasure of working with amazing artists and fantastic friends which I am forever grateful. If that continues, I'm gonna stick with studios for the foreseeable future.
Freelancing now, after many years in studios. It's great being home, I get to see my kids a lot more! There's no commute, and I'm exercising more and eating better.
studio. Managing all the financial and legal aspects and sometimes dealing with difficult clients were things I didn't enjoy too much. And yes, it can get lonely. You also need to have a strong intrinsic motivation to get going at some days.
In the studio I have a team, where we can support each other, when we get stuck. Sharing of information and learning from each other is great. Also with the studio I'm more flexible to separate private and work life. The one thing I hate about studio work is that sometimes there can be a lot of red tape and micromanagement. But for me, currently, studio benefits outweigh the freelance ones.
My previous 2 experiences of working at companies have been horrible, missing one paycheck should have been my first warning, but I was too naive to know better. Went months with no pay, and was horribly underpaid for the work I did. Then there was the stressful work environment, unreasonable tasks and deadlines (especially for the manpower we had) and it resulted is some of the most sub-par art I've ever done. I have nothing to show for it, other than a few court dates and some decent connections with former employees.
I'm doing freelance now, and it pays better with a lot less stress. As I get more financially sound, maybe I can move to a place where artists are valued and companies are run by good people. I look forward to that day, but until then I am enjoying freelance very much.
Like Marie I haven't had a lot of good experiences working in studios, first job I did was about 2 years at a tiny studio (me and 2 other guys including the manager,) where the manager would swear like crazy at his PC every 5 minutes and take out his bad mood on the employees. After finishing there I started working remotely and later joined Mind Candy for about 2-3 weeks, before they shut the mobile team down and I was back to freelancing again.
After working from home for a while I got a short term freelance gig with a big studio, but in all honesty it was pretty hellish, deadlines were cray-cray and our manager was one who would constantly micro-manage, want to keep us in until about 11 at night and breathed down our necks a lot, constantly checking every couple of minutes if we were getting on with the work that had been assigned... joining in the build-up to E3 probably wasn't good timing
Anyway, freelance is good, gives you a lot of freedom to figure out the hours you want to work and no more commuting! Only downfall I see is lack of stability if you have a quiet month and the deafening silence you experience when you have no friends around you
Teaching currently, more 3D then games. Getting into a bit of freelance on the side though. I'm thinking about just going and freelancing full-time next year, and will probably do that til I can get a job overseas.
I miss being in a studio and working in a team with good people, but would have to agree with what others have said about bad experiences, miss-management and such.
I'm a graphic designer by trade, so I don't have any experience working in the 3d/gaming industry yet (save for a couple of odd freelance gigs).
That said, I've always found the environment in a studio, particularly one where you are surrounded by people who are objectively better than you at what they do, is invaluable as a learning experience. Personally, having a fire lit under my ass to force me to constantly improve my skills and learn new tools and techniques does wonders for me, however uncomfortable it can become at times.
Being able to disconnect at the end of the day and not worry about everything all the time is another blessing of working in a studio. That said, I always made more money freelancing.
I work in Studio, however I would recommend that everyone atleast try freelancing at some point in there career; It builds up alot of personal management skills that is a valuable thing to learn.
Although there are many a sucky studio experience out there and freelancing has many benefits, once you find a good studio environment that's right for you then it is a billion times better than freelancing. I freelanced for a good couple years and it was really nice but nowhere near as fun
Done Both, currently freelancing. The best part of Studios are the people- you meet a lot of passionate people that want to make games. The worst part of the Studios are the politics, bureaucracies, and cronyism- it can flatten your passion into a soul sucking melaise(Not to say this is every studio, just my xp at the couple I've worked at).
The best part of freelancing is that I am the master of my own schedule- I can take a nap when I want to, I can take my daughter to the park whenever, I have no one micro managing my time. The worst part is that the team environment is not as dynamic as it would be at a studio and you don't get that instant feedback you would get from turning to a team member.
I have a question for you longtime freelancers: I see that most freelance people say they have so much flexibility with their schedule. Yet from the few I know personally, they have to work twice as hard to earn as much as I do full time and they don't get paid any benefits. I'm guessing if you are a rockstar freelancer with a great reputation, you probably make crazy good money but it just seems that for most, you have to put in far more hours doing freelance to match the income and lifestyle you would get out of working a full time gig. Perhaps this is a just a misconception on my part and that most freelancers are more well off than the ones that I know. Plus it probably doesn't help that the guys I know live in California where cost of living is pretty damn expensive. Do most of you guys make just as much if not more working freelance over full time gigs?
Slosh That's strange, I have not been freelancing for long but so far, my schedule are waaay more flexible that at work. I rarely do any overtime (wich I was doing a lot on my studio position!) and I am not at all working twice as much to keep up with the lifestyle I had when working in studio.
Actually I have been making quite good money as a freelancer, more that I never did in my studio positions. Of course, I do pay a very good amount of taxes and I am always more carefull and I save up my money more now since you never know exaclty how long you could go without work but nah, it's pretty nicely paid in general, and I'm not a rockstar freelancer with a great reputation haha!
Of course I don't have health assurance like I did in a studio, but in quebec it is still pretty cheap. My boyfriend (wich is working in a studio) just requested a family health assurance instead of an individual so here you go, not an issue anymore and not more expensive than when I was in a studio either.
not a rockstar...more a roadie....I live in a dirt cheap town in Ohio..my rent for a 3 bedroom House with a garage, separate office(it's more a mudroom, but I use it for my office), full basement..is 720$..the overall cost of living here is insanely cheap...plus my wife works...we don't live like kings, but we're comfortable.. I make a bit less than I did at my last Studio, but it all evens out
Slosh that is where the 230 dollar/day rate comes from. 230 a day is what you would have to charge, 5 days a week 52 weeks a year to make 60k a year.
First, nobody wants to work 5 days a week 52 weeks year, so right there we are already charging less than a salaried employee.
Second, no benefits. This can be a big one for families/people with only 1 working adult. Health insurance alone is a thousand or two a month, especially if you have children and a spouse. So right there that is another gap in pay - this doesn't mention 401k or any of that.
A lot of freelancers charge more than 230, and in many cases a lot more. Most don't though, 200-250/day is a pretty standard rate.
However for households who already have a working parent, freelance adds that flexibility that people mention.
I charge roughly 230/day, but I never work 5 days a week. My wife has a fairly good job, and I can essentially doubly our income by working part time. We don't have to worry about healthcare because of her job, and we save a ton of money not having to pay for child care because I'm home with our child, so you could essentially tack on an extra 800-1000/month on what I make.
There are other benefits as well, but it is a definite balance.
Like I was kind of saying at the beginning, you probably won't make what you make in a studio. But with only part time work you can really add quite a bit to overall home income, and add a great deal of flexibility. So it's not perfect for everyone, but for people looking for flexibility (the young or the married or those with kids) it can make a whole lot of sense.
Slosh that is where the 230 dollar/day rate comes from. 230 a day is what you would have to charge, 5 days a week 52 weeks a year to make 60k a year.
First, nobody wants to work 5 days a week 52 weeks year, so right there we are already charging less than a salaried employee.
I was not making even close to 60k/year as a salaried employee. at 60k/year (of course no one works everyday for a year) I would actually be making oh so much more than my studio job.
A thousand or two for healtcare?? Our family healtcare here cost us 180$/month!
I work at a game studio mainly because that was always my goal, and because I'm too afraid to rely only on freelance income. When I did freelance a lot, I did it on top of a full-time salary in Film VFX.
@ysalex That rate seems really low for someone of your skill level.
In terms of flexibility, I can say a lot of the time when I was a working at a studio was wasted on commuting each week without being on the clock.
1 to 1.5hrs of commuting a day can equal almost a full day of work each week.
This extra time really pays off with freelancing.
Benefitting both the project completion timeframe and being rewarded with extra $ each week.
It can also allow for an extra day off each week resulting in a extended weekend. Time that I enjoy spending with family & friends
@ysalex That rate seems really low for someone of your skill level.
Not to turn this into a thread about giving Ysalex financial advice, but I would be inclined to agree as well. I'd say you'd be able to quote another $100 on top of your current rate, at the very least. Some freelancers here in London are paid £300-400 a day (around $600-700.) Granted they may only have a few days of work for a company and move on, but still, daym!
would like to know which london studios are paying 300-400 a day Torch, I mainly got around 200 per day.
I guess It's since I am classed as a modeller, even though I am primarily a texture artist
Have any of you freelancers considered subleasing an office space? I did that through a friend of mine that owns an agency and it was awesome. It was close enough to my house, but still allowed separation between home and work. It was also nice having other people around, even if they weren't working on the same stuff. Granted, I was pretty lucky and landed in an ideal situation, but shared work spaces are becoming more popular and may be worth looking into for anyone that doesn't like the isolation of freelance work. Naturally, you'd need to figure the office expense into your rates, but it also helped with taxes at the end of the year.
Mike - I should've said more 200-300, 400 was a bit of an exaggeration XD it was more a few days of work than say a permanent freelance gig, but had a friend that was paid a pretty high rate similar to that working in Vfx, one of the film houses in Soho I believe.
yeah I have heard of some people getting at least 250, but the funniest thing I overheard was when someone from an adjoining office was discussing hiring a producer and quoted around 800 per day. I am in the wrong job:)
I can't speak for everyone, but while my schedule is flexible - meaning I can go out for a walk or whatever - I basically feel like I'm working 24/7. Sure I can take a nap during the day, but that means that work didn't get done and I'm going to be up all night.
It could just be the people I speak with, but the freelancers I know are basically vampires.
Have any of you freelancers considered subleasing an office space? I did that through a friend of mine that owns an agency and it was awesome. It was close enough to my house, but still allowed separation between home and work. It was also nice having other people around, even if they weren't working on the same stuff. Granted, I was pretty lucky and landed in an ideal situation, but shared work spaces are becoming more popular and may be worth looking into for anyone that doesn't like the isolation of freelance work. Naturally, you'd need to figure the office expense into your rates, but it also helped with taxes at the end of the year.
I've always like this idea. And if I was ever rich I think it would be great to own an office space dedicated to freelance artist, animators, illustrators, etc. Being around those with similar creative interest really magnifies everything. At my studio I'm one of two 3d artist. But I'm surrounded by illustrators, animators, and show creators and it really gives me a creative boost.
I can't speak for everyone, but while my schedule is flexible - meaning I can go out for a walk or whatever - I basically feel like I'm working 24/7. Sure I can take a nap during the day, but that means that work didn't get done and I'm going to be up all night.
It could just be the people I speak with, but the freelancers I know are basically vampires.
Oh really?
I try to have the exact same schedule that I would have in a studio.
I start working around 9h and finish around 5 or 6 depending if I took break or time to eat etc. When my boyfriend gets back from work I am officially off duty too and I will not work/think of work at night or anything.
I keep the work hour for work and the rest is my own personnal time, I want this to be a very clear difference in my head.
Lot's of people are saying they feel like they are always at work freelancing, by keeping it that way I don't have that issue
I keep the work hour for work and the rest is my own personnal time, I want this to be a very clear difference in my head.
^^ +1 this
I follow this basic rule with my freelance as well.
I enjoy freelance but would like to experience the studio culture and meet more people...than later go back to freelance .
I freelanced prior to landing a studio job. It wasn't that lucrative for me being newer to the industry and not having a large client base. I found it very stressful not knowing when or how much income the next job will be. I also felt like I was working 24/7 even if I had zero work to do. I was glued to my email or skype waiting for that next project to come in. Always on call to bid on a project and get started, and I really disliked that. Working by myself was also a negative. Being newer to the industry at the time I felt working by myself was a slower growing and learning process. It was nice to be able to put my skills to use have some income from freelance and it was good professional experience even if it was only here and there with gigs.
I'm much happier at my studio job right now. Consistent paycheck, benefits, great people. When I'm a more established 3D professional and my network has grown only then would I feel more comfortable with full-time freelancing. However that is not my goal.
i freelance because i don't live near many studios, and i'm not willing to move across the country for a job and give up my current friends and personal life. that is worth a lot more to me than any job.
i freelance because i don't live near many studios, and i'm not willing to move across the country for a job and give up my current friends and personal life. that is worth a lot more to me than any job.
this this this this !!
Also people that say that you cant work at home, find a coworking space, its the same as beeing in a studio except you dont deal with BS.
I work at a studio and do freelance. I also teach technical art at SMU's Guilldhall. I don't really feel like a workaholic, but I guess I might be. My work is my hobby.
Since I do freelance on the side, and not because I need the money, I typically require a higher rate to accept a job. I'll give a quote between $80-120 an hour depending on complexity of the project. I'm a Technical Animator/Artist so I'm usually given technical problems to solve or custom tools for other artists. I don't get many animation contracts, but I never look for work it's been coming to me lately. I've also done consulting jobs where I go train professional animators how to rig or how to use 3ds Max. I'll charge between $600-$1200 per day for that depending on number of trainees and the fact that I have to use personal vacation days to give training.
I hope these numbers don't come off as boasting. I'm just giving honest rates. I've worked hard the last ~15 years building contacts and reputation. And after 8 years of teaching I have former students turned professionals all over the world recommending me for Technical Art jobs.
I work at a studio and do freelance. I also teach technical art at SMU's Guilldhall. I don't really feel like a workaholic, but I guess I might be. My work is my hobby.
Since I do freelance on the side, and not because I need the money, I typically require a higher rate to accept a job. I'll give a quote between $80-120 an hour depending on complexity of the project. I'm a Technical Animator/Artist so I'm usually given technical problems to solve or custom tools for other artists. I don't get many animation contracts, but I never look for work it's been coming to me lately. I've also done consulting jobs where I go train professional animators how to rig or how to use 3ds Max. I'll charge between $600-$1200 per day for that depending on number of trainees and the fact that I have to use personal vacation days to give training.
I hope these numbers don't come off as boasting. I'm just giving honest rates. I've worked hard the last ~15 years building contacts and reputation. And after 8 years of teaching I have former students turned professionals all over the world recommending me for Technical Art jobs.
Naa doesn't come off as boasting at all. Very interesting to see, and not surprising really for highly technical tasks. I've seen some rates for freelance engineers that would make your average artist's day rate look like minimum wage. :poly142:
I might be able to charge more, I honestly don't know. The truth is that I've had the same couple clients since I've started freelancing.
I enjoy my clients. I have never been payed late and I've never had to ask to be payed, my input is appreciated, I get design leeway to make changes that I think make the characters look better, and they are nice dudes that I work for in general, like as people, and most importantly they are flexible, so I rarely ever get rush requests and when I do they are reasonable.
I've heard a lot of scary/ sad client stories, it almost seems worth being payed less to work for cool people.
Well see, at least one of these is wrapping up in the next few months, I might be open to a more fast paced and demanding project and I would quote more for it, but could be fun.
@marie - yeah, flaunt your socialized health care. We pay quite a lot down here in the states and the number they gave us for a family per month with employer contribution was shocking. But we pay it because emergencies and bad health in the states can bankrupt you if you're not covered. I believe when you factor in employer contribution that my wife, my daughter and I pay more in healthcare a month than we do in rent. Damn, almost hurts typing that out. Canada should let us in as healthcare refugees.
I freelance for our own studio. Why? because i love working in teams and a creative environment. I couldn't find a place i like so i tried to form a great workenvironment myself. Also i don't work for YEARS on the same project, see it redesigned all the time and possibly die at birth. We have much quicker turn arounds projects barely ever last longer than 6 months fulltime by the time we are booked. And i love to see new stuff. Freelancing allowed me to work on dozens of games, instad of just a few in the same time.
There is still tons of work left to get the best working condition for artists but we work our asses off to get the cool projects for the right people.
...pay more in healthcare a month than we do in rent. Damn, almost hurts typing that out.
Insane! :O
With those bills, would it make sense to just save those money up, instead of paying for the insurance?
Surely, the insurance company only survives because they are getting more money in than they are paying out.
Oh, btw, I freelance atm as well. Had a studio job until 2 months ago, and have a studio interview again tomorrow. I do actually prefer the studio jobs, which seems to be the rare case, in this thread
I'm going to edit what was a fairly long comment since talking about healthcare is pretty off the original topic, sorry about that.
All I'll say is that healthcare bills are the number one reason for bankruptcy in the United States, so no, you basically would be insane not to have insurance even at high cost. Emergency only insurance or cut rate insurance simply won't cut it, and you would still be at huge risk for massive financial difficulty/devastation.
Replies
after this game is made I might quit making games buckle down on my port for easier gigs, though I doubt it when the creative bug strikes I am a slave to it
I would consider going back indie/freelance, but would need to have a dedicated work environment, like a section of my house/apartment like a full blown office that I could escape from when spending time with the family. Admittedly, my bedroom was half office/half bedroom, makes freelancing harder IMO. Too many distractions for me.
I am really enjoying freelancing so far, chances to work on very different project from contract to contract, you are not stock on a specific franchise for years. Constantly learning new process/engine keep you on your toes. Plus I eat/work whenever I want and nobody to look over my shoulder
Is also good, for similar reasons mentioned above. It provides me with a switch to turn off 3D once I leave the studio and not worry about the craft once I get home. For us artist the studio can be a great perk. Since many of us can sometimes be unsocial or socially awkward, so constantly collaborating and socializing with others is a skill of its own.
Eventually I will have to shift gears and take the opportunities given rather than being content waiting for the perfect thing, and I look forward to shifting to a studio environment, but for now freelance is perfect, although I do get jealous of the guys I know working on some of the big kick ass IPs.
Lots to be thankful for now, lots to look forward to.
And if I worked freelance again I wouldn't get anything done since I enjoy hanging out with my kids more. hahah!
In the studio I have a team, where we can support each other, when we get stuck. Sharing of information and learning from each other is great. Also with the studio I'm more flexible to separate private and work life. The one thing I hate about studio work is that sometimes there can be a lot of red tape and micromanagement. But for me, currently, studio benefits outweigh the freelance ones.
[Serious answer:: More $$$ +keeping better hours]
I'm doing freelance now, and it pays better with a lot less stress. As I get more financially sound, maybe I can move to a place where artists are valued and companies are run by good people. I look forward to that day, but until then I am enjoying freelance very much.
I'd like to start from working in studio so I can gain more experience first, though.
After working from home for a while I got a short term freelance gig with a big studio, but in all honesty it was pretty hellish, deadlines were cray-cray and our manager was one who would constantly micro-manage, want to keep us in until about 11 at night and breathed down our necks a lot, constantly checking every couple of minutes if we were getting on with the work that had been assigned... joining in the build-up to E3 probably wasn't good timing
Anyway, freelance is good, gives you a lot of freedom to figure out the hours you want to work and no more commuting! Only downfall I see is lack of stability if you have a quiet month and the deafening silence you experience when you have no friends around you
I miss being in a studio and working in a team with good people, but would have to agree with what others have said about bad experiences, miss-management and such.
That said, I've always found the environment in a studio, particularly one where you are surrounded by people who are objectively better than you at what they do, is invaluable as a learning experience. Personally, having a fire lit under my ass to force me to constantly improve my skills and learn new tools and techniques does wonders for me, however uncomfortable it can become at times.
Being able to disconnect at the end of the day and not worry about everything all the time is another blessing of working in a studio. That said, I always made more money freelancing.
Although there are many a sucky studio experience out there and freelancing has many benefits, once you find a good studio environment that's right for you then it is a billion times better than freelancing. I freelanced for a good couple years and it was really nice but nowhere near as fun
The best part of freelancing is that I am the master of my own schedule- I can take a nap when I want to, I can take my daughter to the park whenever, I have no one micro managing my time. The worst part is that the team environment is not as dynamic as it would be at a studio and you don't get that instant feedback you would get from turning to a team member.
Actually I have been making quite good money as a freelancer, more that I never did in my studio positions. Of course, I do pay a very good amount of taxes and I am always more carefull and I save up my money more now since you never know exaclty how long you could go without work but nah, it's pretty nicely paid in general, and I'm not a rockstar freelancer with a great reputation haha!
Of course I don't have health assurance like I did in a studio, but in quebec it is still pretty cheap. My boyfriend (wich is working in a studio) just requested a family health assurance instead of an individual so here you go, not an issue anymore and not more expensive than when I was in a studio either.
First, nobody wants to work 5 days a week 52 weeks year, so right there we are already charging less than a salaried employee.
Second, no benefits. This can be a big one for families/people with only 1 working adult. Health insurance alone is a thousand or two a month, especially if you have children and a spouse. So right there that is another gap in pay - this doesn't mention 401k or any of that.
A lot of freelancers charge more than 230, and in many cases a lot more. Most don't though, 200-250/day is a pretty standard rate.
However for households who already have a working parent, freelance adds that flexibility that people mention.
I charge roughly 230/day, but I never work 5 days a week. My wife has a fairly good job, and I can essentially doubly our income by working part time. We don't have to worry about healthcare because of her job, and we save a ton of money not having to pay for child care because I'm home with our child, so you could essentially tack on an extra 800-1000/month on what I make.
There are other benefits as well, but it is a definite balance.
Like I was kind of saying at the beginning, you probably won't make what you make in a studio. But with only part time work you can really add quite a bit to overall home income, and add a great deal of flexibility. So it's not perfect for everyone, but for people looking for flexibility (the young or the married or those with kids) it can make a whole lot of sense.
I was not making even close to 60k/year as a salaried employee. at 60k/year (of course no one works everyday for a year) I would actually be making oh so much more than my studio job.
A thousand or two for healtcare?? Our family healtcare here cost us 180$/month!
@ysalex That rate seems really low for someone of your skill level.
1 to 1.5hrs of commuting a day can equal almost a full day of work each week.
This extra time really pays off with freelancing.
Benefitting both the project completion timeframe and being rewarded with extra $ each week.
It can also allow for an extra day off each week resulting in a extended weekend. Time that I enjoy spending with family & friends
Not to turn this into a thread about giving Ysalex financial advice, but I would be inclined to agree as well. I'd say you'd be able to quote another $100 on top of your current rate, at the very least. Some freelancers here in London are paid £300-400 a day (around $600-700.) Granted they may only have a few days of work for a company and move on, but still, daym!
I guess It's since I am classed as a modeller, even though I am primarily a texture artist
It could just be the people I speak with, but the freelancers I know are basically vampires.
I've always like this idea. And if I was ever rich I think it would be great to own an office space dedicated to freelance artist, animators, illustrators, etc. Being around those with similar creative interest really magnifies everything. At my studio I'm one of two 3d artist. But I'm surrounded by illustrators, animators, and show creators and it really gives me a creative boost.
Oh really?
I try to have the exact same schedule that I would have in a studio.
I start working around 9h and finish around 5 or 6 depending if I took break or time to eat etc. When my boyfriend gets back from work I am officially off duty too and I will not work/think of work at night or anything.
I keep the work hour for work and the rest is my own personnal time, I want this to be a very clear difference in my head.
Lot's of people are saying they feel like they are always at work freelancing, by keeping it that way I don't have that issue
^^ +1 this
I follow this basic rule with my freelance as well.
I enjoy freelance but would like to experience the studio culture and meet more people...than later go back to freelance
I'm much happier at my studio job right now. Consistent paycheck, benefits, great people. When I'm a more established 3D professional and my network has grown only then would I feel more comfortable with full-time freelancing. However that is not my goal.
this this this this !!
Also people that say that you cant work at home, find a coworking space, its the same as beeing in a studio except you dont deal with BS.
Since I do freelance on the side, and not because I need the money, I typically require a higher rate to accept a job. I'll give a quote between $80-120 an hour depending on complexity of the project. I'm a Technical Animator/Artist so I'm usually given technical problems to solve or custom tools for other artists. I don't get many animation contracts, but I never look for work it's been coming to me lately. I've also done consulting jobs where I go train professional animators how to rig or how to use 3ds Max. I'll charge between $600-$1200 per day for that depending on number of trainees and the fact that I have to use personal vacation days to give training.
I hope these numbers don't come off as boasting. I'm just giving honest rates. I've worked hard the last ~15 years building contacts and reputation. And after 8 years of teaching I have former students turned professionals all over the world recommending me for Technical Art jobs.
Naa doesn't come off as boasting at all. Very interesting to see, and not surprising really for highly technical tasks. I've seen some rates for freelance engineers that would make your average artist's day rate look like minimum wage. :poly142:
I enjoy my clients. I have never been payed late and I've never had to ask to be payed, my input is appreciated, I get design leeway to make changes that I think make the characters look better, and they are nice dudes that I work for in general, like as people, and most importantly they are flexible, so I rarely ever get rush requests and when I do they are reasonable.
I've heard a lot of scary/ sad client stories, it almost seems worth being payed less to work for cool people.
Well see, at least one of these is wrapping up in the next few months, I might be open to a more fast paced and demanding project and I would quote more for it, but could be fun.
@marie - yeah, flaunt your socialized health care. We pay quite a lot down here in the states and the number they gave us for a family per month with employer contribution was shocking. But we pay it because emergencies and bad health in the states can bankrupt you if you're not covered. I believe when you factor in employer contribution that my wife, my daughter and I pay more in healthcare a month than we do in rent. Damn, almost hurts typing that out. Canada should let us in as healthcare refugees.
There is still tons of work left to get the best working condition for artists but we work our asses off to get the cool projects for the right people.
Insane! :O
With those bills, would it make sense to just save those money up, instead of paying for the insurance?
Surely, the insurance company only survives because they are getting more money in than they are paying out.
Oh, btw, I freelance atm as well. Had a studio job until 2 months ago, and have a studio interview again tomorrow. I do actually prefer the studio jobs, which seems to be the rare case, in this thread
All I'll say is that healthcare bills are the number one reason for bankruptcy in the United States, so no, you basically would be insane not to have insurance even at high cost. Emergency only insurance or cut rate insurance simply won't cut it, and you would still be at huge risk for massive financial difficulty/devastation.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100840148
Thanks for elaborating, and sorry for derailing the thread!