Motivation and Daily Practice
polycounter lvl 9
Good day Polycounters.
Motivation and practice goes a long way. Though, discipline is another story on its own.
In a situation like mine, I really want to build my portfolio but don't see the end of the tunnel. Slowly but surely I don't see it's worth the time and effort to invest in making digital art since there is absolutely no demand for it where I am (South Africa, Bloemfontein).
It's great to see other people making art and I get inspired to make stuff but I gradually return to the same low state of mind as I am now.
I believe in working my ass off for something but I don't believe in wasting my time where it can be invested somewhere else that's more "profitable" but less rewarding.
How do you keep your motivation up? And how on earth do you practice art every single other day?
Thank you for your time. Have an excellent day further!
TL:DR - Motivation super low; Want to invest time in art; See effort as waste of time (country has no demand); How do you practice art daily and stay motivated?
Motivation and practice goes a long way. Though, discipline is another story on its own.
In a situation like mine, I really want to build my portfolio but don't see the end of the tunnel. Slowly but surely I don't see it's worth the time and effort to invest in making digital art since there is absolutely no demand for it where I am (South Africa, Bloemfontein).
It's great to see other people making art and I get inspired to make stuff but I gradually return to the same low state of mind as I am now.
I believe in working my ass off for something but I don't believe in wasting my time where it can be invested somewhere else that's more "profitable" but less rewarding.
How do you keep your motivation up? And how on earth do you practice art every single other day?
Thank you for your time. Have an excellent day further!
TL:DR - Motivation super low; Want to invest time in art; See effort as waste of time (country has no demand); How do you practice art daily and stay motivated?
Replies
I think you should try to focus on art as something you enjoy doing, then start worrying about if it's profitable or not. If you're worried about making money, you should find a job in your area that helps pay the bills and do art on the side. There are plenty of people who are "hobbyist" artists that still have a large following and work day jobs.
As for motivation, it depends on the person. But, Dustin Brown has this attached to his site and I'll never stop sharing it when these threads get posted on here. It's just a bunch of great information around the internet regarding motivation.
https://www.dustinbrown.com/blog
Personally, I feel that if you get into a personal project and start creating for the fun of it. It won't turn into motivation, but instead trying to find time to work on your craft.
Good luck!
What you're struggling with is a really common issue, so don't feel alone. It takes time to build up productive habits and self-discipline, but once they're there, it gets a lot easier. @Joebewon has some really good points- I agree that it's really important to focus on art as something that you enjoy to do. Having fun while creating is key to having a long-term enjoyable relationship with your work.
Even though there might not be much demand where you are, there are a *lot* of remote freelance opportunities for 3D artists online. There will continue to be demand as the industry continues to grow! Don't fixate on it too much, but you can look at freelance postings over on the Jobs section and look at what people usually need, and kinda lean your portfolio content towards that. Again- don't fixate on that too much. It's more important to make stuff that you enjoy. If you get really good at the stuff you love, you *will* be able to find work.
As for right now, start small. I personally don't like timing myself (it feels really forced) so I don't recommend to everyone to aim for a certain amount of time every day unless they find it works for them. I prefer to try to complete a task. Start with doing a tiny prop or a part of a small scene every day or so. Work in the style you like the most. Find concept art that fascinates you and build a visual library of it!