Will I be able to continue developing my 3d skillset and having a job non-related to this field?
polycounter lvl 5
Hello,
This is bugging me for a quite some time. I am about to start working for local company as a tiler but my background is artistic.
But, since art is not paying bills and i'm still working on my 3d skillsets (+ time is the enemy), I wanted to ask is there more people that are working some other jobs non related to this field but still doing 3d art (or learning) after full time work ?
My goal is to continue working and developing my 3d skillsets but i'm aksing myself would it be possible after 8 or 9 hours of labour ? That's why i'm asking is there any people that are in the same or similar situations?
This is bugging me for a quite some time. I am about to start working for local company as a tiler but my background is artistic.
But, since art is not paying bills and i'm still working on my 3d skillsets (+ time is the enemy), I wanted to ask is there more people that are working some other jobs non related to this field but still doing 3d art (or learning) after full time work ?
My goal is to continue working and developing my 3d skillsets but i'm aksing myself would it be possible after 8 or 9 hours of labour ? That's why i'm asking is there any people that are in the same or similar situations?
Replies
I believe that, if I put enough hard work into my 3D skillsets then someday I will manage to land my first job in this industry. So I think that It's also possible for you, just work hard and be patient
For me personally, I found that I loved 3D modeling and wanted to pursue it as a future career possibility but, at the time, worked in a fast-paced veterinary career that left me drained and exhausted every time I got off and came home and I just never had the drive or energy to commit to my 3D stuff. I'm also in my 30's and don't have the energy I once did. I knew that if I wanted to get serious about my future as a 3D artist, I had to make some major changes in my life and take some major risks, which lead to me retiring from that field to focus on becoming a full-time self-taught artist. I couldn't have gotten where I am today skill-wise if I hadn't take this route.
That said, there are plenty of people who manage to work full-time jobs and still have the time/energy to come home and commit themselves towards this long process of learning 3D art. I both envy and hate those people, with a side of teenage drama queen-esque jealousy. In the end, you know yourself better than anyone else. Most people gotta make a living somehow while they work towards other goals. I'd say try the new job, but make sure you stay committed to the things you really want on the side, and just see how it goes for a while.
Also, you can't see it, but I'm sprinkling a hearty dose of some good old fashioned "good luck" powder on you.
it sucks but you can do it. if it matters to you enough you'll just find the time when and where you can. usually by cutting out less important things. like playing games, going out and maybe a little sleep.
1) You can pay people to teach you. A good mentor is worth at least 2 years of self taught practice. Cgtarian, CGMA, Cgsociety all offer great workshops
2) You can buy tools and plugins that speed up your workflow, cut out the tedious technical stuff.
3) You can focus your off hours purely on growth instead of bad clients and nonstop portfolio work. Make smaller exercises to focus on a fundamental or technique you want to master. It's ok to only have a new portfolio piece once a year
It's possible, I think! I hope!
I'm currently working fulltime at a warehouse job (hoping to jump to an IT position soon for more financial breathing room), when I'm not at work, I'm probably working on 3D Animation. My shifts are ten hours a day, four days a week. I've had to make a lot of sacrifices such as not hanging out with friends, staying away from relationships, cut going to the gym, and not playing as much games. I get a little 3d animation done on work days, but those three days that I'm off I have to hit the grindstone pretty hard. But I see progress in my work and Im guessing as long as I keep having "ah-ha!" moments I will be able to break into the industry eventually. I'm not going to lie though, you learn at a much slower pace and you risk getting burnt out if you don't take time for yourself. Make a schedule and stick to it, set goals, push yourself with every project, and value your free time (there wont be much of it)
But I think it comes down to what you can handle personally. I push myself hard because I want to make video games for a living and I do not want to hate my job for the rest of my life like everyone else in my family. There are easier careers to break into that pay more money so this just has to be something you want to do.
I don't know if I'm really qualified to give advice since I actually haven't got a job yet, but here are some tips I think may help:
Surround yourself with media related to the field you want to enter. I lurk polycount on my breaks and lunch, I watch videos/tutorials dealing with things I'm currently working on, my facebook feed is pretty much all animation and CG art, browse job postings in your free time. It keeps me motivated and my mind on task.
Tiling is probably going to murder your back so I imagine it will be hard to find the motivation to work after a full day of work. BUT, you can always flip your free hours to the morning. I used to get up at 4am so I could have a few hours of well rested work, then I would go bust my ass at work, and go to sleep shortly after getting home. I actually enjoyed that schedule a good bit.
If you can, find someone else that is driven and wants to break into the industry too. I helps you be responsible, be held accountable, and drives you to continue the grind. You can also post progress on polycount to keep you feeling accountable. I've heard that working on twitch or blogging can help people stay on task, but I haven't tried it.
And with that, my break is over! I hope this helps and if you decide to go for it, I look forward to seeing how you progress!
Sure no biggie. For instance I work 12hr night shifts, 5 days a week in the private security industry on construction sites as asset protection but still manage too fit in a bit of art here and there. Facts are, that in this day and age putting food on the table, clothes on your back and hard cover overhead are the essential basics of life, I'm afraid.
...so do what you gotta do in order to do what you WANT to do, simple!
I was still able to find time on a few evenings a week and weekends to work on my portfolio, so yea it is totally possible. Just give up things like netflix, and playing video games to invest in yourself instead of consuming content. Most people would be so much more successful if they simply flipped their production to consumption ratio.
I would advise setting concrete goals and an actual timeline, instead of just sitting down to produce art when you have a spare moment. write them down/put them on a white board above your computer so you are constantly reminded of what you want to achieve.
Really appreciated what groundskeeping on a golf course did NOT take from me when I was doing it for a month and a half after a botched Microsoft gig
There's a sacrifice on something, whatever game you play or something that you spend time on. You'll eventually use that to sink some time on art. I did that with freelance early on, then portfolio stuff, during those 4+ years, and then I eventually quit my job, to spend more time on my portfolio (just realized my username here started in February 2014, when I was planning to leave my job lol, oh damn). You can do it. It might mess up your sleep schedule at some point lol, but you'll be fine if you keep it going.
So you meant literal birds right? With wings and all?
Don't pick them off the street you might get bird flu. Probably better to keep chickens.
I'd recommend the Rhode Island Red, they're tough little bas****s.
Or did you mean human females, i.e use and throw, different girl at every port, no commitment, pump em and dump em, etc
The latter may have merit for some (except the last bit especially if she gets a bun in the oven/ hen lays egg, said egg hatches and you get sued/have to pay child/chick support/buy more bird seed), but I do think that overall it actually costs more in the long term with very little return.
Like because of the no strings attached nature of it, there's no future in potential tax benefits that come with married life, or a second income source. Also a far higher possibility of contracting an STD or SARS in the case of actual birds.
And of course of course being in a supportive loving relationship definitely can help, its finding one that's probably going to cost more money than actually being in one.
Having children is a different matter, but some countries do offer child care subsidies.
I'd prefer to find someone within the field so that I'd have more in common with them, seeing as most of my time is spent doing this which I enjoy immensely. Need to do more travelling too in good time.
I agree about staying off the drink, maybe once a while for social occasions or chocolates with rum in them (yum!)
Drink, birds, chickens, STDs and/or SARs aside!
OP, labouring as a Tiler is the sensible option in order too fund whilst along side underpin your continued CG progress as those responses above thus far clearly point out is entirely possible/doable, so really the 'ball is definitely in your court' as too whether a sustainable situation in both mental and indeed physical aspects to cope with on a daily basis?! which only you can answer...
Some parting advice, I'm a habitual creature probably stems from my army days, with a penchant for schedules, so perhaps in that vein sit down and customise a self-teaching program of a sort, that'll enable prolonged learning over an initial few months lets say, to gauge as a form of test case and see how you go...
Anyways whatever you decide, best of luck.
Cheers.
Girlfriends are awesome!