How I got my first Industry job - 3 lessons from a self taught artist
https://youtu.be/apoVKOKzRwAWhats up polycount crew? I thought I would drop this here for anyone struggling as a student or going the self taught route.
As a self taught artist, the struggle was always uphill, you are entirely accountable to yourself and have to rely on developing self discipline and consistency if you want to get to the skill level required of artists working in the digital art industry these days. There are 3 main key takeaways from the video above, and I can't stress them enough!
1. Sacrifice: you are probably going to have to sacrifice time from doing leisure activities and take those extra hours and apply them to developing your art skills. Less Netflix, 5 hour gaming sessions or going out and getting shit hammered on Friday nights haha. Short term pain for long term gain! Don't let someone else get that dream job of yours because you were too busy binge watching multiple shows on a weekend or sinking hours into games, are your actions moving the ball towards the goalpost of your intended career path or dream job?
2, Post your work everywhere, you never know who will see it! develop a strong online presence all over the web. ArtStation, Instagram, post your work in progress here on polycount for feedback. I got my first job because someone randomly came across my WIP thread of a blown up jersey barrier (cliche AF I know). All you need is the right person to find your work once you get good enough! dont be afraid to take harsh feedback, once I dropped my ego and got out of my own way, my work quickly improved 
3. PATIENCE!: seriously I can't stress this one enough, I keep getting emails and messages from people saying that they think they suck or are struggling, but they have only been doing art for under a year! Commit to a long term goal and develop some perspective that this is a grind, you are in it for the long game. Try to learn to enjoy the process of creating art, not just the end result.
Hope this was insightful/inspiring to some of you, I know how frustrating the grind to your first professionally paid gig can be, just keep at it, and keep kicking ass! I would love to know some of the frustrations anyone going through the process of trying to get their first industry job, drop a comment below 
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