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"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
Love Begins
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Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
ellievsbear
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
noise dept.
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
#extradirty
ojovivo
will byers stan first human second
Jules of Nature
RMH
Misplaced Lens Cap
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
sheepfilms
Keni
YOU ARE THE REASON
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
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@jarrodsmark-blog
My interpretation of Jake Parker’s Heavy Walker as published in Nothin’ But Mech. I hope the creative liberties I took hold up to the original idea and design. Modeled in Zbrush and Modo with everything else done in Houdini. #artistsoninstagram #artoftheday #art #arnoldrender #houdinifx #modo #zbrush #digitalart https://www.instagram.com/p/CAbfGveHVxL/?igshid=1ijyo2zg0aeyo
TASK 6: Why?
I whole-heartedly believe that the opportunity to be an entrepreneur should be embraced wherever possible. It ultimately creates competition, leading to a more diverse landscape of sorts within the design sector etc, etc. I end the sentence that way not out of disrespect, but at this point, we can all assume whichever opportunities and potential pitfalls would be associated next to be listed, should the sentence continue. This is a reflection not on the general pro's and con's of such an avenue, but rather a meaningful insight into my personal view on the meaning that work holds on what the motivation is that drives the ambitions related to that.
I love being creative, which is what you would assume anybody to reply with that is doing a creative career. The truth is that not everyone who is creative chooses such a career. What has always motivated me and given me the drive to push on is the idea that I can influence people for the better. It might sound somewhat trivial for whatever reasons, but I genuinely wanted to do something that I new could either inspire others or even just simply put a smile on their face. I am not going to mention that inherent fascination I have for the craft of computer graphics itself - that is required to even get anywhere and really does not play a function within this discussion. Rather, my personal 'why' is the belief that what I do can inspire others, which holds tremendous value for me personally. Working as a teacher also cements this ideology within me, providing opportunities to directly help those around me. Although it isn't quite the same as the call to arms that the creative side provides, it operates within the same arena of my mind.
The 'how' and the 'what' of my current situation can be explained simply, my 'how' is that if I can help other people to believe in themselves and to find joy with what they do, then I can help them to see their own potential and help them to ignite the spark needed for continuous learning, and that is speaking from both the artist and teacher side of me. I try to encourage people to think that not everything is possible but that doesn't mean you are not capable of great things. The point is, you are what you believe. So my 'how' goes very much about changing or even fortifying the persons' thought process.
The 'what' is something I have already alluded to. Some might call it teaching and art, I prefer to call it inspiring and leading people. My work may require a combination of requirements from me, sometimes it means I am making CG-related material and other times it means that I am standing up in front of a class and 'teaching', on both occasions I am very cognizant of the fact that my goal is to simply inspire the audience. I say simply not because it describes how easy the process is, but rather what the purpose is and my own personal 'why'.
I have for a long time wanted to become more involved in awareness for wildlife and animals in general, using my skill set to help promote the meaning of a cause that I personally believe in. The requirements for such a transition require you to first know your current why's, how's and what's, allowing you to understand who you are so that your audience can see that themselves. Perhaps then, they will start to even see that within themselves, making this process the kind of influential endeavor that many of us crave.
TASK 4: Job hunting
Company: Bioware
Position: Senior Character Artist
Location: Austin, United States
Link: https://www.ea.com/careers/careers-overview/worldwide-studios/bioware
What about this position appeals to you?
Faithfully creating and developing characters to concept design spec for AAA games titles is very appealing, as well as producing work for such a mass-market franchise.
What about this position intimidates you?
There is a tremendous amount of pressure to perform and set the example for the other junior artists, as well as the kind of quality that is to be expected daily.
What more would you need to know about this position before you apply?
How many other artists are working within the team?
What are the expectations of my role, or even performance targets?
What is the monthly compensation?
What software is primarily used within the pipeline?
How many projects does the studio work on concurrently and will my duties be shared among multiple projects?
Is the position permanent or contract?
How does this position relate to your envisioned career trajectory?
Being passionate about character development in CG across both film and game genre's, this position plays well into my interests and strengths in a way that I feel as though I will grow and develop further skills within this arena.
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Company: Blizzard
Position: Lighting Artist
Location: Irvine, California
Link: https://careers.blizzard.com/en-us/openings/o4E0bfwD
What about this position appeals to you?
Working as a lighting artist within one of the most recognisable names in the industry, alongside the art and technical departments using real-time lighting techniques.
What about this position intimidates you?
Relocation to The United States and starting a 'new' life there, as well as the intimidation of the company and the Intellectual Property that they produce. Working alongside such talented artists can be exciting, but also intimidating.
What more would you need to know about this position before you apply?
How big is the lighting department?
What are the working hours?
What software will the pipeline be primarily built around?
what are some of the expectations from the company that has not been listed?
How does this position relate to your envisioned career trajectory?
Entertaining the possibilities of working for well-established studios, working as a Lighting Artist with Blizzard would provide the experience and knowledge of working within the upper echelons of the industry.
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Company: Axis Studio
Position: Senior Compositor
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom
Link: http://axisstudiosgroup.com/careers/jobs/senior-nuke-compositors/?vacancy=Senior%20Nuke%20Compositors&pageid=6890
What about this position appeals to you?
With compositing as a passion of mine, I would love the opportunity to work within the post-production side of projects on exciting new films and advertising.
What about this position intimidates you?
Relocation to the United Kingdom and working on high profile projects with shorter turnaround times. Working within more complex systems regarding colour management and various proprietary software.
What more would you need to know about this position before you apply?
How many artists are there on the compositing team?
What is the expectation for turnaround times regarding shots or sequences?
What kind of raw footage do the compositors generally work with?
How does this position relate to your envisioned career trajectory?
Playing into my strengths and having a strong eye for detail, working within the compositing team is an area in which I believe I would flourish. It also keeps within the goal of working for high profile studios on high profile projects.
TASK 5: To Freelance Or Not To Freelance
Since I have been in the creative industry for a while now operating as an independent contractor or freelancer, the treacherous waters often associated with it are ones I would refer to myself as being fairly familiar with at this point. I want to briefly discuss some of these pro's and con's as well as touch on whether this life is for every creative.
Firstly, to work as an independent contractor you need to have an abundance of drive and hunger. Not the kind of hunger that makes your stomach grumble (although brace yourself for that too), I'm referring to the kind that makes you feel as though you have fire in your veins. This hunger forces you to establish future goals which are unwavering to you and gives you the drive to pursue anything in your sights with the kind of stamina needed to succeed within the field.
This will also help you to develop a thick skin which is essential not just as an artist, but particularly when having to navigate these kinds of waters. It is one thing to take critique, divorce yourself from your work so that you are not attaching yourself to feedback and feeling the ramifications from it as a result, but it is your inner thoughts and dialogue that you need to control, particularly when the chips are down. This kind of life doesn't always go according to plan, when it's good it provides the highest of highs, making you feel successful to the point of invincibility. You taste a version of life that transcends all the negative vibes attached to the creative industry. But when it calms down, and the work becomes harder to find, and it feels as though the wheels are no longer turning as much, that's when the worst version of yourself is at risk of making itself known. These are the moments you need to be ready for, as you only truly taste the fight and struggle at these times. in my opinion, this is what separates the artists who have what it takes to succeed in this 'way' of employment, versus those who need more safety.
I honestly believe that the ultimate goal any artist has is to be in control of their creative lives and futures. To control what they work on and when; that way giving you a sense of direction and influence over your path in life. Some dream of high positions in well-known studios, but ultimately its the allure of controllable destiny that becomes so appealing. I don't think that there is a truer feeling of success than to say as a creative, I ultimately decide what projects I work on, but more importantly that I am not relying on the branding of a studio to make and attract work. I have become my entity within this vast ocean, and the business out there is aware of me and associates me with a particular standard and quality of work.
So finally, the when. It's broader than just a time of the week, or month or even year. The 'when' refers to you as an artist. When will you be ready as a person and a creative to embrace these challenges? Is it worth it for you? Do you feel more secure relying on the employment of others or do you want to take more control over that? You have to be honest with yourself regarding these questions and spend time reflecting on them as well as what you value. What is the most successful version of yourself that you can imagine within this field? Well, that's your goal.
If you choose, the ocean awaits you. It offers plenty of moments of insecurity and self-doubt, but nothing can compare to the 'high' of finding the calmer waters, knowing that you got there through your determination and sheer will. At that moment, all that will matter will be the excitement of the adventures that await on the horizon, with the fresh breeze at your back carrying you there.
TASK 3: INTERNSHIP PLAN
THE WHERE AND WHY
A good few years ago, while studying animation and Computer Graphics, I had to decide on where to get an internship. My initial choices were either BlackGinger or Sunrise Productions and this was primarily motivated by the type of work they did, as well as the quality of their output. Since I wanted to grow as much as possible and learn from the experience, I chose to seek out companies whose work I valued.
THE WHEN
At that time, the best opportunity in which to do the internship was during either the April or July holidays, since this meant that there was minimal interruption regarding college work, and the companies that would potentially host us had already agreed that these dates were the best for them as well.
THE WHAT TO DO'S
Get to know everyone you can by having conversations and interacting with them when possible. This way you get to know the staff and what they do, and potentially you can find something of interest within their duties that you wouldn't have been aware of before.
Understand what your goals are. Part of an internship is to complete some sort of task, or series of tasks. understand exactly what is required by communicating with whoever your supervisor may be. If you are not given tasks or goals, then create ones for yourself so that there is clear evidence of progression which can be objectively discussed.
Observe as much as you can and try to understand what the culture is within the workplace, particularly if you see yourself working there, or somewhere similar in the not-too-distant future.
Always be professional by presenting yourself to others in the best way possible. Speak clearly, make eye contact and initiate conversations by asking appropriate questions.
Stay organised and manage your own time appropriately. Make sure that you are not forgetting tasks or assignments, and that you are well prepared for the day ahead.
Make time to reflect on your internship, identify where you have succeeded and where you need to improve to reach the level of some of the people you may have met there.
Task 2: A Practice of Openness
This practice is essential to somebody like me, trying to study and work a full-time job at the same time, it is just too easy for the creative juices and overall drive to disappear. Ironically the amount of time that is spent behind a computer screen is not helpful either, at some point, the mind just switches off and a wall of mental fatigue sets in.
The solution to this is to step away, get outside in the fresh air and get some sunshine on the skin. As somebody who is already fairly active, I am truly appreciative of the difference that this part of my lifestyle makes. To be able to spot opportunities and benefit from the unexpected, the mind must be kept in a healthy state and ready for whatever it may come across.
Taking time out to get away from the desk, the monitor, the ever-increasing workload and various other stresses allow me to recentre myself and remain creatively and emotionally charged and balance. It may not work for everyone, but it is exactly what I know that I need. This activity is also vital in allowing me to maintain a healthy balance of listening and observing, and not getting so lost in my thoughts. Allowing the ideas of others to inspire and drive you is possibly one of the most potentially unexpected things that you can remain open to.
This ritual would take the form of regular, healthy breaks at work that involve either a quick 10-minute walk or simply just going outside to get some fresh air. Maintaining this healthy schedule of breaks should go a long way in keeping away the mental fatigue that clouds these desirable practises, to begin with. A 5-10 minute break on the hour for a simple glass of water could help and by getting other colleagues involved, a support system can be created whereby we hold each other accountable, and so create a healthier environment in general at work.
Ultimately it is still the awareness of wanting to be more open, wanting to be better and healthier mentally that will be the biggest motivator and force driving these decisions to adopt better habits. The idea may not be to get it right all the time, particularly in the beginning, but how this awareness shapes my perspective of what a healthy, open attitude and mentality should be.
01 - Personal Goal Setting
As a working professional and student, I find myself in an interesting situation. When asked to evaluate myself privately based off of 10 criteria all essential to being a functioning professional, I expect to nail down at least half of them, which I think I managed to do in all honesty. Where the reality sets in is when you begin to realise what areas need work. Which is where this becomes troubling.
A broad definition of the term diligence is careful and persistent work or effort. This is something that I value tremendously, not only as a professional but also as an artist. It is the raw materials that are needed to improve and develop, which is a goal any artist is seeking since it is our desire to express ourselves that drives us the most. I have for a while grown increasingly frustrated at the fact that I am left with little 'good' time to pursue a craft which I dearly love. My time is instead taken up by work, dealing with issues and various other things that I would not consider to be creative. The frustration grows. I used to value myself as somebody who prioritised time to grow and develop within my craft, however, the last few years of work and studies have eaten into that tremendously.
This essay is not about realising it for the first time, it is rather about facing the truth of what I already knew but never had the internal discussion about. No plan of action or resolve to something which I feel is eating away at me slowly. The irony is that I rate myself fairly high in the areas that you would think to allow for this time to be made, but it is ultimately where this time is being allocated where the problem lies. So based off of this, where does the actual solution lay? What is my issue exactly?
I want to be more diligent in my pursuit of growing my skills as an artist. I love sculpting, I love bringing life to things. I want to do more of it.
What is my solution? At this point, I have to refer back to a workshop that I did a few weeks ago in which we discussed the importance of boundaries. I was told that if you are feeling frustrated about something, it is because your boundaries have not been established correctly to allow for these issues to be addressed in the way that they require. So the only option that I have from here is to understand that I need to reevaluate how I am dedicating my time to various tasks. I am the solution, and I cannot always lay the blame on other doorsteps.
This is not to say that I am also perfect in other areas, I would like to also be more authentic. I feel as though I mostly am, and am also known to be somebody who often goes against the grain so to speak, but I guess that doesn't necessarily mean that I have achieved a level of that to which I am happy. My plan of action for this is to once again look inward, continue doing what I have been in the way that I have, but now try to take it to the level that I desire it to be at.
My resilience could improve, but I think I do a pretty good job all things considered. There are moments though when it does get to me and I do act out. I tend to judge myself quite harshly as a result of this as well. Often it relates to the above-mentioned areas and concerns. I feel as though the first and most crucial step is admitting to it, telling yourself that these are the areas where things are just not good enough and need improvement. The second thing is to then practise that so that the words don't remain only that, but instead become something tangible.
In summary, I don't believe that this process is something you only ever do once or twice in your life but should be something you evaluate fairly regularly, particularly if goals are important to you. No matter what they are, they are all within reach, sometimes you just have to remind yourself of that.
Shared with Dropbox
The Proposal: CG Animation Actual proposal included with critical information blurred out for personal and privacy reasons. What should always accompany this, and is not shown, is the reply. Professional and reassuring, it is the opportunity that you have to engage with the client and assure them that you are able to deliver the product within the deadline and to the quality needed. Clear and concise breakdown of the services offered and required with expectations of delivery and feedback. Banking details included, along with SWIFT codes for international transfers and most importantly, the client signature or sign-off.
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Managing Up...what an employee can expect from their employer as well as strategies to help make you more pro-active in your career path. Important to remember: The Supervisor and the supervised both have a desire to feel as though they are doing a good job from their counterparts.
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Characteristics of active listening and the mechanisms that I try to practise on a daily basis when engaging with somebody.
The Drama Triangle and how easy it easy to fall into a particular role under the right circumstances. More importantly, how you can also consciously avoid bad habits.
Shared with Dropbox
Shared with Dropbox
My Productivity Planner and a list of tools I either use every day, occasionally or even the ones I find to be thoroughly unhelpful.
Shared with Dropbox
My personal take on me, where I want to go and what I want to achieve. Most importantly, my reasoning behind it all.
My strategy canvas comparing two shoe brands: one is owned by the family, the other just happens to be my personal favourite. Interesting to understand and analyse why each one of them works.
Part one of my summary on the Blue Ocean Strategy, with case study to follow.
So recently I took the MBTI personality test and was pleasantly surprised at just how darn accurate it turned out to be...