The Test

“Nothing succeeds like excess.”

- Oscar Wilde

My life is going to change. Yes, I know it's changed already since I relocated to Chicago and began a completely different career path than anyone but me expected. However, the field of animation requires a certain adjustment in attitude and dedication.

I have been at this art institute for a little over a month and have learned consistently that in order to succeed in animation, one must work their butt off. Yes, everyone knows this...but what does it actually mean? It means I need to want this more than anyone else in this field, and I need to act like it. I need to stay up until 3:00am working on my assignments, a concept or personal drawing. It means I need to tell my friends that I'm busy and tell that lazy voice in my head that I can't spend hours bumming around tonight or this morning because I need to practice my skills. I need to train myself to be an artist 24/7...yes of course, but what does THAT mean exactly? It means that I must, at all times, be either observing the world or drawing the things I've observed. When I'm sitting on the train, hanging out with friends, working at my job, etc., I must be looking at people's movements, the way light shines on objects, etc. and then I'll end up drawing some of those things because I have learned about them through observation. Being able to draw a multitude of things is essential in animation. The more an artist sees, the more of a palette they'll have to work from. On top of that, anything drawn for fantasy is best drawn from references. Fantasy is what is known, except that an artist has twisted the heck out of it. An animator is trying to make things appear on a screen that have never existed before, yet to make it believable, it must follow the laws of physics and the universe. This is why I was required to submit a portfolio to get into this program. I needed to be at a certain level of drawing skills, and I am expected to go much higher.

I've read quite a few success stories from this school of animators being hired full-time within six months of their graduation, and even some who were hired right after graduation. I've attended two workshops so far that have educated me on particular things these students did so that they shone the brightest. One of the workshops was this evening, lead by two alumni who were hired as soon as they graduated. If I am to get there, I must (and I do) want it badly enough to:

1.) Work hard...harder than I ever have before. I heard from somewhere that being an artist is like being an athlete or weight trainer. In order to achieve higher levels of performance, one must train daily but also push themselves constantly. If it's becoming difficult, push past the pain and the exhaustion, and the person will find themselves advancing to higher levels each time they train. Just because you make it to the Olympics doesn't mean you sit back and chill because you're the best. It means now you have to compete at an Olympic level. It never stops if you want to continue bettering yourself in anything.

2.) Be dedicated to the highest degree. I'd better be working. I'd better want it. I need to be a soldier. This is important. Sometimes I'll have to turn down spending time with friends or even going to bed at a reasonable hour. I'm going to be busy...a lot. I'm going to learn to manage my time such that I can work this hard, have a job to pay the bills, and have the balance of rest and recreation in there so that I can still think. It may be three hours of sleep at a time, but I will find a way to make it work. One of the alumni attested to working a full-time job, going to school full-time, having a full-time girlfriend and sleeping four hours at a time. And yes, he's with the same girl still. It can be done. It's the power of mastering time-management.

3.) Step out of the comfort zone and just do whatever I need to do. If I don't know how to do something, learn it. One of the alumni told a story of how in his new job, he was approached about designing a magazine cover in MS Illustrator and had the afternoon to complete it. He had never used Illustrator and had never worked on such a project before. However, you never want to say "no" in this situation, or you'll be gone on the spot. It's the truth. So, he had to learn Illustrator in record time and design the magazine cover. Sometimes they just throw you in and say "swim". This is the kind of industry I'm getting into.

Fortunately, all this hard work does pay off. Eventually it becomes a lifestyle with some flow and obtains more normalcy. When you get a full-time job in animation, you can have a significant other, get some sleep, and have a life outside of workplace. For instance, one of the alumni talked of how his company that gives their employees free massages and sometimes two hours lunches. This could all happen on a day when they only work from 10:00am - 4:00pm. Meanwhile, he's getting paid to make things move, play games (he's a game art animator), and draw, amongst other things. Now, the whole time the employees are working, it's intense and they're working their asses off...but they're doing what they love and it's FUN for them because it's ever-changing and challenging. There's always something to figure out and learn. It's a great thing to aim for and something worth working my hardest for.

Bring it.