Great Advice - on Motivation and "Wanting" vs. "Doing"

#1

For anyone lacking motivation in any area, read this:

http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/money_mouth.htm

#2

haha - sounds like something for me… I keep telling myself I’ll work on this and that and then the time flies by… my personal fav quote is that of Benjamin Franklin ‘Time Enough Always Proves Little Enough’ so true… darn I’d better do something then… :scream:

#3

Heh, this is a great kick in the pants for everyone, I think. :wink:

#4

Thanks Rebeccak for this article :slight_smile: It certainly kicked in my pant

#5

This awesome! I am guilty of this to an extent ha, Grrr at myself.

#6

I. myself, am guilty of this to the xth degree. Only recently have I started to come out of my shell and stop giving excuses as to why my 2d and 3d art are not good enough. I DON’T PRACTICE! I have a job that allows me to sit on my rear end and surf the web all day and I don’t take advantage of my time to work on improving my drawing skills. That ends now.

I couldn’t have read a better article or picked a better site (cgtalk) to get me motivated. Thank you for whomever posted this.

#7

I really needed that slap in the face, I am practicing, but I need to focus more on my goals, catch them and crush them with no remorse. That was a really great read. Thanks for that find. Time to go to work!!

#8

Concerning this, I would also recommend bobby chiu his movies on youtube.
He talks about motivation, passion, what “it” takes and a lot of other stuff to get the right mindset.
It was a real eyeopener for me.

#9

Preach the gospel. Love the speach. I’m surrently working on developing my working knowledge of the human figure, using the Vilppu approach so I can get away from copying and depending on reference if when drawing the figure. although its not as much fun as drawing stylised stuff I know its essential (I guess style comes with time and is easier to develope once the structural foundation has been built., and I’m happy I can find speaches like these to motivate me when ever i’m feeling lazy.

#10

Well, i don’t think that this link can help people living in countries where there is no cg jobs, like me. i have been motivating myself for 2 years now, trying to get a job anywhere in this planet, but after more than 500 job application all over the world, i have came to this conclusion: don’t bother yourself if you can’t go where the job is, meaning not in my country.

how did i get this conclusion ? very simple. once i applied without saying which country i am living on, in less than 15 minutes i got an invitation for a meeting !! once i told them my location they just stoped emailing me back.

so right now, i sit in front of my pc to do something or learn something new but i can’t, all what i have in mind is: will it help me get a job ? than i do nothing since i know it will not help.

the funny part in all this is that for 2 years i have been motivating myself, learning new softs, new techniques, any thing that i see demand for , animation , modeling , texturing, and trying to save money as i can, living with less than 70$ a month, bearly eating, without heating and spending what i can save to by something that can help me learn or improve my practice. I don’t think there is motivation more than that, but could it help ? no, all was a lost of time and helth, maybe i have learned something in cg but also i’ve learned that there is people who are less than others what ever they do, and motivation have nothing to do with it.

#11

serguineh,

Well, of course your location matters. There’s a little matter of reality. :wink: We can’t all have exactly what we want right away - you may need to focus on moving if that’s what it takes to realize your dreams of a CG career. Even within the US, you must move to where the jobs are, that’s just a fact of life.

This post obviously can’t address everyone’s geographic limitations or personal circumstances - it’s purely about the drive to do well in taking steps toward your goals. If moving to the US or another country is your goal, then that will probably require just as much dedication and investment as learning CG.

#12

What a wonderful kick in the ass. :smiley: Thanks. I’ve been ‘wanting’ to get my portfolio ready to show the animation department at the university and I keep saying that I’ll get it…but then it just flakes off. Thanks for that article. It is the best feeling kick in the pants i’ve had in a long time. :slight_smile:

#13

Motivation at it’s best. Thank you.

#14

Good read. Thanks for posting.

#15

Excellent article and pretty applicable to any goal a person sets for their life.

#16

Anyone thinking about education in this field should read his tute on that too:)

#17

I’m currently a student and I will say this article has open my eyes even wider. I fail a class so I’m repeating it now and I always tell myself that sometimes it takes a failure to define your greatness. Meaning I’m no longer taking anything lightly I’m going full force at every project that is thrown at me. With this article it makes me want to spend the week off for Summer vacation modeling. No matter how good it looks I know now that I will get better with practice. Thanks for posting this!

#18

Yea. I just fired up Lightwave and pulled out my sketchbook. Definitely a wake up call. I’ve been slacking these past couple of weeks, but now I’m going to go ahead and stop talking the talk and do what I said I was going to do. :smiley:

Thanks for posting that! I’ll be reading it at least twice a day.

#19

im really greatful to read some not all XD of what you wrote. it actully was a kick as everyone stated before me states. im new to this industry, i want to learn so much, i just started at the art institute of fort lauderdale for the bachlors in game art/ design.

i want to learn so much, but i dont know where to start!? i learned photo shop but im still weary on how to make armor shine, make it look so real ya know? like the stuff majority show in this site which is beautiful, i want to create that may i have the honor of asking where to start?

i learned photoshop, i got a wacom, im really good at sketching and drawing, painting but i want to be amazing in digital art. especially since it will or already has become my life. anyone please message me on where i should read, what to do to become a future artist that will make all of the leaders in the game industry proud. eh i guess what i am trying to say the lost generation as many adults would classify me and everyone my age as, to prove them wrong. that games are art, beauty, existince. unlike movies or animations, you live the program you are playing, if the story is rich, the enviroments are breath taking, the meaning to the story in whole is perfection, it will change your life and view on things or atleast make a view stronger.

im so honored to start this career, im a twink, but one day i will be something, i will be in books, i will be someone that will help or cause a change, if i dont reach my goal. then this existance i live will be futile.

i know lame, corny kid trying to become something majority strive for. but why cannt a boy dream? or place a goal. without dreams or goals, then why live?

Sencerely Dante H Aramburo, student of AiFL, x-Marine

p.s. please guide this 18 year old moron to the right direction. i hope to learn from everyone in this site. thank you.

#20

Well with a name like Dante I would say you are off to a pretty good start:) . Also you get full marks for posting in an old thread because this indeed gets asked alot.

First off, you can follow a study (sounds like you are) But it is not necessary. Which ever study you follow it will not be enough so you will have to put alot of private effort into your persuit. This is still a free profession which means you can persue it without any qualifications whatsoever. The advantage of this is that anyone can do it, the disadvantage is, that anyone can do it:D . To get work you need to show a body of work that is reasonable and then if you know people you will find employment, have amazing work and you dont need to know anyone. Even if you don’t get employed you can still freelance, and with the advent of the interwebs you can even work remotely for any country in the world right from your bedroom! Just make sure you get paid first:lightbulb .

So how do you get amazing?
Before you begin you need to sit down and think about what you want, and how bad you want it. You need to accept the possibility that you may never be great, never be in books, never be a star. You need to accept the possibility that the journey you are about to embark on is the only thing you will get out of the life before you. Just the journey and nothing more. While you are following your dream you will still get your ass handed to you on a plate by people who are brilliant and who work their nuts off. You have to follow this path because you cant do anything else and you have to enjoy it, otherwise you wont last. The rewards at the other end wont be enough to sustain you, you will have to love what you do and commit to it 100%.

So where do I start?
Read the stickies in this forum, take note of the reading lists and read these books till you begin to understand them, then read them again. Many books are available for free download by the university press like Harold Speed.
Join this thread and participate in it
Personal Anatomy & Sketchbook Threads
Keep a weather eye on this site, join it and participate in it
http://conceptart.org/
These are the people who make that amazing art you speak of, as well as the folks here.

If you want to get into games then get a cheap or free copy of 3d software. To begin with you only need a modeller and texturing would be nice but is not necessary in the beginning. In the general discussion forum there is a software sticky about this with all the links and info you need. Remember that the price of the application will in no way influence the quality of your work. Software manufacturers would have you believe otherwise but it is simply not true. Talent and skill can not be bought by owning expensive products.

Do all the beginner tutorials in your 3d app to get to know it. Now you will have to buy either ZBrush or Mudbox to expand your skill. They are not expensive. Do tutorials in one of these to get to know the software. Mix 3d practice with art study and drawing and begin to produce your own work. Once you start getting a bit better follow all the tutorials here:
http://www.poopinmymouth.com/

Ok, I think my work is kick ass, now what?
To find out how not great your work is post it on
WIP/Critique: 3D Stills
or
WIP/Critique: Game Art Design
and when you are ready for the final insult
3D Stills
By now you will begin to have an inkling of what the standard requirements are and how great your competition is :).

I survived, now what?
Ok, you have been stabbed, shot, castrated and been called a bounder and a cad! Still after all the battles you have some work left over. You need to make a portfolio website with your contact details on it and keep it updated. Now start posting your work all over the web.

Hope this helps.
3D is the most fun you can have with your pants on.

Cheerio Chris