hey all, It's been a while since I got exams (and still having it) Anyway, I got a question for you all while I finish my exams :P. How does one know whether he has the passion for something? Like above, the passion for digital animation, how does he know whether he is willing to commit to the job? How does he know whether he is capable of it and is enjoying the job he chosen for his life? That is what I wish to ask you all. Thank you.
NOTE: I will not reply until next week +/- Friday
If you are motivated to spend most of your free time doing something, then you have a passion for it.
For example, if you spend most of your free time in bars or at parties, then you have a passion for drinking and talking. If you spend most of your free time watching movies, then you have a passion for watching movies.
(I love these easy questions. :D )
Doing things related to animation brings me joy, and I feel like something's missing when I'm not.
I made a very short animated clip in 1st grade on a Super-8 camera. In 4th grade, I went on a tour of Hanna Barbera's studios. I met a lot of people, but Xerographer Robert "Tiger" West is the only name I remembered. I was hooked after that, and knew I HAD to do something in the medium.
No matter what other tasks you do, animation bee thing keeps buzzing over your head and you know it. Then it's kinda crazy passion.
But pls beware that liking animation as watching or knowing about it may create similar interests. you should have a great curiousity and interest to do tidious animation tasks. If you could do this without any issue, go for it.
=~My Animation Blog~=
Harvey hit that one right on the head. Spending your free time animating is definately a clue that you have passion for it. Doing it wether or not you're getting paid is another clue. I think if you can seriously say that you cant see yourself doing anything else and animate despite not being paid, then you have passion for the craft. To be successful in this industry you NEED to be passionate about your work. Like Maulik13 said, animation can be very tedious and lots of people dont have the patience for that. Without passion, you can and more than likely will burn out once you get deep into a project.
"Animation isn't about how well you draw, but how much to believe." -Glen Keane
Damn, Jocelyn beat me to it. Parents and school counselors have said for ages...if it's something you'd do even if you didn't have to, or weren't being compensated for...see if you can get a job in it! Getting paid to do what you love...
My short answer? If it's truly your passion, you don't need to ask whether or not it's your passion. There's just a knowing.
I've never wanted to do anything else with my life; that said, I'm only 22 and can't say what will have come down the pipe between now and, say, 40 that might affect my path. But if it's away from animation, A) it won't be cause I wanted it that way lol and B) it must be damned good in its own right.
I have always said "If you can suck at something, and still have fun, then it must be a great thing to be doing." I spent most of my life interested in animation, a little less time doing related things like drawing and such, and less of that time doing actual practicing (this is while I was still a kid-kid)...so most of what I know of producing 2D work....you wouldn't wanna show your folks, let's put it that way. But I've never known a greater high...Another thing I always say I literally don't want to die, when I'm doing 2D, I want to live just that much longer just so that there's that much more time to do 2D. I'd call that a hook, and a passion.
I believe a real deciding factor on whether or not you'll continue on with animation is whether or not you enjoy watching cartoons on TV. That was the catch with me, but I didn't see it coming while I was in school.
I have *zero* interest in watching cartoons on TV. I can't stand to watch more than a few seconds of it because in reality- most of it is targeted towards children. I outgrew cartoons as a teenager. 95% of people do. If you're 35, 40 or up, and still get kicks out of watching kids cartoons on TV, collecting action figures and reading comic books, then the industry is definitely for you. But at 22 it's hard to tell whether or not you'll love cartoons at 30 or up. A lot changes in a person's life between 22 and 30, believe me!! A lot of those things are your interests- what was so important and fun at 22 has disappeared by 30- because of priorities, bills (ugh!!) life, family, etc- these are some factors. It's also a major reason that the industry is employed mostly of 20-somethings who have 75 hours a week to contribute their time towards. Those 30 and up are not willing to contribute that kind of time because they just can't- if they could, maybe they would, but when there is family, mortgages, cars, etc- then drawing cartoons for 6 days a week and 75 hours is a mere impossibility. It also makes no sense at that point- why is someone going to work that much time per week for pay that doesn't even match it? Sooner or later your logic kicks in and tells you something isn't adding up in this chosen field of work. I have been a freelancer and worked on a very large gig to kick things off- and at that point, I already had other things going on in my life, and the publisher could see that- they could see that I just didn't have that kind of time that they were looking for. The gig was killer- draw, draw, draw and draw again. All night. All day. Revise this, re-draw that. Due tomorrow. Blah blah blah. I felt like I was working for a few bucks an hour after it was all done. A monkey who was just drawing what I was told.
Then realization kicked in. I didn't enjoy watching cartoons and still don't. I didn't collect action figures, I don't have DVD animated movies, I don't read comics, nothing. I'm just not 12 years old anymore!! Problem is, I'm still an artist. I still love to draw! So the stuggle began. What do I do now??
Just remember that aiming towards animation is an excellent goal- but keep in mind, that as artists, there are so many other possibilities out there other than cartoons and TV!! Consider:
-Freelance illustrator for magazines and books
-Caricature artist for amusement parks, festivals, carnivals, etc
-Graphic designer offering business cards, brochures, logos, etc
-Mural painter for kids' bedrooms
-Landscape painter who sells their work on the side or even full-time
-Photo restoration (lots of people look to have their old photos repaired)
All of these choices can be done in a combination- do all of them whenever you get a call- in one month, maybe you'll do 2 kids' rooms, do 3 weekends at a street market and maybe get a small gig doing a quick illustration for a magazine. You can make more $$ doing all of these things on *your* schedule than you would sweating your life away under a hot lamp for 70 hours a week in a studio. You might have more fun at it too because you're getting some serious variety and different locations/scenery with each gig!
These are all jobs that an artist can promote themselves by distributing flyers, or renting booth spaces at trade shows or carnivals, or by dropping by your local galleries or visual arts centres. When you see that the $$ is slow at first, go roof houses or wait tables on the side as well until the teeter totters in your direction as far as your art goes. I can speak from experience. I moved away from the studio thing or the "getting a job in a studio" thing and promoting myself. And I can say that all things considered, it's went very well- and believe me, there is huge demand for artistic services from the general public- I set up a booth one day at a street festival and sold prints of my celebrity caricatures- and sold a whackload in 4 hours. A few days' pay at least. Do this a few times a month and you might get lucky and make your rent.
So all's I'm saying is that when the going gets tough (and it will!!) then broaden your horizons a bit and consider all those possibilities you never thought of- think of all the additional ways you can make money as an artist ontop of animation!! There might just be a hidden niche in you that you hadn't thought of that will open up an entire new world of possibilities!!
Not to hijack the thread, but because I've seen similar stuff at the mall...are there rights issues involved with caricatures of famous persons? Or even without the element of humor is it considered parody?
There is some truth in what you said, but you may want to be careful when making statements like the one above. The implication in it is that people who work in animation or enjoy it into adulthood are somehow less mature. That's hardly the case. What's closer to the truth is that tastes differ among individuals and animation isn't something that gets you going. Fair enough. It's good that you realized it and got out, because, as you correctly stated, the demands in this field are significant, and you shouldn't be in it if you don't love the work.
Personally, I appreciate the comprehensive artistry of a good animated scene - acting, color, draftsmanship (in 2D), sculptural qualities (in 3D), mood, cinematography. It's what got me into this field and what continues to inspire me. I doubt most 12-year-olds care about such things. ;)