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Any Help is Greatly Appreciated - Newbie

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Any Help is Greatly Appreciated - Newbie

Greetings everyone, 

I have a few questions that I would like to ask about the animation industry, as well as a few computer-related questions. 

I am currently 20 years old, and I have wanted to be a game designer for the last 4 years or so. Yeah, yeah, I know. What 20 year old dude DOESN'T want to be a game designer - I've heard it a million times before, just hear me out.

Recently I have been getting into some TV shows like Adventure Time, Bob's Burgers, Archer, etc., and noticing the animation aspects of each. Now, I'm completely untrained, so I have almost no idea what I'm talking about, but I have an appreciation for the styles of art and humor that each of those shows employs. I also recently watched The Book of Life, which is an excellent movie that I highly recommend to everyone reading this. That movie, in addition to the shows mentioned above, have sparked a bit of a lust for animation, which I've found to be quite odd, considering my primary goal has been game design for the past 4 years. 

I attended an AI school for a year back in 2012, then left because it was too damn expensive, but while I was there I learned a few things about traditional art and dabbled in 3-D. Since then, however, I have only picked up my sketchbook about 20 times, and opened a 3-D program about 6 times. Needless to say, I'm basically starting fresh. 

This brings to me to the purpose of posting this topic: my questions. 

  1.  As someone who has a knack for technology and who appreciates art and creativity, would you recommend someone of my age and lack of experience to begin delving deeply into animation now?
    1. Please be advised that I am totally aware that animation can be a brutal industry, much like the game design industry. I am not afraid of criticism, critique, or working hard for something I love. 
  2. Would pursuing a career in animation allow me to switch into game design at a later date, or is there a vast difference in the way the two industries/subjects operate?
  3. What sort of computer system would you recommend I use/build for the purposes of animating?
  4. What kind of software would you recommend to get started in animation?
  5. Any additional information you'd like to provide me with to help me get started in the wonderful world of animation.  

Any and all answers are greatly appreciated. 

Thank you for your time in advance.

-Warhorse

I'm not going to answer the

I'm not going to answer the listed questions directly, because I'll address what I think is the critical point: you've opened a sketchbook only 20 times in 2-3 years opened a 3D program 6 times in the same time-period.

There's a mind-set required for this biz that your words and relayed info aren't showing.  This SOUNDS like an affectation, a passing fad. 

If you want to gauge your future in the industry in any capacity, well........look at your recent output:

Opened a sketchbook only 20 times in 2-3 years.......and used 3D software only 6 times.

Your head-space during that time aside.............that doesn't show more than a passing interest in the field. You might be consuming product, you you aren't producing any works yourself.
That is getting off on the wrong foot to be sure.  
It doesn't sound like you love it very much, but it does sound like you love the IDEA of it a whole lot.
The two do not equate.

A "knack for technology, an "appreciation for art and creativity" is...........to be blunt.........frivolous.  

Want honesty??  You are asking too soon.  You done NOTHING to give anyone anything to gauge you by as yet, so advising you right now is pointless.
If you want to try more schooling, then schools will LOVE you because you are exactly the kind of person they want to hoodwink into spending tons of money inside their doors. 

Want advice? 
Go away for a year. Or two.  Don't bother people for advice.
Go DO STUFF.
Draw. Fill a skecthbook a month.
Learn and USE software. Make stuff, animate it a bit, try basic animation exercise. Get your feet wet. Right now........your feet ain't wet, you are standing there still staring at the water, wondering what temperature it is.
After a year or two..........take stock.  If you've fill 20-30 bound skecthbooks, learned different art styles and technigues...learned some rigging and builds......animated some stuff.......tucked into the stuff.......then you'll get advice that'll help you.

If you DON'T do that, then you'll also get advice that will "help" you too.
Let me elaborate on that last point:

You'll be the deciding factor in this.  There's no nugget of info at any stage that will incite or deflect you towards/from a career in animation.  It's all on you.
The level intensity and focus required isn't just committment, or even passion.  It's obsession.
You write about how you are "totally aware that animation can be a brutal industry".
You have no fucking clue.  
It can be brutal, it CAN be rewarding. it can be the gamut of experiences and emotions all inbetween.  But right now you have NOTHING to gauge the potential experience at all.  
That's why I suggested going away and doing stuff on your own for a couple of years.
You'll get a better sense of the tedium involved, of the sensations of creating stuff, of how to measure your own restlessness and patience. How you handle deadlines, how you handle working on stuff you don't like.  Your personal energy and drive, and what good/bad habits you have.

Oh, don't worry........all those lofty positives will sort themselves out........they are there, you don't need to worry about 'em.
The negatives are waiting too, for you to find each other, and they will season you accordingly/if/when you come across them.

Good luck!

 

 

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

Thanks, Ken. 

Thanks, Ken. 

I appreciate the honesty. You've given me a starting point, whether you intended to or not, and for that, I am grateful. Only time will tell what becomes of all this, I suppose. 

-Warhorse