Becoming a self-taught pro - is it even possible??

[nE0n1nja]

So I'm at a pretty weird point of my life right now.. I finished 3 years of graphic design and now I work as a graphic designer in a small studio. But for the past 3 years I've been dreaming about getting a job in the video games industry. The problem is, I just realised that I just keep dreaming, and that's it. Three years have passed since I got my Wacom, and NOTHING HAS CHANGED! I just keep thinking "That day when I start to study and practice seriously", but it's been 3 years already and I'm not even good.. I don't wanna be one of them hobbyist artists with wacoms for the rest of my life, I wanna be a pro and do this for a living.

So I needed a reality check. Will I be stuck with this shitty job forever? Should I quit? What if I quit, what will I do then? I don't have money to go to another school. Should I be sitting at home all day long and teach myself? How do I even start? Even if I do get good, how will I get a job? I don't live in the US, and in my country there is basically no entertainment industry whatsoever. I talked to my parents about this, and they said I was crazy, trading a secure job position for some slilly fixation I have.

So what do you think, has anyone been in a similar position, is this just a highschool dream I've been deluding myself with all these years? I need to act, I need to act now. HELP I"M LOST!!

[Simonarpalmer]

I think you'll find that a lot of professionals are actually self taught, all the resources you could need to learn are available on the internet, but it will require very serious dedication, which can be hard to achive when you have a secure job providing you and taking up most of your day. I know when I had a job I didn't want to do anything when I got home, just play computer games and relax.

I'm just a nobody, it's been two years since I began learning digital painting on my own and about a year since I began doing freelance. I have made so much progress since, but I still don't get enough work to support me, even though I live alone and my life expenses are almost non existant. I find ways to get by though. I don't know what your life sutiation is like, not everyone can commit this way, but once you do and you stay focused, you can improve dramatically.

I can't tell you what to do, only share my experience, but I would say if you commit to the idea that art is what you will do, and make a routine of using whatever time you have got in a focused effort to improve, there is no reason why you can't achive your goal.

To sum my rant up; getting good at this takes time, but there is no magic involved, anyone can do it. If you are commited and you make a focused effort you can achive anything you want.

I highly suggest checking out Dave Rapoza and Dan Warren's livestreams, they talk a lot about these things and have been a big insperation for me personally! Also listen to the Crimson Conversations where you get to hear how established profiessionals came to be where they are today.

[nE0n1nja]

Thank you for the answer. That's really motivating and encouraging when you say that it's all just hard work and not magic. And to do this, I know I'll have to quit my full-time job and live in my parents' attic for a while.. I could handle that.. But I'm afraid that I'll fail. Cause sometimes, I just feel like I don't really have "it", you know? What if I don't make it, and end up being old, jobless + homeless? Some scarry thoughts :/
Anyways, your words brought me some hope that this is still achievable, so ty.

[Andromonoid]

If you want it more then anything else, you will succeed.

[Simonarpalmer]

I would think twice about quitting your job really, not my place to say of course, and I'm sure some would disagree with me, but building up a routine of doing art in your spare time after work first might be a good idea.

My experience is that once you start to study and aim for improvement, some of the things that made you like the idea of doing art are lost, replaced by a sense of achivement every time you see your own progress instead.

Besides, if you quit your job and move home, it's all going to be about how focused you can make yourself become and stay on the task, it's very easy to just wake up and come up with justifications why you don't need to do stuff today and play games or something isntead (I'm guilty of this time to time), because nobody will be there to tell you what you have to do.

What I'm trying to say is, get a taste of what self study would be like, prove to yourself that you possess the discipline you will need!

Again, the livestreams I mentioned are a wealth of information and motivation!

[JonHop]

Def agree with what Simonarpalmer is saying. You prob shouldn't quit your job straight away, but do art in your spare time, instead of going out with friends do art, instead of watching tv, do art, instead of playing video games, do art etc. It will take dedication and determination on your part but it is perfectly possible to achieve your dreams. Success isn't not failing, success is failing until you succeed, as long as you don't give up you've never actually failed, you have only suffered a setback on the road to succeeding.

I took a quick look at your DA - You have a load of imagination pieces but I didn't see any studies there. Your understanding of form and how light works will only increase by studying those things from life. If you want to be serious about this I suggest going back and doing basics, take a ball and a lamp set up different light and draw it, do the same with other basic shapes, cubes etc then implement what you've learnt into an imagination piece. I know doing this kind of study sounds boring etc but those fundamentals are absolutely vital to your progress as an artist. You may not enjoy doing those studies as much as imagination pieces but what you learn from them will make your imagination pieces better and you will see the improvement in them and it will motivate you to keep pushing those studies.

If you haven't already start a sketchbook here and post in it every day at least something, even if it's a 15 min sketch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbZnCGyPn...plpp_video - here's a motivational video for ya ;).

[nE0n1nja]

Thanks man, I'll definitely start a sketchbook here and now I don't have any doubts in my mind that if I commit I'll succeed.

Btw, I found the whole speech from that video you sent me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM_7j6t9IyU&feature=related Good stuff :)

[Sickbrush]

i'm a self-taught professional. it's hard but it's doable. all you need is a strict routine and the proper inspirations.

BUT

keep your bills payed until you make the switch.

[Warburton]

I agree with all the comments above, and you'll probably find that almost all artist (not all of course) go through a similar cycle to yourself, me included. I remember a couple of years back when i first really started commiting to art and going through the same questions, i started trying to find answers. I asked friends, family, tutors and other tons of other people surrounding my life at the time and never really got a straight or helpful answer. I had been mislead almost my entire life by people who believe art to be some 'talent' or some creative gift by god. The prospect of making money from art was crazy and nobody ever discussed it. You were almost seen as a sell out if you wanted to make money through art. Then i one day stumbled across CA.org and my jaw dropped at some of the awesome artists on there, and they all communicated with each other. So i messaged a guy on there, whos art really inspired me about similar things you ask now, about how to get beter etc etc, thinking i would'nt even get an answer. And he send me a messgae back which literally changed my life. If he sees this message i just hope he doesnt mind me sharing his kind words here, so that others might benefit from his knowledge.
"As for the skill itself...well, that`s just it. It`s a skill. And if you take away all that "glamor" away, you`ll notice it`s not even a relevant skill. Say, if there was a Zombie apocalypse, I somehow doubt my brushwork or design skills would save my life (lol). It`s like learning a new language, or learning how to cook. You get better depending on how much time you put into learning it. No magic formulas, no shortcuts. Just work, work, work. And then work some more.
Improvement is something I look at as a very subjective thing. I, personally, don`t see that much improvement on my part. My anatomy is still wonky. I still have a hard time depicting a good looking figure. Which is why I all so often go back to my comfort zone of drawing girls with long hair. And that is not good. Comfort zones are great, but tricky. You should stay in them for only so long. And now the part I presume you`re going to dislike the most - sacrifice. I sacrifice a lot almost daily, even though I don`t notice it. People go out and socialize. I don`t. People go out on weekends. I don`t. Often there are days when I don`t even leave my apartment, other than going to buy some groceries at the near shop. Rest of the day I`m at home, and do...well, not that much. If I spent all that time drawing though, I`d be FAR better than now. This bothers me little - I`ve always been something of a hermit. But to someone used to social contact, this could be quite a challenge.
And lastly - be more active. Or should I say, pro-active. Open a sketchbook thread here, and start drawing. Commit to it. It`s not too late. It`s never too late. I see you are 24 now - I started when I was 24. Now, 2 years later - here I am. Not that far ahead, but I`m on my way. One step at a time. At this age you already have some life experience, and your will is a bit stronger, so you should actually improve faster than those younger than you. In theory, that is. Just keep pushing yourself, always go for that little bit extra and in no time someone will be writing a PM to you saying how much they admire your artwork. And you`ll probably tell them what I just told you. It`s a full circle, you see.

Anyways, this long post was a very elaborate way to say following - thank you, it takes work and dedication, open a sketchbook thread and work your ass off. And just believe in yourself. Often it will be the only thing to hold on to."