03-26-2016, 02:00 AM
Hey there. Thanks for posting questions on the forum, hopefully we can help.
1. I want to test an assumption you made in your original post. You said there is more competition for Arch Viz with less opportunity for less money.
Everything I have seen/heard tells me exactly the opposite, so it makes me question your statement a little. I started as an Arch Viz 3D guy ages ago and I was absolutely shit at it at the time with a godawful folio. It seems like you are stressing out about it, BEFORE even getting out there and testing that assumption and seeing what might happen. A positive attitude is as important if not more important than just having skills or connections. Probably more important actually. Granted this was a long time ago, but I had positivity about my shitness at the time, if that makes sense. I was helpful and enthusiastic and it got me into a job.
As far as I know there is a lot of demand (people ARE building stuff all the time), it is a specialised skill, and it pays much better. I know amazingly skilled concept artists / illustrators that are actually going the other way because they can't make money from freelance. So what I would say is make sure your assumption is tested properly before you make any choices.
The situation in Romania may be very tough, but there is an entire world out there of opportunity so be sure you aren't closing doors before you have even begun to look through them and open up to them. We often make our own opportunity...so don't just roll over and play dead because people will tell you often and regularly that, that is what you should do. Hell, nobody would ever become a creative of any sort if they listened to all the common understanding around them about the nature of art and its relation to the world.
2. 3D Environment Artist. This means you are modelling assets for the levels in games...architecture, roads, caves, forests, mountains, vegetation, whatever. I would say your skills are directly and immediately transferable to these jobs. The only difference is focus and having an appropriate folio of work to show as well as learning the limitations of modern gaming platforms. Since you are versed in 3D fairly well I assume, all you need to do is take other people's concepts of recognizable big name IP's and model some awesome game level assets from them. The exposure of big IP's against your name will be a big plus, and if you do great work it actually won't take you too long to get a folio together. You could have a decent 3D asset/level design folio together in even as quick as 6 months to 1 year. Check out Dan McGowan's environment design mentorship on Robotpencil.net. He does 3D environment level design for games class and I have seen people from this forum take that class, and they ended up with some really awesome work. Some of them got into Spectrum this year!
Just have a look on any CG job site, or ArtStation jobs etc. There are many 3D environment artist or 3D layout / level designer jobs around. There are FAR FEWER 2D environment concept artist jobs around. I know. I am one. It makes sense, it only takes one person to design the look of an entire setting, but it takes a handful to get into 3D and actually build all that stuff. I have been trying bloody hard for over a year to make consistent money from 2D environment design and I am struggling. Most of my work is actually illustration really. Take a look at my work...is it lack of skill? Haha well maybe, but I also think it is a fact that competition is high to get that first break into something on the level of AAA games.
3. Freelancing is damn damn damn hard! It is not the freedom it is touted as at all, unless freedom means stressing out every day about how you are going to pay your bills the next week. Where your next job is going to come from, why you feel you can't live a normal life, because of the feeling that if you aren't at it all the time, the money will dry up....oh and it will dry up. Freedom of being a loner weirdo that looks at people in funny ways, and forgets how to talk and relate to regular people. Sure once you have a reputation, and some good known IPs and clients under your belt, things can get better, and the rates get pretty good (70-100+ USD/hr) but you have to make that first break and that is damn hard to do. Freelancing is not for the faint of heart. I highly recommend you try and get a studio job first rather than aim at going straight into freelancing. And while time isn't important, it takes as long as it takes, and there are no rules, I would say it took me 5 years to go from the first thought of doing art as a career to going fulltime (about 2 of those years was hardcore self study while working full time) I also destroyed part of my ability to be human as a result of that crazy obsessive period.
Don't want to put you off too much...there is definitely a certain sense of fulfillment and freedom to freelancing that you just cannot get in any day job in any studio. You set your own times, you don't answer to anybody but your next client. You don't have to deal with horrible office politics, obnoxious coworkers, idiotic managers, and the rage fest of modern day commuting. There are definite upsides, but money (at least at first) is a HUGE downside. A part time job is probably gonna be in the cards for a while just to make ends meet.
4. This is a BIG one. You should never do anything art related just because you feel the money will be much better or there will be more job security if you focus on some particular area. I feel that money is an important consideration of course, but you must love what you do as an artist first to some extent as well so let that love guide you where it will, even if it does fly against all logic. I am not saying be an idiot about it, but be open to what you truly want to do.
5. FEAR. I know it is so easy to succumb to fear, but please don't let it. Try and foster a positive attitude. Be grateful and passionate about your work and anything you put your mind to whatever you decide to do. Indulging in your fears has a nasty way of making exactly that that you fear the most, come true by your own hand. It makes us tighten up, and remain out of any of that positive flow that would actually help us. I have done this too. Face your fear, name it...then kick it in the balls and do what you want anyway. Not saying don't be thoughtful or strategic, but don't succumb to the big hairy fear monster.
I couldn't go through and answer every single question you wrote, because to be honest, it was a pretty large dump of fear and anxiety, and I am just here to tell you, as are the others I am sure. It is ok to feel overwhelmed and insecure and wanting answers, but the reality is, you have to take stock of what you really want to do in your life, then use those goals as a way of guiding you along. You might not end up exactly where you started out to get to, but fuck man, none of us do in this life. That IS life. It is a meandering journey, often aimless, often with no purpose, that never goes exactly as we plan it.
There are also many other avenues one can be creative and be fulfilled that aren't just games or architcture or movies. So be open to the wonderful world out there, and see what that can bring.
1. I want to test an assumption you made in your original post. You said there is more competition for Arch Viz with less opportunity for less money.
Everything I have seen/heard tells me exactly the opposite, so it makes me question your statement a little. I started as an Arch Viz 3D guy ages ago and I was absolutely shit at it at the time with a godawful folio. It seems like you are stressing out about it, BEFORE even getting out there and testing that assumption and seeing what might happen. A positive attitude is as important if not more important than just having skills or connections. Probably more important actually. Granted this was a long time ago, but I had positivity about my shitness at the time, if that makes sense. I was helpful and enthusiastic and it got me into a job.
As far as I know there is a lot of demand (people ARE building stuff all the time), it is a specialised skill, and it pays much better. I know amazingly skilled concept artists / illustrators that are actually going the other way because they can't make money from freelance. So what I would say is make sure your assumption is tested properly before you make any choices.
The situation in Romania may be very tough, but there is an entire world out there of opportunity so be sure you aren't closing doors before you have even begun to look through them and open up to them. We often make our own opportunity...so don't just roll over and play dead because people will tell you often and regularly that, that is what you should do. Hell, nobody would ever become a creative of any sort if they listened to all the common understanding around them about the nature of art and its relation to the world.
2. 3D Environment Artist. This means you are modelling assets for the levels in games...architecture, roads, caves, forests, mountains, vegetation, whatever. I would say your skills are directly and immediately transferable to these jobs. The only difference is focus and having an appropriate folio of work to show as well as learning the limitations of modern gaming platforms. Since you are versed in 3D fairly well I assume, all you need to do is take other people's concepts of recognizable big name IP's and model some awesome game level assets from them. The exposure of big IP's against your name will be a big plus, and if you do great work it actually won't take you too long to get a folio together. You could have a decent 3D asset/level design folio together in even as quick as 6 months to 1 year. Check out Dan McGowan's environment design mentorship on Robotpencil.net. He does 3D environment level design for games class and I have seen people from this forum take that class, and they ended up with some really awesome work. Some of them got into Spectrum this year!
Just have a look on any CG job site, or ArtStation jobs etc. There are many 3D environment artist or 3D layout / level designer jobs around. There are FAR FEWER 2D environment concept artist jobs around. I know. I am one. It makes sense, it only takes one person to design the look of an entire setting, but it takes a handful to get into 3D and actually build all that stuff. I have been trying bloody hard for over a year to make consistent money from 2D environment design and I am struggling. Most of my work is actually illustration really. Take a look at my work...is it lack of skill? Haha well maybe, but I also think it is a fact that competition is high to get that first break into something on the level of AAA games.
3. Freelancing is damn damn damn hard! It is not the freedom it is touted as at all, unless freedom means stressing out every day about how you are going to pay your bills the next week. Where your next job is going to come from, why you feel you can't live a normal life, because of the feeling that if you aren't at it all the time, the money will dry up....oh and it will dry up. Freedom of being a loner weirdo that looks at people in funny ways, and forgets how to talk and relate to regular people. Sure once you have a reputation, and some good known IPs and clients under your belt, things can get better, and the rates get pretty good (70-100+ USD/hr) but you have to make that first break and that is damn hard to do. Freelancing is not for the faint of heart. I highly recommend you try and get a studio job first rather than aim at going straight into freelancing. And while time isn't important, it takes as long as it takes, and there are no rules, I would say it took me 5 years to go from the first thought of doing art as a career to going fulltime (about 2 of those years was hardcore self study while working full time) I also destroyed part of my ability to be human as a result of that crazy obsessive period.
Don't want to put you off too much...there is definitely a certain sense of fulfillment and freedom to freelancing that you just cannot get in any day job in any studio. You set your own times, you don't answer to anybody but your next client. You don't have to deal with horrible office politics, obnoxious coworkers, idiotic managers, and the rage fest of modern day commuting. There are definite upsides, but money (at least at first) is a HUGE downside. A part time job is probably gonna be in the cards for a while just to make ends meet.
4. This is a BIG one. You should never do anything art related just because you feel the money will be much better or there will be more job security if you focus on some particular area. I feel that money is an important consideration of course, but you must love what you do as an artist first to some extent as well so let that love guide you where it will, even if it does fly against all logic. I am not saying be an idiot about it, but be open to what you truly want to do.
5. FEAR. I know it is so easy to succumb to fear, but please don't let it. Try and foster a positive attitude. Be grateful and passionate about your work and anything you put your mind to whatever you decide to do. Indulging in your fears has a nasty way of making exactly that that you fear the most, come true by your own hand. It makes us tighten up, and remain out of any of that positive flow that would actually help us. I have done this too. Face your fear, name it...then kick it in the balls and do what you want anyway. Not saying don't be thoughtful or strategic, but don't succumb to the big hairy fear monster.
I couldn't go through and answer every single question you wrote, because to be honest, it was a pretty large dump of fear and anxiety, and I am just here to tell you, as are the others I am sure. It is ok to feel overwhelmed and insecure and wanting answers, but the reality is, you have to take stock of what you really want to do in your life, then use those goals as a way of guiding you along. You might not end up exactly where you started out to get to, but fuck man, none of us do in this life. That IS life. It is a meandering journey, often aimless, often with no purpose, that never goes exactly as we plan it.
There are also many other avenues one can be creative and be fulfilled that aren't just games or architcture or movies. So be open to the wonderful world out there, and see what that can bring.