what do you do when you don't make it?

[Dirty C]

had an interview tonight. it wasn't the perfect place for me, but i'm not as young as some of you. because of that, i work my arse off harder than alot of you, but ti's hard when the dude brings up my age. hard when i realise that i don't think i could work for dogshit.

so what do you do when you start trying to break into the industry and start realising it's less a staircase and more a wall?

personally, i realise i need to just work so fuckin hard i'll be lucky if i have time to breathe. rocky styles.

but first i'm getting drunk.

anyone know the feeling?

[geoffd]

never give up, never surrender.

i don't know about this age bologna.... it shouldn't prohibit you from getting a job. that would fall under discrimination. and if you think you are too old, think again... mcotie is like 35 or something and just got his first (i think) gig at a game studio. i'm 28 and i'm just now starting out on my path to glory. anyway, keep trying and pluggin away and promote the hell out of yourself. just my 2cents.

[troymcoy]

Age shouldn't really matter, keep doing what you love and you'll get there eventually...
Good luck.

[acuna_read]

Ill find out next Mondy.

Got an interview for an image manipulator at a photographic company!

Need a drinking partner :nopity:

Learn how to rock climb and the wall would become easy, no?

[Dirty C]

Very good point about the wall. exactly what i was thinking when i wrote it. lemme know if you're miserable, i'll get mothered with you. course if you're not miserable, i'll refute your existence.

[Duq]

I remember my first interview for an art academy. I died in there. No answers for questions, no portfolio. Their comment on me was that I would never even think about being creative in my whole life and that I should look for constructor work. After that I got depressed for months, and I also failed to graduate.

Did a year of thinking of who I was, what I really wanted and made it my day work to get there. A year and half later I got accepted at the same art academy for a course about game concepts, A chance of 1 to 100, and graduated in Information Technology with highest marks the course ever had.

My point being is to know yourself and what you want. If you are passionated about it and you know precisly what you want, there is no wall high enough to stop you. Keep pushing yourself to that one goal.

But maybe I'm just being youthfull optimistic, but still I like to think that everybody, no matter their age or whatever, is able to archieve their goal.

[Dirty C]

See, I totally fuckin agree. Partly I've realised that the second I walked out of there, I was more determined than ever to make it, no matter what it took. The point is, I'm not accepting this. And I guess it's important people realise that it might happen to them. The industry isn't all 'hang out on conceptart.org and get offered a job by manley at the first workshop you go to'.

The first disappointment I had was a week and a half after I heard of this site. I went to Amsterdam and cause my stuff was all comic stuff, Kevin wasn't too complimentary. That wasn't easy - the first time never is. This is the second. The point is, I'm realising that what it takes isn't being michelangelo at birth. If you want it, you'll get there.

Name's Christian, btw :)

[acuna_read]

Well I may see you at this London meeting if you, I, or indeed both of us go!

I'm pretty ticked off. I got all worked up to go and see a comedy act, after I heard Bill Bailey had been to Dartford about a month ago, now I have to wait until September :shocked:

I then thought I'd consolidate myseld with other comedians to see when they might be playing, turns out there none (apart from Bill Bailey) that I'd like to go and see until Lee Evans, in 2005! In DECEMBER!

I have now decided to consolidate myself by buying a Phoenix Nights "Chorley FM" T-shirt.

I also got into 3 different (and good) undergrad ID courses earlier in the year, but didnt like my foundation course so dropped out, therefore not going to study further.

My own fault I know, but im pretty annoyed with myself so far!

Oh! and to top it off I have to wait until next weekend to celebrate my B'day and have been therfore denied many a present!

To brighten up my life I got a little drunk tis evenin with family. then went and looked at this web site, these kids are just like the ones that live near me (and everywhere else):http://www.chavscum.co.uk/ which cheered me up no-end. I also got given the Tenatious-D album which is making me laugh quite a bit.

Chorley FM - coming in your ears!

[NoUseFrAName]

people are more important than things.

So often we get hung up on our 'goals'...which are nothing more than 'things'. What is best for you as a person...as a human being. Not what you want...but rather, what do you need?

You can work so hard that you're just not living anymore.
Don't get me wrong, commitment and dedication are fantastic....but sometimes it's like trying to roll a marble up a flagpole.....it's incredibly hard, and even once you do get it up there, it's not like there's much use for a marble on top of a flagpole.

When you really live your life and change, that's when you're transformed....and that's what's important...to be transformed.
Do that and you might just blossom from a marble into a flag.
...or into something else with some other use.
People change careers and stuff all the time....working in games isn't the be all-end all....it's just something that'd be fun. If you don't get joy from your journey, don't feel like you have nothing to work towards anymore....
I've made tremendous progress in the past 2 years....but that doesn't stop me from considering other things no matter how close I get to being in the entertainment industry.

In fact I might just go spend a year living with disabled folks in a L'Arche community. http://www.larchecanada.org/

A year from now you'll only be a year older.....and a year doesn't make much difference in anything....you're just a year older. Is 19 that different from 20? is 40 that different from 41? no.

Doing what's best for you here and now will lead you into greater things a year from now....and if working in games is one of those things that'll enrich your life, it'll happen. Believe it.

-Rob

[RefrigeratorCo]

I don't want to depress you but if you look at history a ton of amazing artists lived like bums for years.

[Floris Didden]

And they usually didn't become famous until after their death ;P.

I agree with the above. Rejection is a sting that should motivate you. That's why I love CA, there are all these people who are so much better then I am that I'm green with envy, but this is just the right thing to motivate me. I can't accept the fact that there might be an artist who is much better then I am, I want to convince the world about my work. You hit a wall? You'll just have to train your fist hard to break it. That's not a setback, it's a golden oportunity to improve yourself.

Don't give up the fight.

[Dirty C]

Cheers guys.

[les]

Hi. Im 32 and have two kids. I love my family and will do anything for them, even stop doing artwork. last time i did any serious artwork was 5 years ago when i was somewhat young. my little one is 2 and I figured in two years he wont need to be entretained as he does now. I will be able to go back and do some artwork. Ive always thougth that to be a good artist you have to be a little stupid, just because anyone with any brains would have quit within the first week of any sort art training. Good ART knows no AGE. ART is AGELESS so the artist that creates the art work works on a different time line then the rest of the world. We are eternal. (now i sound crazy)

Paul Gauguin was a banker till the age of 44.

http://thegeniousline.com

[Dirty C]

He was 44?? Damn. He was the insane trouserless pianist, right?

You haven't drawn in 5 years?? Shit.

[les]

LOL. No, no, Paul Gauguin was not a pianist. well at least i dont think he was. He was a friend of Van Goh's if i remember my art history correctly. He was a banker then gave it all up for art. moved to Tahiti and painted the local "young" girls. he had some good stuff, not to everyone's tastes im sure but powerful nontheless. as to myself... I have drawn, i just havent finished anything in five years. It kills me. Im working on stuff all the time, is just that now it has to be small stuff and i can only work everyonce in a while. not everyday from 8 to 8 like i used to. so at least you have that on your side. no kids :0

http://thegeniousline.com

[acuna_read]

yeah theres lots of old artists, particularly impressionist ones, that didnt start properly until later. Though they did still continue art as their hobby. Anyway you sure your not reffering to Cezanne? both Pauls, maybe im just getting them confused.
Even Van-Gough didnt start properly studying until he was 23 or something, maybe older.

Theres always time....

[Dirty C]

Nope, I know what I'm on about:

"There are fascinating photographs of the artist's life (including a photograph of Paul Gauguin at the piano sans trousers) and a thirty-minute documentary of Mucha's life. "

I saw said documentary at the mucha museum in prague :)

[les]

HA ha ha! Well, anyone that can play the piano has always impressed me. But he was known for his paintings. Van Gogh died early somewhere between 28 and 32 (?) now im going to have to look that up.

guess we are going to need to start an art history thread.

cheers

[April]

If you know that you want to work 24/7 and often not make all that much money--but you're doing what you love so it makes up for it, then go for it--keep trying.

But many jobs just aren't a good fit for many people. Just because it's art or cg or concept or whatever--doesn't mean you'll like it, or find it fulfilling enough. Often jobs are just jobs. Some will be more fun or lucrative or satisfying than others. But primarily it's a way to make a living.

For some people, they may find it suits them to have a job that pays the bills and then do whatever they want, creatively, as a hobby.

For others, they will free-lance or start their own companies and make the jobs fit them, rather than trying to fit into the jobs that are out there.

Everyone is different.

Good luck in finding a situation that suits you the best!

[Manta_Ray]

Can I just say, I am so f**king impressed with you guys and the responses you all gave to dirty_C on this issue. Seriously, it just reminds me, wisdom has no chronological age.

I'm in a similar situation C. I have an added bonus in that I have a chronic illness that can really impede me at the worst possible times, but I also realised that while I love drawing etc, there is still plenty of time to be creative, its just that I might not be making a living off it.

And its true alot of the so called true artists were poor while they were doing it and then died but in this day and age we have more choices and its a challenge trying to come to grips with that. I guess Im saying that the frustration you feel is what we all feel at times, consider using it in your art/design...

All the best. :)

[Dirty C]

Well, the good news is I might have one or two more leads on roles to which I'm better suited.

Thanks to all of you for the advice. I've regrouped hella quickly and now know that I need to change my focus a little. This site is fantastic, but for those of us who see 'getting into the industry asap' as our primary goal, it's sometimes a little idealistic. I would kill to get into conceptual pre production, but it might be a few years before my skills are up to it. So while I draw my ass off, I've realised that actually I need to start figuring out texture mapping and photo manipulation to get more entry-level roles. Cause it doesn't seem like many people hire the way Massive Black does.

Sigh. It's a real world out there, kids!