Quit my job today...

[sevnraiz]

I used to post in the Daily Sketch Book quite a bit, but I've been gone for a while. Anyway, just wanted to share something.

Four and a half years ago, I quit art school and a got a corporate job for a nationwide internet advertising company. You know, sold my soul.

Today, I quit my [well paying and secure] job, and got a part-time job at a coffeehouse so I could spend more time in my studio and hopefully become the artist that I've always wanted to be. And maybe get a little soul back in the process.

I haven't been this excited about anything in a long time and some of my friends think I'm crazy for going back to the "poor" house. But I remind them, it's all relative. I'll be happy again.

So anyway, wish me luck...today is a step in a new direction. :)

:yayca:

[glikster]

Good luck...!

[Flake]

Good luck with it.

[sve]

Good luck. And all the best to you. What was the soul selling like?

[Barts]

i hope everything goes well for you :)

[nofingers]

Bold move...good luck as well. Drop by the atlanta sketchgroup for some group sketch action....link below

edit: I hope that "nationwide internet advertsing company" isn't code for telemarketing or spamming....in which case you did sell your soul

[Steph Laberis]

Much envy for your choice of actions! Been wanting to quit my animation job for months and do the coffee house thing, can't really say what's stopping me outside of fear.

Please keep us posted on your progress and I look forward to seeing your sketchbook grow. Congrats and good luck!

[CaptainInsano]

well congrats. is this the mid-life or quarter-life crisis you are having ? :P

I don't see working at an advertising company as "selling your soul." Molesting children would be more in line with "selling your soul." Also, I know a lot of terrific people who work in advertising and would never say they are souless. that's pretty harsh over something that is so petty.

but besides all that, good luck in your endeavors.

[One Down]

I think you have understood the concept of life, wish you all the luck.

btw do you see everything in green flowing numbers now? Oo

[Elwell]

I don't see working at an advertising company as "selling your soul." Molesting children would be more in line with "selling your soul." Also, I know a lot of terrific people who work in advertising and would never say they are souless. that's pretty harsh over something that is so petty.
You don't, but obviously sevnraiz did. If you're doing something only for the money, and feel that your true path lies elseware, then you are "selling your soul," no matter what your job is. On the other hand, someone could find complete fulfillment as a dich digger and it's nobody's business but their own whether they are "living up to their potential."

[dutchtattooist]

Had a reasonably secure job in detention electronics. Always doodled on whatever piece of paper someone put on front of me :rendered: .This included my workorders.. Took a divorce and meeting the woman of my dreams to convince me to follow my instincts. Didnt have the guts to just go ahead and do it by myself. Am now a tattooist apprentice and doing more than OK. I know. Tattooist? Couldnt you just find a piece of paper? I love tattoos. Dunno. Just do.Cant mess up. Drives one to perfection pretty quick. Especially considering your canvas will hit you if you do :er: Still have some trouble building speed to get my lines as tight as I want them, but quickly improving. Work for a 25 yr veteran who calls me his most promising apprentice yet. Very flattering.

Anyway, Hope things work out good for you man. Jumping into the abyss and hoping for a branch takes guts.

[scarlet]

man that's the best decision ever! Good luck!!!

S.

[CaptainInsano]

You don't, but obviously sevnraiz did. If you're doing something only for the money, and feel that your true path lies elseware, then you are "selling your soul," no matter what your job is. On the other hand, someone could find complete fulfillment as a dich digger and it's nobody's business but their own whether they are "living up to their potential."

it's an interesting point.:thinking:

[Bowlin]

It all sounds like a quote from Joseph Campbell, "Follow Your Bliss". :D

[RES]

Good luck man.

[darth massacre]

Wow, ballsy move. Salut to you and wishing you good luck in your endeavours!

[fukifino]

Awesome. Good luck to you!

[guggemmaneuver]

Dude! A t l a n t a ?!?!?!?

You gotta hit CATL sketchgroup UP and draw with us!!! (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=53365&page=3) takes away the blues, plus you can laugh at my drawings! :)

we applaud your bravery friend! Your comrades here in the dirty dirty want to hear all the juicy juice of your soul-searching QUEST

sincerely,
joel

[nicolas]

may the force be with you!!

[Number_6]

Good luck!

[Red_Rook]

way to go dude, i suspect many people envy your boldness :) Good luck man :D

[rogfa]

Congratulations! I wish I had your courage. You can have all the money in the world but if you aren't happy with what you do for 8 hours of the day you will be misrable. I know I am. Good luck!

Roger

[Interceptor]

Do your best!!

[Hyver]

congrats and good luck, i did the same last year so i took the liberty of peeing in the water right before you jumped in.. it's a little warmer now ;)

edit: 700th post - talk about milestones :nohope:

[mwillustration]

i'm hoping to do the same thing here sometime soon...
not really liking what i'm doing, but i have good benefits and make a decent living, so since i have a little girl, a baby on the way and a wife, i'm not quite ready to take the plunge, although i'd REALLY like to.

i deal with art all day (sort of) but i'm not creating and it's driving me f-in' crazy!
hopefully i can build my portfolio and start getting some consistent freelance work and then when i'm busy enough, say bye bye to the day job.
that's the plan at least.

[Carnifex]

good luck to you my friend.
wish i could change my occupation as easily.
inform us further in future.:)

[Dutton]

Congratulations on your decision! It's an amazing journey and I hope you stick with it. In case you want some encouragement here's my own story:

I did the same thing last July. I had a steady 9 to 5 job (plus the extra few hours worth of the mental workload I took home each night). I worked as a claims examiner for a workers compensation insurance carrier. It took a long time to decide to leave. Luckily, I didn't have kids, a mortgage, or any other major financial burden aside from a strong relationship heading toward marriage. I could write volumes on what went on there each day. Life wasn't miserable, but I'd sit in front of the computer at work, sneaking sessions of CA.org, wishing I had the time and energy to make art, and generally wondering if the way things ended up were supposed to be that way, or if I could do something about it. Eventually, the final straw landed and it was in the form of a book called The Fountainhead. Any of you who are going through what Sevnraiz, Dutchtattoist, and I went through, I highly recommend reading that book. So anyway, I quit my job with some savings, took a job with my dad doing brushfire prevention (which I still do today), where it's all physical work, giving me plenty of time to space out and think of ideas for paintings (but no more CA browsing since I'm out on the grassy hills all day). Because of this, I've been able to refocus on art, what exactly I want to do with it, learn how to paint digitally, fine tune other areas, so on and so on. I even managed to get engaged despite the financial instability (though ironically I actually make more money now than I did at the deskjob.... though if I had stayed I'd probably be making a whole lot more). Eventually, the art career should take over the brushfire work.... hell, I've already completed a ton of work, including a huge project about a month ago where I did twenty three colored sketches in one week for a sculptor group who put together a proposal for a monumental installment on the capitol grounds in Oklahoma City. I would not have been able to take on this job if I were still at the deskjob.
Congratulations again. Hope to see you posting some work soon!!

[cotron]

Good decision, there's too many people that just settle and let their lives decay... congrats!

Like you and Dutton I could have been on the stable career track- I was doing design for a relatively large newspaper company, but going into it I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do... it was unfulfilling and stifling to work in the cubicle, and basically hide my personality from the people around me.. So, coincidentally like Dutton, I got engaged, and my girl and I picked up and left the east coast to come out to SF. I don't have a 401K anymore, less disposable income too- but I've got a decent job at a bar that I can pay my bills with, an opportunity to learn from the wealth of artists here, constant inspiration from my surroundings, and no business casual dress code :)

Not to say all this was easy, actually far from it, but making the break is totally worth it.

[thirdeye]

steady 9 to 5 job (plus the extra few hours worth of the mental workload I took home each night)

This is what my life looks atm. I kinda envy you guys - my situation is a bit different so I can't really quit this job now - but I'm thinking about it every day.

Good luck sevnraiz. It's always great to know that someone was/is going through the same thing and made it.

[CaptainInsano]

The Fountainhead was a great book. Congrats Dutton. Inspiriational life story :)

[sevnraiz]

I don't see working at an advertising company as "selling your soul."

Parker D, I know where you're coming from. My job wasn't bad...but it was wrong for me. I hated it. I'm not trying to say that working for an advertising firm was selling my soul. Ignoring my goals for a sizeable paycheck...that my friend should never take precedent.

Thank you everyone for your gratuitous support. I have no clue what the future holds, success or money wise...and right now I'm not concerned with that. Right now, I have a cold studio in my apartment that's begging for my attention, and that's all that matters.

I had no idea there was an Atlanta sketch group here, I'll be seeing you.

[Smitherines]

Most people don't know what they want out of life and when they finally do, they won't jump to the option because they are too afraid, congrats on making that large, scary move in your life. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you are happy with the path you chose.

[Puck]

Well done and Good Luck! How exciting.

I'm about 6 weeks away from doing the same thing.

I find that I'm just barely surviving during the week to make it to the weekend when I'll have a chance to make art, and then woosh, the weekend's gone and it's monday again.... very depressing.

So, it's bye bye to income and hello to 'just-enough-to-pay-the-rent' job so my art can get the loving it needs.

Though the decision was/is hard, cause like Steph Laberis I'm working in Animation...which is kinda arty... so i feel i should be a bit grateful for what i have.

[Greg L]

Cool thread. Good to hear your stories, so I’ll chime in too…

A few months ago I was attending Law school and had some connections into real estate investment. I had a very "bright future", at least in terms of financial well-being. However, I hated it and was miserable. So, I dropped out, and yes it felt exactly like I was taking my soul back from the Devil.

Edited: to make a long short, I'm now working as a concept artist. I don't have illusions about this business; it can be really rough and freelance is "feast or famine" by nature...but, I'm optimistic. And alot more sane.

Props to all you guys who are pursuing your true goals as well...

[Genso]

Good luck, Got a list of all the items you took from the company before you left ? :P

[sevnraiz]

Got a list of all the items you took from the company before you left ?

LOL! as many mechanical pencils as I could hide in my messenger bag.

[The Crazy Dude SRD]

Hell, I would have taken as much paper as I could! (hide it in your boxes)

[johnny78]

It´s cool that you have the courage to do what you want.
Good luck!!!

[The Crazy Dude SRD]

Damnit, you people make me hate my job that much more... although it isn't like I already don't hate it. I hope that I'll soon be rid of the horid smell of fries and hamburger grease. (It's going to take me years to clean the smell from my skin.)

[ah.heng]

who needs skin? :D

[The Crazy Dude SRD]

Well you sorta need skin or you will make a mess, sorta like the skinless people in Hellraiser. Then you also have the constant problems with dogs and other animals trying to eat you... I think I'll just use the Ajax.

[rWDrk]

Good luck with it.
Iam trying to make the good choice now, when i am still young. I hope its the good one 2.

cheeeeeeersR3M