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Thread: My dreams are unreachable; and not reaching them will kill me.

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    can't post; too scared Anonymous's Avatar
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    Default My dreams are unreachable; and not reaching them will kill me.

    I am a dude with an artist's work-ethic and a data entry technician's creativity.

    It's not that I don't work hard. When I have a project I care about - I mean, really care about - I put every screed of myself on the line to make it as good as I can. Everything else in life... eh, fuck that.

    I don't know who to be. Scratch that. I don't know WHAT to be. I yearn to live the creative life. Write books, act, be a musician. My secret dream is to be an animator and make movies like the great Disney classics (...only, I can't draw). But I'm paralyzed with these two fears: one, that I'll waste my life toiling and stay obscure, and get no chance to make or work on something great, and two, that I'm untalented and boring anyway. I could apply myself and learn music, or try to teach myself to draw and go be an animator but for every successful Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks/whatever artist, there's a guy sketching caricatures at the mall, or washed up as a lecturer at some bottom-rung art school, or animating crude hentai for dirty money.

    I've got a job, I've got a degree, I've got a huge group of friends I love and adore, some of whom will go on to be huge in their creative fields, there's no doubt. But I just can't spend my life at some schmuck job, wishing I was making something instead of just consuming.

    I don't know what to do with myself. Trying to make a career out of creativity scares me, and I can't escape the knowledge that I'm just not good enough. Not making a career out of creativity will kill me, or leave me crying in the shower in ten years or attempting to drink away my long-shrivelled-up dreams.

    I sound so damn melodramatic, but I feel like a defective model. Bad programming. Behavioural parameters out of reach of capability.

  2. #2
    =========== KT.'s Avatar
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    Creativity can be learned. Start small. Write some poems. Join an acting class. Start drawing. Yeah you're going to suck at first (or maybe you won't). But that's not the point. The more you do creative things, the more creative you become. If you want to be an animator, learn everything you can about animation. Join an art class. Make animated shorts. Again, yeah they may suck at first, but contrary to what you may believe, no one starts out awesome at anything.

    It's pointless to waste your life saying "I could have, would have, should have..." Yes it's going to be hard work, yes it's going to take a lot of time (and unless you're like 60, you have plenty of time), and yes you may feel like a failure some of the time, but you're never going anywhere unless you actually try. And you know that guy drawing caricatures at the mall or that washed up lecturer or that guy animating hentai, those people are still on the journey or perhaps they just didn't try hard enough.

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    you'll have infinite downtime to doodle retarded cartoons when you're actually getting paid more than peanuts
    I got my allowance but I spent it all on ice cream

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    windmills of your mind Think's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KT. View Post
    Creativity can be learned. Start small. Write some poems. Join an acting class. Start drawing. Yeah you're going to suck at first (or maybe you won't). But that's not the point. The more you do creative things, the more creative you become. If you want to be an animator, learn everything you can about animation. Join an art class. Make animated shorts. Again, yeah they may suck at first, but contrary to what you may believe, no one starts out awesome at anything.

    It's pointless to waste your life saying "I could have, would have, should have..." Yes it's going to be hard work, yes it's going to take a lot of time (and unless you're like 60, you have plenty of time), and yes you may feel like a failure some of the time, but you're never going anywhere unless you actually try. And you know that guy drawing caricatures at the mall or that washed up lecturer or that guy animating hentai, those people are still on the journey or perhaps they just didn't try hard enough.
    wrong - difference between talented and non talented people who don't work at it is sometimes negligible
    difference between talented and non talented people who do is always significant; I may play a good chess game if I hone, but I will never be grandmaster material

    OP; the usual stuff - try to choose a medium but keep it broad if you must; make sure you have a lot of sources of stimulation, chiefly art but also stuff you have not explored and even have no interest in (Good for breaking esablished patterns, giving you that "on edge/uncomfortable" feeling that is conducive to good art, and allowing you novel perspectives). Hold onto anything that strikes you; the more obscure and the more semantically/sensually/linguistically vivid the better; nurture the idea and develop it as much as you can, rinse and repeat; hold onto good ideas, let them coalesce.
    The fact that it's bothering you is a good sign for your potential; those who can most often want to more.
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    Is finding love in boy and girl

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    =========== KT.'s Avatar
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    Oh just thought of something...

    CG animation. That's a more technical type of animation and doesn't exactly require drawing skills.

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    Senior Member ShitFace's Avatar
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    I was also going to suggest computer animation.
    It is something that can be learnt, you don't need any particular artistic skills, and its creative.
    Andy says:
    prince of persia is more skill than hack and slash
    ShitFace says:
    i dont think skill is a genre of game lol
    Andy says:
    of course it is you have seen the crystal maze havnt you?
    he says what next a skill physical mental?


    Blind people don't see black, they see the same thing you see out of your elbow - VengfulScars

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    Senior Member Nermy2k's Avatar
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    never give up on your dreams and always believe in yourself bro
    Quote Originally Posted by Nermy2k View Post
    atmosfear did you suck gina's dick
    Quote Originally Posted by atmosfear View Post
    fuck yes.

  8. #8
    can't post; too scared Anonymous's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShitFace View Post
    I was also going to suggest computer animation.
    It is something that can be learnt, you don't need any particular artistic skills, and its creative.
    Quote Originally Posted by KT. View Post
    Oh just thought of something...

    CG animation. That's a more technical type of animation and doesn't exactly require drawing skills.
    I don't mean this insultingly, just matter-of-factly, but you guys have no idea.

    The artistry and visual talent that goes into (any decent) computer animation is IMMENSE.

    Anyway.

    Thanks, Think. That's advice I've not heard before. Gave me something to think about.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anonymous View Post
    I don't mean this insultingly, just matter-of-factly, but you guys have no idea.

    The artistry and visual talent that goes into (any decent) computer animation is IMMENSE.

    Anyway.

    Thanks, Think. That's advice I've not heard before. Gave me something to think about.
    Not trying to be argumentative, but yeah I know. I'm just saying, I don't think you necessarily have to be good at drawing or traditional animation to do well in computer animation.

  10. #10
    feel like funkin' it up gwahir's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KT. View Post
    Not trying to be argumentative, but yeah I know. I'm just saying, I don't think you necessarily have to be good at drawing or traditional animation to do well in computer animation.
    Being the resident Pixar fanatic, I'll jump in here and disagree. Not only are you essentially useless to a studio like Disney/Pixar if all you can do artistically is animate on a computer (because you have to be able to sketch out things quickly to show directors if you have an idea, and you also basically have to be an all-rounder talent for a studio to hire you -- because they can afford to only hire the best, let's face it), but the fact is that visual artistic talent is a lot like musical talent: it's in your head, not your hands. If you can't draw (I mean if you can't make a basically passable sketch that's indicative of your vision), then it's because you just don't have a mind for visual art. It's not because your hands won't do what your brain is envisioning.

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    sponge sponge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gwahir View Post
    Being the resident Pixar fanatic, I'll jump in here and disagree. Not only are you essentially useless to a studio like Disney/Pixar if all you can do artistically is animate on a computer (because you have to be able to sketch out things quickly to show directors if you have an idea, and you also basically have to be an all-rounder talent for a studio to hire you -- because they can afford to only hire the best, let's face it), but the fact is that visual artistic talent is a lot like musical talent: it's in your head, not your hands. If you can't draw (I mean if you can't make a basically passable sketch that's indicative of your vision), then it's because you just don't have a mind for visual art. It's not because your hands won't do what your brain is envisioning.
    classic gwahir itp
    Quote Originally Posted by Atmosfear View Post
    scarf wasn't man enough to do it so queendork pushed herself down the stairs.

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    not that i actually read the post but hey chances are gwahir never comes up with new persona the end
    Quote Originally Posted by Atmosfear View Post
    scarf wasn't man enough to do it so queendork pushed herself down the stairs.

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    feel like funkin' it up gwahir's Avatar
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    well it has me talking about pixar, disagreeing with kt, failing to say anything useful and two sets of parentheses in a single paragraph so yeah i'd say it's pretty typical gwahir right there

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    Senior Member ShitFace's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anonymous View Post
    I don't mean this insultingly, just matter-of-factly, but you guys have no idea.

    The artistry and visual talent that goes into (any decent) computer animation is IMMENSE.

    Anyway.

    Thanks, Think. That's advice I've not heard before. Gave me something to think about.
    Actually I've just done a computer animation unit, so I do have a pretty good idea.
    I just meant you didn't need to be able to draw well to do computer animation, just have some creativity.
    Gwahir is right, you would need to be able to sketch some ideas out, but you don't need to be a master artist to demonstrate you have some ideas.
    Last edited by ShitFace; 01-23-2011 at 02:43 PM.
    Andy says:
    prince of persia is more skill than hack and slash
    ShitFace says:
    i dont think skill is a genre of game lol
    Andy says:
    of course it is you have seen the crystal maze havnt you?
    he says what next a skill physical mental?


    Blind people don't see black, they see the same thing you see out of your elbow - VengfulScars

  15. #15
    Merry fucking Christmas Atmosfear's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Think View Post
    wrong - difference between talented and non talented people who don't work at it is sometimes negligible
    difference between talented and non talented people who do is always significant; I may play a good chess game if I hone, but I will never be grandmaster material

    OP; the usual stuff - try to choose a medium but keep it broad if you must; make sure you have a lot of sources of stimulation, chiefly art but also stuff you have not explored and even have no interest in (Good for breaking esablished patterns, giving you that "on edge/uncomfortable" feeling that is conducive to good art, and allowing you novel perspectives). Hold onto anything that strikes you; the more obscure and the more semantically/sensually/linguistically vivid the better; nurture the idea and develop it as much as you can, rinse and repeat; hold onto good ideas, let them coalesce.
    The fact that it's bothering you is a good sign for your potential; those who can most often want to more.
    Well this is utterly untrue. Behind just about every "talented" person is an opportunity and desire to hone a craft as well as an immense volume of time spent in meaningful practice.

    All "talent" is going to affect is the support and opportunity you have; if you honestly want it, and are willing to work at it tirelessly, you can learn just about any skill.

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    Senior Member ShitFace's Avatar
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    What about telepathy?
    Andy says:
    prince of persia is more skill than hack and slash
    ShitFace says:
    i dont think skill is a genre of game lol
    Andy says:
    of course it is you have seen the crystal maze havnt you?
    he says what next a skill physical mental?


    Blind people don't see black, they see the same thing you see out of your elbow - VengfulScars

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    Band simonj's Avatar
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    I don't think he meant fictional skills
    Quote Originally Posted by KT. View Post
    simonj can be a real dick sometimes.
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    I CAN'T LABI-STRETCH SIMONJ

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    Senior Member ShitFace's Avatar
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    Andy says:
    prince of persia is more skill than hack and slash
    ShitFace says:
    i dont think skill is a genre of game lol
    Andy says:
    of course it is you have seen the crystal maze havnt you?
    he says what next a skill physical mental?


    Blind people don't see black, they see the same thing you see out of your elbow - VengfulScars

  19. #19
    λεγιων ονομα μοι sycld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Atmoscheer View Post
    Well this is utterly untrue. Behind just about every "talented" person is an opportunity and desire to hone a craft as well as an immense volume of time spent in meaningful practice.

    All "talent" is going to affect is the support and opportunity you have; if you honestly want it, and are willing to work at it tirelessly, you can learn just about any skill.
    I mostly agree with this.

    This is why it's poisonous to tell a child that he or she is so smart or talented when he or she does well, which is what parents are taught to do in order to build up a child's "self esteem." Parents should tell their children when they do well that they are proud of how much hard work and effort they put into accomplishing what they have.

    Anyway, honing a talent is like working a muscle. At first you're going to do pretty badly, but as you learn from your past mistakes and success and develop an intuition for your craft, you'll gradually improve. But the important thing to remember is this: no matter how foolish or crestfallen you feel when your efforts seem to be in vain, you must not just stop developing your skill.

    Of course, the flip side to this is that practicing is not enough: you have to practice the right way to do things. A piano pedant (in the neutral archaic sense of the word) once said, "Practice does not make perfect; practice makes permanent."

    But if you never repeatedly work on a skill, you will never develop one.



    I'm being a hypocrite here, as I have trouble with following this advice. It's still true.


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