Mastering a creative life

Life is too short to waste time in a job that you hate so much you wished you could just end it all. One of my many goals in life is to never end up like this as almost everyone in my family lived this life. I'm still scared of this but I don't let that fear control me. My chosen career path is not built on solid ground, I have so many interests that most people would tell me that I should just pick one but I can't. 

Helpful sites for creative people

Behance is a network site in which people can display their work. From Architecture to Web Design, there is a place for you on this site. The site it free to use, they do offer to create a portfolio site for a fee but you can ignore that. I do have an account so if you would like to see it (https://www.behance.net/Djrobbins). You can search for jobs on this site and it might look good to employers if you are an active member of this site. One of the most important tools a creative person has is the word of mouth.



 This site is useful for a lot of reasons but be careful there are some pretty weird things on this site. I have been a long time member of this site and has helped me with my work. This is a great site to show off your work, build a following, and get feedback.

 If you are ever in the need for inspiration then ted.com is a great site for you. You can also visit their YouTube channel. I actively watch Ted Talk videos, they are always interesting and I always learn something from their videos. They have a series of videos for creative people and also a few of their programs are on Netflix streaming.


  Twitter is such a valuable site for anyone trying to market themselves or just to be social. You need to gather up a following and show that you are dedicated to your craft. Creating your work is one thing but getting people to buy it is another thing, Social media is one of the key elements of keeping a business successful if its done right.

Tips for Graphic Designers

I wasn't involved in Graphic Design for too long but I took about 9 classes on the subject. What I will share is what I learned during those classes and advice given to me by teachers and my peers.

1. Print Production is costly

I learned this the hard way after spending about 30 dollars just for one project. This might not seem like much but when you don't have a job it really is a lot. I would go on to spend maybe 150 dollars in total. The teachers say they want to help you out but most of the time I'm sure they don't really care. You might have to go around and check all the print shops. So whenever you take a job remember to add in the cost of print production.

2. Learn to Code

In the modern age, graphic designers will need to know a little web design. You don't have to be a master at it but you will need to understand CSS and HTML5. There are many free resources like Khan Academy  and Code Academy.

3. Backup Data/SAVE!!

I can't tell you how many people lost all of their projects because something happened to their flash drive or they forgot to save. Always save your project multiple times and find some kind of program that you can share copies of your work in. It might be good to invest in a portable hard drive.

4. Don't sell yourself short

There are a lot of graphic designers out there who are selling their services cheaply. This changes other designers to look bad because of how much they charge and it also lowers the amount of work towards quality designers. Plus you are not making much money if you only charge 5 dollars for any graphic design task. So please don't be a graphic design whore.

A tip for those that want to be in college

Unlike traditional degrees or pathways like studying to become a doctor or scientist. You don't really need a degree to have a creative career in certain fields. Creative fields like graphic design you might need a bachelor's degree if you want to work for a firm. Otherwise, you can pursue your passion all you need is heart and a truly amazing portfolio. Going to college is great for making connections and if you really want to go I suggest major in something else that also interests you. Why? It's due to the fact that most creative degrees are useless to the workplace. There are so many jobless graduates with degrees in film, fine art, photography, and etc.

I would suggest finding something else you are interested in to major in. The number one major I would say is some form of business because as a creative person you will need to understand business in order to survive as a freelancer. You can still minor in the field you want to go into if it's creative. Unless you are trying to be an architect, then I suggest you major in Architecture with a minor in business. An architecture teacher once told me that all the architects who end up losing their business is because they don't know a single damn thing about business.

How to find your creative career

The one tip I can offer you in this realm is to experiment. You can just read about a subject but you won't truly know if you like or dislike the activity until you do it. So make a list of activities that interest you and then go try them. If you don't like them or you don't feel like it's the activity for you then put it on the shelf and try another one. I recently did this and I've learned a lot about my interests.

I painted, did some ink work, fashion illustration, and many other things. I narrowed down my list of what I would like to do every day. I can honestly tell you that list is very small but I have a few other interests to try. I will continue to try new things after I submit this post. The only way to find your career is to do as much as you can and pursue the one you find is the most fulfilling for you. Photography has been something I've always done and I truly believe it is my passion. But I don't stop there, I keep trying new interests because I always liked design as well. So I'm exploring and experimenting with different design fields. Don't stop experimenting and always follow your heart. 

Another career path for animation majors

As an animator, you don't need to stay on the traditional animation career path.

Illustrators

As an animator, you will draw so much and do a lot of research. It's not a big step to go from animator to illustrator because most of the time your viewers are the same (children). The big step would be working on your own and you will most likely have a freelance career as an illustrator. But this career path will help you embrace your own style and you will improve your artwork a lot. You will need to choose your niche and from them gather inspiration and draw a lot. Your best friend would be experimentation.


http://www.wikihow.com/Be-an-Illustrator

http://artbistro.monster.com/benefits/articles/10995-8-steps-to-becoming-an-illustrator

Tip of the Day: Don't compare yourself to others

One of the most annoying elements of being a creative is comparing yourself to others. But this could kill your motivation to learn the field you are studying. If you can barely draw a person and you compare yourself to a classmate who can draw the statue of David in an hour you will lose all faith and give in to frustration. What you need to do, is just accept you are not in the place to be shoulders to shoulders to those people. You need to work harder and harder to gain a position in which you no longer compare yourself to others. It's a psychological problem that you will need to address or you will never reach your full potential.

I compared myself to others a lot but when I did that I got so frustrated that I wanted to quit. After looking at sketchbooks I completed in my first year of college I realized that I was improving slowly. Now, I am much better but it takes some time to fully understand this.