FACEPOCALYPSE

How do I get work as a creative?

So you’re ready to break into the industry? You’ve finished whatever course you poured your being into, or your self-directed studies have brought you to a point where you look at work other people have been paid for and think, “Hey, I could’ve done that.”

This is good! This is a start, at least. Your skills are polished enough to be considered a junior, or maybe an intern if you’re shooting for a big company. Now what?

For the sake of abridging this post I’m going to assume you’ve done some work and gained a bit of experience. Something that’s involved interacting with other people and not just self-directed projects. When you’re starting out experience is valuable, even if it’s unpaid, and this is why: Communicating with a client or boss is a skill. A skill a lot of people lack straight out of university, but it’s something you’ll learn through odd jobs or work experience. Every time you fail you’ll learn something. Failing is valuable! The first freelance job I did was actually killed about a week into it. I was paid fee to stop doing what I was doing. A blow to the ego, but I got $300 for an unfinished job! I thought that was big money. Especially since I had no idea what I was doing. All I’d done up to that point was whatever I wanted to do! I’d get a project brief at university and manipulate it until I could draw something cool.

Lesson learnt… The real world doesn’t work like that. 

The kill fee experience made me realise I wasn’t even nearly ready to be employed. Once again I was scared of the working world. Terrified even, but $300 worth of booze was ready to dampen my sorrows.

No, not really. I’m mostly responsible, and with my responsible outlook I devoted my post-graduation unemployed time to skilling up, but I’ve already written a post about that. This post is for people who can already do the job in a timely fashion. The people that just need some visibility, so here are some healthy tips for networking. 

Tip 1: Networking is important. Do it.

Tip 2: Be aware of how you come across to strangers.

I will note that I’m adverse to folio flashing. You instantly diminish your standing by pushing your folio in someone’s face. There’s no longer equality in your relationship with that person. If they ask to see your work that’s different. I know it can be effective to get more eyes on your folio, but I’m wary of this approach. Unless that person is specifically expecting to look at portfolios, more often than not it just creates an awkward tension. 

Tip 3: If you’re wanting studio work… Go where the employees go. Hello new friends!

Think of it like a long term relationship. It’s a risk for any company to hire someone, so why not try and ease into one? It will also give you greater leverage for negotiating a salary etc. A great way to assist your hiring is to befriend people that can vouch for you! Better yet, get someone who already works there to do so.

Place yourself where you’ll make relevant connections. Go to networking events or just social things you’d expect other creatives to attend. Life drawing, for instance. Shows, industry events and conferences. It’s a great way to chase studio work - everyone wants to work with people that’re easy to talk to. Approach potential colleagues as a friend first. It’s always super-awkward when people you meet have an agenda, no matter what type of relationship they’re trying to forge. Don’t say things that create expectations, just talk like you would with a friend and the conversation will flow into the rest.

Tip 4: If chasing freelancing work… Goodbye comfort zone.

Attend events for people in complimentary industries. If you wanted graphic design work you want to be around people that aren’t designers themselves, but might need a designer. It’s more appropriate to say “Hey, I could design that for you” in this instance because that’s what they need; a service they can’t do themselves.

Tip 5: Don’t talk yourself down.

This harps back to the whole equality dynamic, but also you need to fill your employer/client with confidence if you expect to get the job. Not only that, but people are generally more likely to believe something is good if they’re reassured. Imagine the difference between doing an illustration job and saying “I really like how this turned out” vs “I would’ve liked more time to fix this bit, but here it is.” 

Be confident in your own work!

Tip 6: Say yes to things.

This is how you enrich your life and get stories to share with other people. Stories you can use to get a conversation going. Saying yes will break the monotony of routine. I think it’s a lack of comfort that’s brought me to where I am now. I’ve certainly become complacent at times, and that’s natural, but be aware of the tradeoffs you make with any decision. 

Just keep going. Keep putting yourself out there, keep doing work, and keep living life. Every aspect feeds back into the others, and it’s definitely worth striking a balance to be a well-rounded creative. 

So, go have an adventure! Then report back. I expect you to return with stories! And/or a job.

“What do I study to become a concept artist?”

This question was posed awhile back in the Perth illustrators’ group on facebook and generated a bit of discussion. I thought I’d transfer some of my thoughts into a blog post for all to see!

In context it was referring to courses/education available as a path to getting a job.

I’ll just jump right in with my response; I don’t tell any employers I have a graphic design degree and they don’t ask. It means virtually nothing for an artist in the entertainment industry. It’s definitely an advantage to have complimentary skills (3D especially) but concept art is actually significantly different to graphic design. While there are aspects of each that reinforce the other, being a concept artist is more like art/illustration combined with other forms of design (like industrial or fashion) depending on your specialty.

To work as a concept artist the most important question is “Can you do the job?” which breaks down into a few things:

- Are you technically and creatively competent?

AND ONCE YOU’VE GOT SOME SKILLS:

- Can you meet the deadline?
If you can do the job you don’t need any qualification. In fact, I’m skeptical of most courses for this very reason: If you’re not self-motivated you won’t make it in this industry, and if you ARE self-motivated you don’t need to pay to study!

However, studying with skilled mentors/teachers is a great catalyst for improvement, as is being surrounded by likeminded peers.

If you’re going to pursue a career in entertainment art then study somewhere that has people who take it seriously. Who treat it as a lifestyle! If you’re not drawing or painting EVERY DAY the people who are will be improving faster and eventually getting the jobs. If you’re the best person in your course, your course is probably shit.

You’re not competing with your peers in Perth to get a job in the entertainment industry, you’re competing with your peers globally. As a freelancer I do 95% of my work remotely. Anyone could get that work.

I was also asked how I got into concept art. I’m probably not the best example as I directed my studies in an awkward, semi-blind kind of way. Just an aspiring artist with the internet; I learnt to paint by painting photos and trying to deconstruct other artists’ work. If I liked someone’s technique I’d try adding it to my own. In retrospect a more efficient path is to study from life, but be aware of what’s going on. Hunt down resources like Scott Robertson’s Gnomon DVDs on matte rendering - they’re awesome for value and lighting knowledge. Gurney’s book on Light and Colour is great for… Light and colour. I could’ve really used that knowledge earlier, and instead tried to backwards engineer how to paint with colour without it becoming muddy. I desperately wanted to avoid muddy colours and the visibly airbrushed aesthetic.

If I were to break down my little reverse-engineered ‘rules’ I’d be explaining a style and not the way light and colour actually work. There’s something nice about well-crafted ‘naive’ art, like a charming comic produced with broken or misunderstood perspective, but if your goal is to work in a studio you’re better off learning the rules before breaking them.

Then being mindful of the things you learn, go and observe them in reality. Paint/draw from life, look at how different colours and lighting conditions affect real objects. If you want to focus on one particular area then minimise the variables. eg. To study light and form get a white plaster cast of a head or facial part, light it with a single source and do an accurate drawing/painting of it. Note where bounce light affects surfaces and how the form turns with the value. There are lots of notes on what to observe which you can probably find by searching for a Cast Drawing process.

Ok… Lots of writing. I’ll leave it at that for now. Feel free to ask any questions if you’d like any particular insight.