8 Critical Life Lessons No One Tells you in Film & Art School

It’s somewhere we have all been, or are about to face. Art school is long over and your hunt for your first big gig has officially started. It’s scary, its aggressive, and sometimes, it is just too much to handle. The struggle for all of us 20-somethings trying to find our niche in the working world, no matter what your area is, is challenging. For artists however, especially for those wanting to get into the entertainment industry, the struggle is too real.

You aren’t alone, my fellow 20 something. I’m going through it too. While we can’t change our circumstances, there are things that we can take away from this process and leave advice for one another as well as for those about to graduate. There are some very, very big things our schools didn’t prepare us for that I’ve started to learn from those I’ve met in the industry. As tough as it is to face some of them, I think it’s time to take a good hard look at them and learn from them. (Read on)

Why a background in everything BUT art actually makes you the better artist

Going to a liberal arts college was one of the greatest decisions I have ever made for expanding my artistic abilities. Now I know many artists might disagree with me on this. How can going to a school and not studying art help you find a job in the animation and games industry?

It is a question that I have continually asked myself for the past four years as I finished my college degree, and the one that I know many other students in my field have asked themselves. After spending a long time reflecting on my personal experiences and strange background that got me into the world of animation and gaming, as well as learning from my friends who attended to strong art schools, I really have one opinion:

No, going to an arts school doesn’t make you more prepared or better than liberal arts college students, or those artists that are self taught.

(Click below to read more!)

Standing Out with Your Style

Ever since freshmen year at college, I have been wrestling with my drawings and myself. As weird as it really is, my biggest struggle hasn’t necessarily been creating art (though sometimes that is the hardest thing for me to do), it has been trying to grasp the idea of finding what my artistic style is.

Since day one of art classes I have taken during my time here, professors have been pressing us to figure out our own unique style. The emphasis, according to one professor I have had, should be on discovering the way you draw and the way you create. “It separates you from everyone else and you need to find it now to really hone in on it by the time you graduate. The goal is to have someone who barely knows you say, “Oh, yes. So and so drew that.” Think of it like how we know a Glen Keane drawing and an Eric Goldberg drawing. You must be that unique in order to succeed.”

For the longest time, I have struggled with this concept of defining my art style. And it wasn’t until last week when I had a sudden epiphany did I truly understand what my professors were trying to tell me. Though, despite all of this, I once again have more questions than answers.

 

In college we are told to be unique art students, with our own unique art style. But for those in animation, how can we truly be unique in a project that requires us to conform and draw like everyone else? How can we have our own unique style when we are told to duplicate?

What makes the Classics, classic?

I was called a high school drop out whose only real job would amount to pushing strollers, I’ve evacuated Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin at least four times a week, I got into four light saber fights with young jedis with my guest control wandand somehow lost every time, I taught a young Pirate how to conduct the fireworks, I was forced into a guest’s family picture just because I had their same last name and it made their day, I took a scared little girl who was too afraid to ride the rollercoaster and made her an honorary Cast Member for a day and taught her how to group people onto numbers  (which she did a far greater job than me), I danced (rather poorly) to all the parts of Fantasmic! for three weeks straight even though guests laughed at me, I gave the answer to “Where is the closest restroom?” and “What time are the 9:30 fireworks?” at least a hundred times, and I gave a little Cinderella and her family new hope when I unknowingly gave the newly diagnosed cancer stricken girl a glass slipper while she was waiting in line only to be given the biggest hug of my life from her grateful mom, and I went home and cried because I felt that for once I was in the right place at the right time.

Needless to say, it was a crazy six months and a tiring summer at Disneyland, but I love my new job more than anything. And these past sixth months have been life changing and eye opening for me. I not only learned how to deal with people from all walks of life, or what I learned about myself, but I also  learned a lot more about Walt Disney and the company, the magic, and legacy he left behind.