Probably one of the best and most-consistent pieces of advice I've ever gotten from a number of highly successful people is: "Don't take advice from someone who isn't where you wanna be." Because why would you waste your time following someone who isn't going where you wanna go?
Good advice but I think that’s so much of the issue, they haven’t truly decided where it is they want to go. They just see “success” of one person and believe they need to follow the same path. Almost like making cookies… you want a cookie but you have to know which kind you want to make sure you have the RIGHT ingredients to get the outcome you want. Don’t wanna make peanut butter if you’re allergic to it.
Thank you My dad has been a pain in my butt about my art for some time now He doesn't live with me so it isn't a constant thing but it makes me feel bad when he recommends me to do a.i and says art is dead and anyone can do what I do
@AdamDuffArt it's something I really struggle with to this day, simply because I love so many styles of art (cartoons, realism, anime etc). Picking one to deep dive into is tough
@@DappergoblinArtSpaceI know that feeling. I’m taking a course that allows me to explore different areas of design and illustration and maybe that’s what I need right now, to experiment, but I do worry that I’ll end up generalising too much and not get really good in one particular area and just end up kind of ok at a lot of different things because I’m not going deep enough. I actually like the idea of being able to do a variety of things but I also want to produce good work. It might just be a matter of time needed to improve my skills. Get those fundamentals in your toolkit as he says in the video. Some artists do have more than one side to their practise. Just maybe not everything but they hone into a couple of styles and mediums that they prefer. Some people crave that variety or expression of the different facets of their personality and interests.
@@DappergoblinArtSpace Think about what style would you be able to create if you were to do it for a living. Which one are you the most shining or do you want to shine? How do you imagine yourself as a master of realism or the most unique cartoon artist what is your dream what are your working time allocations? Also sometimes being good at something may not satisfy you too. You might get bored with creating cool cartoon characters in a day single-handedly but yet might get inspired to make a realistic painting even though it takes too many hours or vice-versa. For example, I was a graphic design guy before my life of traditional and digital art started. Even now I do graphic designs sometimes and doing it so efficiently too, but it never satisfies in fact it bores me to my bones. Think about those things and eventually you will get an answer but you don't have to completely discard the other styles it is just that you upload one specific area to your portfolio as your main expertise.
I haven't finished the video, I am about half way through. If I had this advice some 15 years ago...I would be in a completely different place today. I followed what was popular at the time, giving up my passion of making comics to try and get a job following the trends. It didn't happen, and it took forever to get back to my passion. Follow the passion people, the money will work itself out. Much respect to you Adam, you are a light in this community.
When I was 17 studying cartoon animation, a teacher said my drawings we're awful and I would never make it in the industry. He was a real asshole to everyone. That was enough to convince me I wasn't good so I stopped drawing for a good 5-6 years. In the meantime, I tried cinema. Didn't work out. Then I studied graphic design, then 3D... I stayed as far away from drawing as I possibly could because "I'm never gonna make it in the industry" I'm 34 now. 17 whole years of my life passed, and I'm just starting studying concept art. I know it was my calling all along, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I regret so much not owning up to myself in front of that teacher and pushing myself to prove him wrong. It's never gonna happen again.
Adam, I am 46 at the moment. Soon 47. I feel like I have hit that brick wall many times in my life. But I am tired of it. I managed to go through that wall and proceed towards the next one - many many times. Because rent. Because kid. Because bills. But I am sick and tired of hitting the walls. I dont care that by many standards I am "old". I need to stop hitting walls and do what I want to do. Thank you for beautifully expressed (as always) video. It resonates to no end with me. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will ya? Because I am looking at yet another wall now. And I am about to turn my back to it instead of going through like I did way too many times in my life. Sincerely - thank you for inspiring words.
I just turned 31 and even I feel too old 😅. But I'm too damn stubborn to ever give up. All I want to do is draw. You're not that old, you're old when you give up. As each year goes by and I feel I'm reaching further away from my goal, I just remind myself I'm not dead so might as well keep trying. good luck my dude.
@cristianaraujo9293 No one asked your opinion either. What kind of comment is that and how is it relevant whatsoever? Many people have real life problems in the way, be it a kid or whatever else. Doesn't matter. Also, how is your comment cunstructive in any way beside being a toxic and senstive deaf thing to say to someones obviously facing trouble in their life and making a change?
I wish you all the luck and strength right now. Times are hard but look at all the obstacles you've already overcome. Where would you be if you hadn't pushed through them? It's hard getting through them, but you've done it before. You'll do it again. Even if you need a moment to breathe, don't give up. If you can't break through the wall then climb over it. But don't turn back.
I’m just a little bit older but I’ve hit that wall many times, it’s real. The money issue is real, and we are all making less and less. But I chose the fine art road, and you want to know the real irony? I’m also doing what other people want, because grad school will mess artists up like that! I love my work and yet there’s this masked side of me that makes things so automatically and I love that more…so I’ve just started showing them a little, having them out in the studio. It’s sad that artists have to be so compromised in this culture - I hope that you can fight through it and get that space for yourself, the struggle is real!
So I teach fundamentals at a 3d art school, and about half way through the term, they have to choose a path, character art, or environment art. And without fail, at least 2-3 ask "which has the best job opportunities?" So by this point of the semester, I know them and the type of art they are passionate about. So clearly it is driven by the stress of finding a job after school is finished. So how I frame it, is that you are going to be competing for those jobs against artists that are actually motivated and passionate about that particular subject matter. Even if you get your foot in the door, how can you expect to thrive in an environment surrounded by artists who actually want to be there. So its a false sense of being practical. Yes environment teams are bigger (in 3d), but its still very competitive. Also! I've learned a lot about getting the best out of my students from watching your videos. Especially on importance of being empathetic. Your a treasure Adam!
Such awesome feedback, thank you so much! And a good smart-ass reply to your students question could be “the art type that has the best job opportunities is the one you’re best at” :)
I don't know who said this, but it's a good advice, ironically enough: "Don't base your decisions on the advice of those who don't have to deal with the results"
Yeah. That's part of why I didn't get the jab, once it became clear that "vaccine" manufacturers couldn't be sued by people who got injured by the "vaccines."
I think this is where "know thyself" really comes into play because unless you truly KNOW who you are as a person, what your goals are as a creative, where all of that aligns to make you YOU, bits of advice here and there (from well meaning people or otherwise) can steer you off course. There are SO MANY "coaches" out there that act like they have all of the answers, it's so hard to sort through them and find ones that align with your vision of your future self. I've bought courses, taken them, realized that no this isn't particularly what I want to do but I only thought I wanted it because I saw another artists succeeding in this field and thought "well I'm SORT OF interested this so I'll pursue it more seriously" when in the end I concluded I wasn't good at this particular thing and wasn't as serious about it as I thought. That's why you have to know yourself and know what you want. If you don't, go exploring, but I don't think people should feel like they have to coach hop to find what it is they're looking for. I think they're looking for a quick fix and solid answer (I know I was) and truth is, no such thing exists. Now I'm working in a field I never thought I'd be in (book design and illustration) but it's perfect for me with my skill set and interests. If I'd forced myself to stay on a path that wasn't meant for me, I'd never have gotten into this field.
Exactly! I strongly feel that "Know thyself" is everything. Artists would do well to look up both Socrates and Ramana Maharshi, who are the most significant for using this phrase, and fully understanding what it means. Our art and the direction we go will benefit so much.
Being an artist is not a once size fits all. The best coaches put YOUR values first and understanding that success looks different to everyone. If someone doesn’t know then a good coach sits with them and supports them in finding that out. ❤️
I spent about 6 years of my life to build a portfolio that was 'commercially approved' by the entertainment industry. While I gained a lot of experience practising, I also grew to dislike making art because it was not genuine. Not mine. It was driven by the voices of others. For what? For increasing the odds to make money. When I started with the whole art thing it was out of pure joy and fascination for what I was interested in. Money wasn't a factor. The biggest and bitter lessons that I learnt throughout those years were as follows: 1) Art is a deeply personal journey and shall ALWAYS reflect YOUR OWN VOICE. You can be inspired by other artists but don't be like them. Be you. 2) Don't burden your art with money. Yes, you gotta put bread on the table, however, you can take another job and make it happen. Create art for the sake of the soulful journey and you'll see how you'll progress much more than always trying to fit in the industry and their ever changing standards. One day someone might notice your work, a door could open and an opportunity could present at your doorstep, which could enable you to generate money with your art. Just don't make it your focus. 3) Healing your relationship with art is, I think, even harder than overcoming burnout. Neglecting your artistic voice and burdening yourself with other standards that are supposedly the better way for you to be a professional artist is an abuse. If you don't realize it on time, you risk to break up with art. Disclaimer: I'm not done with art by all means. However, it's a very challenging endeavour to find the strength and apply that inner fire that I had before taking the decision to put the whole 'art as a job first'. I practice almost every day but it's a challenge since it takes a lot of time to repair what I broke.
These are dang good thoughts. I especially like that you put this as a warning, which as a young artist about to go into college, I find very useful. I'm gonna leave another thought for myself later in response to 2). I shouldn't make art "for myself" if I'm living for an opportunity, because that is not "for myself". Also, there's no guarantee that there will be an opportunity or even that I'll have time to make art in another job. BUT it's better to *find* time than to *have* time that'll ultimately be wasted in stress or unfulfilling work. Ultimately though, if I can find a job in art, animation, or design that's adjacent to making a movie (or just plain making art for the fun of it) that's great because then, I might have an overlap of skills.
I've lived a very similar experience. Back in high-school I took a class on computer programming and I was doing really well. My teacher told me I should do computer science professionally, told me that's where the money is, that's where the job security is. So I went to college for computer science. The one thing I learned from that, is that I HATE computer science. I absolutely loathe programming. To keep my sanity up I started drawing, and the more I drew the more I improved at drawing and I realized how much i love it. I love art with every cell in my body. 2020 was my last year in college and I've been drawing happily and peacefully! I do not miss programming one bit. A related tangent; while I was in college I would get these migraines about once a week, or twice a week. Eventually they got so frequent that I was basically in chronic pain. After I quit college and have been focusing on art I haven't had a migraine since! Maybe that's just a coincidence but I believe there's some correlation there. I like to think that drawing cured my migraines, lol. Thank you for this video, this is an important one.
9:30 You literally described me working as a Broker who doesn't really find any joy and got no time to practice because my "shifts" which are for like 10-14 hrs/day only free in weekeds and when it comes to weekends I try to do 1/2 drawings and i get frustrated because when I pick the pen after a long time I need to warm up...but the "warming up" is literally not enough and is the only time I got left to follow my passion. I'm stuck between a cycle of what "puts food on the table" and my passion who is slowing dying. You mention this type of action when you were talking about your mom working in computer sience or some sort...just to keep the food on the table but sacrificed the art for it. It is so sad that so few of us get to make money from art to sustain a living and the other are forced to watch a dream slowly fade away and accept the truth and ponder the question "what if?"
the recognition that i and many other artists arent BAD because we cant meet industry requirements felt so good, some of us arent "designers". i deeply admire people who are much more pragmatic with their art and can deliver a good product, heck i even think some of the ways they observe artistry is important and can be learned from. but i am not that, im not a mathematician nor do i enjoy having this kind of approach towards the things i create
dear god i needed this right now, you made me cry... i signed up for a convention at the artist alley after 15 years (turned 30 last year) of waiting overthinking.. i was always scared and thought my art will never be good enough or popular enough... but after my dad died 3 years ago i started to see my art different, i decided to make it on my own cause i know i am good at what i do... these past 4 months i have been preparing myself drawing lots and lots of artworks for the con... but not art i liked.. more art that was liked... loosing my passion lately getting anxiouse getting back to the "i am not good enoough" mind set... the con is in one month i fellt lost, alone, scared, and just bad... but this video put me back in place.. i believe in myself again and i said "Fuck it i will produce things I like and know its good! i won't be a sellout and betray myself ever again!" right now i am working on an artwork i already love and it's still in sketch phace... so thank you Adam, thank you for being a dad like figure to us all. I wisch you and you fam all the happiness, health, luck, and love of the world!
I hope you have a successful convention! I'm learning to find my voice as well. I've got to re-learn to spend more time on my art rather than feeling pressured to pump it out to ease the social media gods.
I think I just discovered, thanks to you, why I'm stuck and don't want to draw anymore. Because I was told that there's not enough jobs for character/creature artists so it's best to master environment and/or hardware design because there's always need for that in the industry. So I started thinking I should get into studying that but it seems like such a chore to me because I don't enjoy it. So I just stopped drawing at all, because every time I think about drawing my head goes to 'you have to study environment', my enthusiasm drops immediately and I do nothing. Thank you for another uplifting video.
Adam, I appreciate you, as a person in my mid twenties who doesn’t have any guide, your talks and advice always shine a light and make me reflect, and give me a small push forward to not give up on my dream of pursuing art as a career, im currently still mastering the fundamentals, and even though some days its hard, i still keep going, and growing. Ive always wanted to tell stories with my art, to bring whoever is looking at my pieces into the world ive created, i dont exactly know what i will specialise in, but i know it has to be something that will allow me to do storytelling. Even if i dont make it professionally i will still keep creating until the end
I dont even do art professionally but this advice is so precious even on a personal level as someone who works as software engineer but has passion for art from a very young age
It truly is solid advice. Many people do this in their lives. They don’t allow themselves to give specific on what they want. They just focus on the general thing, “I want to get married and have a family.” But then take the first person willing to get married and have a family without prioritizing what they truly want in that. Happens in any industry too. I want an art job, they then take ANY art job.
I've been software engineer for over 20 years. I used to like my job and was interested in programming prior to my education. Nowadays I don't like my job so much. I do what I have to do and on my free time I play guitar/bass, piano and drums and about 1 year ago I started to paint and draw. First digitally and pencils then I started to practice different traditional mediums. I have been surprised by my progress and I was hesitant that can I learn to do anything decent at my age of 47. I love that I have hobbies that are pretty much opposite of my work. I don't expect to be great artist, but just relax and enjoy my hobby. I do take the my artist journey still quite seriously and I have read piles of books and watch youtube-tutorials. So my plan is to grind my day job until my retirement and have fun on my freetime. I do 80% week now so I have one more day off from work. Sometimes turning what you like can turn into chore when you make it as a job.
I’ve been binge watching your videos. Your advice is so practical, but also hits on that emotional level that only artists can relate to. I’ve taken a hiatus from my job as a bench jeweler, working in a high volume shop. What you said about the industrialization of art really hits home for me. For the past few years, I’ve just felt like a machine and my artistic vision has been completely ignored by my boss. It was always about getting pieces out as quickly as possible, and just “good enough.” I’m slowly realizing the shop owner wants machines that will make her money, not artists, and not jewelers who always aim to improve their skills. It’s been a tough pill to swallow. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, experience, and all the lessons learned. It’s helped me so much through this time of career uncertainty.
what you said around 4-5 minutes, i absolutely agree. you can take advice given to you, but don't just take it, think about it, and then *own* that piece of advice. it becomes a part of you, if your intuition says it suits you -- you don't just blindly follow that advice, you agree or disagree with it and own it
I don't think I've left a comment on a video in YEARS, but I'll let you know how important this was for me. I just took a class much like yours, Adam, that gave me the opposite advice, but the instructors didn't outright put me in the right direction. I thought I wanted to become an environment concept artist, but instead, I decided that I really want to make pretty pictures that I can take my time with, which contradicts environment and character concept art. My teachers never told me what I should be doing, which frustrated me, but they didn't want to change my mind for me. Instead, I feel like I've wasted my time, but for a good reason. Now, very suddenly, I want to change paths and I think you're partly to thank for that, especially with this video. You've been giving me so much advice these past years, and I'm sure many others feel the same way I do, but I really want to thank you. You've been molding my journey for a few years now, and this video was the cherry on top. Thank you, Adam. I hope I'm able to take your class soon, because I still believe it's for me. Stay amazing.
This is exactly what AI made me realize. I am not a cog in a machine, I am rain that flows down a mountain and becomes a river in the desert. I will add my depth and experience to the oceans of life and hope that someone finds value in it the way I do.
@@natv6294 I totally understand what you are saying. I had to personally decide if my job and my art had to be the same thing and for me they don't. They may eventually become that but I had to safeguard my love and enjoyment of art from the system that is currently in place in the industry. In the end this helped me to become better at art because I love the time I get to draw, I spend 3 times as much time and effort drawing because I am not trying to force myself into something I do not enjoy. That being said it took me 10 years to come to this point, constantly questioning if I should stop making art because I would never get a job with how I like to make art. It was and still is very difficult for me to separate my personal value from my income. This is all very personal to me and I totally relate to why it sounds detached from reality; it probably is. This is my current path and all paths are different. I hope you find yours and it brings a breath of relief for you like mine has for me.
@@natv6294 A person can always have another job and do art on the side, and I don't think this person you're replying to is siding with the A.I. companies. Seems more like that they have made this realisation following the past few months of news regarding the subject.
I have watched this video at least 3 times, and now I am watching again as a reminder of myself, a reminder of why I wanted to make art, a reminder of why I can go to my passions, and also, why I just need to endure a little more the life I have so much eager to let go of. I also got stuck at the "art for paycheck" industry, precisely how you said, as I currently work as a designer, and sold my soul to this industry I said I would never work in because I am good at it and needed money, but I'm not fullfilled, it served it's purpose when I was desperate to make more money and get out of other soul crusher jobs i could get into, to give myself a better life worrying less about money, but now, 2 years into this life, each day and little by little it's getting worse to come to work, as I am slowly coming back to my dreams of making comics, animation, visual storytelling. It's a mess in my head to be able to find time for my dreams, I am the happiest at weekends when I have all the time to draw and live, and I know I will have to juggle between this job I have for income and my non payed dreams for a while till i get to make money with them, but I will not give up, I never want to give up on my dreams, my life, for sake of industry. I want to get out of this whole as soon as I can, and I pray and work for it. Thank you, as always, for such wise advise, Adam. May you always be blessed.
this was really touching, thank you! i came to this realization a few years ago. my career has been a lot more emotionally fulfilling but financially it's been a huge struggle. I'm hoping to fill those gaps eventually because I never want to go back to the way things were. It's like what you said. I would rather get a job waiting tables or cleaning floors than doing art in an emotionally draining way. but pursuing art in a genuine way means that even when i'm not financially successful, each piece of art i make feels like it's at least leading me closer to my goals instead of further away.
You are right cryoflower. Take care of your basic needs with a little job. If you aren't at heart a designer/ technician then don't do it. I teach art (this is difficult when you are developing a curriculum, but gets easier thereafter) and also do my own artwork. I'm very busy, but the worst thing as a genuine artist is to prostitute your artwork; the one thing that you can can contribute to the world.
I’m almost on the verge on tears. As always Adam I appreciate your fatherly advice and care for all of us. When I was young art used to make me feel more alive. In fact the more I created the more myself I felt come alive. But over time, especially with social media and content creation I became so burnt out. I put so much pressure on myself to create that I eventually began to resent the creative process and no longer wanted to do it. It’s been a long time since I’ve just created for the enjoyment of it. I think like you Adam I need to take some time to find myself again and shut off all the voices of others and just enjoy art for my own enjoyment.
Adam, THANK you so much for saying that! I came into art as a photographer and a musician and I painfully compared myself to all the technicians I saw as artists... thought of my creative side as a "romanticized" version of artistry and then wondered why I struggled to stick to technical studies while my heart LONGED to create! To connect with people the way my photography did. Thankfully, I found my way to a graphic design job in the beginning of my journey and I was shoved nose first like a puppy in shit and recognized that I am NOT a technician. They're incredible! But not me. Thank you again for your thoughts and your passion!
Adam! You never cease to give amazing advice! You are spot on with this! I am a designer, a concept artist. I love to knock out ideas in a structured manner, I am ex army, I lived that kind of life for years. I woke at a specific time, I did this, then I did that, and then this at specific times. I am breaking this life style some what because in the civie world it doesn't work completely. I wake up 06:00 in the gym by 08:30 I am working by 13:00. Another reason I love design is I GOT TO MANY IDEAS haha my brain is constantly forging ideas, I have a whole book of them if I don't write them down I get stuck thinking about them. Anyway, amazing video as always and this is fantastic advice, do what you are, do what makes you happy, brings your fulfilment, or live a lie.
That's the reason why I decided not to become a professional concept artist or designer early on in my career, even though I wanted to work in video games. I actually became a UI Artist because I was good at it from the get-go and was paid well doing that. But I was never as passionate about it as character art. I wanted to get better at art in my spare time and learn the fundamentals, but keep my art for myself without the pressure of monetising it. Now after a decade of doing that, being a character artist in my free time and a UI Artist professionally, I got laid off from my job, am burnt out from bending into the shape other people expected me to fit into, but I also think I made the right decision. I first tried to find myself in my own art and now that I have the financial freedom from having money saved, do I want to pursue that part of me fully, now I think I'm ready because I think I can be true to what I really want to do.
I think with AI in the future anybody who's an artist now will have to make money by being an entrepreneur. Because corporate art won't really hire artists anymore. If you want to be an artist in the future, you're going to have to sell your own stuff. Start your own company. The big companies won't really need you anymore. And you shouldn't be sad about it. Who wants to work for a corporation that treats you like crap?
Thanks for putting this out there. I can relate. I am a 2D generalist in my company, but I find that I keep getting given UI tasks (over character-related tasks which usually involve photo/3d-bash paintovers), because (1) I am decent at it, and there's always a demand for UI assets despite my personal passion in character art / storytelling illustration (2) By keeping work and passion separate, like you did, I am protecting my soul from the ever-changing corporate world. If I may ask, you mentioned that you want to pursue character art fully, do you mean as a career as an employee making character art, or as a freelancer, or as an entrepreneur selling your own character art?
@@JemiDove Thanks for your question, I'm trying to slowly transition away from full-time UI employment and become an entrepreneur. While I was employed I could not muster the energy to work on my own art as much as an Instagram or Twitter algorithm would require me to gather a following. I've always worked on my own projects on the side, but it was a very slow process, so now I was successfully able to find a part time contract job, which pays enough for my bills and I have enough time during the rest of the day to keep a healthy life balance and also work on my personal art. I was lucky that I had connections in the industry to refer me to this job. I know how rare this opportunity is. My goal for now is to develop my personal art so that I can maybe start a patreon at some point. Something that I can grow that's mine. I don't want to say that full-time employment is soul sucking because it can be fulfilling for some people depending on the job you do and how aligned you feel with the project, the mission of the company or the people, but the game industry is volatile, you can be so easily discarded through lay-offs and left with nothing. If your work is under NDA you can't even show your art on your portfolio as was the case for me for the past 5 years. That's why it's so important for me to create something that's purely my own. Continue my little projects and maybe grow something from here. My socials are linked on my profile :)
I feel like this kind of information is really important to highlight because for a long time I couldn't determine if I'm an artist or a designer. I started doing 3D as 1st thing. Mostly because I was afraid I wouldn't be good at drawing. And I'm doing quite well with it. But something always felt off. I even remember listening to some of your art talks and... and made me feel really weird. It made me question if I belong. I was telling myself that it's just not enough skill and it will feel right later. So I worked and worked, from morning till deep in the night to get the skills I'm still young, got my 1st job that I'm quite enjoying. Though I started to see how.. For work, I'm more of a designer. Figure out how to make this look good and make sense. Get it technically efficient, so the game engine can run it well... BUT Since skill wasn't the issue, I just started trying out digital drawing and painting for fun in my free time and OH MY It makes such a difference. The moment I get in the zone and the painting feels good. It's otherwordly feeling. And since I don't have to worry about making it a job. I can just have fun. Do whatever my hearth desires, bcs paycheck is covered by the dayjob. Not to say I can't do anything expresive in 3D. For sure when I get the space for it I take it without hesitation to make it a bit more expresive. But there is always limits. I enjoy both, but there is just something to drawing and painting that I just miss in 3D.
This is something I can wholeheartedly relate... Regarding work I'm not an "Artist" but more of a "Designer", I like to be efficient and technical and from when I switched to 3D I feel like I'm finally making some progress regarding my career. Hell... In some games I'm working on I'm the technical artist and I never studied for it. But outside of work... I just want to open my 2d painting favourite software start moving the brush and see where I will go, but this is not something that can pay the bills.
I'm trying to go into the vfx world as a compositing artist and this is also the mindset I hold. I still am studying and trying to figure out if this craft is truly for me but I know I enjoy it but not as much as painting or other crafts. And I guess I can't have everything Uno, I feel like that's for the lucky ones. But I know if I have a job that I enjoy just enough, pays just enough, then there'll be freedom for all the other crafts I ache to keep dipping my feet into. Crafts that well... I don't want to do for work but for me
Thanks for your message Adam, I think you really hit the nail on the head in terms of professional advice. It resonated with me because, when I went to GDC, portfolio review events, or asking for peer critique when job hunting, I tend to get pretty contradictory pieces of advice, and that's really because whoever is reviewing your work does it with a particular lens and needs of the company they are working for, and whatever the company is asking at that specific moment in time. In fact, what got me to work in my first (and only) indie videogame after University was a very generalist portfolio, something that hasn't been able to get me work in the AAA space (yet). And sometimes I have to stop myself into spiraling with "my art is not good enough" thoughts because of the job rejections I have been through. Because, ironically, being rejected this way does not mean that I suck: I know I could be the best artist ever, but if I don't have what X company needs, then X company, X client, X project, what have you, is gonna reject me regardless of my skill and career. In fact, the work I do now is because of people that believed in me, clients needed what I could offer, and they were open for me having to learn and adapt along the way, even if I was a newbie. What I have been doing lately, is separating what I CAN do for work, and what I WANT to do with my art, whatever that is. If they overlap, great. If not, also great: not having a job in the industry does not mean that I'm barred from ever doing art. Not being praised by a big company doesn't mean that my art is not valuable. I should do the art I want to do regardless. I'm fully aware that down the line my vision may change, but at the moment, I think it is a good way to live, and in fact, the only thing I can control. Because, if the art I do makes me miserable, then what's the point of it?
Thank you for saving me from the constant feeling of not being enough and always striving to please others at the expense of my own health and well-being. I have lost myself over the years and my motivation has dwindled, especially when it comes to drawing. Although I used to love drawing by hand, I have lost my passion since acquiring a Wacom Cintiq, even when started learning to draw I always wanted that to help me draw digitally. Your words reminded me that I am not alone in this struggle and am grateful for that. I am still learning but because of constant information and demands, I have to learn many things at once, many things that personally I know I don't want to do in the future. I am grateful that I met your channel. You are my father figure of art and help me in self-awareness
A message I can stand behind. Know yourself. Trust only yourself to make decisions about your life, because you're the one who has to live it every day. Don't lie to yourself, cut your loses if you strayed. You really don't want to be a disinterested environment artist struggling to compete with people who are obsessed with it and love it. If every day feels like an unmotivated, frustrating grind while people around you are enthusiastic about doing the same thing, you should realise you misplaced yourself. You might even be good at it, but if you don't care about what you do, long term, it still won't be worth it.
Solid advice. As someone who was passionate about drawing and painting (couldn't get enough of it) and now, almost can't stand the though of picking up a pencil to draw again after being sucked-in by the advertising industry as an "art director", I can absolutely see my life being VASTLY different now, some 20+ years later... (to be fair, I've been jumped out of that ship a LONG time ago already, but anyways). Either way, it's advice I'm 100% glad to have heard even now. Thanks, Adam..
It's a sad thing. People are losing their passion and going for what they think is most financially expedient instead of what is most meaningful for them on a persona level.
People need to eat and want stability. Doing something meaningful, usually doesnt pay much. And, unfortunately, money is needed to survive. So, people sacrifice their passion for a dull existence.
Beautifully said Adam! Profesionals don't know everything. Sometimes they don't know $hit about F**😐Those accolades and success to me mean absolutely nothing if you're not LISTENING to the artist.. its the RIGHT professional that aligns with who you are. Thats why when I listen to art advice I take it with a grain of salt. If I find advice that resonates deeply with me, I'll try it out (usually works) and keep drawing. I think determining your goal and what you want to become will help save a lot of time and money. Never throw away your authenticity or integrity for cash.
They are professional at what worked for them. Sometimes if we aren’t careful we don’t see the biases because people just want “success” without ever defining it for themselves.
Hi Adam, I recently discovered you and your videos. I’ve been making a living in the visual arts since 1979. I appreciate your honesty and candidness. It is a very challenging field for those of us who strive for creative work and output. I’ve had my successes and failures, and it’s a humbling experience. I’m glad you’re out there helping artist get a foothold on their journey. I’m near retirement and I’m still hungry to create and see what’s possible. It’s a lot easier to create a financially stable life in some other field. However, we do this because we love it.
I came to this channel with a stroke of luck, when my mental is just about to be broken, and no light can be found in the tunnel. All your talk saved me back then. Your thoughts, your stories, everything is just so relatable, just like, you know me, you experienced what I was experiencing, and you calm my soul, while show me the way. Little by little, my soul healed bit by bit. And I'm forever grateful for that.
This is amazing. The best decision I made for myself was leaving the safety of art school to pursue traditional oil painting with an emphasis on portraiture and storytelling. The lengths I’ve gone to get into two bootcamps online with two amazing teachers, a workshop to improve figure drawing in Rome (I get to travel too!) , and a in-person workshop in Germany is probably overboard to my poor bank account, but man am I learning quickly, feeling invigorated, and have something to look forward to. Best advice is sift through advice given and apply what works for you. Thank you Adam for being here. I’m too non-committal to get a “know thyself” tattoo too, but I’ve got a short sword from Etsy with the saying engraved on the blade 😂
Oh hell yeah Adam. This is the content we want. The raw, honest shit that no other art youtuber seems to be willing to talk about or admit. It feels like I keep being sold this fantasy about what the industry is and what it means to be a part of it. What it means to be yourself, versus what it means to fit a mold. Thank you for this awesome video.
This talk hits more deep than I want to… I have obsessions that change daily, but I come back to what’s comfortable. Comfort is not always fun or satisfying. I can’t disagree here. But I can overcome my own desire to be comfortable.
I gotta say, this is probably the best art channel I'm subscribed to. It connects with me on a deeper, artistic, emotional level. I used to be an artist but I turned myself into the machine, for myself. And... it worked. Quite well. I am succeeding in my goals. And yet... when I draw, I feel nothing. I never draw recreationally. I've tried and I can't enjoy it. For so long I've been creating products, that I feel I've lost my ability to create meaningful art. I've become the machine.
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry to hear this and I completely understand. I was a creating “machine” for a while and it drove me to burn out. It took YEARS for me to gain back the ability to draw and paint for enjoyment. It got to where I felt I wasn’t ALLOWED to enjoy it. I do hope you gain it back. ❤
Man, I'm so sorry to hear (see?) that. Usually what I am told is that one can do something completely different to take the mind off it, and do something completely different, get lost in it, and tie back into drawing. Though to be honest, I don't know how it would work out for you, as you are different from me and the people who gave this advice. I do hope one day you'll be able to draw and create with joy once more. All the best and sending virtual hugs (or whatever your love language enjoys).
@@cassandraguan4531 Thank you for the kind words. Its alright, I'm not dissatisfied with my situation, in fact I am quite lucky and thankful. Perhaps it was never my calling to be a painter/drawer, or perhaps I willingly corporatized myself to the point of numbness in pursuit of other goals. I still have a burning passion for art as a whole, perhaps in other areas I'm unfortunately not good enough for yet and can't easily make the switch to at the moment, but it's art all the same, so I don't feel bad about it. What prompted me to make this comment is that for a long time I've felt that the industrialization of art irks me on a deeper level and so the video connected with me. Many spheres of our lives have become corporatized and soulless (from my point of view at least). Art is not an exception, it's just that I feel its potential so squandered on "products", that it aches. And I, a willing cog in the machine, have had to use those same tools that corrupt what art means to me because.. no one cares about art. Meaningful art takes time, effort, thought. From the creator and the audience. It is not something you *consume*. And it just can't support itself monetarily often, at least as far as I've found. It makes sense of course, art is a luxury, but I grew up with the belief that art exists to better our minds, to teach us morals, to spark our imagination... instead I find in my adult life it's just a product, like everything else. Anyway, I apologize for the rant. I'll stop being melodramatic.
No bullshitting, no mincing words, no fluff, this is coming straight from the heart and I'm putting it plainly: this is the best video you've done, imo. I was expecting this video to somehow be the opposite of how it turned out? Like instead of "you need to do what you love," I was expecting advice in favor of flexibility and adaptability. You had me grinning ear to ear the whole time, because your words ring so true and clear. "Follow your passions," given bluntly is quite refreshing 😂 I've been scared to do what I want, partly because I haven't had a lot of direction from others, (UA-cam is my art school haha) so it's taken a while to figure out the grander scheme of my own art journey. I'm sorry you went through all those years of struggling in the games industry, but seeing you come out the other side into a greater sense of knowledge and identity chokes me up a little. Thank you for doing what you do and making this video ❤
This is soo important! I've been a published writer for more than 10 years now and for a very long time I stressed myself out about doing this and that because "that's what successful writers do" and it didn't even pay my bills. It just stole my joy for writing. Got back into art a few years ago and since I realised that I'm not that kind of writer, but rather an artist in drawing and writing, I stopped doing all those other things and suddenly everything feels easy. It's like a puzzle that just gets together automatically under my hands. And I won't give this feeling away ever again.
Huge respect for this Adam. We need so many more voices speaking this truth. How many of us here walked this very same path. Many of us even who were waylaid by the game industry and cast aside. Brutal. Alway appreciate you sharing.
This was a slap in the face. I'm at my lowest. I have worked for Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, DC and some other big names, and yet (while those gigs were awesome, and all the people involved were great) I feel lost. I spent my last 6 months trying to improve, evolve, and I fell into the rabbit hole of trying to consume way too much advice and forgetting what I love and where I'm coming from. I was hired to do those jobs based on pieces I LOVED doing, and not based on pieces that the industry wants - or influencers/teachers - think we should have. This video is just what I needed.
Please, newcomers (not all new artists are young) - know yourself and train this skill Adam is talking about: self-awareness. That happened to me when I was a young artist. I've been drawing in an art style that I hated because it got the gigs... for almost 20 years. The result: I hated every single day of work. Fortunately, I'm shifting slowly to the art style that I like to do and got my first gigs with this style. (My clients are awesome! My old clients gave me this opportunity and they love my work with this new art style). Man... How I wish I had a mentor like Adam in my early days.
So good. Such a great message. Always have to weigh advice against passion. It seems valid to ask if an artist has thought of trying a specific type if you see something in their art but to say you have to dedicate yourself to a particular type of art because that is where the "jobs are"...that sounds like the death of art and passion if it is not where you want to be. The other aspect of that approach is that is where the jobs are now...but will they still be there after you have put in the work to get to a professional level? Likely not, they will have moved on to some other niche need. You always hear in writing not to chase what is hot/popular because it will be tired by the time you finish, this advice really seems to apply to any creative pursuit.
You speak so much truth, Adam. When I took my art seriously (about four or five years ago, started with "learning" two years ago I think), I started to look more into what's "trendy and good" to become known and who has the most success, because I wanted to have that, too (to sustain myself and pay the rent). I wanted to get into local art, but here are mostly fine artists (much older than I am) who don't think japanese style art (manga, anime) is art at all; than I saw people drawing cute stuff (animals and so on) and selling them successfully online. I was pulled to all the different styles, mediums and approaches and let go of what I wanted: drawing illustration in (my) anime/manga style but with a lot of influences of traditional artists like Mucha, Klimt and Van Gogh for example, leaning more into detailed work and storytelling with a lot of symbolic and occult and dark stuff. Fun thing is, I just realised now that THAT is what I want to do, so thanks for that. And I literally wasted three years of doing everything, learning things I didn't need for that particular goal. It sucks, being so torn apart because of what others say and think is good advice. I know it's hard to sell your stuff online, get commissions and get to be known as an artist. But I would rather starve (yes) than continuing doing things I don't actually enjoy. I did that with my first job as a kindergarten teacher and promised myself I wouldn't do that again, but here I am, realising I was going down a road I didn't even want to go (again, I got REALLY depressed because of the job). Now I am currently on a social media detox (which is really nice, I am allowing myself one youtube video a day) and trying to find back to myself and as you said: who I am again. And what I want to do. I was wondering all the time why I wasn't motivated to draw and was fighting for focus and motivation. Now I know; Thanks for your videos, Adam!
Get comissions doing art is really hard i tried for the past 2 years and got absolutely nothing, i may try to open them up again to try something different from cartoon style but i do like it.
Omg, yessss…. I fully agree, thought I wanted to do concept art and after dealing with so many back and forth clients about work and pulling all my hair out , no that is not what I wanted. I totally agree with this message and your right on the mark again as always, thank you
Great talk, as usual. The one thing I would add is, and I would not mention it unless it was important, You can be BOTH, both an artist and a designer and that is ok. Like most things in life it's not black and white but you have to figure that out. You are 100% right though if you get into a job that you are not passionate about or grow to become so, you NEED to fix it, as in a real way you are starving. It's also fine to take a "normal" job if what you are doing in art crushes your passions for it. Art as a job can change what you love into what you hate if your not careful. Remember your basic art training when in doubt step away, and if you cannot step away, RUN. Your passion is your fuel, your advantage in art, treat it as sacred, but don't let your love push you into "You will do this if you love me" that is always the bad path.
Friends are often asking me, why do I keep watching and listening an artist with such a different theme from mine. In what way would he help me to become better at the very specific thing I'm interested doing and creating...The answer is, I'm receiving your advice and talks, from the very first moments, as my father's. Saying it to your video was another confirmation for me. Always listen to you on my worst days! Thank you sir Adam for your honesty and open hearted conversations. Cheers from me and my husband from Greece 🇬🇷
it's really calming to hear that kind of advide rn, i've studied design for the last years even thou i'm not really a designer, i'm an artist, i don't work the way designers do, i struggled and havn't fit in, but i thought it was the reasonal thing to do to get a job one day. But a couple month ago i finally made the decision to quit, to drop out, which was kinda scary. But i just felt that it was the right thing, it felt so right and now i'm in the prosses of apllying to start training as a game artist and i already feel much more at home. I wish i had quitt and followed my heart sooner but i guess it takes a while to really act the lesson you always teach, to know yourself :)) Thank you for all your advice over the years adam i really really appreciate it.
I just want to say Adam, the day a while back we talked was very insightful for me. Not only was it a lot of fun but it gave me the confidence to move forward and start posting my work. Your professional advice was well worth it. I spent a lot of years afraid to work and doing something else I liked but wasn't connected to. Thank you for your advice.
As someone that has worked as an Artist in Video Game industry for over 13+ years this video hits really close to home. Thanks Adam these make me really reflect allot.
i saw something recently about being careful not to overdiversify yourself especially early on in a career (maybe i even saw it here on your channel haha) yet right now im juggling my interests in character design, and my fall back is marketing, both means for wanting to break into games. i went ahead and got a certification and now im applying to marketing jobs for indie studios. i'm not the BIGGEST fan of marketing BUT there's just so so so so so many character designers, and im finding more opportunities as a junior in marketing than i am otherwise. i'm an artist at heart. i wanna design cool ass characters for games. but so do a million others. that's where i am at lol!
I try to do a little be of everything I enjoy it, but my focus is on creatures. I feel you when you say "I don't care I the game flops or not" it is interesting to know that this happens in every sphere.
After 20 years in the industry, I'm sobbing listening to this, this is exactly what I've been through, all I want is to be myself and produce the stories only I can tell. thank you.
Someone told me to get in to environment design 20 years ago. One of my teachers told me to stop pursuing the art I was in to because "nobody would hang that on their living room wall". Today I am not a professional artist, I work in a department store. But...I still do art and I've started sharing it again. I don't know what I want to do with this skill now but tell stories with it but have no idea what direction to go to from here, especially at my age! But hearing you say the things you did was really encouraging.
I teach 3D Character Art and I tell my students the EXACT same thing! Follow the passion, not the money. The passion will create the fantastic art that people will pay for. It’s SO important! Thank you for spreading the message among all artists!
Wow, really needed to hear this today. Adam you have crushed it. Your tale is familiar but whats even better is to confirm the way forward in a sense. I too ponder the school the push is that people need to hear your heart as you endured and what is crazy is no one has asked for the REAL RICHES yet, the story within story which actually made that thing which people think means this was actually that and did you know that this is actually that, yes and much more yet if all the mind chases is the regret of what they missed well then students sort themselves out of the stack! Great words my man!! INSPIRING!!!
Dear Dr. Adam, the best artist´s shrink that ever lived. Thank you so very much for one more mind blowing therapy session, after so many awesome others. I´m going exactly through that process right now, after 40 years serving as a tool to the industry, adapting, molding myself to the mechanism. I jumped off that train, not in a safe station, but out on a bridge, and now I´m swimming in my own waters. And things are starting to work indeed, the way I promised myself years ago. My time is up, doc. Thanks again, see you next time. Bye, and take care.
Great video Adam! I resonate a lot with your description of the designer type. I've always had it quite easy to mimic styles and easily get inspired to try new techniques and sucked up into rabbit holes thinking "oh this is it! this is what I'm supposed to do!" only to find myself engulfed in something new a moth later. It's often a joyous process, figuring stuff out but once I've done it it loses it's shimmer. I do find myself frustrated at times knowing that if I would only be concistent with 1-2 things it would most likely make a difference impactwise.
Beautifully said. I think this can also be apply to life as well. Don't do something because somebody told you to do it, especially if it goes against what you feel in your heart. We are all unique and there is a place for every one of us. No one should have to fit in anyone else's box. Do what you love, and do it well, and if you want to monetize it, there's billions of people in this world, odds are you're going to find a good chunk that love your work❤❤❤
Controversial, maybe... But what I take from this is "dare to find your own voice and listen to it" But as a struggling artist myself, that voice isnt very loud compared to the INDUSTY and its easy to loose yourself in that. Thanks Adam for beeing a voice of reason!
Great video Adam and thank you for you openness and honesty! I took your mentorship a couple of years ago and while I didnt become a much better painter or an expert in anatomy during that time, you gave me exactly what i needed to become a better artist and person in general. I like to think of it as a compass and catalyst for my current career. Thank you sincerely for beeing an advocate for us artists.
I am a designer that enjoys art. I lost my job last year. Suddenly I was left in a town far away from everything (I worked remotely.) with job offers that require work in blender/video editing/animation/social media managing/ all Adobe programs/coding while printing cutting things myself....all of this for a benefit of there being a coffee machine across the street (an actual benefit listed). I felt horrible because all the stuff I did for over 6 years meant nothing. I wanted to learn but I really didn't know where to start. All these companies wanted a animator/programmer/3d modeler/designer/manager and I felt horrible, depressed and something snapped in me. So I gave up hunting and started freelancing. I have been going ever since. I am still not where I want to be but I get to work on designs and I feel that I am building something that has a meaning. Also I started drawing again which is my inner passion and it feels so great. I realized that all these years working for another company I felt exhausted, like there was no room for art or creativity. But now it gives me so much energy when the client is happy and I can make something amazing and be my own boss. According to this video I am a designer but I am not a designer. Anyways love your videos but they always make me cry.
Around 9:30 - This is so much how I've felt doing projects in art school. Dumping all of my energy into things that don't interest me, and then by the time something comes along that lets me do what I want, I'm so burnt out and the creative center of my brain's too fried to muster up the motivation.
Hey Adam! Great video. I absolutely relate to some of what you say. The thing about doing primarily what you're passionate about is absolutely crucial especially in this field where it is generally a passion thing for everyone, so if you do something you're not passionate about, you will absolutely fall apart at the seams in this industry. I'm super lucky in the sense that I guess I am a designer, although I'm not really one of those prop designer people who have infinite jobs (I find that extremely boring) I love doing a large variety of things within environment design and I love the problem solving aspect. It makes me feel alive. Actually, I was a background artist on a huge production and I really enjoyed it but my health went downhill very fast and I realized that the "comfort" of that kind of more illustrative process provided a situation in my life where all of my demons were coming out. So I need to stay very very busy, and designing at a fast pace where deadlines are important helps me stay busy!
Thank you for this video. I wasted so much time trying to be a designer and then beating myself up about failing to be one, changed careers to an entirely different field (science), but still couldn't give up art, even though it's still somewhat painful to reconnect with and find my true identity. And wow, I probably never fully realized there was a difference. Yes, doing pure art is a lot harder to get paid for, but trying to do what you aren't wired for is so not worth it. I wish someone told me this 10 years ago.
Interesting video! I feel like I've been on all ends of this. Starving artist, starving designer, doing my own thing without compromise, selling my skills to anyone who can pay and hating it, and any value in between. Although I agree with you on your main point, I'm now in a teaching position for people who want into the game industry, and I sometimes get the feeling that students wear their artist labels as a bit of a shield to keep them from having to face some hard truths. There is some real danger to walking the path of an artist, and you have to become fucking tough to come through the trials. I barely survived it. It's not enough to say you're an artist while you gaze into your bellybutton and try to find truth, and expect everyone to adapt to your way of thinking and feeling, especially if you somehow expect your art to pay your bills. You have to really expose yourself and shout what you want to say to the world, with all your force. It might be that the world gives the answer that you wanted, but it might also respond with indifference. If it's the last, it might be disappointing, but at least you and the world were honest with each other, and you can find your true path. Your art will be your art either way, so make it honest.
I currently go to the Academy of Art studying Game Development (I actually want to pursue concept art, but haven't fully decided what draws me in the most; leaning toward environment ironically), and I'm very happy to have Professors who say "Do what you love most because eventually, a studio will see you and your work. Don't work in something you will end up hating." Which has always stuck with me. Because as artists, we already went against the norm. We went against "normal" jobs like lawyers, doctors, or whatever is a normal job, to do something we love and are passionate about. So why would we change immediately once we hear it might be hard? Being an artist professionally was already challenging, yet here we are, challenging it. Do the art you love and build a portfolio you are proud of producing.
You have become my favorite UA-cam channel, I really like how your advice is rooted in your experience like you are very genuine and heartfelt and I always feel more optimistic after watching one of your videos. Thanks Adam ❤
Honestly, for me its your best talk so far. It suprised me how you hit deep into my core suspicion on this topic ... I needed to hear that from someone above my experience in art and life. Thanks. This one hit home. Greatfull you shared this.
Amazing video adam! I also noticed the differences of people leaning more towards artist or technician at work. And to me it's incredibly inspiring to work alongside them. Especially the artists that pour out outstanding work every time they show it, while I'm trying to cover many different ideas, that are still quite rough most of the time. Seeing their work inspires me to always try to put in a special touch into the artworks. And usually the more self-indulgent artworks get the better responses.
Reminds me of some advice I got a while back. The teacher basically said the same thing about portfolios...the art we do and show will be the work that we get hired for. And about burnout in our careers...if we're always making art we don't like for clients just to pay the bills, it would be better to quit and go flip burgers instead, while spending free time on the side doing passion projects. I remember feeling a sense of relief that I have control...that I don't have to be trapped in an art career I hate, losing passion for what I used to love, just to make money.
Love your videos! I’m a writer and performer, not a visual artist, but I feel this applies to everyone, whether artists or not. Our feelings, our energy levels, the way we feel inside our bodies, etc. are all impacted by whether we’re authentically expressing ourselves and doing things that align with us. I’ve faced this a lot as a writer because many in the writing field are all about freelancing and providing writing as a service, whereas I have no interest in that. I’ve done freelancing a few times and I’ve gotten this gross feeling being provided with what to write and different angles. I’m okay with writing for others as long as the project itself is something I can stand behind, but I stopped working with clients altogether because I felt I had trouble finding clients where I’m not compromising my integrity to write for them. Instead, I found that I really enjoy teaching and advising, so I’m working as a writing consultant, doing some freelance editing, and working on my novel instead of pushing myself to do something I don’t want to do. I also noticed my process is a lot different and less “efficient” than a lot of the sources I was looking to for guidance and it took me a while to see that the inefficiency of my process isn’t a personal failing
I think we all go through some version of this experience. Especially if you find yourself as a young artist going to events like LightBox or CTNX you walk in assuming everyone know better than you. If you walk into those spaces with no confidence or sense of direction, it can leave you feeling more confused than when you arrived. I definitely got my fair share of, "You should do props, you should do backgrounds, yada yada." Most of the time, I think it comes from a good place. There's not a lot of take away for a young artist who hears "Do what you're passionate about." when they're dreaming of getting a job. But on that note, I am also on the other side of that experience, like you mentioned. I've put down the baggage of what people told me I should do, and embraced what I love with open arms. I've already produced more art in this first quarter than I did all year last year, because I'm finally loving my art again. I'm 34 now, and just wish i discovered this sooner.
methodical, procedural vs true authenticity that reads energy as it moves. … THANK YOU,your message advice is appreciated. F/ Psychiatric survivor since 2017. When my boring perfectionism almost killed me. Wake-up 2:00am, paint in CottonMill, Art was a self I had to borrow time for, through big pharma. I just started learning how to paint again, & realizing that trust in self-truth has its own story to tell, & when it wants to be created shouldn’t be too tightly controlled. Then it turns out rigid & lifeless, without anyone to relate to how it feels in its presence.
8 місяців тому
Thank you Adam for this very emotional and well said video. I am a graphic designer since 2009 and have been afraid to really live out the artist in me….I can relate so much to what you said. How many times people have told me: you won‘t make money doing your doodles, learn coding or you have to be good at every program….thanks to you and other supportive artists, I bought myself an iPad and getting back to what I truly deeply think makes me out. I really find your videos very high valued (content and filming) and thank you for all your time and effort. Cheers from Germany!
Thank you. I am currently working on my fundamentals and also looking at what I want to study and do in the future. Your adivce in this video really spoke to me, since I an unsure of what I really want to do/specialise in, especially weighing the techincal aspects of art and my artistic creativity going forward. To think for myself and to filter information and advice alike with honesty in mind is something I to apply going forward, thank you for reminding me improtance of questioning myself and what truly drives me to create.
I needed this.. BIG TIME. I’ve always been an artist, but wasted much of my prime years abusing alcohol. I’m 4+ years sober now and diving back into my art. Most days I’m sinking rather than swimming. I’m looking everywhere for advice as to what direction to go and most advice leaves me more disillusioned than before. While I was a drunk, I also wasted my life doing soul-sucking office work up to and including the worst work of all for this creative mind: accounting. I’ve tried to have a few regular jobs to make ends meet, but I cannot seem to hold onto those jobs to save my life. I’m doing commissions for pet/people portraits, but I’m still trying to figure out my voice and what I REALLY want to do with these skills I’m utilizing and learning. I’m exploring different styles and mediums, still feeling a bit lost. I’m trying not to worry too much about it and enjoy the process. Then my impatience creeps in.. (I wasted so much time boozing in soulless jobs, that I have this overwhelming “I MUST make up for all those lost years!) I’m trying to be more mindful of just simply enjoying the process of creation and learning. Some days I even have to draw on a childlike sense of wonder and play, not worrying about time. It’s hard, but so rewarding. I’m broke, but at least I’m not crunching numbers all day.
As an aspiring animator turned life coach, this is the BEST and MOST needed advice. Before trying to be a “professional” artist, you have to figure out what a professional looks like to you… but more importantly what your definition of success is. It’s why I decided to quit art school. The idea of someone telling me to be at a studio at a certain time to draw only what they tell me to draw and only getting paid what they are okay with just didn’t fit my personal definition of success. Some people love that, but it’s not for me. Gotta be fighting for the right goals otherwise like Brenda Bouchard says, “You put your latter on the wrong building.” Build YOUR dream. Find a coach that supports YOUR wants and needs at the core. ❤
Thank you as always for the talk, Adam. Very encouraging, and touching on a lot of what i need to hear. I've been trying to re-find my roots and what the parts of me and my art I want to push and follow. May I ask what you were doing in that year stuff turned around in, practically? Cause obviously you still had the bills to deal with. For me thats a problem that always inserts itelf in my mind, is the time to transition... Thanks again. I love you and your care for the whole community.
I'm still in development on my artistic side, and I am much more of a technician in my career. But after 35 years of working for jobs for the money, I am finally working for myself, and my interests and your advice rings true to my life experience. Thank you for this video.
I needed to hear this. I was having a sort of artist identity crisis, but I couldn't quite put a finger on why. I think I've been trying to be a more technical artist, when I'm not naturally inclined for that. You've inspired me to go back to basics and just stand in front of an easel and see what happens with no plan. Thank you!
Not sure what made me click, maybe it was the idea that you'd discuss AI in the art industry, but your aura and ability to talk and express yourself was captivating; you were so, genuine. It made me want to listen, and although intrigued to see what art you create, I chose to not look at your gallery until the talk was done, as to not let my impression on your art influence my opinion on what you were discussing. You started name dropping other artists, big artists that I've looked up to over the years, like Tyler and Feng Zhu - I thought damn, who is this guy? Once your talk was over, I went to your channel, saw more artists you've collabed with that I knew of and took a peak at your works (fucking awesome talent and vision you have, by the way). Immediately I was engulfed with an embarrassment and guilt in how I've never come across you or your art until now - I think that's partial to being in the back seat of the online art community for so many years, but just as much influenced by how hard your talk hit. Thank you man, sometimes these videos/talks are all some no names passing by need to instil as much as a thread of motivation to get back to creating. Can't wait to check out everything else I've missed and what you bring in the future
Hey Adam, big fan. In every video where you mention the artistic "designers", especially this one, word for word you are describing me. I always wondered why I could never connect with the word "artist". I always wondered what was wrong with me, why I never had a desire to express myself like other artists do. Until I saw a video of yours some years ago when you first made this distinction and it just clicked for me. I'm a designer, not an artist. And my whole outlook on my skills changed for the better. Just wanna say thanks.
Oh my. This hit really hard. I've been struggling with a huge project lately, and even though I'm not exactly in "the industry", I'm only in high school, I've been pushing myself so hard to keep working on this manga I've been writing. I've impressed myself with it, I had loads of fun and inspiration writing the story for it, but now that I've come to drawing it, it feels laborious and even though I enjoy it and find myself impressed with everything I do, I find myself struggling to muster up the motivation to actually draw it more than once a week, while I used to be so excited to just draw whatever. I am scared that if this continues I'll lose motivation completely and this project which I still care very deeply for will be lost, so I want to continue working on it but the more I work on it the more I feel demotivated, especially when blandly storyboarding it. After this video, I can say I feel stuck between being lazy and being a victim of this doing art you don't want to do struggle, so ill try switching up my process and then working on procrastination (i see Adams video on that in the corner of my screen lol i think ill go watch that too)
It’s a very true element what you touched on. How curious this video is perfect for my state of place right now. I been knocked off track by life due to unseen stuff via family and lost many years with nothing to show and lost identity. Though do still love challenge. Started to focus on myself again as you raise, trying to work at my pace, creativity is often in media presented as this majestic infinite thing when it is finite and can be lost but can be retrieved.
I definitely needed this advice. Thank you Adam.❤ It's very easy to get off track making work in return for a paycheck. Life and art is a constant interplay of you vs. others, and its hard to maintain that balance, but its possible I believe. You can be of service to others, but as a fine artist alot of the journey relates to self-discovery and the expression of that. I still haven't gotten it right in my late 30's, but I'm trying my best to reorient myself and get back in touch with wtf I really want out of this life, especially after my beautiful partner Brian died unexpectedly in 2022. I realized since my world was upended, that I have no choice but to be braver with the life I've been given, and whatever remainder is left. It's either that, or give up.
I've just recently been realising these things after a decade of pursuing art. I've reinvented my portfolio, my approach, my workflow and tossed aside the type of work I'm genuinely passionate about countless times for the sake of trying to reach my dream of becoming a concept artist. After just barely not making it into two big opportunities and suffering an immense burnout I have finally returned to the type of concept art I DO love to create and I'd forgotten until now how it felt to feel so free, inspired and true to myself like I had before. There is so so much information out there and when we start out we often take a lot of it if not all of it as fact. But really the only "correct way" is the way that works for you and I'm learning for the first time how important it is to find and decide what that is for yourself 🙏💯 Take care everyone and thank you so so much for this video as always Adam ❤️
Thank you for this reminder. I need it! When ever I hear things like you have to see what's trending and follow that or search for what the people want in terms of art, I recoil. I know this isn't the way to make great art. But that old way of thinking creeps into my mind every once in a while. You and people like Rick Rubin remind me to follow my joy. Thank you!
expected nothing from this vid, turned it on the bg while 3d modelling. 10 mins later sat my ass straight and paid the undivided attention to this. truly insightful and inspiring
Yeah. When I was at college for animation I got a lot of flack for not being a 3d artist/animator. Especially in my demo reel. They hated my 3d animation and wanted me to do 3d modeling (which I have to say is not my strong suit) I spent weeks trying to get their approval and then after the 4th time telling me to do modeling for my final, one of them asked me to bring in all the projects that I made in each class. They found I was better at lighting and rigging the entire time. I left that college cause I didn't want to spend more time fixing it. And yes all my teachers were professional artists/animators that I learned from. After getting so tired of 3d in general I found my strength in doing comics. Sure for now I am doing it as a side thing from my part time job I have, but I feel I will get to try and make it so I do them for a living. Yes I know it's not easy at all, but I learned a lot since doing them myself. Also the worst part is showing work when you aren't ready to show it. I hate being considered a robot and definitely can't work like that with deadlines that are almost impossible to do. I like when commissioners are very patient with me since I do have another job just to get me by atm. I do try to get them done the best I can when I can do so. I work at my own pace and that's how I like it.
Probably one of the best and most-consistent pieces of advice I've ever gotten from a number of highly successful people is: "Don't take advice from someone who isn't where you wanna be." Because why would you waste your time following someone who isn't going where you wanna go?
That is some SOLID advice! 100% agree!!
Well said!
Amen to that! amazing advice
Good advice but I think that’s so much of the issue, they haven’t truly decided where it is they want to go. They just see “success” of one person and believe they need to follow the same path. Almost like making cookies… you want a cookie but you have to know which kind you want to make sure you have the RIGHT ingredients to get the outcome you want. Don’t wanna make peanut butter if you’re allergic to it.
Thank you
My dad has been a pain in my butt about my art for some time now
He doesn't live with me so it isn't a constant thing but it makes me feel bad when he recommends me to do a.i and says art is dead and anyone can do what I do
"Go deep, not wide" was the best advice I was given when trying to find my voice artistically
Hmm!! I really like that.
@AdamDuffArt it's something I really struggle with to this day, simply because I love so many styles of art (cartoons, realism, anime etc). Picking one to deep dive into is tough
that's brilliant
@@DappergoblinArtSpaceI know that feeling. I’m taking a course that allows me to explore different areas of design and illustration and maybe that’s what I need right now, to experiment, but I do worry that I’ll end up generalising too much and not get really good in one particular area and just end up kind of ok at a lot of different things because I’m not going deep enough. I actually like the idea of being able to do a variety of things but I also want to produce good work.
It might just be a matter of time needed to improve my skills. Get those fundamentals in your toolkit as he says in the video. Some artists do have more than one side to their practise. Just maybe not everything but they hone into a couple of styles and mediums that they prefer. Some people crave that variety or expression of the different facets of their personality and interests.
@@DappergoblinArtSpace Think about what style would you be able to create if you were to do it for a living. Which one are you the most shining or do you want to shine? How do you imagine yourself as a master of realism or the most unique cartoon artist what is your dream what are your working time allocations? Also sometimes being good at something may not satisfy you too. You might get bored with creating cool cartoon characters in a day single-handedly but yet might get inspired to make a realistic painting even though it takes too many hours or vice-versa. For example, I was a graphic design guy before my life of traditional and digital art started. Even now I do graphic designs sometimes and doing it so efficiently too, but it never satisfies in fact it bores me to my bones. Think about those things and eventually you will get an answer but you don't have to completely discard the other styles it is just that you upload one specific area to your portfolio as your main expertise.
I haven't finished the video, I am about half way through. If I had this advice some 15 years ago...I would be in a completely different place today. I followed what was popular at the time, giving up my passion of making comics to try and get a job following the trends. It didn't happen, and it took forever to get back to my passion. Follow the passion people, the money will work itself out. Much respect to you Adam, you are a light in this community.
Mate this is exactly me as well. Tried to be a concept artist for years and it never felt right. Now im doing comic art it feels like rebirth
That's so true! Cause if you don't have the passion, your work won't be good enough to make money with it.
When I was 17 studying cartoon animation, a teacher said my drawings we're awful and I would never make it in the industry. He was a real asshole to everyone. That was enough to convince me I wasn't good so I stopped drawing for a good 5-6 years. In the meantime, I tried cinema. Didn't work out. Then I studied graphic design, then 3D... I stayed as far away from drawing as I possibly could because "I'm never gonna make it in the industry" I'm 34 now. 17 whole years of my life passed, and I'm just starting studying concept art. I know it was my calling all along, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I regret so much not owning up to myself in front of that teacher and pushing myself to prove him wrong. It's never gonna happen again.
Adam, I am 46 at the moment. Soon 47. I feel like I have hit that brick wall many times in my life. But I am tired of it. I managed to go through that wall and proceed towards the next one - many many times. Because rent. Because kid. Because bills. But I am sick and tired of hitting the walls. I dont care that by many standards I am "old". I need to stop hitting walls and do what I want to do. Thank you for beautifully expressed (as always) video. It resonates to no end with me. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will ya? Because I am looking at yet another wall now. And I am about to turn my back to it instead of going through like I did way too many times in my life. Sincerely - thank you for inspiring words.
wish you the very best! youre not old and it’s never too late to do what you really want to do.
I just turned 31 and even I feel too old 😅. But I'm too damn stubborn to ever give up. All I want to do is draw. You're not that old, you're old when you give up. As each year goes by and I feel I'm reaching further away from my goal, I just remind myself I'm not dead so might as well keep trying. good luck my dude.
@cristianaraujo9293 No one asked your opinion either. What kind of comment is that and how is it relevant whatsoever? Many people have real life problems in the way, be it a kid or whatever else. Doesn't matter. Also, how is your comment cunstructive in any way beside being a toxic and senstive deaf thing to say to someones obviously facing trouble in their life and making a change?
I wish you all the luck and strength right now. Times are hard but look at all the obstacles you've already overcome. Where would you be if you hadn't pushed through them? It's hard getting through them, but you've done it before. You'll do it again. Even if you need a moment to breathe, don't give up. If you can't break through the wall then climb over it. But don't turn back.
I’m just a little bit older but I’ve hit that wall many times, it’s real. The money issue is real, and we are all making less and less. But I chose the fine art road, and you want to know the real irony? I’m also doing what other people want, because grad school will mess artists up like that! I love my work and yet there’s this masked side of me that makes things so automatically and I love that more…so I’ve just started showing them a little, having them out in the studio.
It’s sad that artists have to be so compromised in this culture - I hope that you can fight through it and get that space for yourself, the struggle is real!
So I teach fundamentals at a 3d art school, and about half way through the term, they have to choose a path, character art, or environment art. And without fail, at least 2-3 ask "which has the best job opportunities?" So by this point of the semester, I know them and the type of art they are passionate about. So clearly it is driven by the stress of finding a job after school is finished. So how I frame it, is that you are going to be competing for those jobs against artists that are actually motivated and passionate about that particular subject matter. Even if you get your foot in the door, how can you expect to thrive in an environment surrounded by artists who actually want to be there. So its a false sense of being practical. Yes environment teams are bigger (in 3d), but its still very competitive. Also! I've learned a lot about getting the best out of my students from watching your videos. Especially on importance of being empathetic. Your a treasure Adam!
Such awesome feedback, thank you so much! And a good smart-ass reply to your students question could be “the art type that has the best job opportunities is the one you’re best at” :)
I don't know who said this, but it's a good advice, ironically enough: "Don't base your decisions on the advice of those who don't have to deal with the results"
Yeah. That's part of why I didn't get the jab, once it became clear that "vaccine" manufacturers couldn't be sued by people who got injured by the "vaccines."
I think this is where "know thyself" really comes into play because unless you truly KNOW who you are as a person, what your goals are as a creative, where all of that aligns to make you YOU, bits of advice here and there (from well meaning people or otherwise) can steer you off course. There are SO MANY "coaches" out there that act like they have all of the answers, it's so hard to sort through them and find ones that align with your vision of your future self. I've bought courses, taken them, realized that no this isn't particularly what I want to do but I only thought I wanted it because I saw another artists succeeding in this field and thought "well I'm SORT OF interested this so I'll pursue it more seriously" when in the end I concluded I wasn't good at this particular thing and wasn't as serious about it as I thought. That's why you have to know yourself and know what you want. If you don't, go exploring, but I don't think people should feel like they have to coach hop to find what it is they're looking for. I think they're looking for a quick fix and solid answer (I know I was) and truth is, no such thing exists.
Now I'm working in a field I never thought I'd be in (book design and illustration) but it's perfect for me with my skill set and interests. If I'd forced myself to stay on a path that wasn't meant for me, I'd never have gotten into this field.
Exactly! I strongly feel that "Know thyself" is everything. Artists would do well to look up both Socrates and Ramana Maharshi, who are the most significant for using this phrase, and fully understanding what it means. Our art and the direction we go will benefit so much.
Being an artist is not a once size fits all. The best coaches put YOUR values first and understanding that success looks different to everyone. If someone doesn’t know then a good coach sits with them and supports them in finding that out. ❤️
I spent about 6 years of my life to build a portfolio that was 'commercially approved' by the entertainment industry. While I gained a lot of experience practising, I also grew to dislike making art because it was not genuine. Not mine. It was driven by the voices of others. For what? For increasing the odds to make money. When I started with the whole art thing it was out of pure joy and fascination for what I was interested in. Money wasn't a factor.
The biggest and bitter lessons that I learnt throughout those years were as follows:
1) Art is a deeply personal journey and shall ALWAYS reflect YOUR OWN VOICE. You can be inspired by other artists but don't be like them. Be you.
2) Don't burden your art with money. Yes, you gotta put bread on the table, however, you can take another job and make it happen. Create art for the sake of the soulful journey and you'll see how you'll progress much more than always trying to fit in the industry and their ever changing standards. One day someone might notice your work, a door could open and an opportunity could present at your doorstep, which could enable you to generate money with your art. Just don't make it your focus.
3) Healing your relationship with art is, I think, even harder than overcoming burnout. Neglecting your artistic voice and burdening yourself with other standards that are supposedly the better way for you to be a professional artist is an abuse. If you don't realize it on time, you risk to break up with art.
Disclaimer: I'm not done with art by all means. However, it's a very challenging endeavour to find the strength and apply that inner fire that I had before taking the decision to put the whole 'art as a job first'. I practice almost every day but it's a challenge since it takes a lot of time to repair what I broke.
Everything you shared was golden - thank you SO much for all of this!
These are dang good thoughts. I especially like that you put this as a warning, which as a young artist about to go into college, I find very useful. I'm gonna leave another thought for myself later in response to 2). I shouldn't make art "for myself" if I'm living for an opportunity, because that is not "for myself". Also, there's no guarantee that there will be an opportunity or even that I'll have time to make art in another job. BUT it's better to *find* time than to *have* time that'll ultimately be wasted in stress or unfulfilling work. Ultimately though, if I can find a job in art, animation, or design that's adjacent to making a movie (or just plain making art for the fun of it) that's great because then, I might have an overlap of skills.
well said
I've lived a very similar experience. Back in high-school I took a class on computer programming and I was doing really well. My teacher told me I should do computer science professionally, told me that's where the money is, that's where the job security is. So I went to college for computer science. The one thing I learned from that, is that I HATE computer science. I absolutely loathe programming. To keep my sanity up I started drawing, and the more I drew the more I improved at drawing and I realized how much i love it. I love art with every cell in my body. 2020 was my last year in college and I've been drawing happily and peacefully! I do not miss programming one bit.
A related tangent; while I was in college I would get these migraines about once a week, or twice a week. Eventually they got so frequent that I was basically in chronic pain. After I quit college and have been focusing on art I haven't had a migraine since! Maybe that's just a coincidence but I believe there's some correlation there. I like to think that drawing cured my migraines, lol. Thank you for this video, this is an important one.
that's cool! thanks for sharing! are you working with something related to art currently?
Yes, computer science is hard. It's not for everybody. Art is easy.
@@faboxbkn I am! I've been working on a comic book project. Still fairly early on in designing and writing but it's progressing along!
@@HO-bndk I agree, but art can be hard too. Obviously it depends on who you ask and their predispositions in life.
@@Salvodore I think he just said that to try and get a rise out of you lol
9:30 You literally described me working as a Broker who doesn't really find any joy and got no time to practice because my "shifts" which are for like 10-14 hrs/day only free in weekeds and when it comes to weekends I try to do 1/2 drawings and i get frustrated because when I pick the pen after a long time I need to warm up...but the "warming up" is literally not enough and is the only time I got left to follow my passion. I'm stuck between a cycle of what "puts food on the table" and my passion who is slowing dying. You mention this type of action when you were talking about your mom working in computer sience or some sort...just to keep the food on the table but sacrificed the art for it. It is so sad that so few of us get to make money from art to sustain a living and the other are forced to watch a dream slowly fade away and accept the truth and ponder the question "what if?"
the recognition that i and many other artists arent BAD because we cant meet industry requirements felt so good, some of us arent "designers". i deeply admire people who are much more pragmatic with their art and can deliver a good product, heck i even think some of the ways they observe artistry is important and can be learned from. but i am not that, im not a mathematician nor do i enjoy having this kind of approach towards the things i create
I feel like “Wreck it Ralph”: “I’m bad, but that’s good. I’ll never be good and that is not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”
dear god i needed this right now, you made me cry... i signed up for a convention at the artist alley after 15 years (turned 30 last year) of waiting overthinking.. i was always scared and thought my art will never be good enough or popular enough... but after my dad died 3 years ago i started to see my art different, i decided to make it on my own cause i know i am good at what i do... these past 4 months i have been preparing myself drawing lots and lots of artworks for the con... but not art i liked.. more art that was liked... loosing my passion lately getting anxiouse getting back to the "i am not good enoough" mind set... the con is in one month i fellt lost, alone, scared, and just bad... but this video put me back in place.. i believe in myself again and i said "Fuck it i will produce things I like and know its good! i won't be a sellout and betray myself ever again!" right now i am working on an artwork i already love and it's still in sketch phace... so thank you Adam, thank you for being a dad like figure to us all. I wisch you and you fam all the happiness, health, luck, and love of the world!
I hope you have a successful convention! I'm learning to find my voice as well. I've got to re-learn to spend more time on my art rather than feeling pressured to pump it out to ease the social media gods.
you got thisss!
I think I just discovered, thanks to you, why I'm stuck and don't want to draw anymore. Because I was told that there's not enough jobs for character/creature artists so it's best to master environment and/or hardware design because there's always need for that in the industry. So I started thinking I should get into studying that but it seems like such a chore to me because I don't enjoy it. So I just stopped drawing at all, because every time I think about drawing my head goes to 'you have to study environment', my enthusiasm drops immediately and I do nothing. Thank you for another uplifting video.
Adam, I appreciate you, as a person in my mid twenties who doesn’t have any guide, your talks and advice always shine a light and make me reflect, and give me a small push forward to not give up on my dream of pursuing art as a career, im currently still mastering the fundamentals, and even though some days its hard, i still keep going, and growing. Ive always wanted to tell stories with my art, to bring whoever is looking at my pieces into the world ive created, i dont exactly know what i will specialise in, but i know it has to be something that will allow me to do storytelling. Even if i dont make it professionally i will still keep creating until the end
Well Carmen - the longer you are tuned into your own frequency, the clearer that sense of artistic integrity you will have
I dont even do art professionally but this advice is so precious even on a personal level as someone who works as software engineer but has passion for art from a very young age
It is a joke fuck you hahahaha i forgot its april 😂😂
Took me until 6:00 to figure it out
It truly is solid advice. Many people do this in their lives. They don’t allow themselves to give specific on what they want. They just focus on the general thing, “I want to get married and have a family.” But then take the first person willing to get married and have a family without prioritizing what they truly want in that. Happens in any industry too. I want an art job, they then take ANY art job.
I am studying computer science and also have a passion for art. I really like both of them!
I've been software engineer for over 20 years. I used to like my job and was interested in programming prior to my education. Nowadays I don't like my job so much. I do what I have to do and on my free time I play guitar/bass, piano and drums and about 1 year ago I started to paint and draw. First digitally and pencils then I started to practice different traditional mediums. I have been surprised by my progress and I was hesitant that can I learn to do anything decent at my age of 47. I love that I have hobbies that are pretty much opposite of my work.
I don't expect to be great artist, but just relax and enjoy my hobby. I do take the my artist journey still quite seriously and I have read piles of books and watch youtube-tutorials. So my plan is to grind my day job until my retirement and have fun on my freetime. I do 80% week now so I have one more day off from work. Sometimes turning what you like can turn into chore when you make it as a job.
I’ve been binge watching your videos. Your advice is so practical, but also hits on that emotional level that only artists can relate to. I’ve taken a hiatus from my job as a bench jeweler, working in a high volume shop. What you said about the industrialization of art really hits home for me. For the past few years, I’ve just felt like a machine and my artistic vision has been completely ignored by my boss. It was always about getting pieces out as quickly as possible, and just “good enough.” I’m slowly realizing the shop owner wants machines that will make her money, not artists, and not jewelers who always aim to improve their skills. It’s been a tough pill to swallow. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, experience, and all the lessons learned. It’s helped me so much through this time of career uncertainty.
what you said around 4-5 minutes, i absolutely agree. you can take advice given to you, but don't just take it, think about it, and then *own* that piece of advice. it becomes a part of you, if your intuition says it suits you -- you don't just blindly follow that advice, you agree or disagree with it and own it
This is the makings of a GREAT coach and mentor. He lets you know, this is about you; not him.
I don't think I've left a comment on a video in YEARS, but I'll let you know how important this was for me. I just took a class much like yours, Adam, that gave me the opposite advice, but the instructors didn't outright put me in the right direction. I thought I wanted to become an environment concept artist, but instead, I decided that I really want to make pretty pictures that I can take my time with, which contradicts environment and character concept art. My teachers never told me what I should be doing, which frustrated me, but they didn't want to change my mind for me. Instead, I feel like I've wasted my time, but for a good reason. Now, very suddenly, I want to change paths and I think you're partly to thank for that, especially with this video. You've been giving me so much advice these past years, and I'm sure many others feel the same way I do, but I really want to thank you. You've been molding my journey for a few years now, and this video was the cherry on top. Thank you, Adam. I hope I'm able to take your class soon, because I still believe it's for me. Stay amazing.
This is exactly what AI made me realize. I am not a cog in a machine, I am rain that flows down a mountain and becomes a river in the desert. I will add my depth and experience to the oceans of life and hope that someone finds value in it the way I do.
And that suppose to help you survive and pay the bills? Or fix the fact that these companies using stolen data?
@jothewizard you're also very poetic 🙂
@@natv6294 I totally understand what you are saying. I had to personally decide if my job and my art had to be the same thing and for me they don't. They may eventually become that but I had to safeguard my love and enjoyment of art from the system that is currently in place in the industry. In the end this helped me to become better at art because I love the time I get to draw, I spend 3 times as much time and effort drawing because I am not trying to force myself into something I do not enjoy. That being said it took me 10 years to come to this point, constantly questioning if I should stop making art because I would never get a job with how I like to make art. It was and still is very difficult for me to separate my personal value from my income. This is all very personal to me and I totally relate to why it sounds detached from reality; it probably is. This is my current path and all paths are different. I hope you find yours and it brings a breath of relief for you like mine has for me.
@@natv6294
A person can always have another job and do art on the side, and I don't think this person you're replying to is siding with the A.I. companies.
Seems more like that they have made this realisation following the past few months of news regarding the subject.
Ouuu spit em bars!
"you are commiting yourself to a realationship that you are not even remotely interested in"
those are words to live by, my friends
I have watched this video at least 3 times, and now I am watching again as a reminder of myself, a reminder of why I wanted to make art, a reminder of why I can go to my passions, and also, why I just need to endure a little more the life I have so much eager to let go of. I also got stuck at the "art for paycheck" industry, precisely how you said, as I currently work as a designer, and sold my soul to this industry I said I would never work in because I am good at it and needed money, but I'm not fullfilled, it served it's purpose when I was desperate to make more money and get out of other soul crusher jobs i could get into, to give myself a better life worrying less about money, but now, 2 years into this life, each day and little by little it's getting worse to come to work, as I am slowly coming back to my dreams of making comics, animation, visual storytelling. It's a mess in my head to be able to find time for my dreams, I am the happiest at weekends when I have all the time to draw and live, and I know I will have to juggle between this job I have for income and my non payed dreams for a while till i get to make money with them, but I will not give up, I never want to give up on my dreams, my life, for sake of industry. I want to get out of this whole as soon as I can, and I pray and work for it. Thank you, as always, for such wise advise, Adam. May you always be blessed.
this was really touching, thank you! i came to this realization a few years ago. my career has been a lot more emotionally fulfilling but financially it's been a huge struggle. I'm hoping to fill those gaps eventually because I never want to go back to the way things were. It's like what you said. I would rather get a job waiting tables or cleaning floors than doing art in an emotionally draining way. but pursuing art in a genuine way means that even when i'm not financially successful, each piece of art i make feels like it's at least leading me closer to my goals instead of further away.
You are right cryoflower. Take care of your basic needs with a little job. If you aren't at heart a designer/ technician then don't do it. I teach art (this is difficult when you are developing a curriculum, but gets easier thereafter) and also do my own artwork. I'm very busy, but the worst thing as a genuine artist is to prostitute your artwork; the one thing that you can can contribute to the world.
I’m almost on the verge on tears. As always Adam I appreciate your fatherly advice and care for all of us.
When I was young art used to make me feel more alive. In fact the more I created the more myself I felt come alive.
But over time, especially with social media and content creation I became so burnt out. I put so much pressure on myself to create that I eventually began to resent the creative process and no longer wanted to do it.
It’s been a long time since I’ve just created for the enjoyment of it. I think like you Adam I need to take some time to find myself again and shut off all the voices of others and just enjoy art for my own enjoyment.
Adam, THANK you so much for saying that! I came into art as a photographer and a musician and I painfully compared myself to all the technicians I saw as artists... thought of my creative side as a "romanticized" version of artistry and then wondered why I struggled to stick to technical studies while my heart LONGED to create! To connect with people the way my photography did. Thankfully, I found my way to a graphic design job in the beginning of my journey and I was shoved nose first like a puppy in shit and recognized that I am NOT a technician. They're incredible! But not me. Thank you again for your thoughts and your passion!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Adam! You never cease to give amazing advice! You are spot on with this! I am a designer, a concept artist. I love to knock out ideas in a structured manner, I am ex army, I lived that kind of life for years. I woke at a specific time, I did this, then I did that, and then this at specific times. I am breaking this life style some what because in the civie world it doesn't work completely. I wake up 06:00 in the gym by 08:30 I am working by 13:00. Another reason I love design is I GOT TO MANY IDEAS haha my brain is constantly forging ideas, I have a whole book of them if I don't write them down I get stuck thinking about them. Anyway, amazing video as always and this is fantastic advice, do what you are, do what makes you happy, brings your fulfilment, or live a lie.
That's the reason why I decided not to become a professional concept artist or designer early on in my career, even though I wanted to work in video games. I actually became a UI Artist because I was good at it from the get-go and was paid well doing that. But I was never as passionate about it as character art. I wanted to get better at art in my spare time and learn the fundamentals, but keep my art for myself without the pressure of monetising it.
Now after a decade of doing that, being a character artist in my free time and a UI Artist professionally, I got laid off from my job, am burnt out from bending into the shape other people expected me to fit into, but I also think I made the right decision. I first tried to find myself in my own art and now that I have the financial freedom from having money saved, do I want to pursue that part of me fully, now I think I'm ready because I think I can be true to what I really want to do.
I love this for you!!! Let me know where I can follow you! I want to see what you do and your story. ❤
I think with AI in the future anybody who's an artist now will have to make money by being an entrepreneur. Because corporate art won't really hire artists anymore. If you want to be an artist in the future, you're going to have to sell your own stuff. Start your own company. The big companies won't really need you anymore. And you shouldn't be sad about it. Who wants to work for a corporation that treats you like crap?
Thanks for putting this out there. I can relate. I am a 2D generalist in my company, but I find that I keep getting given UI tasks (over character-related tasks which usually involve photo/3d-bash paintovers), because (1) I am decent at it, and there's always a demand for UI assets despite my personal passion in character art / storytelling illustration (2) By keeping work and passion separate, like you did, I am protecting my soul from the ever-changing corporate world.
If I may ask, you mentioned that you want to pursue character art fully, do you mean as a career as an employee making character art, or as a freelancer, or as an entrepreneur selling your own character art?
@@JemiDove Thanks for your question, I'm trying to slowly transition away from full-time UI employment and become an entrepreneur. While I was employed I could not muster the energy to work on my own art as much as an Instagram or Twitter algorithm would require me to gather a following. I've always worked on my own projects on the side, but it was a very slow process, so now I was successfully able to find a part time contract job, which pays enough for my bills and I have enough time during the rest of the day to keep a healthy life balance and also work on my personal art. I was lucky that I had connections in the industry to refer me to this job. I know how rare this opportunity is. My goal for now is to develop my personal art so that I can maybe start a patreon at some point. Something that I can grow that's mine. I don't want to say that full-time employment is soul sucking because it can be fulfilling for some people depending on the job you do and how aligned you feel with the project, the mission of the company or the people, but the game industry is volatile, you can be so easily discarded through lay-offs and left with nothing. If your work is under NDA you can't even show your art on your portfolio as was the case for me for the past 5 years. That's why it's so important for me to create something that's purely my own. Continue my little projects and maybe grow something from here.
My socials are linked on my profile :)
I feel like this kind of information is really important to highlight because for a long time I couldn't determine if I'm an artist or a designer.
I started doing 3D as 1st thing. Mostly because I was afraid I wouldn't be good at drawing. And I'm doing quite well with it. But something always felt off. I even remember listening to some of your art talks and... and made me feel really weird. It made me question if I belong.
I was telling myself that it's just not enough skill and it will feel right later. So I worked and worked, from morning till deep in the night to get the skills
I'm still young, got my 1st job that I'm quite enjoying. Though I started to see how.. For work, I'm more of a designer.
Figure out how to make this look good and make sense. Get it technically efficient, so the game engine can run it well...
BUT
Since skill wasn't the issue, I just started trying out digital drawing and painting for fun in my free time and OH MY It makes such a difference. The moment I get in the zone and the painting feels good. It's otherwordly feeling. And since I don't have to worry about making it a job. I can just have fun. Do whatever my hearth desires, bcs paycheck is covered by the dayjob.
Not to say I can't do anything expresive in 3D. For sure when I get the space for it I take it without hesitation to make it a bit more expresive. But there is always limits.
I enjoy both, but there is just something to drawing and painting that I just miss in 3D.
This is something I can wholeheartedly relate... Regarding work I'm not an "Artist" but more of a "Designer", I like to be efficient and technical and from when I switched to 3D I feel like I'm finally making some progress regarding my career. Hell... In some games I'm working on I'm the technical artist and I never studied for it. But outside of work... I just want to open my 2d painting favourite software start moving the brush and see where I will go, but this is not something that can pay the bills.
I'm trying to go into the vfx world as a compositing artist and this is also the mindset I hold. I still am studying and trying to figure out if this craft is truly for me but I know I enjoy it but not as much as painting or other crafts. And I guess I can't have everything Uno, I feel like that's for the lucky ones. But I know if I have a job that I enjoy just enough, pays just enough, then there'll be freedom for all the other crafts I ache to keep dipping my feet into. Crafts that well... I don't want to do for work but for me
Thanks for your message Adam, I think you really hit the nail on the head in terms of professional advice. It resonated with me because, when I went to GDC, portfolio review events, or asking for peer critique when job hunting, I tend to get pretty contradictory pieces of advice, and that's really because whoever is reviewing your work does it with a particular lens and needs of the company they are working for, and whatever the company is asking at that specific moment in time. In fact, what got me to work in my first (and only) indie videogame after University was a very generalist portfolio, something that hasn't been able to get me work in the AAA space (yet).
And sometimes I have to stop myself into spiraling with "my art is not good enough" thoughts because of the job rejections I have been through. Because, ironically, being rejected this way does not mean that I suck: I know I could be the best artist ever, but if I don't have what X company needs, then X company, X client, X project, what have you, is gonna reject me regardless of my skill and career. In fact, the work I do now is because of people that believed in me, clients needed what I could offer, and they were open for me having to learn and adapt along the way, even if I was a newbie.
What I have been doing lately, is separating what I CAN do for work, and what I WANT to do with my art, whatever that is. If they overlap, great. If not, also great: not having a job in the industry does not mean that I'm barred from ever doing art. Not being praised by a big company doesn't mean that my art is not valuable. I should do the art I want to do regardless. I'm fully aware that down the line my vision may change, but at the moment, I think it is a good way to live, and in fact, the only thing I can control. Because, if the art I do makes me miserable, then what's the point of it?
Thank you for saving me from the constant feeling of not being enough and always striving to please others at the expense of my own health and well-being. I have lost myself over the years and my motivation has dwindled, especially when it comes to drawing. Although I used to love drawing by hand, I have lost my passion since acquiring a Wacom Cintiq, even when started learning to draw I always wanted that to help me draw digitally. Your words reminded me that I am not alone in this struggle and am grateful for that. I am still learning but because of constant information and demands, I have to learn many things at once, many things that personally I know I don't want to do in the future. I am grateful that I met your channel. You are my father figure of art and help me in self-awareness
A message I can stand behind. Know yourself. Trust only yourself to make decisions about your life, because you're the one who has to live it every day. Don't lie to yourself, cut your loses if you strayed. You really don't want to be a disinterested environment artist struggling to compete with people who are obsessed with it and love it. If every day feels like an unmotivated, frustrating grind while people around you are enthusiastic about doing the same thing, you should realise you misplaced yourself. You might even be good at it, but if you don't care about what you do, long term, it still won't be worth it.
Solid advice. As someone who was passionate about drawing and painting (couldn't get enough of it) and now, almost can't stand the though of picking up a pencil to draw again after being sucked-in by the advertising industry as an "art director", I can absolutely see my life being VASTLY different now, some 20+ years later... (to be fair, I've been jumped out of that ship a LONG time ago already, but anyways). Either way, it's advice I'm 100% glad to have heard even now. Thanks, Adam..
unbelievable someone would tell your student to follow a path she doesn't like or has a passion for. your advice, as always, was spot on.
It's a sad thing. People are losing their passion and going for what they think is most financially expedient instead of what is most meaningful for them on a persona level.
People need to eat and want stability. Doing something meaningful, usually doesnt pay much.
And, unfortunately, money is needed to survive. So, people sacrifice their passion for a dull existence.
Beautifully said Adam! Profesionals don't know everything. Sometimes they don't know $hit about F**😐Those accolades and success to me mean absolutely nothing if you're not LISTENING to the artist..
its the RIGHT professional that aligns with who you are. Thats why when I listen to art advice I take it with a grain of salt. If I find advice that resonates deeply with me, I'll try it out (usually works) and keep drawing. I think determining your goal and what you want to become will help save a lot of time and money. Never throw away your authenticity or integrity for cash.
They are professional at what worked for them. Sometimes if we aren’t careful we don’t see the biases because people just want “success” without ever defining it for themselves.
Hi Adam, I recently discovered you and your videos. I’ve been making a living in the visual arts since 1979. I appreciate your honesty and candidness. It is a very challenging field for those of us who strive for creative work and output. I’ve had my successes and failures, and it’s a humbling experience. I’m glad you’re out there helping artist get a foothold on their journey. I’m near retirement and I’m still hungry to create and see what’s possible. It’s a lot easier to create a financially stable life in some other field. However, we do this because we love it.
I came to this channel with a stroke of luck, when my mental is just about to be broken, and no light can be found in the tunnel. All your talk saved me back then. Your thoughts, your stories, everything is just so relatable, just like, you know me, you experienced what I was experiencing, and you calm my soul, while show me the way. Little by little, my soul healed bit by bit. And I'm forever grateful for that.
This is amazing. The best decision I made for myself was leaving the safety of art school to pursue traditional oil painting with an emphasis on portraiture and storytelling. The lengths I’ve gone to get into two bootcamps online with two amazing teachers, a workshop to improve figure drawing in Rome (I get to travel too!) , and a in-person workshop in Germany is probably overboard to my poor bank account, but man am I learning quickly, feeling invigorated, and have something to look forward to. Best advice is sift through advice given and apply what works for you. Thank you Adam for being here. I’m too non-committal to get a “know thyself” tattoo too, but I’ve got a short sword from Etsy with the saying engraved on the blade 😂
Oh hell yeah Adam. This is the content we want. The raw, honest shit that no other art youtuber seems to be willing to talk about or admit. It feels like I keep being sold this fantasy about what the industry is and what it means to be a part of it. What it means to be yourself, versus what it means to fit a mold. Thank you for this awesome video.
This talk hits more deep than I want to… I have obsessions that change daily, but I come back to what’s comfortable. Comfort is not always fun or satisfying. I can’t disagree here. But I can overcome my own desire to be comfortable.
Self Awareness is everything.❤
I gotta say, this is probably the best art channel I'm subscribed to.
It connects with me on a deeper, artistic, emotional level.
I used to be an artist but I turned myself into the machine, for myself. And... it worked. Quite well. I am succeeding in my goals.
And yet... when I draw, I feel nothing. I never draw recreationally. I've tried and I can't enjoy it.
For so long I've been creating products, that I feel I've lost my ability to create meaningful art.
I've become the machine.
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry to hear this and I completely understand. I was a creating “machine” for a while and it drove me to burn out. It took YEARS for me to gain back the ability to draw and paint for enjoyment. It got to where I felt I wasn’t ALLOWED to enjoy it. I do hope you gain it back. ❤
Man, I'm so sorry to hear (see?) that.
Usually what I am told is that one can do something completely different to take the mind off it, and do something completely different, get lost in it, and tie back into drawing.
Though to be honest, I don't know how it would work out for you, as you are different from me and the people who gave this advice.
I do hope one day you'll be able to draw and create with joy once more.
All the best and sending virtual hugs (or whatever your love language enjoys).
@@cassandraguan4531 Thank you for the kind words. Its alright, I'm not dissatisfied with my situation, in fact I am quite lucky and thankful. Perhaps it was never my calling to be a painter/drawer, or perhaps I willingly corporatized myself to the point of numbness in pursuit of other goals.
I still have a burning passion for art as a whole, perhaps in other areas I'm unfortunately not good enough for yet and can't easily make the switch to at the moment, but it's art all the same, so I don't feel bad about it.
What prompted me to make this comment is that for a long time I've felt that the industrialization of art irks me on a deeper level and so the video connected with me. Many spheres of our lives have become corporatized and soulless (from my point of view at least).
Art is not an exception, it's just that I feel its potential so squandered on "products", that it aches. And I, a willing cog in the machine, have had to use those same tools that corrupt what art means to me because.. no one cares about art. Meaningful art takes time, effort, thought. From the creator and the audience. It is not something you *consume*.
And it just can't support itself monetarily often, at least as far as I've found. It makes sense of course, art is a luxury, but I grew up with the belief that art exists to better our minds, to teach us morals, to spark our imagination... instead I find in my adult life it's just a product, like everything else.
Anyway, I apologize for the rant. I'll stop being melodramatic.
No bullshitting, no mincing words, no fluff, this is coming straight from the heart and I'm putting it plainly: this is the best video you've done, imo. I was expecting this video to somehow be the opposite of how it turned out? Like instead of "you need to do what you love," I was expecting advice in favor of flexibility and adaptability. You had me grinning ear to ear the whole time, because your words ring so true and clear. "Follow your passions," given bluntly is quite refreshing 😂
I've been scared to do what I want, partly because I haven't had a lot of direction from others, (UA-cam is my art school haha) so it's taken a while to figure out the grander scheme of my own art journey.
I'm sorry you went through all those years of struggling in the games industry, but seeing you come out the other side into a greater sense of knowledge and identity chokes me up a little. Thank you for doing what you do and making this video ❤
This is soo important! I've been a published writer for more than 10 years now and for a very long time I stressed myself out about doing this and that because "that's what successful writers do" and it didn't even pay my bills. It just stole my joy for writing. Got back into art a few years ago and since I realised that I'm not that kind of writer, but rather an artist in drawing and writing, I stopped doing all those other things and suddenly everything feels easy. It's like a puzzle that just gets together automatically under my hands. And I won't give this feeling away ever again.
As a fellow educator, I feel your outrage at what that student was told, so thoughtlessly. This message is so important. Thank you for making it.
Huge respect for this Adam. We need so many more voices speaking this truth. How many of us here walked this very same path. Many of us even who were waylaid by the game industry and cast aside. Brutal. Alway appreciate you sharing.
This was a slap in the face. I'm at my lowest. I have worked for Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, DC and some other big names, and yet (while those gigs were awesome, and all the people involved were great) I feel lost. I spent my last 6 months trying to improve, evolve, and I fell into the rabbit hole of trying to consume way too much advice and forgetting what I love and where I'm coming from. I was hired to do those jobs based on pieces I LOVED doing, and not based on pieces that the industry wants - or influencers/teachers - think we should have. This video is just what I needed.
Please, newcomers (not all new artists are young) - know yourself and train this skill Adam is talking about: self-awareness.
That happened to me when I was a young artist. I've been drawing in an art style that I hated because it got the gigs... for almost 20 years. The result: I hated every single day of work. Fortunately, I'm shifting slowly to the art style that I like to do and got my first gigs with this style. (My clients are awesome! My old clients gave me this opportunity and they love my work with this new art style).
Man... How I wish I had a mentor like Adam in my early days.
So good. Such a great message. Always have to weigh advice against passion. It seems valid to ask if an artist has thought of trying a specific type if you see something in their art but to say you have to dedicate yourself to a particular type of art because that is where the "jobs are"...that sounds like the death of art and passion if it is not where you want to be. The other aspect of that approach is that is where the jobs are now...but will they still be there after you have put in the work to get to a professional level? Likely not, they will have moved on to some other niche need. You always hear in writing not to chase what is hot/popular because it will be tired by the time you finish, this advice really seems to apply to any creative pursuit.
Another beautiful reflection from you, this is gold :) being honest with one-self is KEY to being satisfied with anything that you do.
You speak so much truth, Adam. When I took my art seriously (about four or five years ago, started with "learning" two years ago I think), I started to look more into what's "trendy and good" to become known and who has the most success, because I wanted to have that, too (to sustain myself and pay the rent). I wanted to get into local art, but here are mostly fine artists (much older than I am) who don't think japanese style art (manga, anime) is art at all; than I saw people drawing cute stuff (animals and so on) and selling them successfully online. I was pulled to all the different styles, mediums and approaches and let go of what I wanted: drawing illustration in (my) anime/manga style but with a lot of influences of traditional artists like Mucha, Klimt and Van Gogh for example, leaning more into detailed work and storytelling with a lot of symbolic and occult and dark stuff. Fun thing is, I just realised now that THAT is what I want to do, so thanks for that. And I literally wasted three years of doing everything, learning things I didn't need for that particular goal. It sucks, being so torn apart because of what others say and think is good advice. I know it's hard to sell your stuff online, get commissions and get to be known as an artist. But I would rather starve (yes) than continuing doing things I don't actually enjoy. I did that with my first job as a kindergarten teacher and promised myself I wouldn't do that again, but here I am, realising I was going down a road I didn't even want to go (again, I got REALLY depressed because of the job).
Now I am currently on a social media detox (which is really nice, I am allowing myself one youtube video a day) and trying to find back to myself and as you said: who I am again. And what I want to do. I was wondering all the time why I wasn't motivated to draw and was fighting for focus and motivation. Now I know; Thanks for your videos, Adam!
Get comissions doing art is really hard i tried for the past 2 years and got absolutely nothing, i may try to open them up again to try something different from cartoon style but i do like it.
Omg, yessss…. I fully agree, thought I wanted to do concept art and after dealing with so many back and forth clients about work and pulling all my hair out , no that is not what I wanted. I totally agree with this message and your right on the mark again as always, thank you
Great talk, as usual. The one thing I would add is, and I would not mention it unless it was important, You can be BOTH, both an artist and a designer and that is ok. Like most things in life it's not black and white but you have to figure that out. You are 100% right though if you get into a job that you are not passionate about or grow to become so, you NEED to fix it, as in a real way you are starving. It's also fine to take a "normal" job if what you are doing in art crushes your passions for it. Art as a job can change what you love into what you hate if your not careful. Remember your basic art training when in doubt step away, and if you cannot step away, RUN. Your passion is your fuel, your advantage in art, treat it as sacred, but don't let your love push you into "You will do this if you love me" that is always the bad path.
Friends are often asking me, why do I keep watching and listening an artist with such a different theme from mine. In what way would he help me to become better at the very specific thing I'm interested doing and creating...The answer is, I'm receiving your advice and talks, from the very first moments, as my father's. Saying it to your video was another confirmation for me. Always listen to you on my worst days! Thank you sir Adam for your honesty and open hearted conversations. Cheers from me and my husband from Greece 🇬🇷
it's really calming to hear that kind of advide rn, i've studied design for the last years even thou i'm not really a designer, i'm an artist, i don't work the way designers do, i struggled and havn't fit in, but i thought it was the reasonal thing to do to get a job one day. But a couple month ago i finally made the decision to quit, to drop out, which was kinda scary. But i just felt that it was the right thing, it felt so right and now i'm in the prosses of apllying to start training as a game artist and i already feel much more at home. I wish i had quitt and followed my heart sooner but i guess it takes a while to really act the lesson you always teach, to know yourself :)) Thank you for all your advice over the years adam i really really appreciate it.
I just want to say Adam, the day a while back we talked was very insightful for me. Not only was it a lot of fun but it gave me the confidence to move forward and start posting my work.
Your professional advice was well worth it. I spent a lot of years afraid to work and doing something else I liked but wasn't connected to.
Thank you for your advice.
As someone that has worked as an Artist in Video Game industry for over 13+ years this video hits really close to home. Thanks Adam these make me really reflect allot.
i saw something recently about being careful not to overdiversify yourself especially early on in a career (maybe i even saw it here on your channel haha) yet right now im juggling my interests in character design, and my fall back is marketing, both means for wanting to break into games. i went ahead and got a certification and now im applying to marketing jobs for indie studios. i'm not the BIGGEST fan of marketing BUT there's just so so so so so many character designers, and im finding more opportunities as a junior in marketing than i am otherwise. i'm an artist at heart. i wanna design cool ass characters for games. but so do a million others. that's where i am at lol!
I try to do a little be of everything I enjoy it, but my focus is on creatures. I feel you when you say "I don't care I the game flops or not" it is interesting to know that this happens in every sphere.
After 20 years in the industry, I'm sobbing listening to this, this is exactly what I've been through, all I want is to be myself and produce the stories only I can tell. thank you.
Someone told me to get in to environment design 20 years ago. One of my teachers told me to stop pursuing the art I was in to because "nobody would hang that on their living room wall". Today I am not a professional artist, I work in a department store. But...I still do art and I've started sharing it again. I don't know what I want to do with this skill now but tell stories with it but have no idea what direction to go to from here, especially at my age! But hearing you say the things you did was really encouraging.
I teach 3D Character Art and I tell my students the EXACT same thing! Follow the passion, not the money. The passion will create the fantastic art that people will pay for. It’s SO important! Thank you for spreading the message among all artists!
Wow, really needed to hear this today. Adam you have crushed it. Your tale is familiar but whats even better is to confirm the way forward in a sense. I too ponder the school the push is that people need to hear your heart as you endured and what is crazy is no one has asked for the REAL RICHES yet, the story within story which actually made that thing which people think means this was actually that and did you know that this is actually that, yes and much more yet if all the mind chases is the regret of what they missed well then students sort themselves out of the stack! Great words my man!! INSPIRING!!!
Dear Dr. Adam, the best artist´s shrink that ever lived.
Thank you so very much for one more mind blowing therapy session, after so many awesome others.
I´m going exactly through that process right now, after 40 years serving as a tool to the industry, adapting, molding myself to the mechanism.
I jumped off that train, not in a safe station, but out on a bridge, and now I´m swimming in my own waters.
And things are starting to work indeed, the way I promised myself years ago.
My time is up, doc.
Thanks again, see you next time.
Bye, and take care.
Great video Adam! I resonate a lot with your description of the designer type. I've always had it quite easy to mimic styles and easily get inspired to try new techniques and sucked up into rabbit holes thinking "oh this is it! this is what I'm supposed to do!" only to find myself engulfed in something new a moth later. It's often a joyous process, figuring stuff out but once I've done it it loses it's shimmer. I do find myself frustrated at times knowing that if I would only be concistent with 1-2 things it would most likely make a difference impactwise.
Beautifully said. I think this can also be apply to life as well.
Don't do something because somebody told you to do it, especially if it goes against what you feel in your heart.
We are all unique and there is a place for every one of us.
No one should have to fit in anyone else's box. Do what you love, and do it well, and if you want to monetize it, there's billions of people in this world, odds are you're going to find a good chunk that love your work❤❤❤
Controversial, maybe... But what I take from this is "dare to find your own voice and listen to it" But as a struggling artist myself, that voice isnt very loud compared to the INDUSTY and its easy to loose yourself in that. Thanks Adam for beeing a voice of reason!
Great perspective. Thank you for sharing!
Great video Adam and thank you for you openness and honesty! I took your mentorship a couple of years ago and while I didnt become a much better painter or an expert in anatomy during that time, you gave me exactly what i needed to become a better artist and person in general. I like to think of it as a compass and catalyst for my current career. Thank you sincerely for beeing an advocate for us artists.
I am a designer that enjoys art. I lost my job last year. Suddenly I was left in a town far away from everything (I worked remotely.) with job offers that require work in blender/video editing/animation/social media managing/ all Adobe programs/coding while printing cutting things myself....all of this for a benefit of there being a coffee machine across the street (an actual benefit listed). I felt horrible because all the stuff I did for over 6 years meant nothing. I wanted to learn but I really didn't know where to start. All these companies wanted a animator/programmer/3d modeler/designer/manager and I felt horrible, depressed and something snapped in me. So I gave up hunting and started freelancing. I have been going ever since. I am still not where I want to be but I get to work on designs and I feel that I am building something that has a meaning. Also I started drawing again which is my inner passion and it feels so great. I realized that all these years working for another company I felt exhausted, like there was no room for art or creativity. But now it gives me so much energy when the client is happy and I can make something amazing and be my own boss. According to this video I am a designer but I am not a designer. Anyways love your videos but they always make me cry.
Around 9:30 - This is so much how I've felt doing projects in art school.
Dumping all of my energy into things that don't interest me, and then by the time something comes along that lets me do what I want, I'm so burnt out and the creative center of my brain's too fried to muster up the motivation.
Hey Adam! Great video. I absolutely relate to some of what you say. The thing about doing primarily what you're passionate about is absolutely crucial especially in this field where it is generally a passion thing for everyone, so if you do something you're not passionate about, you will absolutely fall apart at the seams in this industry. I'm super lucky in the sense that I guess I am a designer, although I'm not really one of those prop designer people who have infinite jobs (I find that extremely boring) I love doing a large variety of things within environment design and I love the problem solving aspect. It makes me feel alive. Actually, I was a background artist on a huge production and I really enjoyed it but my health went downhill very fast and I realized that the "comfort" of that kind of more illustrative process provided a situation in my life where all of my demons were coming out. So I need to stay very very busy, and designing at a fast pace where deadlines are important helps me stay busy!
Thank you for this video. I wasted so much time trying to be a designer and then beating myself up about failing to be one, changed careers to an entirely different field (science), but still couldn't give up art, even though it's still somewhat painful to reconnect with and find my true identity. And wow, I probably never fully realized there was a difference. Yes, doing pure art is a lot harder to get paid for, but trying to do what you aren't wired for is so not worth it. I wish someone told me this 10 years ago.
Interesting video! I feel like I've been on all ends of this. Starving artist, starving designer, doing my own thing without compromise, selling my skills to anyone who can pay and hating it, and any value in between. Although I agree with you on your main point, I'm now in a teaching position for people who want into the game industry, and I sometimes get the feeling that students wear their artist labels as a bit of a shield to keep them from having to face some hard truths. There is some real danger to walking the path of an artist, and you have to become fucking tough to come through the trials. I barely survived it. It's not enough to say you're an artist while you gaze into your bellybutton and try to find truth, and expect everyone to adapt to your way of thinking and feeling, especially if you somehow expect your art to pay your bills. You have to really expose yourself and shout what you want to say to the world, with all your force. It might be that the world gives the answer that you wanted, but it might also respond with indifference. If it's the last, it might be disappointing, but at least you and the world were honest with each other, and you can find your true path. Your art will be your art either way, so make it honest.
I currently go to the Academy of Art studying Game Development (I actually want to pursue concept art, but haven't fully decided what draws me in the most; leaning toward environment ironically), and I'm very happy to have Professors who say "Do what you love most because eventually, a studio will see you and your work. Don't work in something you will end up hating." Which has always stuck with me. Because as artists, we already went against the norm. We went against "normal" jobs like lawyers, doctors, or whatever is a normal job, to do something we love and are passionate about. So why would we change immediately once we hear it might be hard? Being an artist professionally was already challenging, yet here we are, challenging it. Do the art you love and build a portfolio you are proud of producing.
You have become my favorite UA-cam channel, I really like how your advice is rooted in your experience like you are very genuine and heartfelt and I always feel more optimistic after watching one of your videos. Thanks Adam ❤
Honestly, for me its your best talk so far. It suprised me how you hit deep into my core suspicion on this topic ... I needed to hear that from someone above my experience in art and life. Thanks. This one hit home. Greatfull you shared this.
Amazing video adam! I also noticed the differences of people leaning more towards artist or technician at work. And to me it's incredibly inspiring to work alongside them. Especially the artists that pour out outstanding work every time they show it, while I'm trying to cover many different ideas, that are still quite rough most of the time. Seeing their work inspires me to always try to put in a special touch into the artworks. And usually the more self-indulgent artworks get the better responses.
Reminds me of some advice I got a while back. The teacher basically said the same thing about portfolios...the art we do and show will be the work that we get hired for. And about burnout in our careers...if we're always making art we don't like for clients just to pay the bills, it would be better to quit and go flip burgers instead, while spending free time on the side doing passion projects. I remember feeling a sense of relief that I have control...that I don't have to be trapped in an art career I hate, losing passion for what I used to love, just to make money.
Love your videos! I’m a writer and performer, not a visual artist, but I feel this applies to everyone, whether artists or not. Our feelings, our energy levels, the way we feel inside our bodies, etc. are all impacted by whether we’re authentically expressing ourselves and doing things that align with us. I’ve faced this a lot as a writer because many in the writing field are all about freelancing and providing writing as a service, whereas I have no interest in that. I’ve done freelancing a few times and I’ve gotten this gross feeling being provided with what to write and different angles. I’m okay with writing for others as long as the project itself is something I can stand behind, but I stopped working with clients altogether because I felt I had trouble finding clients where I’m not compromising my integrity to write for them. Instead, I found that I really enjoy teaching and advising, so I’m working as a writing consultant, doing some freelance editing, and working on my novel instead of pushing myself to do something I don’t want to do. I also noticed my process is a lot different and less “efficient” than a lot of the sources I was looking to for guidance and it took me a while to see that the inefficiency of my process isn’t a personal failing
I think we all go through some version of this experience. Especially if you find yourself as a young artist going to events like LightBox or CTNX you walk in assuming everyone know better than you. If you walk into those spaces with no confidence or sense of direction, it can leave you feeling more confused than when you arrived. I definitely got my fair share of, "You should do props, you should do backgrounds, yada yada."
Most of the time, I think it comes from a good place. There's not a lot of take away for a young artist who hears "Do what you're passionate about." when they're dreaming of getting a job.
But on that note, I am also on the other side of that experience, like you mentioned. I've put down the baggage of what people told me I should do, and embraced what I love with open arms. I've already produced more art in this first quarter than I did all year last year, because I'm finally loving my art again. I'm 34 now, and just wish i discovered this sooner.
methodical, procedural vs true authenticity that reads energy as it moves. …
THANK YOU,your message advice is appreciated.
F/ Psychiatric survivor since 2017.
When my boring perfectionism almost killed me. Wake-up 2:00am, paint in CottonMill, Art was a self I had to borrow time for, through big pharma. I just started learning how to paint again, & realizing that trust in self-truth has its own story to tell, & when it wants to be created shouldn’t be too tightly controlled. Then it turns out rigid & lifeless, without anyone to relate to how it feels in its presence.
Thank you Adam for this very emotional and well said video. I am a graphic designer since 2009 and have been afraid to really live out the artist in me….I can relate so much to what you said. How many times people have told me: you won‘t make money doing your doodles, learn coding or you have to be good at every program….thanks to you and other supportive artists, I bought myself an iPad and getting back to what I truly deeply think makes me out. I really find your videos very high valued (content and filming) and thank you for all your time and effort. Cheers from Germany!
Adam, you just helped resolve 2 years of unresolved anxiety and uncertainty. Truely and honestly, thank you for this video. Thank you for your voice.
Thank you. I am currently working on my fundamentals and also looking at what I want to study and do in the future. Your adivce in this video really spoke to me, since I an unsure of what I really want to do/specialise in, especially weighing the techincal aspects of art and my artistic creativity going forward. To think for myself and to filter information and advice alike with honesty in mind is something I to apply going forward, thank you for reminding me improtance of questioning myself and what truly drives me to create.
Your Videos are so deeply inspiring and always appear right when I need them. Thank you Adam!
I needed this.. BIG TIME. I’ve always been an artist, but wasted much of my prime years abusing alcohol. I’m 4+ years sober now and diving back into my art. Most days I’m sinking rather than swimming. I’m looking everywhere for advice as to what direction to go and most advice leaves me more disillusioned than before. While I was a drunk, I also wasted my life doing soul-sucking office work up to and including the worst work of all for this creative mind: accounting. I’ve tried to have a few regular jobs to make ends meet, but I cannot seem to hold onto those jobs to save my life. I’m doing commissions for pet/people portraits, but I’m still trying to figure out my voice and what I REALLY want to do with these skills I’m utilizing and learning. I’m exploring different styles and mediums, still feeling a bit lost. I’m trying not to worry too much about it and enjoy the process. Then my impatience creeps in.. (I wasted so much time boozing in soulless jobs, that I have this overwhelming “I MUST make up for all those lost years!) I’m trying to be more mindful of just simply enjoying the process of creation and learning. Some days I even have to draw on a childlike sense of wonder and play, not worrying about time. It’s hard, but so rewarding. I’m broke, but at least I’m not crunching numbers all day.
❤❤
As an aspiring animator turned life coach, this is the BEST and MOST needed advice. Before trying to be a “professional” artist, you have to figure out what a professional looks like to you… but more importantly what your definition of success is. It’s why I decided to quit art school. The idea of someone telling me to be at a studio at a certain time to draw only what they tell me to draw and only getting paid what they are okay with just didn’t fit my personal definition of success. Some people love that, but it’s not for me. Gotta be fighting for the right goals otherwise like Brenda Bouchard says, “You put your latter on the wrong building.” Build YOUR dream. Find a coach that supports YOUR wants and needs at the core. ❤
Thank you as always for the talk, Adam. Very encouraging, and touching on a lot of what i need to hear. I've been trying to re-find my roots and what the parts of me and my art I want to push and follow.
May I ask what you were doing in that year stuff turned around in, practically? Cause obviously you still had the bills to deal with. For me thats a problem that always inserts itelf in my mind, is the time to transition...
Thanks again. I love you and your care for the whole community.
I'm still in development on my artistic side, and I am much more of a technician in my career. But after 35 years of working for jobs for the money, I am finally working for myself, and my interests and your advice rings true to my life experience. Thank you for this video.
Ouch. I felt that hit home. Always relatable. Always spot on. Always inspiring and encouraging. Thank you Adam.
I needed to hear this. I was having a sort of artist identity crisis, but I couldn't quite put a finger on why. I think I've been trying to be a more technical artist, when I'm not naturally inclined for that. You've inspired me to go back to basics and just stand in front of an easel and see what happens with no plan. Thank you!
Not sure what made me click, maybe it was the idea that you'd discuss AI in the art industry, but your aura and ability to talk and express yourself was captivating; you were so, genuine. It made me want to listen, and although intrigued to see what art you create, I chose to not look at your gallery until the talk was done, as to not let my impression on your art influence my opinion on what you were discussing. You started name dropping other artists, big artists that I've looked up to over the years, like Tyler and Feng Zhu - I thought damn, who is this guy? Once your talk was over, I went to your channel, saw more artists you've collabed with that I knew of and took a peak at your works (fucking awesome talent and vision you have, by the way). Immediately I was engulfed with an embarrassment and guilt in how I've never come across you or your art until now - I think that's partial to being in the back seat of the online art community for so many years, but just as much influenced by how hard your talk hit. Thank you man, sometimes these videos/talks are all some no names passing by need to instil as much as a thread of motivation to get back to creating. Can't wait to check out everything else I've missed and what you bring in the future
Hey Adam, big fan. In every video where you mention the artistic "designers", especially this one, word for word you are describing me. I always wondered why I could never connect with the word "artist". I always wondered what was wrong with me, why I never had a desire to express myself like other artists do. Until I saw a video of yours some years ago when you first made this distinction and it just clicked for me. I'm a designer, not an artist. And my whole outlook on my skills changed for the better.
Just wanna say thanks.
Oh my. This hit really hard. I've been struggling with a huge project lately, and even though I'm not exactly in "the industry", I'm only in high school, I've been pushing myself so hard to keep working on this manga I've been writing. I've impressed myself with it, I had loads of fun and inspiration writing the story for it, but now that I've come to drawing it, it feels laborious and even though I enjoy it and find myself impressed with everything I do, I find myself struggling to muster up the motivation to actually draw it more than once a week, while I used to be so excited to just draw whatever. I am scared that if this continues I'll lose motivation completely and this project which I still care very deeply for will be lost, so I want to continue working on it but the more I work on it the more I feel demotivated, especially when blandly storyboarding it. After this video, I can say I feel stuck between being lazy and being a victim of this doing art you don't want to do struggle, so ill try switching up my process and then working on procrastination (i see Adams video on that in the corner of my screen lol i think ill go watch that too)
It’s a very true element what you touched on.
How curious this video is perfect for my state of place right now. I been knocked off track by life due to unseen stuff via family and lost many years with nothing to show and lost identity. Though do still love challenge.
Started to focus on myself again as you raise, trying to work at my pace, creativity is often in media presented as this majestic infinite thing when it is finite and can be lost but can be retrieved.
I definitely needed this advice. Thank you Adam.❤ It's very easy to get off track making work in return for a paycheck. Life and art is a constant interplay of you vs. others, and its hard to maintain that balance, but its possible I believe. You can be of service to others, but as a fine artist alot of the journey relates to self-discovery and the expression of that.
I still haven't gotten it right in my late 30's, but I'm trying my best to reorient myself and get back in touch with wtf I really want out of this life, especially after my beautiful partner Brian died unexpectedly in 2022. I realized since my world was upended, that I have no choice but to be braver with the life I've been given, and whatever remainder is left. It's either that, or give up.
I've just recently been realising these things after a decade of pursuing art. I've reinvented my portfolio, my approach, my workflow and tossed aside the type of work I'm genuinely passionate about countless times for the sake of trying to reach my dream of becoming a concept artist. After just barely not making it into two big opportunities and suffering an immense burnout I have finally returned to the type of concept art I DO love to create and I'd forgotten until now how it felt to feel so free, inspired and true to myself like I had before.
There is so so much information out there and when we start out we often take a lot of it if not all of it as fact. But really the only "correct way" is the way that works for you and I'm learning for the first time how important it is to find and decide what that is for yourself 🙏💯
Take care everyone and thank you so so much for this video as always Adam ❤️
Thank you for this reminder. I need it! When ever I hear things like you have to see what's trending and follow that or search for what the people want in terms of art, I recoil. I know this isn't the way to make great art. But that old way of thinking creeps into my mind every once in a while. You and people like Rick Rubin remind me to follow my joy. Thank you!
expected nothing from this vid, turned it on the bg while 3d modelling. 10 mins later sat my ass straight and paid the undivided attention to this. truly insightful and inspiring
Yeah. When I was at college for animation I got a lot of flack for not being a 3d artist/animator. Especially in my demo reel. They hated my 3d animation and wanted me to do 3d modeling (which I have to say is not my strong suit) I spent weeks trying to get their approval and then after the 4th time telling me to do modeling for my final, one of them asked me to bring in all the projects that I made in each class. They found I was better at lighting and rigging the entire time. I left that college cause I didn't want to spend more time fixing it. And yes all my teachers were professional artists/animators that I learned from. After getting so tired of 3d in general I found my strength in doing comics. Sure for now I am doing it as a side thing from my part time job I have, but I feel I will get to try and make it so I do them for a living. Yes I know it's not easy at all, but I learned a lot since doing them myself.
Also the worst part is showing work when you aren't ready to show it. I hate being considered a robot and definitely can't work like that with deadlines that are almost impossible to do. I like when commissioners are very patient with me since I do have another job just to get me by atm. I do try to get them done the best I can when I can do so. I work at my own pace and that's how I like it.