Is Concept Art Finished? Part Two ( Recent History and What's Coming)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- In this part two I talk about why I took down part one and then we roll into the second part of my story which includes 2022-2023. I then go into The Great Games Industry Job Collapse (notice I didn't say industry collapse) and why it happened and what to expect going forward as well as a little bit about AI.
Here's a link to the Game Industry Layoffs site which you should keep an eye on:
publish.obsidian.md/vg-layoff...
It talks about all the games industry job loss stats for the last three years.
00:00 Addendum (why I took down part one)
05:40 My Story Continued...
07:04 My first One Year Contract with Terraform!
09:37 Everyone Was happy!
11:30 The First Hint of Fear
14:30 The Layoff-pocalypse Begins
15:30 Potential Client!
16:37 You're Fired!
16:53 Potential Client! Chance of a Lifetime!
17:54 You're Fired!
19:02 ThePresent Day Situation
20:06 Not Enough Jobs Then, Not Enough Jobs Now
21:58 Too Many Artists
23:10 Very Important Video!
28:20 The Era of Rich Concept Artists
29:34 Our Work is Just Not Good Enough
30:26 A R T I F I C I A L
34:30 You Need and Deserve Stabliity
36:30 Layoffs Stats
40:15 Outro - Фільми й анімація
As a vfx supervisor i've had enough of Ai generated spam. It doesn't do what i need it to do , and i can't have i dialog with it to solve problems. Concept art is a tool for solving problems, not making pretty things... the most fantastically beautiful image is useless if it doesn't solve production problems . Additionally clients get super attached to the midjourney images they created this can be a massive headache because like all beginner artist they don't know when to let go and move on to something better.
Very interesting to get your perspective. This is why, unlike Shaddy Safadi, who reckons its game over in a year, I'm saying 3 for when there's enough job losses to make it so that only elite level artists are working and 5 until it's just not worth pursuing as a career. Because you can't just prompt your way into a pro concept artist's shoes. And never will. But in a few years, all you'll need to do is draw badly and have AI do the rest. Couple of years later and it'll likely be doing exactly what you then instruct it to clean up/tweak. Couple years later it'll generate that in 3d with reasonably clean topology.
@@AndyWalsh So, last year I was laid-off from my position as Illustrator/concept artist which I was for 1.5 years there. The studio was AI early adopter and went full-on generative AI art for the illustration tasks I was working previously.
But, to the point in regards of timelines, there are a couple of insiders of the big AI dev companies that are "leaking" not later that 2025 will be the release of Artificial General Intelligence(they are alluding that it is already developed under their labs, hence the whole Sam Altman firing that happened a couple months back, but still tightly held inside). AGI is an AI that is equivalent, if not better, to a Human in any task, and would be the AI trainers for the next generation of AI. From that point, stuff probably will speed-up a lot, and no matter the role, AI job displacement could be imminent. AI is faster doing images, but also research on DNA. Potentially better at running companies and even countries. Maybe the Planet?
However this is still speculation considering those leakers are truthful (some predictions might suggests that it is in fact true).
I can see that beyond this crisis, there are infinite possibilities for our civilization, but the hurdle will be reaching there with physical bodies and corporeal necessities.
Thanks for the video! I hope it doesn't sound out of tune, but I wish you peace and tranquility of mind if such scenarios come to existance. To all of Us, really.
@@yurig.7120do you have links to this discussion? I’ve thought I was fairly in tune to AI and haven’t heard about AGI
The problem is businesses take quantity and convenience over quality 90% of the time, it is a frustrating uphill struggle to convince money seeker the beauty and value of "handmade" works from actual artists. They don't care if there's any meaning behind the art, they just care how much money they could save/make with the "product".
I think the biggest chance from now on is to go indie, smaller studios would definitely value more on the "niche" stuff compare to bigger studio which prioritize on streamlining works.
@esphaeraspraestans4212 it still won't replace a concept artist for ages as the requirements are just TOO specific. I feel like a lot of people who think that AI is going to beat concept art any time in the very near future have never worked on a brief. The level of specificity is too great, especially for environements. Ai is a dice roll solution for the next 5 or so years.
I'm 24. I got my first job as concept artist when I was 19 and we were just 2 concept artists in a studio called 23Lunes. My other artist coworker was 45. An Argentian artist that moved from his country 3 years before to work in Barcelona. He told me something I will always remember.
He told me: when I was your age I was studying to do backgrounds with aquarellas because that was suposed to be the future, and he told me that while he was sculpting in Zbrush.
I spent just a couple months on that company (bc I had to turn back to uni) and after I got the job I had for the last 3,5 years. But I always kept and look to the future with the mentality my first artist workfriend showed me with that comment.
This video is heartbreaking. The sad thing is that the people that sell a bright future on the industry also sell art courses so they can profit of the dreams of many aspiring artist.
well, we CAN still do the art, but we'll be quickly forced to sell it in the form of timelapse paintins for youtube/insta/tiktok and have a patreon etc. The odd thing though is that we'll all be teaching each other, so that we can teach each other and everyone will be making tutorials so that you can get popular for making tutorials. Weird.
Sad truth... Another sad truth is thatthe same artist who constantly tell about how the corporate culture doesn't care about artists sell the bright future and profit of off the dreams of aspiring artists. They also do not care.
Your work is amazing. I hate seeing what is happening to the jobs in the creative community - an absolute tragedy. I focused mainly on editorial and advertising illustration for 18 years and *thought* (naively) that the stagnant prices and limited opportunities were the worst of it. And then along came A.I. - my hope is that government regulation will eventually help, and in the meantime, artists and people who care about the arts, in general, will continue to talk loudly about this.
My theory is that governments may be behind the AI push. There seems to have been a big push to increase unemployment in recent years, most likely to introduce a universal basic income. Could be wrong. But more and more I've found that if something terrible is happening, it's by design.
I appreciate your honesty...
that's something that I DON'T hear from allot of other Concept Art UA-camrs.
Thanks for this video. It's bittersweet but it feels sad yet comforting to see we are many on the same boat.
My last year was pretty weird too. Long story short, in spring of 2023 I left a studio because I was really unhappy and unsatisfied professionally, thinking that with my 10 years of XP in the industry, I should be able to find work in studio or as a freelance.
But we all know what happened to our industry.
It's been pretty rough and mental health was down. I've had a couple of small illustration contracts but nothing related to the work I am usually doing. So recently I took a part time job in another field to get bread on the table. It's been 9 months since I left. Sometimes it feels like a defeat, sometimes it feels like I'm back in my students years. It's a very weird situation and I hope we can all be a little more at peace soon.
Only the top in the industry are working right now, it's that simple. And we have to know when we're not at the very top and be honest and ask ourselves if we're even capable of getting to the top. There's this sense that I pick up everywhere, that all you need is to 'learn concept art' and you can start applying. This industry is way more like trying to break into Hollywood as a movie star than it is trying to learn carpentry and then looking for clients. It's a fantasy career where you have to put your soul on the line and get on your knees and beg for job-mercy. There is no 2nd place award. Or 3rd. And in that regard, if you really look at finance and making money, it's a ludicrous position to put one's self in.
i just wish we had more videos and artists like you man being real about everything .. the state of the industry saddens me ive only gotten 2 jobs so far one them low pay doing 3D moddeling and the other designing some props and enviroments and this was last year in june being looking for a new one but all i see is senior senior, i think you touched a crucial point when you were talking about the graph and companys nowadays wanting the "money" and force their way to it rather than having a vision and passion for the project. Also i think Concept Art as a name is wrong it should be called Concept Design because ultimately thats what we are right we solve problems and get paid for it, i also think now is THE time for us as concept artist to invest more in designing rather than putting our 100% in making a cool pretty image just for the sake of it. I just hope this gets better over time, thanks for sharing this with us keep it up the amazing work Andy!
yes, that's a key point there. You see, the 'art' gets you ArtStation likes. So we all think that's the metric. But you'll notice that the ArtStation crowd will always prefer a two brush stroke piece done during 'lunch time' than a fully designed 3d project that took a month. But then you get a job and they almost always say: please don't give us 3d, we literally don't care how shitty it looks, just sketch something first.
Thank you for sharing your situation and your realistic perspective of the industry. Glad to come across your channel!
Good on you for keeping it real. I think it's far better to be honest with your audience, rather than trying to sugarcoat the state of the industry and the possible future. I've been in this business for almost 30 years and have never seen it this precarious.
When I started, there weren't really dedicated concept artists in games. Most artists were multi-disciplined, trained traditionally but able to learn technical art skills, and part of a very small team. I see that coming back - art team sizes will shrink down to a core that can implement art into the engines, deal with outsourcers, utilize AI art generators, and take on tasks that typically require some fundamental art training (having an "eye") for things like color, form, etc.
If we're banking on regulation as a fix, I believe we're going to be sorely disappointed. I wish I could be more positive about my outlook, but if history is an indicator, technological revolutions upend entire industries and ways of life. That's our reality. If you love creating art, keep creating - just don't have high expectations about utilizing that passion solely as a video game concept artist. I hope I'm wrong.
I started taking art seriusly back in 2022, I decided it was time to follow my passion and pursuit my dream job as a concept artist, yes same year that AI art exploded.
It's been hard, im pretty pesimistic about future, yet I want to improve my skill and become a good artist, someone who could work on a studio...
I wont let this behind, it makes me happy even tho it comes with a lot of anxiety and negativity right now, this year im going to start studying something that allows me to find a stable job, my "plan B", guess its the right thing to do even wihout AI.
The worst part of it, its that I know someday i will be a good artist, someone who can get a job in the industry, and I know it because I have the determination to keep pushing, but I may never get to live my dream because by that time nobody will hire me or anyone...
yeah I feel you. There's a lot of things to consider and think about. I think the days of getting a 'job' are numbered now. But it may be possible to just about pay the bills if one truly (and I mean truly) harnesses the power of social media. I have seen mediocre artists get hundreds of thousands of youtube followers, and less than mediocre artists go viral on tikTok. But start today with being social media aware. Start recording your process. It'll suck and you'll get a handful of followers. Get better at editing etc. Then by the time you're good, you'll have a reasonable following. By the time you're really good, you'll have a large following. There are some artists that are really good and have almost no following. Then you sell a product bla bla.
Hi Andy! I'm a huge fan of yours and just found your youtube! I really appreciate this video and your honesty since I'd been struggling with getting even to a junior concept art role at all. I used to want to do whatever it took, spend to fund my learning and shut myself in for weeks to improve. I'm in my 20's now, but you're right about needing stability and looking toward a future... also, mental health, personal life, etc. (I can't keep not living life and keep shutting myself in + having no real life experiences lead me to not even want to make things anyway)
I've been reconsidering things lately and have always thought an art social media would be my backup, but never too seriously. Now I'm considering completely different industries and questioning a lot! Your video came at a great time for me and I really appreciate your honesty. Rooting for all of us :)
aw thanks man. Yeah tell me about it. I lost years of my life learning art thinking that I could just reap the rewards in my 40s and beyond. And yeah I also, like a LOT of naïve people today, used to think that, OK, I'll learn concept art until I'm a '3 out of 10', then I'll get '3 out of 10' level jobs until I'm a 4/10 and then maybe get my first full time job where I'll learn from others around me until I'm a 6/10 and move on and then get the 7/10 jobs. There were NO jobs under 7/10 unless you counted freelance illustration jobs 3 times per year. As in, paint me one thing. Today, there are no jobs under 9/10 level. Only elites are working. That'll ease up back to 8/10 level and then stay there and likely never go lower.
But one CAN earn a decent living using social media... IF... You happen to be a social media savvy person. Then your art can be 5/10 and still do well.
Really heartfelt Andy. I wish you all the luck in the world.
Thank you, appreciate it :)
Im an artist who mainly works in the table top RPG publishing industry and im still getting plenty of work from that. I do the illustrations for the rule books of these games mainly. Thought id add something positive. Great vid, made me think about my future
I used to work on table top projects way back. But the pay was sha-hiite. Still, right now I'm getting no work anwyays :P
Where do you search for these jobs specifically?
@@AndyWalsh I might add I'm pretty much living a nomadic lifestyle in Asia right now, no mortgage/family or any real possessions or debts so it earns enough for me haha. I like it that way tho. The pay is more than enough to fund my travels/ digital nomad life tho!
@@brushrunner people find me on artstation and Instagram mainly.
Iv also made peace with the fact that no matter what happens in future I'll be forever proud and grateful for getting to do this and having products iv illustrated out there in the world, for a long time I litarally thought it was impossible for me and I achieved it, so I'm super thankful for the stuff I have got the chance to do. Even if it all stops tomorrow I'll be happy. In my spare time iv been learning other online skills just incase it all stops I can have something to fall back on
Hey Andy - very sorry to hear about the multiple unfortunate events that have you in your current position. If it’s at all helpful I would recommend contacting industries adjacent to concept art during this period of downtime like architecture firms, advertising, music video production, theme parks, mobile games etc. Hopefully this downturn begins to balance out soon and you can continue working in a field you seem to be highly passionate about!
Thanks man. Yeah I've been thinking about that but y'know I recall how the last time I was desperate and was trying to figure out who to contact and it doesn't quite work like that. The people who provide the work have a closed door policy. It's like trying to break into a bank to get in touch with them. They have to contact you really.
Thanks for sharing all of this with us. I'm an illustrator and in the past 10 months I pretty much only got 2 short jobs as well. Things are very tough right now....
yeah man, pains me to say but illustration is dead in the water forever now. Concept art still has a chance because you have to be able to see things from different 3d angles, which AI can't yet do. I've been part of an online illustration jobs type agency and have received one, maybe two proposals in the last year. Especially the little $100-$200 jobs for beginner artists. AI can smoke those.
Thanks for sharing your story and outlook - even if it is pessimistic as you say, it's a comparatively sober perspective and one grounded in your experience with the industry, compared to the extreme positions people love to take when it comes to the future of art. I'm not a concept artist, just a hobbyist who never really had what it takes to be professional, and it's harrowing to see the struggle that such talented artists as yourself are facing in the current climate.
I cant talk about the issue of abundance of artists and less jobs or AI because im still a beginner. But there's a visible and obvious truth that you really DO know how to paint well and sketch . its probably just that maybe 3D took precedence over our minds rather than the industry having anything to do with it.
So what i'm getting at, is that you have great design chops and it shows in your final design. And yeah we cant choose what job comes to us and at that point its all just a matter of ' stylization ' and hyperfocusing on other skills such as color palette , mood , form language etc according to the project that you're working with.
Those halloween sketches you did in the last few years is definitely a start to your stylized environment journey and i hope you continue with that because there's a lot of untapped potential there , something tells me .
Good luck Andy , keep us updated !
Thanks for the kind words Sai. I can't quite agree but I also won't fully disagree because I think I suffer from a confidence issue and mind-frame. It's hard to identify with being good at drawing as I've always struggled with it. That said, there are times when I'm really REALLY trying and it's just not working and really, to succeed in the 2d realm, you have to be fairly confident that you can draw anything. I can do some things OK, like you mentioned stylized stuff... well then you have a bit of or a lot of wiggle room for things not needing to be 100% life like. So maybe I could do a bit more of that. Cheers man.
Thank you for this video Andy. I'm at my last year of uni, and currently looking into other venues of work and career too. While I love art, I came to the conclusion that I personally can't live well in a scenario of zero stability and harsh living conditions and it would honestly suck the pleasure out of making art. I think the root of this issue somewhat steems from the fact that we as a society tend to say or argue that true artists should live without money or shouldn't care about that. That is not humane living and that's not healthy in the long term. Maybe the path of doing something else as work, something that gives stability and you enjoy too, and art in the sidepath as a hobby or as something as you do, free of the pressures of having to earn money from it, is healthy and ok too, without "making into" the industry or being a "pro" artist. Happy to hear that you got good news and job prospects on your way. Anyway, just my thoughts.
And about artists working from 3rd world countries, I have somewhat of an experience in that because I'm from Brazil. Even here the situation is somewhat bleak, and a lot of colleagues and friends of mine that worked as remote concept artists, charging pretty low rates (think 2000usd per month or less) are not finding remote work or work at all, simply because there's no demand and there is always some place where they can hire cheaper. A lot of guys I know were dropped mid-contract with no explaination at all, and since you're a freelancer there's no job security at all. Anyways, I think that indepently of the country you live in the situation is somewhat bleak.
Hi Andy, I just wanted to say, this really touched a nerve with me. Thank you so much for sharing your experiencing. This is incredibly refreshing perspective and appreciate your honesty. It's incredibly concerning. I graduated from FZD in 2022 and I'm still struggling just to get an opportunity. I've never seen a junior concept artist position advertised and any concept art job I do apply for, I do not get any interviews. I've got a full time job in an unrelated field, but it's hard enough to find the time to practice the skills to get better, but at this rate it feels like this dream i have is never going to happen. I've had the same thoughts, if I'm not getting any opportunities right now, what chances am I going to have against AI when it's already doing stuff much faster and probably better than me. I feel like I really gave it my best shot. I'm 28, still live with my parents and I want that stable future, and I feel like this future i'm staring at is me being poor or still living with my parents.
Hey man, I really really feel you. One hundred percent. So listen up, times are changing very fast and many of us just got unlucky. I don't know how good you are, having been a student at FZD then you're likely to at least have your fundamentals down, so if you have big potential, they you could just portfolio your ass off for the next year or two and then emerge ready to fight, but chances are, you'll have a two year career before AI kicks in. Now, if you REALLY must continue doing art, you could just aim for being a social media giant. And I mean giant. No casual youtube vids once a month. The odd instagram and tikTok. I'm talking Ross Tran.
However. If you don't feel up to it, then you've already proven you can work hard by the studies you've done so far. You've already proven you're capable and intelligent. So begin the brainstorming now and think in the region of starting your own business. Coz just pivoting towads a shitty job is depressing and won't pay. Think big and apply all that hard work to something else, we all have a something else, but if you aim towards being a business owner, you're not at the whim of begging for employment. You are in control.
Then, later on, perhaps if you make decent money, you can return to art and do it without the pressure and truly create something.
To be honest, unless you're the best, the way the job market is and has always been, even without AI you'd be looking at a big long struggle potentially. Like I say, I don't know how good you are. But anyways, if there's anything I can do, hit me up for advice any time.
Very best of luck.
Your work is awesome, youre right about there being no junior positions advertised. Its so tough to get started. Everyone i asked for advice said they have gotten their oppurtunities through a friend recommending them and thats the advice they give to me but i cant control that, i agree that going social media/commisions/youtube route seems like its the best option from my pov. Thats probably my plan until i see how this ai thing plays out
Wish you the best Andy
Cheers buddy
I really appreciate you telling this story. As bleak as it seems, It gives me hope, All I have to do is ride that wave.o/
I'm really glad that I'm in teachers education for art and crafting for middleschool and high school, when I hear that. But it's also so sad to hear how the art industry market works. It makes me appreciate the opportunities in streetart or more traditional art way more.
7 months without work pretty much now. Don't know what's next for me.
Stay safe out there Andy! wish you the best. regards, Dominique
cheers man. It's well and truly game over for the job world. All I can do now is sell tutorials. Desperately thinking of how to get out.
Me the beginning of 2023: "I'm going to create a cool concept art portfolio and hopefully get into the industry soon so I can finally get out of this warehouse!"
You and other concept artists along with all of the layoffs towards the end of the year and still continuing: "GG folks, it was great while it lasted"
...fuck...
I mean, I could say the same thing. Me in 2023: "I'm gonna finally be able to have a life, buy a home, have a nice car and I can finally tell all those people who doubted me... LOOK AT ME NOW, BI-..." oh wait. What?? I'm gonna be moving back in with my mum at 45... With my wife... Uuugh.
@@AndyWalsh
It's rough out here, bro 😔
I am someone who always end up getting attracted to actual honesty, after all the survivorship bias videos saying everything is going to be fine from people senior in the industry this one was the one that actually made sense to me, that point of if AI takes even 40% of jobs is very true, specially if you remember how concept art already doesnt have many spots in comparison to 3D modeling ones for example, its hard not to be negative.
Be assured that this kind of video helps people like me, so thanks
Thanks for the feedback. Well, the thing is, positivity does sell. People sell solutions. And hope. Now I do actually have hope. But it's in the realms of social media vs 'the industry'.
15:50 Thank you for this Video!
Thanks for being honest in this video as well. I have been active on this channel these days since it resonates with my story as well. Here is some stats first hand from the local marketplace: Ubisoft Sofia, Creative Assembly 0 positions available. DNEG redefine 0, all reqruiters gone and it feels like emplyees are about to be layoff, wwfx sofia 0 vacancies and production is at decline, small studios 5-6 of them are either closed doors or about to close. Tech industry in general is in trouble since friends from IT, gurus with solid skills are out of the game. Wish better luck to everyone.
Thanks for the input! Man it's bleak. I really think we gotta start considering a complete change of career alongside the art.
@@AndyWalsh As you suggested not just as service providers future artists generations will reshape the mediums. People will always seek for intelectual entertainment. Blood, bread and wine won't help it since homo sapiens has changed. With a roof to keep, family, current industry changes are not a place to stay. Casino trash industry is still quiet profitable but there is no art neither moral there.
I'm absolutely terrified if YOU have a confidence issue!
Ha. Well you don't need to be terrified if you're only a hobbyist, surely? Terror is for those who are financially bound I would imagine. And like I say in the video, I was struggling years ago too and the only pause was due to the massive covid boom when things got so crazy you couldn't get enough artists.
When I graduated from my art degree in 2000 I decided to move away from it because during my course I saw how much better some of my fellow students were compared to me, all I wanted to do was create video games but I guess I knew it wasn't to be, obviously back then it was harder to get into those jobs. So I moved into genetics and molecular biology of all things. I'm so glad I did now. I feel so sorry for all the creative people being screwed over by AI art trained on their work without their permission. Its awful.
You dodged a bullet! It's funny/tragic actually. My sister has a son who's been showing huge potential in his school grades but he's also very introverted and doesn't appear to like ANYthing in life. I don't mean he dislikes everything, I mean he just shrugs at everything. Indifferent. But he games. So I said to him, when it was time to consider what to study at university, why not video games (at this time I was riding the Covid gravy train). I told him that the games industry is recession proof, he loves games, the pay is great (in his case I was advovating to learn programming).
Well, my sister had other designs for him and in a later conversation on Whatsapp I again suggested he gets into games. And she lost her shit at me, pointing at how I was driving a shitty car while living with my 80 year old mother. Also scoffed at how I was teaching my fiancé to code so she could also get into games, saying it'll take more than that to land a job etc. It really hit a nerve. We don't speak any more because of that.
I then went out and bought a Masserati with my gravy train money I'd been saving up and got married and moved into a nice cottage.
A year later it's all over and I'm moving out of the cottage and looking to sell the car. Her son is now studying chemistry in Uni. Whoopsy. Imagine if he'd taken my advice.
@@AndyWalshthe starving artist isn't just a meme.
@@AndyWalsh is there any chance at making a living off games in any way? Like coding or 3d modeling?
@@Ash-nh6li well, as I mention in the video, my wife spent the last two years learning C# and Unity and got really good at it. She finally goes to start applying for jobs and there just aren't any. And she's junior-intermediate, but without industry experience she's gonna be right at the bottom of a pile of literally hundreds of applicants.
Environment art/props maybe but again, do you really want to be part of an industry that can just toss you away like a piece of garbage at a moment's notice? It's different if you're already several years deep and can maybe capitalise on your experience and get back in once the jobs slowly come back. But if you haven't yet invested much time then really REALLY do your homework on the realities of trying to get in to these kind of viciously competetive industries. Coz even when you get in, one fart in the wrong direction and you're out again.
@@AndyWalsh well thanks for providing so much honest information- i know ai wasnt the whole point of the video but i cant listen to the big shots on youtube that start talking abaout how ai is a tool for artists and get to know how to use it as a tool and youll have job, i dont kniw who they are pandering to if theyre just afraid of scaring off their audience or offending the tech bros but it really makes me lose respect.
Im just taking courses at my community college (i went to uni for something else) and some of the students already make a lot of money freelancing and indie and one group has their own game on steam.
I'm about to graduate from Automotive Design, with a relatively competent skillset in the realm of 2D and 3D, but I've semi abandoned the idea that I will ever have a future in this career due to how competitive (and dare I say nepotistic) it is by nature, coupled with the fact that OEMs are already pushing for AI to speedup the creative process (i.e - Vizcom). Most alumni I have spoken to who graduate / enroll in industry apprenticeships always end up in the same positions - CAD modeller for OEMs or design firms, roles almost completely devoid of any creative input as all design decisions are made by the designers themselves.
This is not fulfilling to me. It's not what I signed up for and I'd much rather try something out on my own.
I find that a sizeable chunk of UA-cam artists have much in common with my University tutors, they love to paint this idea that everything is fine and we're all going to succeed if we work hard enough, but as AI evolves and job security being at an all time low, it begs the question. How hard will we have to work to put food on the table? Are we all destined to just become generalists competing with each other on a global scale just for scraps?
All this to say that I've just stumbled across your channel, and that this video resonated deeply with me, thank you for sharing your experience so openly with (aspiring) artists, there's an alarmingly low amount of GROUNDED talk like this happening both online and in real life.
thanks man. I get that a lot in terms of artists painting a rosey picture. Not sure they're STILL doing that in 2024 are they? I know Adam Duff/Lucid Pixel is. I think in a few years, all creative jobs will be up for grabs by AI. Then the jobs above the AI artists will be done by AI. There'll likely be some kind of tipping point where everything just goes bang. Bottom line will be that humans are no longer needed. And the higher up the food chain you go, you'll find a very disturbingly common mindset that echoes this philosophy that humans need to go, but maybe they were hesitant because, well, we do need 'em to make stuff happen I guess. Well now they have a replacement. Obviously very doom and gloom but I literally can't imagine society functioning at all ten years from now.
@@AndyWalshI think the main deal is that most of these big art youtube personas and names make a lot of money (and in some cases their main source of income) from education, mentoring and teaching other artists. And to paint the current scenario in a negative way would be to go against their own work. It is somewhat dishonest, and I think that some guys in the artworld actually believe in this rosey picture of the future for corporate art, but I think most are aware of this yet still want to sell their courses, mentorships, workshops, etc.
At the moment AI looks like a magic bullet to every studio. They will find its limits soon enough.
In the mean time, have you considered collaborating with smaller creators?
do you mean smaller creators or smaller clients? Right now I'm open to whatever. It's just that finding work is like finding a fart in a Jacuzzi.
@@AndyWalsh I was thinking about smaller creators, because there are always people trying to break in. I doubt there would be anything in it for you financially.
This is me just speculating. I'm not sure why I replied to your video.
I have not had a lot of jobs in industry and still a beginner, but the way I see this, is that we as artists outsourced our creativity to big studios, and they all have gone to hell now, even a lot of products especially AAA are bad (I am ok with being negative but honest)
AI is part of that equation, they`ll cut expences, use AI with one and a half artist, and be happy about it. But products will continue to be not OK.
Now it is time for us artists to take our outsourced creativity back. Everything goes to being like one-man studio, or small indie team, or developing a pesonal brand, popular channel of sorts, and monetizing it.
And that is ofcourse not easy. It would be much easier to be like a tool for companies. Not in a technical sence, it is still hard and challenging work. But I myself feel like I would need to turn back and see where I have betrayed my creativity and my love in the first place. And that is going back to reconnecting with life. And THAT is challenging because there is no right answers, only you.
Your video about superiority of 2d work, how it connects emotionally and dare I say spiritually to the viewer, resonates much with all that.
yeah, glad it resonated with you. It's always always the same when shit gets TOO big, the creativity stops, the money starts to get funnelled upwards and a crash happens. So we need to take it back somehow.
Never tried as a concept artist, trained as illustrator and followed a Fine Art/Art Teacher and Arts administration path. Hoping to get into publishing. Have you not tried for character/enviroment work in the TV/Movie or Animation business that seems to be growing. Also, there is a fightback against AI, Glaze, free software.
That Glaze sounds interesting. I don't think I have a style to mimic to be honest.
Character work is the very first job that will go due to AI and it takes years just to get a basic understanding of anatomy. And yes, the Movie industry/TV/Animation is all great but... It's like this werid secret society. An AD/PD or director needs to invite you personally into a job. They tend to use agencies and then you're right back to banging on the door of an agency begging for work and from experience, they have to put giant gates on the 'front' of their companies to save themselves from a torrent of 'please employ me!' type enquiries.
@@AndyWalshtake a look at Nightshade as well.
I think multiple jobs is the future, for most (not just artists). That's what I've been doing over the last few years as an illustrator, just working a day or night job and doing freelance illustration work too (for "big clients" if that matters). Again, I think many people are going to take that route having remote jobs plus something else, not just folks with offbeat skillsets like us.
just breaks my heart to think of the idea of having a day job. It's so depressing. Doing a job you essentially hate just to earn barely enough to cover the bills. I really hope that there's a way to get beyond that with enough effort. The issue with the entertainment industry is you're putting ALL your effort in being a cyborg machine who can do all these things, and you can get zero out of it without clients. But if one were to apply that effort in understanding branding/marketing etc. Then they can grab themselves an audience and hopefully earn money without needing a job.
Hey thanks for the reply man! I just started out as a professional artist (freelance) a few years ago so that kind of pain is just the norm for me, and I'm not expecting it to end any time soon. I've just noticed people with normie jobs taking multiple jobs to pay the bills. So it's not just artists. I think things are trending toward everyone just being poorer and working more to make up for it and automation/AI is going to be part of that, but as you point out in the vid the global reach of companies to find employees eviscerates labor. When prices go up as they have then you get big problems. Don't know where it's going but you're a great ARTIST and got me interested in learning 3D. Anyhow hoping things get better for all of us! @@AndyWalsh
If you rely on only working in one role it will be a struggle.. concept art is such a sought after role regardless of ai it was always going to be hard especially when new come in and the old stay where they are but the skills are transferable you just gotta be open minded
That Terminator movie clip just made my jaw drop...the dawn of humanity mass replaced by machines.
AI/AGI experts are agreeing w/ everything you saw....the 4th Industrial Revolution (like all before) will be tumultuous & even Sam Altman says most normies of many industries are going to be pushed out.
What would you recommend to someone who's thinking about just getting into the art industry? Would you tell them to stay away? Find something else? What's the things that they should be focusing on when putting together a portfolio? 3d 2D? I'm probably like a level two right now because I've only just started. I just can't imagine going to school for something that I don't like when like the only thing I like is Art related. I tried calling to college you know for a profitable career but I just couldn't do it. Man it was so boring. And it doesn't help that I have ADHD. So like I can't focus on anything for very long. I found it really hard to read because like my eyes they just can't focus on the words for very long. So I usually have to use like an AI program to read my books for me. I'm in the process of getting medication for ADHD. It's supposed to help with concentrating.
well, I think you're the perfect case where you pretty much MUST do art. I also feel like I have ADHD. That's why it's hard to make tutorials because typically when I work I'll do a few minutes then I pace around and stare at it, then look at a web page etc. So to record myself means sitting down for long periods and I feel exhausted from it.
So for yourself, I would focus on getting really solid and fast and... loose... with 2d. Just really learn to sketch efficiently (I didn't say quickly coz that implies rushing, efficiently is doing something quickly because you left out all the crap which = a quicker turnaround).
And while you're learning that you'll want to focus on two major factors 1) picking a solid theme and style (please believe me how important this is) this should be a life and death decision. Pick something and don't just float around and follow every whim, that's how you'll be poor as an artist and 2) which is somewhat tied into 1, study the business of art and how to market yourself. This is also vital. It's a creative process in itself. Especially with AI looming. How are you going to beat AI?
Good luck!
@@AndyWalsh thank you for the advice. I even screencapped it just to look back on it for later.
@@williammclean6594 good stuff man. Hit it hard. If you're not glued to the PC every day it's not going to work. I pretty much live in front my PC now. Only because times are hard. I aim to figure out a better way asap but in desperate times you gotta do desperate things.
@@AndyWalsh yeah I have quite a bit of free time. Sometimes I'm so bad at managing it though with like my ADHD but I'm working on that. I do work part-time just because I have to. I come from a poor family so they can't really support me very much. But I do live with my mom so my expenses aren't that much. If I didn't have to work I would focus 100% on Art but I'm usually like practicing at least 3 hours a day.
I don’t even know what to say. I just write down this tiny comment under your video, cuz that’s the least you deserve for taking time making this video and telling us what the hell is going on. And I thank you for that cuz I just spent the last 10 months wondering why I couldn’t find any work.
At first I thought I was the problem, I told myself that I couldn’t find work because of skills and because it was a very challenging field. I kicked my ass off to create the best pieces of art I could. But, actually I found out I was just playing in hardcore mode.
Thanks. Although, I don't think this video 100% applies to you because you're a 3d artist and can maybe get jobs outside the games industry?
@@AndyWalsh thanks for answering! Yeah, that's where I am finding work actually.
actually i got lots work in last 4 months. but deeply feel you. same going on with tech+recession? "hardware- which not related to AI, so many laid off ever than before. some situ could be true some is from some fear. many are saying possiblity of laying off from ai- which just give more hype to ai. but that doesnt help reason to hire someone. don't think oh i should hire cus they are in danger . oh. my . even possibly thinking - " I could lay off cus they are fearing =already replacable, even some's ability is more greater than that. some shitties are love to bully someone with someones fear. which I lost is not about work availablity , its been about I don't want to give some heart and trust to anonymous anymore.
Hate to say it but the prospect is looking kinda bleak at the moment. I've been pursuing concept art for my whole adult life, but settled with other work in the meantime. I'm 30 now, just been through another set of schooling and still looking for my first concept art gig. It's incredibly hard right now but I don't wanna give up, so I'll keep looking. Regardless, I'll never stop drawing.
shoot me your portfolio and I'll take a look. It is one of the hardest jobs. It's like trying to become a member of the SAS or a Navy Seal or some shit.
man things not lookng great, yes i think yt channels and other stuff around could be ok - but still its bad news and sad indeed - i also am looking for sthg else - i have some freelance jobs , i can live ok but its too instable , thx for your video!
Ever thought about moving countries?
I’m in a 3rd world country, i’ve lived abroad and all i studied at brainstorm and synstudios in the very beginning, not planning to go back out there rn, but i think i’m covered by the state of things for a bit longer than you i can live like a king here with 200$ days. And if you add selling nft’s/prints/sculptures into the mix, i’d be making more than a judge lol.
My thoughts on AI; is a lot like the vfx supervisor, i’ve tried it but it doesn’t do the well intentioned job you want it to do. Example; the infinite skins you have in a simple mobile game jobs is gonne, AI artist can do that. But well intentioned thought out double AA and triple A stuff i don’t think AI will ever steal those jobs, think about the world of tron legacy, it’s a very high skill well intentioned specific job.
Theres a noam chomsky talk, where he goes into how AI thinks different from a human that i think might give you a different perspective on the subject. I’ll reply to this when i find the link bellow.
ua-cam.com/video/PBdZi_JtV4c/v-deo.htmlsi=P4LyUUULNk5hvuM-
Like I said to someone else, I'd rather switch careers than have to run away from an ever-diminishing income by fleeing to another country. I like my home. I spent five years away from it when I lived in the US and it was torture. I do get that AI won't replace a full concept art pipeline with prompts. But it's slowly switching to a user-driven experience. Like, someone with mediocre 3d skills would make a render and AI would make it look like a pro paint job. It can already sort of do this. What that will do is plummet the value of an artist because then anyone can do it.
@@AndyWalsh You still need pretty solid form language skills to do your said example. Pro paint job on weak design, is still nothing, and if it’s something it will probably be generic.
I don’t think most people in our industry understand the fundamental limitations of the tech, its very likely it will never get past the 75% done stage, i reccomend watching the video linked and not freaking out :)
@@brushrunner I'm not seeing a video?
@@AndyWalsh its called “debunking the great AI LIES Noam chosmky” i suggest reading the comments too. Sry yt must have taken down the link
It's going to get worse because the game industry doesn't want to appease the customers. More flops, more layoffs, the end for many studios.
So honest, and sad... You are not desired there, I say go where you are. With your talent and with your saved up money you can start a new life, in a third world country, but it's better than being jobless and hungry. Where I work and live, you could be much then what they took from you... I would even help you move with your family, I am really touched by this story...
very kind of you to say. But to move away from my friends and family (I don't have children, I just mean my mother and siblings) is a price I will not pay for the sake of a job/career in order to merely survive. That said, on a separate note, the UK is likely to be uninhabitable in 5-10 years if we don't have a revolution! But yeah, that's another story.
They boom bust cycle isn't a 'tech' thing it's become the nature of the markets now. I understand you want to apply much of this to a micro scale and I think it does but, it seems like what you're talking about is a complete monetary system cycle. To me it feels like much of this is out of whack and has become too disconeected from reality. In the past companies generally made 'stuff' or physical goods and services. The digital age has created a system where a company can make a thing, a software or network, and that this thing would be the 'only' (main) product over the years of it's life. As the digital tech can be constantly upgraded and improved and thus it's value increases over time with the increase of users. The pure measurement of a PE ratio doesn't sufficiently take in the scope of the fast adoption and the network effects. These sorts of things can't be 'priced in' which is what the market generally seeks to do when possible. This is why markets hate volatility which breeds fear.
Markets are not rational, they are emotional. And now they are not even physical, or barley.
I would say that the ultimate example of this is Bitcoin. People thought it was a joke but it'snow coming to the point where scaricity is such a non existant idea that we have to create it artificially. Granted us little folk might think scarcity exists but really this is part of the boom/bust cycle mentality. Money is as imaginary as scarcity now, even less so as we progress with AI and automation. Functionally as labor prices/value decreases, physical scarictiy will approach 0 as well. But this system can't fucntion as capitalisim without the labor.
This whole idea of digital companies like Google, meta, and even tesla some what break the previous concpetions about what capitialisim. I think anyone in businees and especially investing will take advantage of a cycle as much as possible. Same with the hype in any trading market.
More torward an optimisitc point... this is why i like the idea of game development. Look at those palworld guys. WHy would a game dev work for any of those big companies? You shouldn't!!!! They're going to replace you with AI as swiftly as possible, "it's the only way we can compete" Same line I"ve heard in manufacturing (I work in tech manufacturing) for many years about china and using them to manufacture. But as a small indepent, espcially in software, there is still at the moment a chance. I think the big compines suck at knowing what niches' s want, they must play to the tune of their investors. The indie folks and can and do make the most beautifuly random stuff that those big companes could. At least until the AI steals eveyrone's art and code.
I hope my rambling makes some sense, i didn't listen to your full video but it inspired me as I work in tech and think about all of this a lot. I feel like my contributions towared autonomous vehicles and AI over the years has some what pushe us closer but I'm not exactly sure at what costs it all comes. I like to think we can get to StarTrek at some point.
😇
Working Independent as artist is becoming side hustle oppose to full time work ....I mean that it quickly become thing you do as second occupation .....Van and tools and carpentry or plumbing job as main job as independent work for you self ....then art as independent second job that done 3 days a week fri, sat, sun and any days other job has no work ......More and more people doing more jobs oppose to one job ....it becoming more common people doing 3 or 4 sources of income ....now days i think having one career one job is no longer safety ....better to do more smaller positioned jobs with less hours ..if get fired from one pick up on the other ....more easy if independent type person who creates there own work or investing .....anyways back to van and tools ...because that one thing that best safty net ...you can lose a job at company and not be issue when you know in 3-6 weeks your pick up work again advertising for jobs that need van man and tool man ..plumber etc etc ....
I guess what im saying in today uncertain world it better to pick up many many skills than it is to master one ...diverse skills from art to plumber to electrical to fixing motors to welding to music producing to video editing .....Pick up as many skills in as many things as possible ...that is the best safety net to be multiskilled useful tool ....specialists is what A.I will do machines will be specialists .....one trait humans have above machines to do anything from swim to run to build to paint to think to create we built to do it all ...machines will be specialists in those things oppose to one machine does it all .....Humans is one machine does all....one way could see it as this ....Machine built for one thing 100m sprint ....The human is built to do triathlon we do it all not specialists but a jack of all .. .
I think we should let everything burn. Sure, AI closes doors but it opens many others. Now you can make your own stories and in the near future compete with the big guys in the industry, and by that I mean entire companies; especially now that the way of telling stories seems to have reached an intersection with identity politics. People are hungry for new stories without the baggage that big companies have..
You can't think about what you can lose, you have to think about what you can gain.
I do wonder actually. I'm fairly good at writing and could improve on that a lot. And maybe some day create something with that kind of assistance. But man, that kind of tech is ten years away. Oh they can just about do it now! I hear you say. No they can't. Right now, someone is typing in a prompt and AI is spitting out something vaguely like the prompt and what most people don't realise Is that in the entertainment industry (forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir here) looking 'great' is not the criteria, the criteria is looking exactly like the brief, give or take 15%. Currently, AI is give or take about 80% (as in, about 20% satisfying the brief and 80% missing it entirely).
This is true, but you will still have to work hard to stand out, because there are essentially no barriers to entry using AI. Anyone can do it, and many do. The market is being flooded with AI-generated art and writings and products. Using AI is no guarantee of success. In fact, it quite possibly makes it harder to stand out because the "average" will be much better than before AI. The bar has been raised, the competition (this time with AI) has increased, and the money for "average" will go significantly down.
you right. Thats why if you are an artist you can use AI in your own favor. For example, Im an illustrator and this is one of my illustrations after I used Real Time Generation and Upscaling with "hallucinations". As you can see the "soul" of the illustration is still there, but the quality and detail has improved
i.imgur.com/SFNQ9rF.jpg
So sure, anyone can do art now, but no one can art better than an artist and is even better if you use AI@@theforgedone
What is max salary for concept artist?
depends on various things. Do you mean in-house salary? Or freelance? And which country, US or Europe or elsewhere? And do you mean today because that's also massively in flux as there are thousands of unemployed concept artists who previously were charging X per day and are now desperate and will take a cut.
@@AndyWalsh EU UK in studio yes
@@bbrother92 I reckon in the UK about 45k. Depending on where in the UK. Give or take 5k.
@@AndyWalsh I heard from Jama podcast something around 60k - but I guess you should be reaaaly good
@@AndyWalsh Also I thinking that gamedev have better than VFX in regarg to salary - do you think it is still true?
If the games market is growing, and it is, then 2024 being the year of closures does not make sense what so ever. The market growing would necessitate an increase in concept art jobs also. The only thing that can challenge concept artists is AI. AI still requires a concept artists to use it, so If it becomes the case that AI can increase a given concept artists efficiency by even a small percentage, a similar percentage of job loss will occur since fewer concept artists can do the required job. The question is how big of an efficiency gain will AI provide versus how much the market grows and how many jobs come with that.
well, apparently the market isn't growing. I saw a more recent article showing that, when factoring in other things like inflation and a few other things, it's actually declining. We in the west have to then consider that due to the massive flooding of talent into the job market, wages have been driven down, sometimes to the point where work is just going to India and Eastern Europe. If they worked 2-3 days per month at the standard day rate they'd be middle class.
As for AI, it's not improving efficiency. There's ways in which is can and should, but isn't e.g. making a 3d render look painted or UV unwrapping, or retopo. The entire industry is just walking around derping with its pants down in that regard, which AI rapidly evolves to being almost a total replacement tool. And like I say, it only needs to remove a decent chunk of jobs to cause tens of thousands to have to switch careers. IMO AI will consume creativity itself like a brush fire until there's nothing left to burn.
@@AndyWalsh The market is in decline when factoring pandemic numbers, but do you also believe it to be declining beyond that? Regarding AI, I agree it can and probably will consume all if not most creative fields, but on what time frame? I don't know. May I ask, do you consider AI to be a threat right at this moment? From what I've heard, it is not something concept artists are using regularly, at this moment at least.
@er yeah, beyond just the covid stuff. Google: 'The Tremendous Yet Troubled State of Gaming in 2024'. It's a bit long and boring but gets the point across. I think AI has currently demolished those cheap ass $100 jobs that Deviant Art artists used to do. So entry level illustration is no more. It's used in film and games in the dark corners for the moment. But overall right now, no. It can't touch concept art at this minute because it's mainly text based and that is nowhere near enough fidelity for client work.
But... it fucking expands so fast that next week, literally we could see a video on UA-cam showing something whereby the user draws a highschool level drawing and AI makes it look like someone with 20 years hardcore experience can do. And to be fair, it already sort of can. But it's just not quite intelligent enough.
See, then what happens is, studios throw out the art team and create whole IPs using it, then, the execs throw out the writing team coz AI is doing that, then, the CEOs of the entire company get AI to come up with the entire busines model. Then, those CEOs have no market coz no one is working in order to consume their product. It's madness. It's like everyone having access to a Genie in a bottle.
@@AndyWalsh Thank you for the input. I am on the cusp of getting into the industry, and I am forced to truly think about my future pragmatically, so I appreciate it. I also have no clue how an AI revolution affects the world, it seems like a complete societal shift in the making. The only thing that keeps the system afloat would be universal basic income, but I don't even know how that would work on a country-wide scale.
@er well, without wanting to get too deep on the matter... I think that's the plan. Get everyone dependent on UBI from the government and then control us. But the tech is moving so fast I don't even think they have time to really build a solid dystopia! It's like our corporate overlords are going: hmm, this could be useful for something evil... oh no, it's already here, what do we do with it??
Art wise. I've just spent the last few weeks really REALLY pushing to get noticed on video formats like tik-tok, insta videos, YT and YT shorts and it feels like using a turkey baster to keep the Titanic from sinking. Gonna give it until the end of 2024 and then call it a day. I've earned almost nothing since last September and I've been grinding 12 hours a day for ten years.
Definetly sad. If you are not finding any job being as good as you are, a slighly above of mediocrity artist as me... I am thinking that maybe I will never gonna get a stable and decent paid job. As better as I do, as difficult it is getting. An the ai getting into it... I am thinking that as you said, only independent artists will survive. Sometimes I regret to have persuit this career for that long, but is the only work that don't depress me.
But, surely working for nothing is also depressing. Consider starting an online business. Maybe get into making cool jewellery or some other creative product. Making money at something like that is never depressing!
@@AndyWalsh Thank you, I will consider it. I dont know much about busines and marketing. 1 time many years ago I created an etsy shop to sell personalized portaits and I didnt sell even 1.
@@Patxi__ well then it sounds like you need to spend a lot of time learning social media and marketing and branding. No artist can get away with avoiding this. I made an Etsy store and for the first year I'm not even sure I sold anything. I then re-branded it (previously it was just art sold by me, Andy Walsh but no one gives a fuck about 'Andy Walsh'). I changed the theme of the art to be about fun/cool things from the past and named it Nostalgia Punk. It's never made MUCH money but since then I'm close to my 1000th sale. And a small percent of that is through people finding me online and going to my store.
@@AndyWalsh Yeah I need to learn that. Do you know a good point to start? A course or book? I can draw decent and I can also sculpt and model, I should be able to make some money with this knowledge.
Thank you.
@@AndyWalsh I have thought many times about creating 3D figurines and print them but I am afraid if I use famous characters from film and videogames I will get a demand, and if I create personal ones, no one will even find them.
If AI will take out junior "easy" jobs new ppi havent any chance to get in industry. Thats all
What is ppi?
People ppl
lol I get hired to genuinely paint out AI shit for the studio I work for. concept art is going no where.
Can you explain more? You get hired to paint out, as in remove AI? Not sure I understand.
I'm the person from Easter Europe you were talking about and you mentioned 200 usd in a day? The country I currently reside in is Hungary, where the minimum wage is about 600 usd per month, but if I got 200 per month I'd still be fine. You can literally stay alive from that, 300 would be plenty, 400 insane for me, 500 I wouldn't even know what to spend it on.
If anyone started outsourcing more and more towards my area they'd pay these prices, 1000 usd per month would be astronomical for everyone here, so nobody would pay a cent more than that. I have doubts about me being able to ever make anything from my independent works and personal commissions, I never thought I'd be asking for much if I said I'm hoping for 250 usd per month from that. I know I'll never have anything, family, nice possessions, my own home, vehicle, I only hope I'll be able to do what I like while living on canned beans and bread for some time. I don't want more, just improve in what I do which is mainly personal digital paintings (none of that industry stuff and concept arts), with a few people that care at all about what I do.
I recently started traditional drawing and people told me I could draw on the street if I wanted (yeah.. maybe not for some time), I'm still thinking about sitting out somewhere in the summer to draw for some canned food. I do think there's a future in art, especially traditional and personal works for people around you, just not sure if I have a part in it.
Dude, if you'd feel rich earning 600-1000 per month, that is an absolute piece of piss (sorry that's a UK expression meaning easy) with just about any online business. Let alone art. I really don't know why you're talking about that goal not being something you're interested in. Sure you'd need to get better at art, but it would be massively worth it. For me, I don't just want to 'pay the bills' I want to have an awesome life. So I won't accept anything less than about 50k per year as the absolute minimum. And if I have to completely switch careers then I'll do it because having experienced a well financed lifestyle, I really don't want to go back. Some people can't handle it and it goes to their head and they're still not happy, but I can say that if you have a solid foundation, specifically I'm talking about an awesome partner, and you add money to that, it can really feel like heaven. So go for it.
I live in a country with low income too. It's pretty easy to get $2000 a month doing digital art commissions. Flat colors and cell shading, you don't even need to put a lot of afford into it, but it needs to be appealing. If you can write stories to go along with your art(like a comic) a lot more.
This is pitiful money for experienced industry artists of course, so I don't think they would get into this field.
what is your point
There are no jobs and by the time there might be, AI will have taken over if not totally then enough to maintain the current level of joblessness. And that concept art jobs are few and far between without all this.
Oh yeah I unsubscribed from lucid pixel. All he's talking about was like the bright side. Same with trent kagune or something on UA-cam. He's like concept. Art is not dead but yeah you're saying that because you have like 30 years experience and you have your own company you could get any job you wanted. And lucid pixel has his own company and he's a teacher and he's getting all this money from like this mentorship stuff that his students pay him. And he completely ignores like 60% of his comment section which are like freelance illustrators telling him like they have to switch careers because they've lost almost all their income and clients
Man, yeah I can see that. I reckon I might start to get unpopular with some of those guys. You'd kind of have to though, coz it's your livelihood. But hey, I want to get into teaching too, but not to 'get into the industry' but to just get better at art. So really, they could still do that. You have to take the focus away from jobs and into the independent art scene. I'm still trying to find hope for artists making a living out side 'the industry'.
@@AndyWalsh Oh yeah not trying to bash him. I would want to teach as well. Teaching seems pretty fulfilling. Most mentorship programs or online art school like brainstorm they charge like $800 a class or something. I guess that's pretty fair even though it might seem expensive. I was like watching another video and they mentioned that teaching is really draining. You have to put together like a curriculum and you can't just half-ass it. You have to like go through all of your students homework and tell them what they can improve on. And not everybody can teach very well. Artists are kind of notorious for not being the best at explaining stuff.
I remember like that famous comic book artist Frank friseta he could never teach. He said he just didn't have the patience for it. He says if someone doesn't get it they're stupid. I'm not explaining it to them.
Man.. first of all thank you for sharing your views, as heartbreaking and sobering as they are. I fell in love with art during covid and was very unhappy with my job at that time so I began this journey of taking a job in a kitchen somewhere, saving enough money to sustain me for a few months and focus on studying art, running out of money, taking a job, saving enough,... rinse and repeat. Though my art is not "flashy" enough to catch anyone's eye yet (you can check my portfolio I guess artstation/rybnicek ), I thought enough of these "cycles" will get me there eventually. And I am slowly learning that it just may never come. Lucky I like cooking I guess :)
yeah man, I mean who knows, maybe I'll land a job this year, but... If doing this for ten years means that in any one of the years following I'm wondering if I'll earn anything at all, then it's game over. And if you look at my work, that level is not enough to sustain a person living in western Europe. It's enough to get 2-3 jobs per year of about a week each. And I was sat in from of my PC for 12 hours per day, almost 7 days per week for that ten years.