The past 3 months have been just that for me haha. Moved into my new place with new more expensive bills and whatnot and have just been hit by constant problems since. But as I'm starting to see now... Its not so bad! Nothing is a better motivator than fear. To feel that pressure sure isn't good for a long period of time as it can be a real health killer... But when you're under the gun and workin your ass off you start to find new ways to get ahead. In the desperation your brain starts to move in directions maybe you thought you should've been goin in before... Just that you'd never been really screwed til then and maybe you were feeling pretty comfortable with how lifes goin.
Hitting that wall is rough! Afterwards though, after you start using your head and making better decisions... Everything seems to workout! I reached out to a few dudes I really admire and both of them really went out of their way to help me out. They've been there the whole time, I could've done this before but never had I been pushed to do so. And under this new pressure I've moved forward, closer to my goals. I don't know exactly how things will pan out as I'm still waiting on some stuff... but I can say that you must always follow your instincts. You have to make sure you're constantly reaching out and trying your best to improve. Most of the guys who already do what you're working towards will understand what you're going through and will help somehow.
Most of all though you have to realize that the crap will pass. Its all too easy to sit there and procrastinate, talk about bills and whine about your life... Problem is that if thats all you do then nothing will change, complaining about how terrible things are will get you nowhere. The only thing you can do is push through it, never let the world shit all over you. Just let everybody know you're working your hardest and be out there sending your work around, studying and contacting everyone who inspires you. Otherwise you'll never move forward and you'll always point a finger at the problems... You just gotta act, and constantly work towards a better life for yourself and those around you.
Also, on a side note... I keep talking about working hard, and trying to get through problems without talking about the love of art. I do love working on illustrations, its not all about money and getting better for the sake of better jobs. My goal isn't to be a super rich artist, would be nice, but I really just want to paint the way I like! Just didn't want to give the wrong idea here... Just because I'm stressed and working through jobs to pay the bills doesn't mean I don't try and have fun on each job :). Heres a qoute that sums up what I'm trying to say:
"There are two goddesses in your heart, the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of Wealth. Everyone thinks they need to get wealth first, and wisdom will come. So they concern themselves with chasing money. But they have it backwards. You have to give your heart to the Goddess of Wisdom, give her all your love and attention, and the Goddess of Wealth will become jealous, and follow you." - Joe Vigil
Basically just work hard at what you love and everything comes to you. I'm swamped with work... But its work I do love doing :).
anyways, just wanted to get that outta my head D:, heres a commission I did! Not my usual stuff but was fun to work on!
And heres some Ratt
16 comments:
Dave! I fucking love reading your posts! They are just so earnest!
I know things will work out for you, buddy! You're always working super hard, and it's all going to pay off big time soon!
Good luck man! (and don't be too nice to that puppy, give it some discipline!! :P)
Thanks man! I hope things will work out good in the end... end of the month :D! Its not that things are bad really just that you can't depend solely on companies to pay on time. Which is what has screwed me for 3 months. Taking work on top of work, but at least its all pretty enjoyable. The only hard part is sitting inside all day everyday haha. Gotta work towards a hot paycheck and sometime outside to enjoy the fall mountain action :D
Great words, buddy. Lifts the heart up approximately half an inch. :) I know all too well what you're talking about.
Awesome work by the way!
Thanks <3
u are a determined man, lesser man would have folded already.. that commission u did is awesome.. can't go wrong with babes...
this might be inappropiate but i can't find the answer.. when u add color to ur values.. do u generally try to pick colors with the same value? or do u just pick the neutral hue of a color u want and the value is in the greyscale....
hope that makes sense!
Dave
I used to do alot of commercial illustration and I definitely know what you're going through. It's hard enough to get money that's coming 30-60 days down the road, but when one or more of those clients says 'oops, there's been a delay in processing payment' or what have you, it can be even worse. You're doing the right thing though...stay busy, keep the work going and ride out the short term delays. Soon enough, all the work you're doing now will catch up to you financially, and you'll be able to coast a bit more.
All your creative energy pumps your skill, and you benefit from learning in the process. Just keep it going man...and take a break when you can...even if it's just an hour here and there. Go outside and just chill for a bit...remember what it's all about.
Anyways...I'm soapboxing...but you get my drift.
This is such a wonderful post in every way. It is exactly - in an almost scary way - where I am at this moment. You sound like you know how to identify your problems, and how to deal with them in an efficient manner. I wish you the best of luck. Thanks for the inspiration.
-kel
Soo I was was just wondering if you ever use an actual photograph as a base for your illustrations or is everything by hand. Also sorry about your hard times right now but your work is awesome so you are bound to be rolling in the money soon. anyways like always great job on your latest pic!
Thanks man, and thanks for the question! I just want to let people know that if theyre goin through tough times its just part of growin in this business. Every freelancer for the most part has to deal with a few rough patches :).
Thanks dude, yea I still manage to get out and do things from time to time... I usually skateboard or something just to have a thing I do outside art. Live up in the mountains so I can always go out hiking and whatnot. Not too worried about the freelance thing as I've always just sorta bounced back somehow by just trying to work through the crap haha. Hopefully things just blow up and get really awesome soon though :D
Thanks Kel, glad you could get somethin out of it. I've seen your work over on Deviant Art, cool stuff man! We all just gotta keep on studying and pushing through the crap! Things can't always be like this haha, unless you let them D:. Hope everything works out for you!
Hey Reid,
Thanks! When I start my illustrations I usually have a general idea in my head of how I want it to look. I don't start the job then go look for somethin that may spark an idea. Just sorta figure on what actions I want going on and whatnot then do a loose sketch. Afterwards if I have any issues with the pose or if I'm considering a different angle on the pose I may do the pose myself. Other than that I just sorta use style refs or if its a period piece I look at the kinds of outfits worn in that era.
Whoa, she seems like fun!
Well it sounds like you've pretty much got things figured out. You've got a good head on your shoulders. Here's a bit of encouragement. I've been wanting to do what you do for a long time, but for multiple reasons have not been able to; yet. I'm like 5 years older than you and you're a much better artist than I. You're rockin' those digital paintings. No wonder you're swamped with work. I guess what I'm getting at is, keep up the hard work and it will definitely pay off. These little situations that each one of us deal with just make us stronger people. Hey you're farther along with your art than I am and I totally admire what you're accomplishing. Your my inspiration. LOL. I do mean that, but that may be a bit much. Can't wait to see more stuff from you! You're doing great!
Thanks! But just want to say the way you word that I'm sorta lucky to do this(if thats not what you meant then I'll just get this out anyways haha)... Don't want to make people think this is something you luck into or anything. I worked basically 10-12 hour days on nothing but art for about 2 years to get here haha. Just taking on any and all work I could find between studies. We all have to go through something like that to reach our goals and then keep on down the road to become really awesome! Just don't want aspiring artists to think its ever too late and think some people just have talent. Its never too late to start workin on studies and pushing yourself! Thanks again for the encouragement though, really appreciate it!
No, no. Not luck. It's just exciting to see that you're working at what you enjoy and that in itself is encouraging. By all means, you can tell through the quality of your work that you've (are) putting in the time. I'm sure you feel fortunate that you get to do something you enjoy, but that comes with hard work. More power to ya! As far as pushing yourself. I totally agree! Talent helps, but that's only like %10 of what it takes to be successful. The rest is putting your nose to the grind stone. Somebody that works hard at a goal is going to be more likely to accomplish it than someone that thinks they'll accomplish it solely on skills. My problem is that I can get lazy and I'm not where I feel I should be, but then I see how hard you and a others within our community are working at getting better and that makes me want to work harder. To sum it up. Good job! Keep workin' hard!
Post a Comment