Anthony Holden - Tumblr Posts
A little advice for aspiring animation folks. I wrote this response to an email, but I thought I’d share here. Hopefully someone finds this helpful!
Absolutely focus on a specific area. Choose a MAIN skill, whether that’s storyboarding, animation, BG design, Vis Dev, etc. Having secondary and tertiary skills is a plus, but you should have a primary skill that is your most honed weapon. Being versed in other areas should inform your primary skill.
Make consistently good work, and post it everywhere online. Get visible. It’s hard because we live in a world saturated with creators of one kind or another, but you have to put your stuff out there. Also, when you’re ready, reach out to studios as well. Many of them have open submission periods now and again when they’re looking for new talent. Go to events and conventions to meet people in person if you can. Meeting someone in person always has greater impact than an email.
Personal projects are KEY. Working on something you’re invested in makes all the difference, because it will push you in the direction YOU want to go. Also, it will have your thumbprints all over it–personal projects are special because they show potential employers the unique perspective that you have to bring to the table. Lots of portfolios are full of school assignments, but a personal assignment will always stand out.
Keep an eye on your peers. Look at work that is aspirational to you–and measure your own work against it. Are you competing legitimately? Look at the work of others and get ideas about how you’d like to improve your own work. Be specific rather than general. Think “I’d like to make work with fantastic movement like (PICK AN ARTIST)” rather than “my work isn’t as good as (PICK AN ARTIST).” The more specific you are, the easier it is for you to blaze a path forward. The less specific you are, the easier it is to feel stuck and depressed.
Remember that you are not the work you create. You are a person with intrinsic value as a human. So often we get caught up in our work, and it becomes so preeminent in our minds that we begin to associate our own personal worth with what others think of the drawings we make. Being an artist is fun and rewarding, but don’t get so caught up in the pursuit of your goals that you forget everything else that’s wonderful about life.
Good luck as you move forward!!
Recent Commissions from the Doodle Quest Kickstarter and ECCC.
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ALSO, if you missed the Kickstarter, you can now order copies of my book, Doodle Quest by visiting this handy dandy store HERE. There are other goodies like prints, posters, and stickers too. Pass on the word to your friends and enemies alike!
Recent ink commissions! Happy Monday!