Graduation Day
- albernard92
- Sep 9, 2023
- 4 min read
So, you did it. You spent tireless hours learning new skills, applying them to various projects, and stressing over deadlines. You're excited to get out there and find your place in your new career, only to be hit with rejection after rejection.
If that sounds like you, welcome to the club.
You've been thrown into the lions den with your basic level 1 skillset and must survive the first level. Entry level. Sometimes entry level jobs seem few and far between, but I won't accept defeat, and neither should you. As gamers, it goes against the very fabric of our being. So how do we stay determined to keep creating without getting paid? How do we create if we can't afford the extremely expensive software you need to compete with other amazing artists? I hope to help as I document that very journey and invite you to join me if you find yourself in the same boat.
Now, the main quest is to get a job but in order to get that I need to level up a bit more. I haven't had much success with my current demo and I need to create various types so I can apply for more positions and be able to cast that net a little wider. More content that I can put together and adapt to various companies, some for stylized and some for realistic. I decided to achieve this with a series of side quests and side adventures which is daily jobs and monthly goals respectively. I've lost my student license to Maya and I can't afford it on my own or other useful programs such as 3D Substance painter and Zbrush. So for the meantime, I am becoming more comfortable with free programs such as Blender and since Unreal Engine is free, I can utilize that too. Other free programs that are helpful are Materialize, TreeIt, and Quixel Mixer.
Back to the side quests. I've set up a daily schedule to keep me motivated and build up my artistic abilities. Each day, I've set up something to create or have the option of expanding on in the upcoming weeks.
Monday- Create 1 prop. Anything from a coin to a complicated satellite dish. You can continue to work on the same prop if it is more complex but complete at least 1 component of that prop. For example, create the dish of the satellite. If you have the time or it's a small prop like the coin, UV and texture it.
Tuesday- Rig or animate something. If the prop you created calls for it, go for it! Maybe you made a grandfather clock and now you can take the step towards upgrading your props and keeping your skills sharp. If not, create an animation for the Unreal Engine mannequin like a combat strike.
Wednesday- Design something. A map, a character, a level, an entire game whether it's a board game or video game. Conceptualize a unique prop and draw it out. You can always create the model for the next Monday and have the concept art to showcase beside it. It will help to show that you can take the art from 2D to 3D.
Thursday- Engine knowledge. Whether you use Unreal Engine, Unity, or something else, you have to evolve with the software. New features are coming out all the time and it's easy to forget to do or find things if you're not practicing it. So plug in some asset packs and play around. Practice some environment design or create some blueprints. However you want to spend the time, just make sure you're practicing and keeping up to date.
Friday- Create an effect. VFX are so essential to props. It's what brings a health potion prop alive. I find the niagara system in Unreal Engine 5 to be easy to use. Create a stand alone vfx or something that you can add to your ever growing list of props.
Saturday- Camera work time. Like something you created this week and want to show it off. Well now is the time to set up some cameras and render out some shots. Even if it's just to lazy susan a simple prop.
Sunday- Play a game. Try a new one out or revisit an old classic you've been meaning to play. Inspiration can spark from the old and the new so have some fun.
That brings us to monthly goals, or as I call it side adventures. Each month I will look for at least 1 game jam that I will participate in and at least 1 event like a job fair or expo. This month I am going to the 2023 Spark Reloaded career fair and participating in the Game-A-Week Sneaky Game Jam. If you are interested in joining any of these events you can click the links below.
If you want to try my daily challenges but you don't think you have the time, don't be intimidated! This isn't designed to be 6 hours of work a day and you can change the order of the week. With a game jam coming up, I might want to switch up Mondays modelling and Wednesdays design task so I can design what I want to make for the jam. Soon you'll have tons of content that you can put together for more focused demo reels to send out. What you create doesn't have to be complicated but you must create and stay determined. You will get past that entry level and succeed in this game industry.
Hope to see you on the battlefield.
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