Looking Back
I feel so grateful to be on the other side of this project today. There were many times when I wasn’t sure whether I was going to make it in four months. I shared my progress daily, sometimes multiple times a day, and I kept all the encouraging words of other students close to my heart. Whenever I felt the insecurity and fear creeping in, I returned to my work, thinking that time spent dwelling was time better spent working. It was a super fun project, I learned more than I even imagined I could, but the most important thing I’m taking with me from this experience is how much fun 3D can be.
If I were to give any advice to artists who are just getting started, I’d first quote my Advanced instructor, Luis Omar: “Just keep going”. It sounds silly, but when you’re passionate about something and want to see it through, that’s the only thing that makes sense. There’s no problem without a solution, and having the right mindset will make things much easier. Another one is to find your kind of people and stick with them. I prefer to pair my Tetris struggles with a good laugh; so, rely on your community, be kind to others, and don’t isolate yourself. We’re all humans sitting alone in front of a computer at the end of the day. The last one, and it’s a big one, so I saved it for last, is to stop comparing yourself to others as early as you can. When you see a great artist’s new post, try to approach it with curiosity: wonder how they did it, look at their work and think about their process, and try to learn as much as you possibly can from them. I have a Goals folder in ArtStation where I save everything I love, and I go back to it quite often to get inspired and motivated.
My most sincere gratitude goes to Alena Dubrovina, who saw my potential and inspired me greatly while leading me with faith, determination and kindness; to Luis Omar, who taught me so much about perseverance and almost everything I know about concepting; and to Alfonso Zambrano, Sriram Venkatesh, Cyrus Kian and Pontus Bengtsson, who made sure I was fed, held my heart, kept me sane and put up with my endless whining about UV packing. It takes a village to build an army! If you read this far and would like to check out what I’m working on lately, I post WIPs quite frequently on my Instagram account and keep my ArtStation up to date with my latest finished work.
