Thicken your skin!

Today I turned in an animation at work of a run cycle. Simple enough, right? Well the person I handed it off to wasn't happy with the cycle. They said it was too fast and too lite for such a heavy creature.

They were right.

Of course that didn't make it sting less, because I had spent a good deal of time creating it. It's part of the job though, and as Artists we need to make sure our skin is nice and thick. Doing so will ensure that you don't take stuff too personally and in turn will make you better at your craft.

In my first semester at art school, I was brought to the brink of tears on several occasions by critiques. Looking back on it now, those were cake compared to some of the critiques I received in the years since. I just hadn't developed my 2nd, and 3rd and 50th layers of skin, so those early sessions were the toughest. However in almost every single case, the critique was correct, and it not only strengthened my current piece but also helped me to avoid similar issues with future pieces of work.

As long as the person you're working with doesn't have some crazy vendetta against you, trust in what they say, but take it with a grain of salt. In other words, be confident in your work and know when to stand your ground, but if what they're saying makes sense, then don't be afraid to swallow your pride and make the changes.

I slowed down the run cycle, added in some additional weight to the hips and hands, and made a few other adjustments, and the resulting animation was far better than my original.

If you just can't seem to grow thicker skin, then wear a suit of armor. It may not help against critiques, but at least it will look awesome.

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There is no wrong way...

One thing I quickly learned when I began working as a professional artist is that there really is no "wrong way" of doing things.



As an artist who just happens to use a very powerful and computer as well as a complicated set of tools to go along with it, this was one of the toughest things for me to learn up front. The fact of the matter is that, at the end of the day, nobody cares how you get to the finish line. If what you turn in looks good, serves it's purpose, and was delivered in a timely manner, it doesn't matter how you created it.

I think this is an important message for people who may be learning Animation or art in general to keep in mind when you are developing your craft. Don't get too caught up in whether or not you should key every frame or every third frame. Don't worry about whether you should rotate that joint or move it instead. Sure there has to be some workflow that is in place, and you have to stick to some fundamental guidelines, but the simple fact is that the guy who sits next door to me has a completely different workflow from mine, yet we both crank things out at roughly the same pace and quality.

The focus should be on the art itself, or in the case of Animation, on the performance. Yes you have to learn the software packages and tools, but always keep the thought in the back of your mind that if you can get to the same result as someone else while following a completely different workflow, that's okay.

It's great to pick up tips along the way from your peers, and you should always look for new ways to improve, but don't let the process overtake the outcome.

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