I earned my degree in Animation. What a joke! I went back to school for RN, and almost done. I look forward to the creative freedom to fund my art on my days off as a nurse, while also saving some lives along the way. Yessir 💯
I feel like this is a sign for me, recently i’ve been going to uni for an animation degree but videos like this makes me nervous. So I was thinking about switching to medical and do art on the side.
this is the time for independent artists to step up and fill the void that these big companies haven't been able to fill. We need to make them come to us and make it so that we have leverage, and we are stuarts of our own artistic destiny and the the trajectory of the industry as a whole!
I recently worked as a storyboard revisionist for Nickelodeon in the last couple of years, it definitely affects your own personal art direction! Since you’re told to follow a certain style and not go off-model. As it was my first gig, I really struggled to find myself again after I got ‘laid off.’ I say laid off in quotations as the position sadly wasn’t stable. It was actually made out like I was gonna be a permanent part of the staff, which only added to the disappointment. They kinda just weened me out once I was no longer needed; probably a result of hiring too many international workers post-covid. I still didn’t get any closure during the dry spells as they probably wanted me around in case they needed me again! It’s kinda heartbreaking when you finally reach your dream job but aren’t given any form of stability alongside it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super grateful for the opportunity and the staff were some of the nicest people I’ve met, but a ten year build-up to a two year slot of freelance work sure makes you question your choices…and the industry!
The industry is incredibly toxic, after being laid off I have grown immensely working on my own. Execs don't care about you, they don't care about making art that connects to people, and I hope to see animation shift and fall in the hands of young, emotionally healthy people.
I'm so glad to hear you've been doing well independently meridian! yeah I am really sorry your experience had to start off like that and I do hope to see some changes happen in the industry as well, and it's nice to see other creatives just taking the reigns in their own hands and doing their own thing!!
The bit about working in comics and self publishing helps me a lot, because I'm currently going to school for Sequential Art and I'm so scared that by the time I graduate there wont be a market for graphic novels and comics haha ^^'
I think there will be a market - maybe there will be some more limitations or specific things they're looking for, but publishing a book is a route I think you can never really go wrong in (assuming there's no sketchy business behind it obviously!)
I worked in my local animation studio as a background artist for over 5 years, not only the pay just slightly higher than the minimum wage, raise only occurred twice during the time I'm there. the last draw for me to leave is the restricted creative freedom, I was constantly being told what I did was "wrong", that's pretty exhausting tbh. Was so happy this is my last month with them, freedom is priceless.
I’m a little glad the the industry is collapsing right as I graduate. Originally it was super scary but I’m hoping it makes room for more diversity and new ideas in the animation space!
So interesting to hear. I honestly never really know what I wanted to be after high school and I was made to go to college since I was the oldest. I was happy in a writing major but changed it because family said teaching would be better for me since I’m great with kids. Now I have been in teaching for 6 years now and I long for the creative field of art/writing again since I’m away from my family. It sucks I want to do it in a time where everything is going downhill, but I’m still hoping to explore that creative side (animation has always interested me that I would study shows I liked to try to learn things). Thank you for the insight
I studied animation, but never found a job. 15 years later i'm now a graphic designer. I recently started drawing again and am looking to get back into animation. Its probably a fools errand to think i might ever work in the industry tho, but I do think that modern times at least allows for me to at least try doing it and putting stuff out there on my own for people to see...whenever that might happen
Sorry for the long ass comment, I got a bit excited hearing someone else recall very similar experiences when I felt I was alone in this- When I was a small silly child, I idolized your art from RUclips and dA , so much that I also ended up going to college for animation. I feel like at the time we applied for school, there wasn’t much common info around about the drawbacks of pursuing a career in this field or going to an art school- and for me specifically, the area I lived in encouraged teenagers to pursue higher education promising them financial stability and no real other alternatives. Applying for schools gave me at least a lot of promises of a successful animation career and the fulfillment of working in a studio, but the reality was very far from that truth. Unfortunately a lot of the things you said in this video ring true to my own experiences as well. I stopped drawing in an anime style when i found there was a distaste for it in the industry and colleges I was applying for. It made me sad but i forced myself to do it. Because of that, I have years of work I’m not proud of at all or can hardly truly identify with as my own. I thought animation was the closest thing to what I actually wanted to do (which was either make manga or draw for vocaloid producers.) I worked full time after being hired during my studio internship and it made me utterly miserable as an artist. I was exhausted and burnt out from staring at adobe flash all day. Truth is, there’s not much room for artistic freedom or expression and it was a lot more corporate and tedious than I initially imagined. My studio supervisor who trained me seemed run down and burnt out himself. He revealed to me that even a studio job isn’t stable, essentially it’s like working on a commission long term. The animation industry isn’t for me which makes me sad because some of the art that’s come from it is beautiful but I’m realizing for my own sanity I do not want to be part of that. Trying to rekindle a burnt out love I had for the one thing that made life worth living nowadays is a struggle. But I am millions of times happier knowing I didn’t end up in the animation industry and I have the privilege to explore art again on my own terms. I was surprised to hear this coming from you and I’m sorry you had some similar struggles regarding the industry. I’m happy for you that you’re able to find some new avenues that allow you to express your creativity more than ever. Best of luck to you, cheers!
EVERYTHING you said in this video resonated with me rn. Especially the part about wanting to just tell stories, its less about being inspired by one single thing like Disney movies. I actually prefer live action to animation but I love drawing and telling stories so those things jsut match up better in animation.
Hearing Michelle speak about the back and forth between independent work and the animation community reminded me of something I watched just the other day. In the latest season of Urasawa Naoki no Manben, he interviews Yushizaki Yasuhiko, who started in anime when he was younger, then moved to manga and has been doing that for decades now. One of the characteristic things about how Yasuhiko draws is that he tends to just jump to penciling in the final lines without constructing anything, because (according to him) that's something he learned to do as an animator to speed up. His episode was particularly outstanding to me, watching him ink everything with a 100 yen brush(he says he has to go through 2 or 3 to get through 30 pages).
9:25 Thank god, I'm not the only one. Technically, I'm not in the industry yet. But, I've worked on several projects that are both fan-work and original as an independent animator. Working on them for months on end, I sort of avoid watching animated shows unless it's for a very specific reference. Of course, this hasn't ruined the practice for me. I still love all of what animation has to offer and I love the process. But, I've been doing it long enough to the point where I overanalyze everything not only visually, but narratively in the hopes that I can learn and use it in my more original works. It sometimes feel like watching a creative standard or threshold that I can't meet.
I'm a hispanic american and couldn't agree more with you on reading more manga than watching anime, as a kid/preteen growing up! I also appreciate it more than disney films, never been to their parks either. im not throwing western animation down the drain, just a preference and glad to not be only one feeling similar 😊
Love the insight into how working in animation has changed your perspective, fascinating stuff. Thanks for the video. And um....i love your jacket, where did you get it??
Lmao! Way to echo my entire feelings exactly. I tried watching Shirobako with some non-animation friends and I was just SO triggered. I can’t go from animating to watching a show about animating. And in the same sense I can’t watch any anime without seeing every single flaw in the production. I’m so unpleasant to watch animated shows with now 😂 Because of that I just rarely watch anything now. Sometimes you just know too much and it sours the whole suspension of disbelief. Like… I’m sure this one film was decent but I know the director who conceived it was kicked off their own project and replaced with someone else. Am I really supposed to enjoy that film on its own merits while knowing that? I can’t do it! The quickest way to lose your love for something is to go into that industry. I enjoy the artform, don’t get me wrong. And like you, I also love the artists. But man. There’s so much drama behind the curtains that makes it not fun. But that’s how all work is I suppose.
Most of the shows I worked on I don't watch and people ask me why, I guess I just don't want to see work, I just want to go home and do something else or watch something I didn't work on because watching what I worked on would feel like I never left work. Animation can drain you and make you want to not do art so for any artist out there in any art industry my advice is to leave everything that is work at work so if you're thinking about work even during your day off try to stop it and only think about that when it's work time other then that enjoy your life outside of work as much as possible and for those that are feeling burnt out........trust me take a good break.....you don't want what happened to me...and still happening... it's not fun.
I love bad movies. I watched this movie that was both critically and fan panned for the over the top nonsense but I loved it. It’s called Ready to Rumble it was so wildly goofy but I loved every moment of it. We should reject needing to only love critically acclaimed films, tv, hell video games too!
Awesome vid as always! Whenever you decide to visit the parks again, I would definitely recommend starting with Animal Kingdom. Is the “least” Disney-ish park and it’s a great place for sketching animals and cool locations
I am going for a BA in Game Art and Design. Do you think I should switch to something else or continue? After hearing what she said, I might consider switching.
U really can't be mad at those business people for thinking the way they do. They have to do things in a systematic way that makes money. Investing in original ideas is a financial risk, and if they can keep making money without reinventing the wheel can you really blame them. But that is good for independant creators with innovative ideas, that can put out their own indie work possibly even outshining mainstream who knows. So, that's one way to look at the bright side of things.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I earned my degree in Animation. What a joke! I went back to school for RN, and almost done. I look forward to the creative freedom to fund my art on my days off as a nurse, while also saving some lives along the way. Yessir 💯
I feel like this is a sign for me, recently i’ve been going to uni for an animation degree but videos like this makes me nervous. So I was thinking about switching to medical and do art on the side.
this is the time for independent artists to step up and fill the void that these big companies haven't been able to fill. We need to make them come to us and make it so that we have leverage, and we are stuarts of our own artistic destiny and the the trajectory of the industry as a whole!
I recently worked as a storyboard revisionist for Nickelodeon in the last couple of years, it definitely affects your own personal art direction! Since you’re told to follow a certain style and not go off-model. As it was my first gig, I really struggled to find myself again after I got ‘laid off.’
I say laid off in quotations as the position sadly wasn’t stable. It was actually made out like I was gonna be a permanent part of the staff, which only added to the disappointment. They kinda just weened me out once I was no longer needed; probably a result of hiring too many international workers post-covid. I still didn’t get any closure during the dry spells as they probably wanted me around in case they needed me again! It’s kinda heartbreaking when you finally reach your dream job but aren’t given any form of stability alongside it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m super grateful for the opportunity and the staff were some of the nicest people I’ve met, but a ten year build-up to a two year slot of freelance work sure makes you question your choices…and the industry!
The industry is incredibly toxic, after being laid off I have grown immensely working on my own. Execs don't care about you, they don't care about making art that connects to people, and I hope to see animation shift and fall in the hands of young, emotionally healthy people.
I'm so glad to hear you've been doing well independently meridian! yeah I am really sorry your experience had to start off like that and I do hope to see some changes happen in the industry as well, and it's nice to see other creatives just taking the reigns in their own hands and doing their own thing!!
@@mewTripled so pleased seeing how well you’re doing in your own as well! Things are shifting for sure and I’m happy we’re a small part of it
The bit about working in comics and self publishing helps me a lot, because I'm currently going to school for Sequential Art and I'm so scared that by the time I graduate there wont be a market for graphic novels and comics haha ^^'
I think there will be a market - maybe there will be some more limitations or specific things they're looking for, but publishing a book is a route I think you can never really go wrong in (assuming there's no sketchy business behind it obviously!)
@@mewTripledthe last bit 😄
Definitely keep options open for doing your own thing.
No market for graphic novels is like saying no market for books. :/
I worked in my local animation studio as a background artist for over 5 years, not only the pay just slightly higher than the minimum wage, raise only occurred twice during the time I'm there. the last draw for me to leave is the restricted creative freedom, I was constantly being told what I did was "wrong", that's pretty exhausting tbh.
Was so happy this is my last month with them, freedom is priceless.
I’m a little glad the the industry is collapsing right as I graduate. Originally it was super scary but I’m hoping it makes room for more diversity and new ideas in the animation space!
So interesting to hear. I honestly never really know what I wanted to be after high school and I was made to go to college since I was the oldest. I was happy in a writing major but changed it because family said teaching would be better for me since I’m great with kids. Now I have been in teaching for 6 years now and I long for the creative field of art/writing again since I’m away from my family. It sucks I want to do it in a time where everything is going downhill, but I’m still hoping to explore that creative side (animation has always interested me that I would study shows I liked to try to learn things). Thank you for the insight
I studied animation, but never found a job. 15 years later i'm now a graphic designer. I recently started drawing again and am looking to get back into animation. Its probably a fools errand to think i might ever work in the industry tho, but I do think that modern times at least allows for me to at least try doing it and putting stuff out there on my own for people to see...whenever that might happen
I still think it is worth leaving the door for the industry open for sure, things are always changing 🙂
I'm glad you are providing insight of this industry, Thank you!
thanks! all is from my personal experience! :)
Sorry for the long ass comment, I got a bit excited hearing someone else recall very similar experiences when I felt I was alone in this-
When I was a small silly child, I idolized your art from RUclips and dA , so much that I also ended up going to college for animation. I feel like at the time we applied for school, there wasn’t much common info around about the drawbacks of pursuing a career in this field or going to an art school- and for me specifically, the area I lived in encouraged teenagers to pursue higher education promising them financial stability and no real other alternatives. Applying for schools gave me at least a lot of promises of a successful animation career and the fulfillment of working in a studio, but the reality was very far from that truth.
Unfortunately a lot of the things you said in this video ring true to my own experiences as well.
I stopped drawing in an anime style when i found there was a distaste for it in the industry and colleges I was applying for. It made me sad but i forced myself to do it. Because of that, I have years of work I’m not proud of at all or can hardly truly identify with as my own. I thought animation was the closest thing to what I actually wanted to do (which was either make manga or draw for vocaloid producers.)
I worked full time after being hired during my studio internship and it made me utterly miserable as an artist. I was exhausted and burnt out from staring at adobe flash all day. Truth is, there’s not much room for artistic freedom or expression and it was a lot more corporate and tedious than I initially imagined. My studio supervisor who trained me seemed run down and burnt out himself. He revealed to me that even a studio job isn’t stable, essentially it’s like working on a commission long term.
The animation industry isn’t for me which makes me sad because some of the art that’s come from it is beautiful but I’m realizing for my own sanity I do not want to be part of that. Trying to rekindle a burnt out love I had for the one thing that made life worth living nowadays is a struggle. But I am millions of times happier knowing I didn’t end up in the animation industry and I have the privilege to explore art again on my own terms. I was surprised to hear this coming from you and I’m sorry you had some similar struggles regarding the industry. I’m happy for you that you’re able to find some new avenues that allow you to express your creativity more than ever. Best of luck to you, cheers!
EVERYTHING you said in this video resonated with me rn. Especially the part about wanting to just tell stories, its less about being inspired by one single thing like Disney movies. I actually prefer live action to animation but I love drawing and telling stories so those things jsut match up better in animation.
Hearing Michelle speak about the back and forth between independent work and the animation community reminded me of something I watched just the other day.
In the latest season of Urasawa Naoki no Manben, he interviews Yushizaki Yasuhiko, who started in anime when he was younger, then moved to manga and has been doing that for decades now. One of the characteristic things about how Yasuhiko draws is that he tends to just jump to penciling in the final lines without constructing anything, because (according to him) that's something he learned to do as an animator to speed up. His episode was particularly outstanding to me, watching him ink everything with a 100 yen brush(he says he has to go through 2 or 3 to get through 30 pages).
9:25
Thank god, I'm not the only one. Technically, I'm not in the industry yet. But, I've worked on several projects that are both fan-work and original as an independent animator. Working on them for months on end, I sort of avoid watching animated shows unless it's for a very specific reference.
Of course, this hasn't ruined the practice for me. I still love all of what animation has to offer and I love the process. But, I've been doing it long enough to the point where I overanalyze everything not only visually, but narratively in the hopes that I can learn and use it in my more original works. It sometimes feel like watching a creative standard or threshold that I can't meet.
I'm a hispanic american and couldn't agree more with you on reading more manga than watching anime, as a kid/preteen growing up! I also appreciate it more than disney films, never been to their parks either. im not throwing western animation down the drain, just a preference and glad to not be only one feeling similar 😊
Love the insight into how working in animation has changed your perspective, fascinating stuff. Thanks for the video. And um....i love your jacket, where did you get it??
MY GOAT HATH RETURNETHH!!!
Bahhhh~ if thats what they say?? 🤣🐐
Lmao! Way to echo my entire feelings exactly. I tried watching Shirobako with some non-animation friends and I was just SO triggered. I can’t go from animating to watching a show about animating. And in the same sense I can’t watch any anime without seeing every single flaw in the production. I’m so unpleasant to watch animated shows with now 😂 Because of that I just rarely watch anything now. Sometimes you just know too much and it sours the whole suspension of disbelief. Like… I’m sure this one film was decent but I know the director who conceived it was kicked off their own project and replaced with someone else. Am I really supposed to enjoy that film on its own merits while knowing that? I can’t do it! The quickest way to lose your love for something is to go into that industry. I enjoy the artform, don’t get me wrong. And like you, I also love the artists. But man. There’s so much drama behind the curtains that makes it not fun. But that’s how all work is I suppose.
Most of the shows I worked on I don't watch and people ask me why, I guess I just don't want to see work, I just want to go home and do something else or watch something I didn't work on because watching what I worked on would feel like I never left work. Animation can drain you and make you want to not do art so for any artist out there in any art industry my advice is to leave everything that is work at work so if you're thinking about work even during your day off try to stop it and only think about that when it's work time other then that enjoy your life outside of work as much as possible and for those that are feeling burnt out........trust me take a good break.....you don't want what happened to me...and still happening... it's not fun.
That's so true about stability, especially right now with the recent downturn of the industry.
I love bad movies. I watched this movie that was both critically and fan panned for the over the top nonsense but I loved it. It’s called Ready to Rumble it was so wildly goofy but I loved every moment of it. We should reject needing to only love critically acclaimed films, tv, hell video games too!
Awesome vid as always! Whenever you decide to visit the parks again, I would definitely recommend starting with Animal Kingdom. Is the “least” Disney-ish park and it’s a great place for sketching animals and cool locations
It was nice listening to you share your experience
great video as always!!! hope your graphic novel is going well ✨💜
Can’t believe I was missing this channel!!!
Welcome back!
I am going for a BA in Game Art and Design. Do you think I should switch to something else or continue? After hearing what she said, I might consider switching.
I know exactly what you mean! I was just thinking about this myself, thanks for making this video T_T
Np im glad to help share my experience thus far!
@@mewTripled It's very appreciated! I definitely couldn't have said it better myself
Just got back from Japan myself
welcome back and I am sorry for your loss 🥲🤝
Well animation can be hard even for me as a tradtional and digital artist
We artists chose the hard life 😂😂
U really can't be mad at those business people for thinking the way they do. They have to do things in a systematic way that makes money. Investing in original ideas is a financial risk, and if they can keep making money without reinventing the wheel can you really blame them. But that is good for independant creators with innovative ideas, that can put out their own indie work possibly even outshining mainstream who knows. So, that's one way to look at the bright side of things.
thank you for sharing about the animation industry
np!!
Why do these deers from the sketchbook look so flirty? 👀
Do you regret becoming an animator?
Not at all!
😅 oof
Oof is right 👍🏼