After leaving the military and starting a family I realized that I still had the dream of pursuing and having a successful career in illustration. Between work, raising a toddler, college and more, I sometimes feel as though it's hopeless, with no time to hone my skills. However, I've learned that regardless of whether anything comes of it, art makes me happy. I give up a few hours of sleep after work at night to work on something I like, setting a goal to make each of my illustrations better than the last. Who knows? Maybe one day they'll be good enough to make a living!
Wow. Me too. I joined the military to pay for art school. Ooops. Life happened, got married, and raised a family. I ended up 24 years later pursuing art on the side but am going full time in the next few years.
I'm 46 years old man and I'm still trying to make something of my art!!! Is it very good? That depends on who you ask. Ha ha!!! I will say I've done a few commission pieces here and there when time allows. To be fair, I do have a little more time than most with a much older son in college. I could be more motivated to take an art class or watch a tutorial to hone my skills. Listening to Trent today really got me to thinking that I...WE can do whatever we set our minds to!!! Whether you make it a side hustle, a full time business or just do it because it makes you smile!!! KEEP ON DRAWING!!! Never lose sight of your goal, I've doubted myself for too long now. It's time to make it happen!!! Yeah, I know, who is this old man and why is he ranting under my comment...HA HA HA!!!
@@EddieTheComicGuy I appreciate your rant actually! It's a great motivator and it's nice to get some perspective from an older fellow artist! Listening to you and Trent is pretty inspiring when it comes to thinking about the future! There are a lot of external pressures that are trying to steer me away from art as I am about to enter my 30's, but seeing guys like you that are still very passionate long past those pressures is only evidence that I should never give it up. Keep the fire going!
@@Selwynn I will say this my friend. If you have a lunch hour, or even a half hour, you have that much time in-between chewing to draw something!!! It's all about getting in that practice!!! I hope everything goes well for you Chris!!! KEEP DRAWING!!!
Started drawing again last night after about a month or two of being discouraged and not drawing anything. This video was just what I needed to become motivated again thank you Trent!
One of the tricks is not thinking giving up on art is some sort of failure. That's a really toxic, fear and scarcity ridden mindset. Things change, people take different paths. It's not a 0-1 thing.
"don't think just go" sounds like a recipe for disaster and triggers my anxiety or resistance, but it's actually the smartest thing to do when you're in this situation.
Trent- thanks man. I have been trying to build my body of work for the past year and…I’m gassed out. I don’t have a community and the algorithm kinda burns me out. These videos help me come back to center. I hope you’re doing well man. You’re doing great. Thanks.
Dude, I used to watch your videos when I was learning 3D and used them as motivation. Months later, after finding a job and becoming an environment artist I find these videos again, and it made me smile. Thanks for your support, even if you didn't know, you helped me push through at times. All the best.
Im at the stage of dropping art career pursuit. Today I got the reminder about the piece I did 9 years ago that started the pursuit and thought "damn 9 years..." maybe I should drop it. But I guess I'll listen to you and do 10 more steps. Thanks for inspiration!
Trent, you give so much of yourself to encourage the rest of us, so I want to also give back to you by saying that your game is coming along so nicely. What you’re achieving is huge, and ive no doubt you’ll make your big break in the indie game scene and become the next team cherry-level success story. I’m getting on steam today to wishlist Twilight Monk. Thank you- a fellow delusional artist
WOW!!! It is so interesting to unintentionally revisit this a year later. ... I remember the video, but I didn't even realize I had left this comment until I looked under the video. At first, it's discouraging to admit that a full year later I'm not any further along on this "dream"... Of course, I look back and see what all I accomplished in other arenas over the last year. Even in hindsight I know that I prioritized correctly in that I would do it all over again even if I knew ahead it would cost /postpone my vision. However, it still brings in so much doubt as to whether I should even keep chasing this dream. Almost like "Well I've got time now, but what's the point? It wouldn't surprise me to have life kick me in the teeth again tomorrow." .... But honestly... I get a little nauseous at the idea of giving up. Learning everything from scratch is so intimidating! but I suppose it's what you're referring to around the 12 min mark in this vid. I am hopeful... gut wrenching doubt... but still hopeful!!!!!
I love this channel because of your honesty. I really appreciate how you talk about the difficulties and the struggles you went through or going through. It makes me feel that I'm not alone. Thanks a lot.
Great video. Really appreciated your views, a good reminder to keep going and focus on your own journey rather than focusing on what others are doing. Wishlisted Twilight Monk, it's looking great!
I decided to take it at my own pace. If i quit id get nowhere, but doing thing at a time is still going to help. I'm very sad where I'm at my art journey but hopefully that changes.
you know for the past few days I've been going through a limitation issue if you will, I tend to put more attention to the million things I need to do, and it keeps me wondering how on earth am I gonna finish this thing. I end up more frustrated and overwhelmed to the point that sometimes I won't even open the project. People say game dev is hard, sure is challenging and hard work that anyone can do, but the mind frame, thoughts, and focus are what determines how hard you want to make it on yourself. Seeing the timelapse of the background and listening to the message makes it clear for your mind to understand it haha small steps make the bigger picture happen. Also, I'm reminding myself frequently to remember how it made me feel when the Idea for my project came to me, at that moment everything seemed easy and clear on how to go about it, as time goes on your mind tends to find what-ifs. Thanks so much!
I like to draw and illustrate my ideas a lot but many days i just felt like sleeping all day, tired, hopeless and giving up already without drawing anything this last year mostly because im stressed every day due to the amount of discrimination i suffer every day due to my intimidating face whenever i put a foot outside my house ignorant and stupid people appears out of nowhere insults me and act as if they were the victims and were defending themselves against a brown skinned devil (if you are brown skinned here people will make your life a literal hell but if you are white you can get away with anything) this stresses me so much to the point i white hairs in my head since im 19 years old and now im almost 30 i try to pay my bills with the small amount of money i had, i don't have friends and because of my face issue im almost all the time inside my house either learning other lenguages sometimes or trying to be better at my drawings but sometimes the mental pressure is too much because when i try to imagine what to draw or recall things bad memories about these assholes pop out in my head and i stop being motivated enough and i just fall to the bed for the rest of the day and every day im more worried than yesterday about my future and if i could still live a warm house and what will happen once my parents, grandparents and people that still supports me moves on or dies, it truly scares me to think in the future, i wanna keep drawing and i know nothing good will come from sleeping all day but is just so hard to do anything when almost everyone outside of your house is against you and will put their max effort into making your life as miserable as they could and get away with it while i get traumatized all day by their insults.
Hmm, even after art school I still don’t know where I fit in with the art world. In 2019 I went to Pasadena and attended the first Light Box Expo, and I listened to a bunch of lectures and met a lot of cool people at the convention. Yet, I felt as though I did not belong in my endeavors. I realize that games got me interested in art from a very young age, but I am more interested in making pretty pictures or, “fine art” (even though I dislike the term. I just want to make beautiful imagery that people in the world will cherish and be inspired by after I’m dead. When I think of the life I’d like to have, I’d like to travel around the world, use the travels for inspiration for paintings, paint portraits , hopefully have a loving wife and live a balanced life as a professional artist. I don’t know if it’s a realistic dream though. I’m 27 years old now, and currently I’ve spent the years after college by myself cleaning toilets in Indiana, and it feels as though I’ve failed entirely. I often feel very lonely in my endeavors here, as most of my colleagues ran to the coasts after school and I stayed behind. I’m trying to save up to attend Grand Central Atelier, but other than that I have very little sense of direction. Partially I am scared that I’ll be stuck working in factories and cleaning toilets forever, but I’m also terrified of moving somewhere and having zero support because my entire family is contained in the Midwest. I often feel as though I am not just failing at art, but also in life in general. Sorry for the pity party here. I just needed to talk.
As an artist, I truly believe success has nothing to do with talent whatsoever. It has to do with whether or not an editor/ publisher/ hiring manager wants to bang you. Nothing else.
For real. I started really late in the game (at least by my standards), but I think I'm getting by with just putting the pen down and making a mark and taking it from there. Before I know it, I've made a piece.
Thanks for you words, Trent. I´ve been involved with the game industry and the art world for more than a decade (with the usuals up´n´downs) but my fellings about it are trully voiced in that video. I came here while i´m going through a kind of "dark place" and I can assure you that all your advices touches me deeply... And I hope to work! ;) Twilight Monk is in my Wishlist and don´t doubt I´ll gonna catch some of your Gumroad tuts... Thank you again! Cheers...
Thank you for your work, your channel and your words. In my art journey, I learned early that there is always someone better, but maybe their ideas are not the same as yours and there you can take advantage. Maybe that artist is good at drawing female portraits, but it's bad when it's come to create a game for example. You only need a lot of practice and focus on your craft.
I would like to give you opposite side / opinion. Software Engineer - A lot of hiring options. Basically spending 1k hours = job with good enough salary and clear career path. Artist - 1k hours - you're still might be not good enough, not easy to get job, you really have to fight to get any money from your art. The fear is because you can really fail, not earn enough money based on your art. You're investing a lot of hours hard work, changing your priorities, no social life / no other hobbies because you don't have enough time, and after 2-3 years you're recognizing that you're still in a same place. Your art is better than one year ago / two years ago but still not good enough to get your dream art job.
If that’s the case, you may be skipping fundamentals of your desired industry. The only time a artist stops growing is when they skip the fundamentals or stop doing studies.
Trent, you give so much of yourself to encourage me, so I want to also give back to you by saying that i am so much interested in you tutorials but i am starting so, can you give me a list which tutorial should i buy first and a continue list? because i would really like to draw like your heartstone style
Wishlisted! It already looks sooo good, hyped about your progress on it! Great vid full of good vibes as always, but what you said in your concept art workshop promo made me think: What are your opinions on the new surge of very powerful visual IA and how do you think this could impact artists?
I was thinking about buying your diablo demo where you show how you go from the block in to the painting result. how do you go from the finished painting from the original blockout to an actual usable textured model. does someone look at the finished painting and recreate all the textures for the actual model? I mean you can't load it up in blender as is right its just a painting not a fully textured model.
Just wow 😍 Inspiring and motivating i needed that, I appreciate the time you put to create this video. THANK YOU ✨ ! Like, sub and 4sure wishlist ur master piece 👏🏻👏🏻
Sometimes I get this feeling. Im 22 and have been going to artschool for a year now. Im not bad but Im also not really good. My figure drawing sucks. My portraits too. I want to do concept art and illustration but sometimes i feel like other people my age own a car. Or a house. Or dont live in a shithole. And then i feel like man, maybe I just started too late. I have been doodling and drawing all my life but i never really practiced really until 20.
Trent, I'm jumping back into art, after all these years I realized this is the only thing I'm truely good at. I'm studying and practicing every day. But truth be told, I'm worried lol. I see people with much lower skill level being much more popular on social media than me, and I don't want to lock into a single niche opposing to popular recommendation by pros, I feel like that just kills me as someone who's trying to be a creative individual. Especially when I'm not even as good as I want to be yet. Also bills are knocking on my door and age is creeping up. So thank you for touching on these subjects which I'm sure is concerning many people.
Yes me too, I start all over, man, after all this year I work on oil and gas, car paint jobs, and others, then it's not working out, then this year I try to draw again and be a freelancer, I don't know in the future, money is the real problem, I hope it's worth a try,
I'm in the military and know what you mean. I'm 48 and am setting myself up for a full time art career after I finish up in the Army. I think as long as you follow your passion, you'll do great. Next week I'm joining my local art society so I can build a personal presence along with an online one. I've ran into some people in my own town who were mentioning they enjoy seeing and talking with local artists. While social media is a trend, it doesn't have to be the only one.
I'm in the same boat. How old are you? The crazy thing is people seem to feel they are too old to start no matter what age they start these days. It's like we feel we need to be toddlers to have a shot. I'm 34, so not crazy old, but I still feel like i wasted the past 15 years pursuing the wrong stuff. But then I think that in that time I met my wife, had a kid, got a house, travelled the world and did a ton of other awesome stuff. I have friends who DID do art only the past 15 years. They want what I have.
There is a lot of underrated/overrated art, I don't focus on my numbers anymore. I just draw what I want and what I feel, and I do it for myself. People know to sell or get likes even if it's ugly or they spent 5 minutes doing it, because they know how to do it. So many talented and amazing artists are underrated.
I feel this. I graduated with a degree in CGI in 2020. I've been applying to stuff ever since, all while doing competitions, practicing, pushing to get better at what I do... but outside from being shouted out by a couple of youtubers (which was super cool) I've seen zero success. Nothing I've applied to recently has even resulted in an interview, and it's all been entry level stuff that's well within my skill level. My family keep asking if there's something else I'd like to do but there really isn't. So I've got to keep going, but man is it hard sometimes to keep that motivation up...
I've been seriously pursuing art for 15 years with very little success until this year when I finally got a contract job as an art director and received a scholarship to a high level art intensive that will hopefully yield good job connections. 15... years... 2 seems like not that much. Especially with how volatile employment has been for any job type.
I'm in that same place. I've showed my work to friends, teachers, and even some fairly known art directors and they are impressed, yet there isn't a place for me yet. It's really hard for me to say motivated, too. I have people say that I can do all these things yet... crickets. All we can do is keep moving, no matter how slow it may feel sometimes. I'm pretty sure you get comments and likes and such from friends? I keep them close and try to not compare myself to others cause when that comparison mood strikes it strikes hard.
I’m in this boat and need something soon. My family has given up and wants me to do a laborious job at a plant. Every day is a struggle to keep going and I wonder as an illustration major at nearly 30…why bother? It’s incredibly saddening. I have no connections or directions and can’t find help. Wish I hadn’t “followed my dream” and gone to college.
@@SushiPredator that's the most frustrating part! Everyone seems to love your work but when you apply anywhere you just get a boilerplate rejection email - no opportunity for feedback. So you're stuck wondering whether you're just not good enough yet, or if they didn't love your cover letter, was it your cv perhaps? Definitely feel you on comparison stuff. Sometimes I'll see something on artstation and think... will I ever be that good? Usually though I'll look at that person's profile and it turns out they're like a senior artist somewhere, which makes me feel a bit better. They're 5+ years ahead on the road.
@@axeliasalaria8905 also on that boat of having 30 turning up not too far away. I remember years ago thinking I'd have a career going by now, plus wife and kids maybe xD rip that idea.
I hate my job with a burning passion and art is my ultimate escape but at the same time I be so exhausted from work that I can only have energy to draw on weekends and even then I'm too tired to get out of bed. The struggle is real
I like to have this thought that, whenever I feel down with my illustrations, I think of how many bad art has been made and published out there, how something worse than what I do is actually being sold out there, so that means that if that made it, then I can make it too. Always lifts me up somehow.
"That person there is so ugly and theyve got a girlfriend so I can have one too" is what you're saying. Basically shitting on someone else to make your own work feel better. Nice job
Hello Trent! this is a very helpful video for so many people, including me. When I started with art I felt so lost because all the artists I follow are way younger, went to an art school and look very adorable too. But like you, I feel a burning since I‘m a kid and I finally take care of that and draw, sometimes until my hand starts hurting LOL Sometimes we humans need to relearn many things even when we are adults to be able to pursue our dreams and that is not shameful or silly. I started to follow older artists, who also are on the same experience level and that alone gave me a burst of energy and confidence.
I'm 37 (just turned yesterday), started drawing again properly in my early 30's, saying to my partner that one day I'll make this my job, it was a tough ride especially whilst having kids, but after being able to go freelance fulltime for the last few years I now work as a background artist at an animation studio doing background designs and paintings for netflix shows etc. I've still got a long way to go to catch back up in life, but finally landing a dream job is more than possible in your thirties, so don't give up man :)
@@SyGardner thank you so much for sharing this... this definitely helped my moral a bit ... I have to keep a consistent positive attitude if I want to make it. And maybe after that get over the imposter syndrome lol... I'll keep at it 💪 tysm
@@Z-moneyGaming no problem man, the imposter syndrome is there for everyone I know, and I know a couple of people who work for other big studios etc, none of us ever know everything, so always remember that we all have stronger points and weaker points, but eventually your stronger points make you employable :)
As a ex-entertainment designer gone engineer/programmer to feed his family, I really enjoy your channel and these talks. I hope to get back into graphic novel work as a hobby once things get more stable financially for my family in these crazy times, (currently juggling 1.25 engineering/programming jobs)
I may be young and am certainly not a professional artist by any standard but I do want to create an indie game. I want to start soon. It'll be 2d, rather simple, probably just something of a story. Does anyone know good tutorials and game engines I can use? (I assume a game engine is required for the programming part. I can program some and I have family members that program.)
Great video! I've faced many obstacles--both internal & external--over the past 6 years or so while pursuing a career in video game concept art, so I absolutely understand those negative thoughts, things, and people who can drag you down & distract you from your goals, (with the added challenge of me being nearly 40 years old now.) That negativity will never stop coming at you, so you must be adamant in your pursuit of said goals, & try your best to continuously rewire your brain, & hold onto that passion/vision/self-awareness/discipline, because with that you can't lose, it's just a matter of time before you win. Unfortunately I can't add Twilight Monk to my Steam Wishlist, because it's already been Wishlisted!
it's always good to remember that everyone feels insecure from time to time. We all go through it. We all fall. The difference between the winners and the losers is just deciding to continue.
After leaving the military and starting a family I realized that I still had the dream of pursuing and having a successful career in illustration. Between work, raising a toddler, college and more, I sometimes feel as though it's hopeless, with no time to hone my skills. However, I've learned that regardless of whether anything comes of it, art makes me happy. I give up a few hours of sleep after work at night to work on something I like, setting a goal to make each of my illustrations better than the last. Who knows? Maybe one day they'll be good enough to make a living!
Wow. Me too. I joined the military to pay for art school. Ooops. Life happened, got married, and raised a family. I ended up 24 years later pursuing art on the side but am going full time in the next few years.
I'm 46 years old man and I'm still trying to make something of my art!!! Is it very good? That depends on who you ask. Ha ha!!! I will say I've done a few commission pieces here and there when time allows. To be fair, I do have a little more time than most with a much older son in college. I could be more motivated to take an art class or watch a tutorial to hone my skills. Listening to Trent today really got me to thinking that I...WE can do whatever we set our minds to!!! Whether you make it a side hustle, a full time business or just do it because it makes you smile!!! KEEP ON DRAWING!!! Never lose sight of your goal, I've doubted myself for too long now. It's time to make it happen!!! Yeah, I know, who is this old man and why is he ranting under my comment...HA HA HA!!!
@@EddieTheComicGuy I appreciate your rant actually! It's a great motivator and it's nice to get some perspective from an older fellow artist! Listening to you and Trent is pretty inspiring when it comes to thinking about the future! There are a lot of external pressures that are trying to steer me away from art as I am about to enter my 30's, but seeing guys like you that are still very passionate long past those pressures is only evidence that I should never give it up. Keep the fire going!
@@Selwynn I will say this my friend. If you have a lunch hour, or even a half hour, you have that much time in-between chewing to draw something!!! It's all about getting in that practice!!! I hope everything goes well for you Chris!!! KEEP DRAWING!!!
Started drawing again last night after about a month or two of being discouraged and not drawing anything. This video was just what I needed to become motivated again thank you Trent!
One of the tricks is not thinking giving up on art is some sort of failure. That's a really toxic, fear and scarcity ridden mindset.
Things change, people take different paths. It's not a 0-1 thing.
"don't think just go" sounds like a recipe for disaster and triggers my anxiety or resistance, but it's actually the smartest thing to do when you're in this situation.
Trent- thanks man. I have been trying to build my body of work for the past year and…I’m gassed out. I don’t have a community and the algorithm kinda burns me out. These videos help me come back to center.
I hope you’re doing well man. You’re doing great.
Thanks.
Dude, I used to watch your videos when I was learning 3D and used them as motivation. Months later, after finding a job and becoming an environment artist I find these videos again, and it made me smile. Thanks for your support, even if you didn't know, you helped me push through at times. All the best.
Did you get a degree in 3D Rendering, because I have an arts associates and I'm wondering if I should go back to get a 3D degree
*Tell us your secrets*
You're like the Yoda of artists. Wise, intelligent and skilled. Thank you for the video. I really needed to hear this today. 🙏
Who put onions here, why are my tears dripping.
I'm just gonna say thank you for inspiring us!
Thinking is how we reward ourselves for doing nothing.
Im at the stage of dropping art career pursuit. Today I got the reminder about the piece I did 9 years ago that started the pursuit and thought "damn 9 years..." maybe I should drop it. But I guess I'll listen to you and do 10 more steps. Thanks for inspiration!
I sincerely see my current self in the stories that you tell of your past experience.
Trent, you give so much of yourself to encourage the rest of us, so I want to also give back to you by saying that your game is coming along so nicely. What you’re achieving is huge, and ive no doubt you’ll make your big break in the indie game scene and become the next team cherry-level success story. I’m getting on steam today to wishlist Twilight Monk.
Thank you- a fellow delusional artist
if there is metroidvania tag, i need to have it in my wishlist...great paint!
I legit needed to hear this... I don't think realize how important this was to hear. Thank you for yiur content and your effort!
WOW!!! It is so interesting to unintentionally revisit this a year later. ... I remember the video, but I didn't even realize I had left this comment until I looked under the video. At first, it's discouraging to admit that a full year later I'm not any further along on this "dream"... Of course, I look back and see what all I accomplished in other arenas over the last year. Even in hindsight I know that I prioritized correctly in that I would do it all over again even if I knew ahead it would cost /postpone my vision. However, it still brings in so much doubt as to whether I should even keep chasing this dream. Almost like "Well I've got time now, but what's the point? It wouldn't surprise me to have life kick me in the teeth again tomorrow." .... But honestly... I get a little nauseous at the idea of giving up. Learning everything from scratch is so intimidating! but I suppose it's what you're referring to around the 12 min mark in this vid. I am hopeful... gut wrenching doubt... but still hopeful!!!!!
this is my favorite video from your channel
Added your game to my wishlist! I love metroidvania games.
I love this channel because of your honesty. I really appreciate how you talk about the difficulties and the struggles you went through or going through. It makes me feel that I'm not alone. Thanks a lot.
Great video. Really appreciated your views, a good reminder to keep going and focus on your own journey rather than focusing on what others are doing. Wishlisted Twilight Monk, it's looking great!
I found this video in my recommendations and it was exactly what I needed right now, thank you so much Trent! You just gained another sub :)
Already wishlisted and followed as soon as I could! Thanks for you the videos, the inspiration and the classes! :D
I decided to take it at my own pace. If i quit id get nowhere, but doing thing at a time is still going to help.
I'm very sad where I'm at my art journey but hopefully that changes.
you know for the past few days I've been going through a limitation issue if you will, I tend to put more attention to the million things I need to do, and it keeps me wondering how on earth am I gonna finish this thing. I end up more frustrated and overwhelmed to the point that sometimes I won't even open the project. People say game dev is hard, sure is challenging and hard work that anyone can do, but the mind frame, thoughts, and focus are what determines how hard you want to make it on yourself. Seeing the timelapse of the background and listening to the message makes it clear for your mind to understand it haha small steps make the bigger picture happen. Also, I'm reminding myself frequently to remember how it made me feel when the Idea for my project came to me, at that moment everything seemed easy and clear on how to go about it, as time goes on your mind tends to find what-ifs. Thanks so much!
I like to draw and illustrate my ideas a lot but many days i just felt like sleeping all day, tired, hopeless and giving up already without drawing anything this last year mostly because im stressed every day due to the amount of discrimination i suffer every day due to my intimidating face whenever i put a foot outside my house ignorant and stupid people appears out of nowhere insults me and act as if they were the victims and were defending themselves against a brown skinned devil (if you are brown skinned here people will make your life a literal hell but if you are white you can get away with anything) this stresses me so much to the point i white hairs in my head since im 19 years old and now im almost 30 i try to pay my bills with the small amount of money i had, i don't have friends and because of my face issue im almost all the time inside my house either learning other lenguages sometimes or trying to be better at my drawings but sometimes the mental pressure is too much because when i try to imagine what to draw or recall things bad memories about these assholes pop out in my head and i stop being motivated enough and i just fall to the bed for the rest of the day and every day im more worried than yesterday about my future and if i could still live a warm house and what will happen once my parents, grandparents and people that still supports me moves on or dies, it truly scares me to think in the future, i wanna keep drawing and i know nothing good will come from sleeping all day but is just so hard to do anything when almost everyone outside of your house is against you and will put their max effort into making your life as miserable as they could and get away with it while i get traumatized all day by their insults.
this channel is a true piece of gold
Hmm, even after art school I still don’t know where I fit in with the art world. In 2019 I went to Pasadena and attended the first Light Box Expo, and I listened to a bunch of lectures and met a lot of cool people at the convention. Yet, I felt as though I did not belong in my endeavors. I realize that games got me interested in art from a very young age, but I am more interested in making pretty pictures or, “fine art” (even though I dislike the term. I just want to make beautiful imagery that people in the world will cherish and be inspired by after I’m dead. When I think of the life I’d like to have, I’d like to travel around the world, use the travels for inspiration for paintings, paint portraits , hopefully have a loving wife and live a balanced life as a professional artist. I don’t know if it’s a realistic dream though. I’m 27 years old now, and currently I’ve spent the years after college by myself cleaning toilets in Indiana, and it feels as though I’ve failed entirely. I often feel very lonely in my endeavors here, as most of my colleagues ran to the coasts after school and I stayed behind. I’m trying to save up to attend Grand Central Atelier, but other than that I have very little sense of direction. Partially I am scared that I’ll be stuck working in factories and cleaning toilets forever, but I’m also terrified of moving somewhere and having zero support because my entire family is contained in the Midwest. I often feel as though I am not just failing at art, but also in life in general.
Sorry for the pity party here. I just needed to talk.
New to the channel and this hit home trying to get myself back into something i love for a long time...thanks
Your words = Pure gold. Thank you so much!
you always have the best advice at the right moment. Thanks Trent
Loving those kind of video Trent o/ take care
A good motivational talk, and a very good way to think. I'm always glad to hear your insights!
As an artist, I truly believe success has nothing to do with talent whatsoever.
It has to do with whether or not an editor/ publisher/ hiring manager wants to bang you.
Nothing else.
Trent has a excellent learning program, I think learning to slow down if you are older is needed, I have been working on meditating more
Thank you so much for this. Love how inspirational your videos are 💘
For real. I started really late in the game (at least by my standards), but I think I'm getting by with just putting the pen down and making a mark and taking it from there. Before I know it, I've made a piece.
I needed to hear this.
And that's what they call karma yoga I guess :) Thank you for your videos, Mr.Kaniuga!
Thanks for you words, Trent. I´ve been involved with the game industry and the art world for more than a decade (with the usuals up´n´downs) but my fellings about it are trully voiced in that video. I came here while i´m going through a kind of "dark place" and I can assure you that all your advices touches me deeply... And I hope to work! ;) Twilight Monk is in my Wishlist and don´t doubt I´ll gonna catch some of your Gumroad tuts... Thank you again! Cheers...
Keep at it Trent, you're inspiring us to go for those little wins EVERY day.
Thank you for your work, your channel and your words. In my art journey, I learned early that there is always someone better, but maybe their ideas are not the same as yours and there you can take advantage. Maybe that artist is good at drawing female portraits, but it's bad when it's come to create a game for example. You only need a lot of practice and focus on your craft.
I would like to give you opposite side / opinion.
Software Engineer - A lot of hiring options. Basically spending 1k hours = job with good enough salary and clear career path.
Artist - 1k hours - you're still might be not good enough, not easy to get job, you really have to fight to get any money from your art.
The fear is because you can really fail, not earn enough money based on your art. You're investing a lot of hours hard work, changing your priorities, no social life / no other hobbies because you don't have enough time, and after 2-3 years you're recognizing that you're still in a same place. Your art is better than one year ago / two years ago but still not good enough to get your dream art job.
If that’s the case, you may be skipping fundamentals of your desired industry. The only time a artist stops growing is when they skip the fundamentals or stop doing studies.
You're doing great!!!
You inspire me to create 2d games because of your art
Great video as always. Thank you. God bless your projects.
thanks trent! awesome vid
thanks man.. ive been burned out and i appreciate the advice
Trent, consider that the inspiration and wisdom you provide to the community might be your Opus Magnum :)
thank you ! that's what I needed to hear
Thank you for this video, it was very encouraging and helpful!
This was fantastic, I needed this. Thanks Trent!
I literally love you man
Thank you 💚🌹i really needed to hear this
When you focus on problems, you will have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you will have more opportunities.☺️🇯🇵wishlist your game.
I did appreciate this video and I loved watching what u made and Yh~ I defo will check ur game out !
Thanks man. I am almost quiting art. Yet i wake up and do more because of this
Trent, you give so much of yourself to encourage me, so I want to also give back to you by saying that i am so much interested in you tutorials but i am starting so, can you give me a list which tutorial should i buy first and a continue list? because i would really like to draw like your heartstone style
Your videos always pop up when I'm feeling like everything is meaningless and there's no point to keep doing art. Like what kind of magic is this lmao
Great advice I was listening to this wail I was working on a thumbnail for one of my videos.
Wishlisted! It already looks sooo good, hyped about your progress on it! Great vid full of good vibes as always, but what you said in your concept art workshop promo made me think: What are your opinions on the new surge of very powerful visual IA and how do you think this could impact artists?
Oh trent.
I will make my Game one day.
And i will quote you in the credits.
I promise
Thank you.
Thank you man
Hi Trent, thank you for your videos. Btw you sound like the narrator of Bastion XD
Trend, will you planning to bring the game to the iOS mobile version in the future? I would love to play it cuz i don’ have pc!
thanks bro
God bless you
thank you
Ty.
I was thinking about buying your diablo demo where you show how you go from the block in to the painting result. how do you go from the finished painting from the original blockout to an actual usable textured model. does someone look at the finished painting and recreate all the textures for the actual model? I mean you can't load it up in blender as is right its just a painting not a fully textured model.
Nice work! Any plan to publish that on the nintendo switch?
so inspired 🔥
How do you clone areas like that to use the same piece of the picture more than once? Im beginner to digital art and im not sure how to clone things
you are awesome!
Just wow 😍
Inspiring and motivating i needed that,
I appreciate the time you put to create this video.
THANK YOU ✨ !
Like, sub and 4sure wishlist ur master piece 👏🏻👏🏻
Sometimes I get this feeling. Im 22 and have been going to artschool for a year now. Im not bad but Im also not really good. My figure drawing sucks. My portraits too. I want to do concept art and illustration but sometimes i feel like other people my age own a car. Or a house. Or dont live in a shithole. And then i feel like man, maybe I just started too late. I have been doodling and drawing all my life but i never really practiced really until 20.
one foot then another.
Very inspirational, thank you! I hope I can get to your level some day!
your game,looks amazing,are you hiring,or accept trainees?
I'm actually looking for experienced animators. yes.
@@TrentKaniuga i wouldnt call myself an experienced animator, but can we talk bussiness?
@@OMIBR no
Trent, I'm jumping back into art, after all these years I realized this is the only thing I'm truely good at. I'm studying and practicing every day. But truth be told, I'm worried lol. I see people with much lower skill level being much more popular on social media than me, and I don't want to lock into a single niche opposing to popular recommendation by pros, I feel like that just kills me as someone who's trying to be a creative individual. Especially when I'm not even as good as I want to be yet. Also bills are knocking on my door and age is creeping up. So thank you for touching on these subjects which I'm sure is concerning many people.
;)
Yes me too, I start all over, man, after all this year I work on oil and gas, car paint jobs, and others, then it's not working out, then this year I try to draw again and be a freelancer, I don't know in the future, money is the real problem, I hope it's worth a try,
I'm in the military and know what you mean. I'm 48 and am setting myself up for a full time art career after I finish up in the Army. I think as long as you follow your passion, you'll do great. Next week I'm joining my local art society so I can build a personal presence along with an online one. I've ran into some people in my own town who were mentioning they enjoy seeing and talking with local artists. While social media is a trend, it doesn't have to be the only one.
I'm in the same boat. How old are you? The crazy thing is people seem to feel they are too old to start no matter what age they start these days. It's like we feel we need to be toddlers to have a shot. I'm 34, so not crazy old, but I still feel like i wasted the past 15 years pursuing the wrong stuff. But then I think that in that time I met my wife, had a kid, got a house, travelled the world and did a ton of other awesome stuff. I have friends who DID do art only the past 15 years. They want what I have.
There is a lot of underrated/overrated art, I don't focus on my numbers anymore. I just draw what I want and what I feel, and I do it for myself. People know to sell or get likes even if it's ugly or they spent 5 minutes doing it, because they know how to do it. So many talented and amazing artists are underrated.
I feel this. I graduated with a degree in CGI in 2020. I've been applying to stuff ever since, all while doing competitions, practicing, pushing to get better at what I do... but outside from being shouted out by a couple of youtubers (which was super cool) I've seen zero success. Nothing I've applied to recently has even resulted in an interview, and it's all been entry level stuff that's well within my skill level. My family keep asking if there's something else I'd like to do but there really isn't. So I've got to keep going, but man is it hard sometimes to keep that motivation up...
I've been seriously pursuing art for 15 years with very little success until this year when I finally got a contract job as an art director and received a scholarship to a high level art intensive that will hopefully yield good job connections. 15... years... 2 seems like not that much. Especially with how volatile employment has been for any job type.
I'm in that same place. I've showed my work to friends, teachers, and even some fairly known art directors and they are impressed, yet there isn't a place for me yet. It's really hard for me to say motivated, too. I have people say that I can do all these things yet... crickets. All we can do is keep moving, no matter how slow it may feel sometimes. I'm pretty sure you get comments and likes and such from friends? I keep them close and try to not compare myself to others cause when that comparison mood strikes it strikes hard.
I’m in this boat and need something soon. My family has given up and wants me to do a laborious job at a plant. Every day is a struggle to keep going and I wonder as an illustration major at nearly 30…why bother? It’s incredibly saddening. I have no connections or directions and can’t find help. Wish I hadn’t “followed my dream” and gone to college.
@@SushiPredator that's the most frustrating part! Everyone seems to love your work but when you apply anywhere you just get a boilerplate rejection email - no opportunity for feedback. So you're stuck wondering whether you're just not good enough yet, or if they didn't love your cover letter, was it your cv perhaps?
Definitely feel you on comparison stuff. Sometimes I'll see something on artstation and think... will I ever be that good? Usually though I'll look at that person's profile and it turns out they're like a senior artist somewhere, which makes me feel a bit better. They're 5+ years ahead on the road.
@@axeliasalaria8905 also on that boat of having 30 turning up not too far away. I remember years ago thinking I'd have a career going by now, plus wife and kids maybe xD rip that idea.
I hate my job with a burning passion and art is my ultimate escape but at the same time I be so exhausted from work that I can only have energy to draw on weekends and even then I'm too tired to get out of bed. The struggle is real
I needed this talk. I have not drawn in a few years due to a pretty bad art school experience.
Never give up!
So, how’s it going bro? It’s still not too late. It never is.
I like to have this thought that, whenever I feel down with my illustrations, I think of how many bad art has been made and published out there, how something worse than what I do is actually being sold out there, so that means that if that made it, then I can make it too. Always lifts me up somehow.
"That person there is so ugly and theyve got a girlfriend so I can have one too" is what you're saying. Basically shitting on someone else to make your own work feel better. Nice job
Hello Trent! this is a very helpful video for so many people, including me. When I started with art I felt so lost because all the artists I follow are way younger, went to an art school and look very adorable too.
But like you, I feel a burning since I‘m a kid and I finally take care of that and draw, sometimes until my hand starts hurting LOL
Sometimes we humans need to relearn many things even when we are adults to be able to pursue our dreams and that is not shameful or silly.
I started to follow older artists, who also are on the same experience level and that alone gave me a burst of energy and confidence.
Mann.... this video couldnt come to me at a better time... as a mid 30s dude who always feels "im late to the game".... this video helped.
I'm 37 (just turned yesterday), started drawing again properly in my early 30's, saying to my partner that one day I'll make this my job, it was a tough ride especially whilst having kids, but after being able to go freelance fulltime for the last few years I now work as a background artist at an animation studio doing background designs and paintings for netflix shows etc. I've still got a long way to go to catch back up in life, but finally landing a dream job is more than possible in your thirties, so don't give up man :)
@@SyGardner thank you so much for sharing this... this definitely helped my moral a bit ... I have to keep a consistent positive attitude if I want to make it. And maybe after that get over the imposter syndrome lol... I'll keep at it 💪 tysm
@@Z-moneyGaming no problem man, the imposter syndrome is there for everyone I know, and I know a couple of people who work for other big studios etc, none of us ever know everything, so always remember that we all have stronger points and weaker points, but eventually your stronger points make you employable :)
As a ex-entertainment designer gone engineer/programmer to feed his family, I really enjoy your channel and these talks. I hope to get back into graphic novel work as a hobby once things get more stable financially for my family in these crazy times, (currently juggling 1.25 engineering/programming jobs)
yea dont go into art for fulltime employment it sucks, keep it as a hobby
@@seb5659 Why? I’d kill for that- don’t care how I’m treated or how much I’m paid. Just want to do art.
With the internet, people of like interests are finding each other and creating a market.
Heartwarming talk, Trent, always helps to hear these things! Wishlisted your game, now back to my ongoing 10-day game jam project, almost done 😅
Please share it when you are done! Id like to see it.
@@TrentKaniuga I'd love to, but youtube won't let me comment with a link in here (rightly so, I guess) :-/
I've only read the title but this video already hits home so much. it's like trent knows exactly what we need at any given time..
I may be young and am certainly not a professional artist by any standard but I do want to create an indie game. I want to start soon. It'll be 2d, rather simple, probably just something of a story.
Does anyone know good tutorials and game engines I can use? (I assume a game engine is required for the programming part. I can program some and I have family members that program.)
Your voice is really idk... nice, calm, realxing
You have a good voice👍
And top video. Love the realtalk
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I really needed to hear this right now. Liked and subscribed! :)
Great video! I've faced many obstacles--both internal & external--over the past 6 years or so while pursuing a career in video game concept art, so I absolutely understand those negative thoughts, things, and people who can drag you down & distract you from your goals, (with the added challenge of me being nearly 40 years old now.) That negativity will never stop coming at you, so you must be adamant in your pursuit of said goals, & try your best to continuously rewire your brain, & hold onto that passion/vision/self-awareness/discipline, because with that you can't lose, it's just a matter of time before you win.
Unfortunately I can't add Twilight Monk to my Steam Wishlist, because it's already been Wishlisted!
it's always good to remember that everyone feels insecure from time to time. We all go through it. We all fall. The difference between the winners and the losers is just deciding to continue.
I love wakening up at 5:30 am, booting up photoshop or Figma and chilling along your vids
Best of luck 👍 supporting you by putting it on the wishlist. Might be streaming it. Hope that the game has entertaining content
Your game looks super interesting. Looking forward to it!
Thanks man, I needed this today!
This is powerful, I feel this way when I'm on Instagram and I get 30 likes
Added the game to the wishlist - and I really mean it :-) Thank you for the video!
i really would love to work with you in your next project
if you need any artist
it would be a dream come true
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step