Practice Makes Perfect - Strength and Weakness

You have done your subject matter research for both inspiration and technical skills. Now comes the time to put all this effort to the test and go for it. Whether it be drawing, 3D modeling, music / audio, programming etc. Whatever your interest is,  just do it. Take the learning and apply it! Don't give up.

The first attempts may not be great but look objectively and see what is wrong. Even better is to have an "authority" critique your work. Have a mentor or instructor do an honest critique. Find a professional industry group on LinkedIn and post your work for feedback. Compare your work to the pro's whose work is online; refer to your inspirational research.

Remember to work at what you are not good at. Our default / safe strategy is to do what we know. You will not get better if you do not work on your weaknesses. Find what you are not good at and practice until you get better. That will make you a more well rounded and quality artist in the end. Practice makes perfect. The more you practice the easier it gets.

Becoming a Subject Matter Expert Part III: Technical Aspects

OK. Will assume you now know who are the top people are in the area you want to pursue. Next step is to look into what hardware and software is needed for the job. Do you have a firm grasp of these tools. Are there any special techniques that will give you what you want more quickly.

Having classes teaching you the basics is essential but you need to go further. What resources are there to teach you more? Search for online tutorials or books that go deeper. Sift through YouTube. Do Google searches on subject matter / technique. Find forums / user-groups that ask the right questions and give good answers. See if the experts you discovered have created resources or are pointing you in a certain direction. Use industry related sites to see how the technology is changing and what is now being used. Read reviews on books / people who supply information and specify the sites and resources that give you maximum info with minimal fluff. Start bookmarking the the best sites you find.

 If you can afford it there may be some tutorial sites that provide a wide amount of info for a monthly charge in multiple disciplines. Try these three as a start; http://www.lynda.com/, http://www.vtc.com/index.php, http://www.totaltraining.com/. Seek out which ones are the best and give them a go.

More to come.

Becoming a Subject Matter Expert Part II: Inspiration

Frazetta: A personal source of inspiration

Who is your source of inspiration? What persons work set your mind on overload and got you started thinking about entering this field? For me it was Frank Frazetta and work from other EC Comic geniuses. What are the influence of your idols? Have you ever look into who they are? It's a mind blower to see how those influences have changed and shaped your idols. Do the research to find these sources of inspiration. See if your favorite artist has a site or blog. Blogs reveal the mindset of these artist. This information can possible give you more insight and content expertise to explore. Also it will allow you to see trends and where they might be headed. If you can predict a trend then capitalize on it. You will now have the edge.

Becoming a Subject Matter Expert Part I: Getting Started

Todd Howard -Creator of Fallout

David Jaffe - Creator of Twisted Metal

Tod is also responsible for Elder Scrolls

Sorry folks for being away for a bit. Will try to do better on this. Life as we know can be a bit hectic.

As we know, the nature of business and technology means things are moving at a much faster pace. It is up to ourselves to keep up on the latest advancements and changes. We must be plugged into the right resources to keep ourselves viable. In other words we have to become our own Subject Matter Experts in things relating to our field.

Who are at the top of the field you are trying to get into? If you are a gamer do you know who Tod Howard or David Jaffe are? If you are into audio do you know Jim Stout or Rodney Gates? What about art or programming? Find out who the top people are in the area you are interested in. Start checking credits in the games you play and movies you see. Do these people tweet, have blogs or do tutorials. Blogs and tweets will show you the mind-set of these people and possible give you insight on where the industry might be going. If you want to be in the mix you will have to attain a similar mindset to the people at the top.

More to come.

Using Social Media for Jobs and Networking

Came across an interesting article entitled, " 10 ways to use social media to get a job".

Check out this link: http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2010/04/get-job-business-jobs-graduate-jobs.html

Thank you LinkedIn. Which by the way, if you are serious about professional networking and job searching, it's the way to go. Create an account which is free, and join groups in your area of expertise. Make connections as well to other people in the business.

Also, a good friend and social media master by the name of Robert Starks Jr. has an excellent site on maximizing job searching using technology and social media. Check this link: http://careertipster.com/

Some more good topics to come. Keep tuned in!

No Excuses for a Good Education:

     Sometime I hear students lament on schools, instructors and whether they are getting a quality education, which, in the state of the economy today is totally justified. My strategy concerning this would be the follow: 

A. - With the purchase of any big ticket item you do some research and fact finding. If you were buying a car, TV, or washing machine you would check specs, read reviews, reports and feedback before you made the purchase. Your educational institution is no different. Some things to consider; how long the school has been around? What people of importance have graduated from the institution? What about the teachers? Do they have experience in the field or closely related fields? Does the curriculum reflect changes in the industry? What about school accreditation? Are you get bang for your buck? What about type of degree? Is there additional support for job seeking as you get close to graduation? 

B. - So you are now in your institution of choice. Every teacher has different teaching styles. What is the student consensus concerning instructors? Ask people deeper in the program about who are the best instructors for the different classes. Ask from a diverse group and you will be able to narrow down to a few good choices. Try to arrange to get into those classes with these instructors. Do research on the jobs in the field you want to get into. What skills , software and knowledge is required? Be ready to go deeper and ask question about these area when the classes that teach those subjects come around. 

C. - Take an active part in your education. Courses dealing with technology are always in a state of constant flux because the technology and processes are always subject to change. Have a list resources you can go to that will get you that information. Very often good instructors should point you in the right direction. It can be trade magazines, websites, books etc.. Be on the lookout for info to put you at the top of your game. People in industry don't wait to be told. They are already in the know and teaching themselves new techniques constantly. Work at your craft until it becomes effortless.

One of the best artist I know that made complex drawings look easy and effortless told me his secret once. He lived on a farm with no TV or radio for several years and all he did was draw. No distractions. Find a quiet place to study. Absorb, focus, apply and practice! If this is truly something you want to do, go after it with enthusiasm.


Stay tuned for another tip that will keep your sharp and make you even more employable.

PS – Sorry folks. I try to keep the things as short and to the point as possible. Just being thorough.

Your Free Open Source Music Studio

A perk as an instructor is to be able to review books related to the curriculum. A book I received recently, “Your Free Open Source Music Studio” by G.W. Childs is a book I wish I had several years ago.
When I made the switch from hardware to a software based recording set-up, it took a bit of research, time, money, trial and error to find proper resources. This book lists quality sources that are free or very low cost.

This the same author that wrote several other good audio books including “Creating Music and Sound for Games”; a text that is used by the Berklee music online program- http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/course/introduction-to-game-audio?tab=8777020&program=music%5fproduction . Both books are great!

These days a computer with the right software has all the capabilities of a professional recording studio.Check out the books. Try Amazon or Bookfinder.com for the best pricing.

So as not to steal it’s thunder, here are two resources not mentioned in the book. For FruityLoops lovers check out LMMS (Linux Multimedia Studio) - http://lmms.sourceforge.net/ .

This software is free, works on Windows and Linux and work very similar to the FruityLoop music program.

Also try Acid Xpress - http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/xpress/ . This is a streamline version of Sony’s Acid music program and it’s free. It allows you to combine loops to make your own music. Once a week on Acid Planet they provide music loops that you can download for free as well. Just click on the free downloads tab.

Enjoy.