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Spending too much time creating?

polycounter lvl 12
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Joebewon polycounter lvl 12
Hey Polycounters,

I wanted to run something by you guys and get your thoughts on it.
My history on this: Since graduating Art College I've spent pretty much all of my time and focus trying to improve my art skills, because sadly the college I attended gave a wider scope on games and less focus on specifically game art. But, about two months ago I was offered my first real art job being a game artist at a studio not in my state.

I moved to another state leaving friend, family, and my fiance’ behind back home while I took this job. And after work I exercise and just create more art. And my real dilemma is that I recently talked to a friend of mine back home who asked, “Dude have you made any friends out there yet?”

Which obviously I haven’t due to my schedule of work, exercise, & art. On top of that my fiance’ got us each copies of Monster Hunter 4 to co-op together online, but I’d rather be watching tutorials or creating game art than playing games. And honestly I almost feel guilty when I’m spending time playing games instead of learning or practicing art.

Basically I’m wondering if this is normal. Does anybody else get this way? Or have I just developed a bit of being a workaholic. And I am not even close to a level of “being a confident artist” so I know I need to spend time learning and creating.

I've just heard tales of people who have ruined their lives and relationships because of constantly working. And I'd definitely like to avoid that if possible! I see a lot of talented and amazing artists on here, who have definitely put a lot of time and passion into their craft so I feel like you guys might have some input on the subject.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Replies

  • Joao Sapiro
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    Joao Sapiro sublime tool
    working hard to attain your goals is the best. as long as you are actively creating new content as in putting it on boards like these and not spending too much time "researching inspiration" wich is a form of procrastination.

    having time to exerc
    ise is also VERY important, it will help you in the long run not having health issues that are common in industries in wich 80% of your day is spent seating.

    lastly , the social aspect , i am a bit biased as i always like beeing around friends and family and thats what allows me to "recharge" batteries , it comes down to a personal preference , and unless you procrastinated the whole day , playing co op games with your fiance is imo a fun way to keep each other company.

    hope i helped man !
  • Blaisoid
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    Blaisoid polycounter lvl 7
    Yeah, the act of creating stuff can be pretty addictive. It's worst when you do multiple types of art or if you do music as well; in that case even if you get sick of one type there's always something else to work on, which blocks healthy thoughts like "I should go out".
  • Vitaly Varna
    I get that "guilty" feeling sometimes aswell whenever i'm not doing anything productive, but honestly I don't think it's worth the stress if you step away from creating for a bit.

    In the end, i don't think any of us on deathbed will think that he/she haven't worked enough :)

    just mine 2 cents, good luck ^^
  • PyrZern
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    PyrZern polycounter lvl 12
    ........ On a deathbed, I could very well be wishing I had left more kickass arts for the world to see.
  • EricHall
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    EricHall polycounter lvl 6
    As others have said, I think you're doing okay. Be mindful of burn out, but if you break up the creative energy with new things or styles, I think you'd be fine. I struggle with the same sort of scenario, but I end up trying to be okay with setting a little bit of time aside for other things in life too. Best of luck!
  • Autocon
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    Autocon polycounter lvl 15
    Its all about that work/life balance and its a hard balance to find. Each person and each situation is different.

    You are living in a different state than your fiance which I'm sure is extremely difficult. You should NEVER feel guilty spending time with her, if thats playing games, skyping or face timing while watching Netflix you shouldnt feel bad about spending time with the most important person in your life.

    You just need to find the right amount of time to spend with your fiance playing games and enjoying what time you have with them vs how much time you spend working on art.



    After doing this for a bit you will realize that Friends/Family > Any job.
  • leslievdb
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    leslievdb polycounter lvl 15
    dude you got a fiance , as long as shes supportive of what you do and you enjoy what you`re doing just go for it.
    you`ll always think what if i did x or y instead but when you`re working towards something (like becoming a better artist) it isnt wasted time .
  • Joebewon
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    Joebewon polycounter lvl 12
    Thanks for everyone's feedback!
    Although, I'm unbelievably thankful for having a supportive fiance who is also an artist so it's nice to bounce ideas off one another.
    My portfolio is pretty weak, even after spending years nose to the grind stone I have so much to learn and grow.

    portfolio: www.joeburak.com
    art-blog: www.cupohjoetumblr.com

    with my work at the level it is, I can't help but feel I need to keep pushing forward. But, everyone has made some great points about friends and family. So if anything I'll have to work some real time management skills.
  • unit187
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    unit187 polycounter lvl 9
    Just don't get burnt out.
    You may read on reddit ( http://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/32cwzn/about_being_burnt_out/ ) how bad your life can become if you work way too much.
  • KeirKieran
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    KeirKieran polycounter lvl 3
    I think a degree of workaholism is natural in our fields. That said, you shouldn't see any game playing as you being negligent. If you want to make games, you have to play them. Also, playing is an important part of keeping the juvenile, free thinking bit of you that's needed for art.

    Besides that, you have a fianc
  • Goeddy
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    Goeddy greentooth
    hey, joe your artblog is offline.

    how long have you been doing this only working thing? and how old are you that you feel this rush to become good so fast?

    if you are young and you have a nice job, you have all the time in the world.
    i for example am pretty lazy by nature, but i started early and managed to get kinda good while still being younger then most people i started to study with where back in the day.

    i would definetly take some time for you friends, atleast on the weekends.
  • DimSum
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    DimSum null
    Hey Joebewon,
    You are in a period of life where you can afford to invest a lot of time and energy into honing your craft&skills. Nothing wrong with that at all. You're ambitious and you're trying to get better at what you do. If not now, when then?

    That being said, in my opinion, it is essential to keep a good balance with your working life and private life (friends, family, gf, leisure etc). Keep your friends and dear ones in the loop of what you're doing and WHY you're doing what you're doing. Communication is really important there. If you need some 'locked up bunker' moments to practise, it's fine as long as you make sure your friends know why you're doing it.
    Besides, try also to keep some quality off-time from your Muse, to allow yourself to breathe and broaden your sources of inspiration. Because, yes, it is so easy to get stuck in the same world&community and forget there are other things in life than 3D and becoming-the-best-artist-evaaa (coming from a guy who has been working in the industry for a decade now). I did what you did for over 5 years, it almost burnt me to a point (the trick is that you only realize it when you're already deep into sh***).

    Good luck with your endeavour&be happy :)
  • Joebewon
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    Joebewon polycounter lvl 12
    Goeddy wrote: »
    hey, joe your artblog is offline.

    how long have you been doing this only working thing? and how old are you that you feel this rush to become good so fast?

    if you are young and you have a nice job, you have all the time in the world.
    i for example am pretty lazy by nature, but i started early and managed to get kinda good while still being younger then most people i started to study with where back in the day.

    i would definetly take some time for you friends, atleast on the weekends.

    whoops my bad! Here's the correct link!
    http://www.cupohjoe.tumblr.com/

    To answer your questions, I've been at this improving my art thing for a good couple years now. I'd say probably 3 or 4, and I still feel like I've just platue'd at a level of poor to average with my art. And I'm 27 years old, which is close to 30 in no time flat.

    And essentially with me being in another state I'm at a point where it's kind of difficult to just call of my friends to hangout. And honestly I'm not sure if it's worth it to try to make new friends where I'm at. When I could be focusing my time on game art.
  • skankerzero
    I'm a workaholic.

    I always question my choices which are usually career focused. At the end of the day though, life is short and I have a lot to create. I could have followed the path of being a family man early on, but I think I would be miserable. Either way, it's not worth stressing over 'what could have been'.
    I just do what feels good. If someone is making you feel guilty for your choices then perhaps they don't need to be part of your life. Real friends are supportive and will work with you regardless of what choices you make in life.

    The worst thing that can possibly happen to you is to make a choice based on what someone else wants. You will end up bitter and that will eat you up alive.
  • oskarkeo
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    oskarkeo polycounter lvl 10
    wow great vid, thanks dustin!
  • Veezen
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    Veezen polycounter lvl 9
    I'm doing the same thing all the time. Year ago I got my first job and since then after work I spent time doing and learning new things and I like it, seriously. I think it's normal for people like us. You need to know that sometimes it's good to take a break from this, because that can turn bad on you if you will spend everyday and weekends on graphics. Playing games are great alternative, because it's really great place to relax but also learn some usefull things about level design etc. - games are somekind a "museum" for artists.
  • RyanB
    Joebewon wrote: »
    I moved to another state leaving friend, family, and my fiance’ behind back home while I took this job. And after work I exercise and just create more art. And my real dilemma is that I recently talked to a friend of mine back home who asked, “Dude have you made any friends out there yet?”

    I've just heard tales of people who have ruined their lives and relationships because of constantly working. And I'd definitely like to avoid that if possible!

    You left your future wife behind so you could make 3d stuff for games. That shows a deep psychological need and no advice is going to change that.

    At this point, you've leapt off the cliff and are shouting to the crowd watching "Should I have worn a parachute?"

    Well, yes, you should have worn a parachute plus had a backup chute. But, at this point, enjoy the ride and hope you land safely.
  • Joebewon
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    Joebewon polycounter lvl 12
    RyanB wrote: »
    You left your future wife behind so you could make 3d stuff for games. That shows a deep psychological need and no advice is going to change that.

    At this point, you've leapt off the cliff and are shouting to the crowd watching "Should I have worn a parachute?"

    Well, yes, you should have worn a parachute plus had a backup chute. But, at this point, enjoy the ride and hope you land safely.

    The reason I reached out to polycount is more so of the fact that I wasn't sure if it was healthy to spend so much time creating even though I know I need to improve my craft. Or if I should really make time to make "Work, Life, Balance" a thing in my life.

    I made a move for my career which, my friends, family, and future wife all supported me on my decision. I'm not miserable or even upset about making the move, because I'm able to talk to my fiance through Google Hangouts all day and play games with my friends on Steam.

    Just looking for some feedback from some talented artists that I'm sure have gone through the struggle of not being able to find that balance.
  • Torch
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    Torch interpolator
    I think what you did is great. It takes a lot of balls to up and move to another place for work and leave everything you know behind, something many people would never consider.

    From what you said you are dedicated to your craft, I've been considering the same and it's interesting hearing about your experience.
  • Joost
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    Joost polycount sponsor
    I'm by no means an accomplished artist, but as long as your relationship(s) and health aren't suffering and you're happy with the way things are I personally don't see any need to balance your life. Though keep in mind that it's better to work hard (and smart) for 1 hour a day than hardly working for 10 hours.
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