Hey all, so for those who have finished semester 1 in college or Uni, or for those who have just got through crunch time etc. What do you do afterwards?

Do you take a couple days to relax? Or do you go and find more work to do. I've just completed semester 1, and now I find myself just relaxing and playing games, but I also get this nagging feeling that I SHOULD be working, instead of playing.

I was just wondering what everyone here does right after a semester, or milestone etc. And how do you get back into the groove of things

Well after ME I started with one month in japan and now im rollin around in thailand for 2 months; im slowly starting to feel relaxed.

lol, I ususally take a weekend off from everything to treat myself. Chill out, relax, see a couple of friends who you just haven't got round to seeing because you've been too busy working.

I also try not to turn on my pc, give my eyes a good rest from the monitor. I even try to avoid watching tv/playing games. Maybe pick up my camera and go take some photos, whatever I fancy!

After a nice long weekend like that, I'm ready to get back to work with rested eyes, a fresh mind and a new perspective on my work

While I was at school, after a stressful quarter, or after a big milestone or completed project at work now I definitely unplug and don't go anywhere near my computer. Go out to the bar, play some pool, see movies, hang out, and generally do nothing cg related at all. It's good for ya. Actually I tend to do that most weekends. I spend a lot of time with Max throughout the week, that on the weekends I usually never fire it up. I come back to work on Mondays excited to jump back into what I was working on last.

Booze,booze and booze. Hehe but seriously,when i finish the current milestone i will take some time in which i will either tavel,Prague,Berlin and France are my top 3 choices or i wont dont jack during that time. All depends on cash flow.

Judging by how I felt when I was in school, you'll feel guilty when you take breaks. Don't. If you're working hard when you should, you deserve a break from time to time.

Funny thing is, I didn't feel guilty/stress free until after I landed work. You mean, I just have to come in...do my work....and the rest of the day is mine?! Weekends?! What?!

So yeah, relax....if you've earned it. ;]

i play god games, for some reason. Odd, but strangely true now i come to think of it ...

lazy bum, get to work

ahhh there is that voice in my head, its been EQ all along... tricky bastard :P

I actually had a couple games on my list (Prince of Persia being one of them) that I'm playing right now. Good thing about that game is that it inspires me to work, because the art itself is just crazy beautiful.

I think you'd be a crazy person to not take the time to relax a bit after a semester of work. Reward yourself and enjoy it so that later when things get really tough (which they will) you'll be mentally prepared.

All work and no play may get you that awesome job before anyone else but what kind of boring person would you be? Just my opinion though... to each their own!

In college I would say spend a little time working on your art in your downtime, enjoy making your own art before you start a career where you do a ton of art that is dictated to you.

I'm going to be enjoy some time off with family and friends and maybe sketch a few pages.

I used to feel guilty for relaxing when I could be working...

But now I believe my work suffers when I don't take enough downtime. My brain seems to require regular doses of aimless daydreaming and book-reading. Otherwise my imagination just doesn't work as well.

If you are on a break between one crunch and another soon to come, relax. If you just keep looking for work to do you'll burn yourself out. By relaxing some when you get the chance, you'll recharge and be more productive when it's really needed.

Originally Posted by JasonLavoie

Hey all, so for those who have finished semester 1 in college or Uni, or for those who have just got through crunch time etc. What do you do afterwards?

Do you take a couple days to relax? Or do you go and find more work to do. I've just completed semester 1, and now I find myself just relaxing and playing games, but I also get this nagging feeling that I SHOULD be working, instead of playing.

I was just wondering what everyone here does right after a semester, or milestone etc. And how do you get back into the groove of things

When I finished up crunch recently, I took 2 days off, plus a weekend (used more roll-off time to extend my thanksgiving vacation). I was ready to go back to work about halfway through day 3

I totally relate with Geezus - I spent the first two months going home, opening Max, and staring at it, arguing with myself over whether I should be working on stuff in my spare time or playing games.

I still do "art" in my spare time, but its almost exclusively modeling/painting Warhammer 40k stuff nowadays. It was incredibly cathartic to start painting tiny little guys (I have shaky hands), fail miserably, and not have to worry about failing miserably

When I am done with crunches, I tend to do a lot of laundry, errands around the house, grocery shopping etc. These things get neglected unfortunately during crunch times. I will also sit and watch tv or play games. I will sometimes load up Max and just mess around learning or doing anything. I at times do get the guilty feeling when I am doing things for myself after crunches and what not but I have to tell myself this is my time and I can do whatever the hell I want with it. Let your mind run free and do whatever it wants....

I usually get that nagging feeling of "... but I SHOULD be doing SOMETHING...", and I feel like if you like doing art you're just gonna have that, but definitely just try doing a non-digital painting, or using some super sculpey or something. I dunno, I enjoy doing art of any type, and being finished with a project or stuff you're supposed to be doing gives you the freedom to explore crazy ideas, even *gasp* stuff like abstract art ;)

Also, like everyone else is saying, it's good to just get out and do stuff, but I usually take a sketch book just in case I get that nagging feeling :P

work hard, play hard.