I tend to have big ideas. Not impossible ideas, but big, ambitious ideas. Large projects that will take a lot of time. They come in all forms: stories, games, animations, music videos. They pop into my head all the time, I have no control over it. I know I’m not the only one. I know you have big ideas too sometimes. Either in the form of doing something new and fresh in whichever medium you prefer, or maybe by branching out into new or less explored mediums, or even a combination of them.
As a personal example, besides making posters for school, working on recreating the Battle of the Sabis in Rome: Total War for a professor at the University of Amsterdam, and attempting to get into chiptunes, all of which takes up enough of my time already when combined with school and the girlfriend, I’ve got a giant personal project I want to make this year. Whether or not I’ll actually be able to finish it this year is not entirely clear, but seeing as it’s a personal project it doesn’t really matter. Let’s just say that it’s an animation that will last about 25 minutes and has both 2d and 3d elements. Quite a lot of work, and so far the only thing I actually have is one half-finished 3d model and a notebook full of sketches and, well, notes.
Just like any large, ambitious ideas you might have, this project will require a lot of time and a lot of work to even get started, let alone finish. But the benefits will be amazing. I want this project to be of the highest quality I can possibly achieve, and that should be true for any ambitious projects you might have in your head (or notebooks) as well.
The Challenge
You obviously have to get started first, and this is something that can be challenging enough on its own. It’s likely that you’ve never attempted a project of such magnitude before (or at least not on your own), so not knowing what to expect could make you too afraid to get started. Well, then you won’t complete anything, will you? So forget that fear. Motivation is, as always, a huge factor. The biggest thing to consider is the payoff compared to the amount of work you put in. This can be monetary, if you are intending to enter it into contests or festivals, or even intending to sell it. But you could also be doing it to just get a sense of personal or artistic accomplishment, or to express your emotions. Whatever the case, the payoff needs to be sufficient enough for the whole thing to be worth it. So, do your best to find out what that payoff might be for you, and then evaluate whether or not that payoff will be worth the amount of work and time you will put into the project.
The Organization
Oh, you silly amateurs, you don’t need to be organized, right? You just do things, and then stuff happens, and then you’re happy. Well, if you want to do things that are a little harder, things that take a little more time, you’re just gonna have to act at least a little professional and get a little organized. I know, I know, it’s no fun, but it’s just part of the whole ‘hard work’ thing, there’s no getting around it. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do that much. Just set up a rough schedule for yourself, and narrow that down to whatever kind of schedule works for you. Set yourself some deadlines, but don’t go cry in a corner if you miss them. Write things down, get yourself some structure, be at least a little disciplined, and you’ll be well on your way to the end of your project so that you can be bored again and can kill that eventual boredom with an even more ambitiousnesserer project.
The Education
It is extremely likely that you will have to pick up some new skills for a project like this. Both technical skills and techniques, and general (or specific) artistic principles that you will need to apply. You also might need to learn to work with new software, or even hardware, depending on the scope of your project. There are many ways to get yourself educated. The most common path amateur digital artists take is the path of the trusty tutorial. Now, while there’s no doubt that you can learn a lot from tutorials, there’s only so much they can teach. My advice would be to only resort to tutorials when there’s a specific technical trick you don’t understand. Besides to tutorials, there are plenty of other ways to learn. Even books about art history can give you insights you hadn’t considered before. You can also start taking some classes, or workshops, and attend seminars. This can usually be very motivating because you have a physical place to go to, and have other creative people to interact with. Last but not least, the very best way to learn: experimentation. It is only by playing around, both technically and artistically, that you can really create new things.
The Alliance
This is something I will probably talk about a lot in the future, because I think it’s very important. Maybe, depending on your lifestyle, you do not have the time to learn new things. Maybe you don’t have the interest. But you still have ambition, you still want to do something new, something much bigger than you’ve ever done before. What to do?
Collaborate.
If you lack a certain skill you do not have the time or interest to learn yourself, find someone else who does have that skill. While I might not always be a fan of digital art communities, one thing they are good for is finding people to work with. Need an animator? Need someone to make the music? Need someone to help with the programming? Ask for help. If there’s one thing I know about amateur digital artists, it’s that they’re always willing to help, especially if the project is large and ambitious. Beware, though, because collaboration does not come without it’s problems. Make sure the rules are clear. If you want to maintain complete creative control, say it. If you are willing to accept any ideas the other person(s) might have, it’s just as important to let them know. Communication is essential when you’re working with other people. Set up regular chat sessions, private forums, conference calls or maybe even real life meet ups, whatever it takes. All the stuff I mentioned before about organization still counts, only it gets a little more complicated and the whole group has to be aware of it. Don’t be afraid to kick someone out of the group if they’re not doing their part, just be sure to be fair. If everything goes right, your big idea will become a reality, and you might even make some good friends in the process.
And always give credit where credit is due.
The Backup
Hate other people? Hate learning? All hope is not yet lost! You can still resort to free resources, and if it comes to it maybe even paid resources. There’s certainly enough free stuff out there, but as I’ve said before, using resources you did not create yourself (or were not created specifically for you) does not come without risks. Be aware of them, they will have a big influence on your project.
The Consequences
The project can end up in two ways, success or failure. What determines whether or not it’s a success or a failure is entirely up to you.
A failure will at the most make it seem like you wasted a lot of your precious time, but there is no better way to learn to walk than to fall flat on your face. And with an ambitious project, you must have learned a lot, so there’s absolutely no reason not to try again, which something that will surely lead to…
Success! What is success? Success is different to everyone. For some, it might just be the journey of attempting to bring a big idea to life. For others it’s the recognition of the quality of the finished products. For others, it’s making a fat ton of cash from all the hard work put into the creation.
Both end scenarios will have consequences, both positive and negative, so be ready.
And make sure you’re wearing a parachute when you jump.
Big Ideas, Ambitious Projects, and How You Can Make Them Real
I tend to have big ideas. Not impossible ideas, but big, ambitious ideas. Large projects that will take a lot of time. They come in all forms: stories, games, animations, music videos. They pop into my head all the time, I have no control over it. I know I’m not the only one. I know you have big ideas too sometimes. Either in the form of doing something new and fresh in whichever medium you prefer, or maybe by branching out into new or less explored mediums, or even a combination of them.
As a personal example, besides making posters for school, working on recreating the Battle of the Sabis in Rome: Total War for a professor at the University of Amsterdam, and attempting to get into chiptunes, all of which takes up enough of my time already when combined with school and the girlfriend, I’ve got a giant personal project I want to make this year. Whether or not I’ll actually be able to finish it this year is not entirely clear, but seeing as it’s a personal project it doesn’t really matter. Let’s just say that it’s an animation that will last about 25 minutes and has both 2d and 3d elements. Quite a lot of work, and so far the only thing I actually have is one half-finished 3d model and a notebook full of sketches and, well, notes.
Just like any large, ambitious ideas you might have, this project will require a lot of time and a lot of work to even get started, let alone finish. But the benefits will be amazing. I want this project to be of the highest quality I can possibly achieve, and that should be true for any ambitious projects you might have in your head (or notebooks) as well.
The Challenge
You obviously have to get started first, and this is something that can be challenging enough on its own. It’s likely that you’ve never attempted a project of such magnitude before (or at least not on your own), so not knowing what to expect could make you too afraid to get started. Well, then you won’t complete anything, will you? So forget that fear. Motivation is, as always, a huge factor. The biggest thing to consider is the payoff compared to the amount of work you put in. This can be monetary, if you are intending to enter it into contests or festivals, or even intending to sell it. But you could also be doing it to just get a sense of personal or artistic accomplishment, or to express your emotions. Whatever the case, the payoff needs to be sufficient enough for the whole thing to be worth it. So, do your best to find out what that payoff might be for you, and then evaluate whether or not that payoff will be worth the amount of work and time you will put into the project.
The Organization
Oh, you silly amateurs, you don’t need to be organized, right? You just do things, and then stuff happens, and then you’re happy. Well, if you want to do things that are a little harder, things that take a little more time, you’re just gonna have to act at least a little professional and get a little organized. I know, I know, it’s no fun, but it’s just part of the whole ‘hard work’ thing, there’s no getting around it. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do that much. Just set up a rough schedule for yourself, and narrow that down to whatever kind of schedule works for you. Set yourself some deadlines, but don’t go cry in a corner if you miss them. Write things down, get yourself some structure, be at least a little disciplined, and you’ll be well on your way to the end of your project so that you can be bored again and can kill that eventual boredom with an even more ambitiousnesserer project.
The Education
It is extremely likely that you will have to pick up some new skills for a project like this. Both technical skills and techniques, and general (or specific) artistic principles that you will need to apply. You also might need to learn to work with new software, or even hardware, depending on the scope of your project. There are many ways to get yourself educated. The most common path amateur digital artists take is the path of the trusty tutorial. Now, while there’s no doubt that you can learn a lot from tutorials, there’s only so much they can teach. My advice would be to only resort to tutorials when there’s a specific technical trick you don’t understand. Besides to tutorials, there are plenty of other ways to learn. Even books about art history can give you insights you hadn’t considered before. You can also start taking some classes, or workshops, and attend seminars. This can usually be very motivating because you have a physical place to go to, and have other creative people to interact with. Last but not least, the very best way to learn: experimentation. It is only by playing around, both technically and artistically, that you can really create new things.
The Alliance
This is something I will probably talk about a lot in the future, because I think it’s very important. Maybe, depending on your lifestyle, you do not have the time to learn new things. Maybe you don’t have the interest. But you still have ambition, you still want to do something new, something much bigger than you’ve ever done before. What to do?
Collaborate.
If you lack a certain skill you do not have the time or interest to learn yourself, find someone else who does have that skill. While I might not always be a fan of digital art communities, one thing they are good for is finding people to work with. Need an animator? Need someone to make the music? Need someone to help with the programming? Ask for help. If there’s one thing I know about amateur digital artists, it’s that they’re always willing to help, especially if the project is large and ambitious. Beware, though, because collaboration does not come without it’s problems. Make sure the rules are clear. If you want to maintain complete creative control, say it. If you are willing to accept any ideas the other person(s) might have, it’s just as important to let them know. Communication is essential when you’re working with other people. Set up regular chat sessions, private forums, conference calls or maybe even real life meet ups, whatever it takes. All the stuff I mentioned before about organization still counts, only it gets a little more complicated and the whole group has to be aware of it. Don’t be afraid to kick someone out of the group if they’re not doing their part, just be sure to be fair. If everything goes right, your big idea will become a reality, and you might even make some good friends in the process.
And always give credit where credit is due.
The Backup
Hate other people? Hate learning? All hope is not yet lost! You can still resort to free resources, and if it comes to it maybe even paid resources. There’s certainly enough free stuff out there, but as I’ve said before, using resources you did not create yourself (or were not created specifically for you) does not come without risks. Be aware of them, they will have a big influence on your project.
The Consequences
The project can end up in two ways, success or failure. What determines whether or not it’s a success or a failure is entirely up to you.
A failure will at the most make it seem like you wasted a lot of your precious time, but there is no better way to learn to walk than to fall flat on your face. And with an ambitious project, you must have learned a lot, so there’s absolutely no reason not to try again, which something that will surely lead to…
Success! What is success? Success is different to everyone. For some, it might just be the journey of attempting to bring a big idea to life. For others it’s the recognition of the quality of the finished products. For others, it’s making a fat ton of cash from all the hard work put into the creation.
Both end scenarios will have consequences, both positive and negative, so be ready.
And make sure you’re wearing a parachute when you jump.