Ideal Job

I have judged what my ideal job would be based on what I do most, which is draw. I was told Valve always scout out ‘T’ shaped people, meaning that my skills should be specialised in one area, but that I should also know enough in other areas of the design process that I can help other members of the team with aspects such as 3D modelling or texturing.

The skillset I want to have is below.

(I never want to learn coding ever.)

I think you are more likely to get a job the more useful you are. The better you are at more than one thing, the more employable you are. That said, I strongly feel that devoting more time to one area of artistic practice, in my case 2D work, results in being employable too.

I also would be interested to delve into UI design, as graphic design really excites me, but I suppose that feeds into illustration and 2D stuff in general. I looked at a list of active games companies in the UK, and most of them seem to be making IOS or indie games. This is really exciting.

Indie games are becoming really popular, due to the querky ideas behind them and the original concepts and game mechanics that developers are trying out. Indie games have been considered a form of art in themselves, as they demand many different types of interaction from the player, which can often be very obscure.

Working for an indie game company, or starting one with some friends would be fantastic, as you have significantly more say in the creation and development of the games you work on and are relatively easy to establish, with no more than a handful of creative needed to start a team.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/studiobento/gameloading-rise-of-the-indies

(This kickstarter is an example of how indie games have an increasing market presence.)

The idea of experimental games becoming a bigger part of online gaming is pretty cool. It puts the power into the communities hands, so that people can make stuff for themselves. It means more original content is going to be out there, which is always good. Steam and the Humble Bundle are probably the two best things to have happened to the indie game community so far.

Aside from working in a company, I really want to freelance as an illustrator. I think this jline of work truly encompasses everything I could look for in a job:

-          Paid to draw.

-          Work to your own hours.

-          Work from home.

-          Get to work on loads of different projects.

Sure that might be a bit idealistic, and I am aware of the downsides of freelancing: sporadic income, feeling depressed about your work all the time, crappy clients that take you for granted, eating your own face due to lack of food ect. (I think the pros outweigh the cons though.)

I know concept art and illustration are infamous for being ‘hard to get into’, I am very aware that the standards of my own work are far below that of professionals, but the skill of drawing and painting can only be improved through regular practice.