Big news, I guess is that I have quit my job.
It felt right, so I did it.
Original plan was to do it at the beginning of the year, but I kept on pushing it away and it took this long to happen.
First reason for not doing it sooner is that the project I was working on (which I can mention now since it has been announced) was not finished yet and it is my professional policy never to leave the project until it is done (I do not think people around me care if I do, nor do I think I am irreplaceable, it just sounds cool and professional when I say it like that).
The project was "Legend of the Guardians, Owls of Ga-Hoole" video game, which should follow the similarly named movie coming out in September.
Second reason for not doing it sooner was because I was desperately trying to grow me some balls so I can have enough courage to do it.
But fiddly things those guys are :)
Every often you check and they seem to grow a bit, but as soon as you start thinking about a life changing decision, they shrink to the size of peanuts and run as fast and as far up your abdomen as they can.
However, the day has come where there was nothing else to do but to write my resignation and hand it in.I turned forty and apart from the money that was making my life reasonably comfortable, there was nothing else. I have not been happy with the industry (and where I was in it) for a long time, in Brisbane in particular. When it comes to the big studios here, there's no original IP and even the licensed stuff seems to thin out.
What happened with the games? There's no dragons and aliens, spaceships, monsters, strong characters and epic quests. Cartooney stuff died on its arse as well. It is all about generic, contemporary worlds and generic characters with the shit Z-brushed out of them for the sake of doing it.(Do not get me wrong, I am aware there's still Blizzard and other guys doing cool games I would love to work on, but my chances of getting there are non existent). All that seemed to be left for me is designing some crates and oil barrels with occasional incidental character and a piece of UI thrown in the mix. It is no one's fault, that's what needs to be done and they paid me money to do it.
15 years ago I was designing cool stuff. I did not even know how to hold my pencil right and yet I was entrusted and trained well (thank you Mr Fil Barlow) and I designed away- Godzilla monsters and Starship trooper bugs, aliens and spaceships, and I had all the fun in the world.
And it has been down the drain ever since.
And I got bitter and old really fast.So instead of eating well and feeling miserable every day I decided to try And push myself back into it.
Being an employee is harder as you get older, particularly when you have no aspirations to climb the hierarchy but just want to draw and get better at it.
So, I decided to try and pay my bills with freelance work and use the time in between to work on my own stuff, do whatever- books, posters, t-shirts and see how I go.
My gut is telling me it is going to be a stormy sea, particularly since I have lost all my contacts from years ago. I was so worried about the IP clause in my game company contracts that I steered away from any freelance alltogether loosing touch with my old clients in the process. Another reason I gave up on it is that, by the time I came back from work, I would be so exhausted, I could not stomach doing more work.
Anyhow, long story short- I finish my employment this Friday and that is it.
I have some freelance lined up so I should be fine for the next couple of months, but beyond that I do not know what is going to happen, but fuck it- I am looking forward to finding out.
I did this sketch with my freedom in mind and it was a fun experience, but I know it is over colored and poorly laid out. I am working on a second one and a few more. I have a pile of rough sketches done on a train and some on a restaurant napkins which I intend to clean and touch up in the days to come.
So, I will try to update more often and keep you up to date with my adventures from the world of deadbeats.
Cheers to all,
Milenko
PPs. added another bit,
A quick sketch about a little boy who likes reading in the dark and a curious monster who likes looking at the pictures in the books.
23 comments:
Good luck with freelancing! I hope you do well. You should change what you have written above on the right of the blog. Joking about being tired and mediocre may seem witty sarcasm, and I did it once too, but employers look at that and don't see the humor. They use it as an excuse to pass you by. Write something more professional.
Thanks for the advice. Done already :) I will try to come up with a better one in the next few days.
Although, I think I nee better folio than this to get a serious consideration from anyone.
I will do a proper portfolio somewhere else.
Cheers,
Milenko
milenko, congratulations for growing balls! : )
i'm sure you'll be able to make a living as a freelancer. in time, i learned that uncertainty of the future pays off with the excitement of new possibilities lurking at every corner. and you're much more talented and capable then i am.
unfortunately, what t arthur says is true. although your art here clearly says different, possible employer might really believe what you've written there.
so, welcome to the team! this drawing you posted here clearly says you made a good decision! : )
cheers!
Congratulations, Sir. It takes a big man to take a big risk. Money makes things easier but not necessarily happier, so god on ya.
This illustration is wicked fun too. Stop being so hard on yourself. You've got a huge fan-base. Bask in the glory.
Let me humbly join the gang of folks singing "Good Luck" to you. And congratulations! The prospect of freelancing for a living scares me, but I hope I am someday able to do the same thing.
Aaaaaaaaand I absolutely love the lady on the dragon!
Oh, wow! That's a big change indeed. I wish you the best, man. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Maybe I'll commission you. ^_^ I look forward to your future works/books/etc.
Love your stuff, mate! :)
all the best for your new adventures .big fan of your wonderful art
Good luck, master!
;)
All the luck in the world mate, I think you made the right decision and I'm sure it will pay dividends
You really should know that you are an awesome artist and I really love just about everything you did so far. I sincerely hope you will find the joy in your work that you are looking for, because you deserve it. And you draw awesome happy looking dogdragons.
I'm happy for you, Milenko. It takes brass balls to dive in, and you did it. I didn't know you super well, but I did always love your art and appreciate your random hilarious anecdotes at coffee time. All the best!
Congratz on freeing your soul. Have you checked out http://artorder.blogspot.com/
They post creative challenges that are right inline with what you want to do I believe. It is run by an editor of the D&D books I believe and he post the best way to contact them.
Good luck
YEAH!!
milenko, you have balls of solid steel! You are doing exactly what I want to do but don't have the nerve.
Looking forward to some great stuff from you!
all the best then!
you are such an amazingly talented artist and all your pictures are so skillful and look so fun. i hope you do a sci-fi comic with huge guns, monsters, and hot chicks, that is what you were born to do.
Hey Milenko - we have a friend in common (Luke FW) he talks about you so I thought I'd have a peek at your blog - congrats on Quitting the job, from what I hear you were severely under-appreciated ^_^ Good luck with freelancing although with talent like this I don't think you remain twiddling your thumbs for long! :)
Good luck !If something appeired from this side of the pond I will let you know .Drz' se efendija .
Good luck Milenko! That is just me being polite btw. Luck has nothing to do with it. Remember to not only improve drawing. Use ten minutes a day to think about how to improve business, and always keep a short, prioritized todo-list each day. /Henrik
excelente!!!!!
Soldier on Buddy, Your a constant source of Inspiration... I have no doubt you'll land on your feet...
P
I stumbled on to your blog from the conceptart forums, and man, am I glad I did! This post however, echoes the sentiment of more than just a few people (including myself). The struggle to make a living doing what truly makes you happy versus having a job that'll pay the bills (but not provide anything more in life), is an ongoing one for a lot of us, and I commend you for standing up and making the move. Thanks so much for your insight!
cool page Milenko!
I now have a blogspot account!
it's addictive!
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