Advice for Game Dev Grads of 2017. Congratulations, class of 2017! This month is a big moment for the next wave of graduates as they enter the workforce and double-down their search for work. I am one of these fresh grads, but I have been humbled and blessed to have found full-time work starting in June. As many of us know, professional game development is highly competitive and heavily saturated at the bottom 30% of jobs, which makes it really difficult for individuals to get their foot in the door. I've talked to a lot of anxious, unsure new grads in the last few days and I'd just like to share some words of encouragement and advice to help folks get off to the right foot. I'll be speaking from my experience as an artist, but a lot of it applies to all concentrations. For young jobseekers, the next 6 months are a major transitioning period that will have a huge impact on your career...positive or otherwise. A few specific suggestions for those that really need to polish their bodies of work: Make something every day.
Fake a commute — Tools not Rules. This advice came from Mark Smith, a friend and talented computer engineer who has been successfully self-employed for as long as I’ve know him. It’s the greatest advice anyone has ever given me regarding working from home. Over the years, and as I developed the discipline to work without (too much), distraction my routine has changed but I still have a routine. How I started Initially my fake commute routine looked like this: Wake up, shower, stretch, get dressed and leave the house. No email or TV and no lounging in underwear all day. My fake commute had three parts. 1) Walk to a cafe while thinking about, and prioritizing, projects. 2) Drink coffee and identify questions and areas of interest for the day’s project. 3) Walk home, start making connections between ideas and visualizing solutions.
The five part routine These days my day looks a little different. 1) Wake up and make coffee, 2) Drink coffee while writing all email and correspondence. Is this routine perfect? The Agile Composer: Project Management for Game Audio - Video Game Music Academy. Being a composer of video game music can be a tough gig.
If you’re working for a smaller studio or indie developer, it’s often made tougher by added responsibilities like audio direction, directing and recording voice actors, sound design, and implementation (to name a few). With all of those moving pieces and assets that need to be created amidst an organic game development process, you can easily find yourself mismanaging your time. And remember – your time is your money! Nobody likes working with a freelancer who is all over the place and takes too long to complete the tasks at hand.
Luckily for us all, we have help: Ryan Davies. Ryan reached out to me awhile back with this AMAZING article that YOU SHOULD READ AND SHARE WITH ANYONE IN THE GAME INDUSTRY THAT YOU CARE ABOUT. You’ve finally managed to agree a deal with a game developer! In this blog I’ll discuss project management for freelancers (with a focus on Game Audio). I chose agile for a number of reasons: How to estimate? Practice Balance: A talk with Composer/Sound Designer Richard Gould – Practice Positive. Meet Richard Gould. Richard is a composer, sound designer, and voice actor for film, video games and interactive media and currently juggles freelance projects while working in sound editorial for Bay Area post-production company Skywalker Sound. His portfolio includes projects ranging from last year’s Blue Sky Studios release “The Peanuts Movie” to Adventure Time’s “BMO Snaps” for iOS to a host of independent documentaries, animations, and short films.
Even a brief look at his credits & awards page will give you an idea, not only of the caliber of his work but also of the scope. Richard graciously agreed to submit to Practice Positive’s first interview and I took the opportunity to ask him about something he is very good at; producing content and completing work. Below you’ll find our conversation about sound and music for film, creative process, and productivity in the face of a wide variety of projects. An introduction: Hello Richard. Favorite movie or movie franchise?
The craft: How to Make Your Own Luck in Hollywood. “You’ve got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” — “Dirty” Harry Callahan The one word that rings true in so many conversations with successful screenwriters, actors, directors, producers, and beyond, is luck. They attribute luck as the overall deciding factor in much of their success. There’s truth to it for sure. Being at the right place, at the right time, with the right person is often the common factor in nabbing that first big screenwriting assignment, being cast in that pivotal role, getting financing for that breakthrough debut film, etc. The sad fact is that this notion can be the most demoralizing truth to any up-and-comer. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were inspired by a Southwest: The Magazine article on this very subject.
Backed up by various scientific research — specifically the University of Hertfordshire’s (U.K.) These four principles are taken from Dr. It’s hard being an optimist in Hollywood, especially as a newcomer. 50 ways to take care of yourself in the arts | ArtsHub Australia. Image: pixabay.com As a sector, the arts is on the verge of burnout if not already teetering far beyond its edge. Lack of support, the precarious nature of freelance and contract work, the emotional and physical toll of creative and community arts work, frequent requests to work for free, and the undervaluing of work in Australia is confounding.
Yet there is a silver lining in that these issues are finally being broached. At the Making Time: Arts and Self-Care conference held by Footscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC) last week, the discussion was stripped bare of the appearances we are often greeted with at exhibition openings, or daily dealings with colleagues and friends. Delegates shared candid accounts of dealings with trauma, mental health difficulties and illuminated the dark corners of community arts work. Community arts workers in particular are often exposed to difficult or traumatic situations through working with those that have experienced hardship. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. How to Get Focused.
What a Millennial Wishes Mom Told Her About Work. (I normally blog biweekly about work and volunteering for Next Avenue. But this week, in honor of college graduation season, I've turned my blog over to my daughter Juliana, a 2013 grad, and asked her to reflect on her first year in the workplace. — Nancy Collamer) Dear Mom, Last year, as I was about to graduate from George Washington University, you wrote me a letter that Next Avenue published passing on your wisdom about how to approach the “real world.” Admittedly, my transition from college student to Executive Director of Volunteers On Call (a nonprofit dedicated to service opportunities in Fairfield, Conn.) has had its challenges and over the past 12 months, I’ve turned to your words time and again for guidance.
While I hate to be difficult (especially because you’re letting me live in your house rent-free — thanks!) (MORE: Career Advice to My Daughter) With a year of working under my belt, here are five insights I have for the class of 2014 that I wish I’d known: 1. 10 Things That Truly Passionate People Do Differently. Being passionate is important in life, but it also can be difficult to deal with. Just like with all good things, too much of it can be damaging. However, passionate people, overall, do live happier and better lives than the average individual. Passions give us purpose, but more than that, they make us feel that we have purpose in our lives.
Being passionate isn't just about knowing – it's also about feeling. That's what makes passions so important; they make us feel that we're on the right path in life and give us hope for a happy and exciting future. Passionate people lead significantly different lives from their less-than-enthusiastic counterparts. Here are 10 things that passionate people do differently and the good and bad that comes of it. 1.
It's not that passionate people don't enjoy sleeping – they do. 2. They're basically obsessed – hopefully in a healthy manner. 3. It's because they have more in their lives to get excited about. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Photo credit: The Aviator. How the 'Seinfeld Strategy' Can Help You Stop Procrastinating. Reader Resource Join Entrepreneur's The Goal Standard Challenge and make 2017 yours. Learn more » Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians of all-time. He is regarded as one of the "Top 100 Comedians of All-Time" by Comedy Central. Seinfeld reached his peak in earnings when he made $267 million dollars in 1998.
By almost any measure of wealth, popularity, and critical acclaim, Jerry Seinfeld is among the most successful comedians, writers, and actors of his generation. However, what is most impressive about Seinfeld's career isn't the awards, the earnings, or the special moments -- it's the remarkable consistency of it all. Compare his results to where you and I often find ourselves. What's the difference? I'm not sure about all of his strategies, but I recently discovered a story that revealed one of the secrets behind Seinfeld's incredible productivity, performance, and consistency.
Related: Forget Setting Goals. The "Seinfeld Strategy" "After a few days you'll have a chain. An Almost Foolproof Way to Achieve Every Goal You Set.