dhosford

My first impression of the Motion Media industry is largely based upon the people in the industry itself. All of my fellow colleagues are extremely laid-back people, and while this works for some, it does not work for all. Out of the two classes I have taken pertaining to motion graphics, both were largely populated with students who seemed like they didn't care, or did not try to their fullest potential. I feel that lots of the students have immense talent, but did not exhibit it in their work, and this made class critiques yawn-inducing.

However, my first impression was revived and saved by that of my professors; people who have been in the industry and now have decided to give back through teaching. I found two great professors, and in that, two great people, who inspired me to continue with what I am doing. I felt like I was a part of something so much bigger than I previously thought, and I truly felt like I am doing the right thing. My first professor, (we'll refer to her as "D") I somewhat adopted as a mentor. She instilled such a wonderful sense of concept in my work that I am so grateful for having so early on in my studies. From the beginning in D's class, I performed extremely well. D was so thoroughly impressed with my first assignment that she made it known to my second professor (we'll call him M) that I was an exceptional student.

Having someone who believed in me so early on was so crucial to my development in my studies. I feel as though I'm the type of student who benefits better from positive reinforcement rather than negative comments. When I was studying graphic and web design in high school, I remember getting a good grade on an assignment and then thinking to myself "Wow, okay, you liked that? Let me show you what else I can do." and I constantly push forward, because as a young girl my dad instilled in me the idea that "No matter how good you think you are, there's someone better than you out there." Sounds a little harsh, but such advice has made me the better artist I am today.

I digress. To continue, my second class was for Motion Techniques, a class that teaches the animation aspect of motion media design. I was floored by the teaching style of my professor, how, instead of teaching from a book, he decided to ask us what we wanted to animate, and taught us from there. It was an absolutely wonderful way to learn, especially just starting out like this. It supplied me with a wonderful sense of accomplishment, because although I am still an entry-level student, I would sometimes learn techniques that were much more advanced.

It's funny–I really struggled on my first assignment in that class. Not so much technique-wise, but much more concept-wise. All of our assignments were open-ended, and coming from a background of directed assignments and projects from my Foundations studies here at SCAD, it was a difficult direction to grasp at first. In addition, I was taking Concepts and Storyboards class at the same time, which was a double-edged sword, in that, I was being drilled with the idea of strong concept, that I was focusing much too hard on concept in my first project rather than focusing on the the opportunity to demonstrate and learn technique. I cornered myself on my first project, and found myself starting my project on the last Thursday when it was due that coming Tuesday. Needless to say, it was a very busy weekend. However, I finished my project, received a 96 for my work, and was pleased with what I came up with. (Though I don't believe I'll ever show it to anyone but my parents!)

One thing I struggled with in both of my Motion Design classes was my critiques and my interaction with my fellow peers. In both classes, every single critique I received from my peers was always negative. Full-on negative. Not a single word of positive enforcement or supportive comments from my peers. It was extremely discouraging. Yet, I received nothing less than a 94 on any of my Motion Media projects. It was very  strange. My professors loved my work, yet my peers had nothing to say. I cried a lot. It hurt so much and I was very confused and distraught. I feel as though it even prevented me from really being more free with my work. With these lingering thoughts of negativity in my mind, with nothing positive to blossom from, I suffered greatly, and a hole in my heart began to grow. I really tried. On every project. I put all of myself into my work. I tried new things, and pushed extremely hard past my comfort zone. I tried so hard to please, and every time I got nothing, it eventually wore on me, and, although I hate to admit it, I felt the quality of my work withering away. The life that was ever-present in my work began to disappear.

With this horrible dark cloud that hung over my head, I sought help from my professors. I decided on the last day of each of my classes, I would ask my professors, honestly, if they felt that I should stick with the major. If they felt that I was worthy. That my work was at a level that would be able to compete with others in the industry. I didn't question my path in life. I loved my major. I wanted to stay with it. However, I am a very realistic person, and I am not going to kid myself into believing I can do something if I truly don't have the talent. Just because you like your major, doesn't always mean you have the talent or the skill sets to continue on that path. That being said, I was delighted to hear the unanimous responses from both professors.

My Concepts and Storyboards professor gave me, probably the more humorous response out of the two. When I asked her "Do you believe that I belong in this major? Do you think I should keep doing what I'm doing?", she stared at me for a brief moment, almost as if she didn't understand what I was asking. I started to try to re-explain my question, when she stopped me with "Yea. Of course! Yes, yes, I think you have great design skills and a very unique and strong sense of concept, not just for your level, but for the industry." She continued to discuss my skill sets and asked me a bit about my background, and whether or not I would be interested in an internship opportunity, and I replied "Yes of course!" and to this she agreed that I should start pursuing internship opportunities and begin branding myself and putting together a cohesive portfolio. I was so pleased with her feedback, and left her class somewhat heartbroken that I wouldn't be there anymore (well, at least not next quarter) but happy with the fact that I was able to walk away with such a breadth of knowledge so early in my career.

My Motion Techniques Professor gave me a similar response, and, great words of advice to live by as an artist. At first, he seemed as though he too, was confused by my question, and it seemed as though he thought that I was considering changing my major. Choosing his words carefully, as to not sway my true feelings had I wanted to change majors, he said, "Well…yes, I do believe you're good at this major." I was puzzled, because it seemed like he wasn't totally sure, and so, I asked, very matter-of-factly if I might add, "You sure about that?" (My northerner came through on that one) and he again, said "Yes, yes I do. Why do you ask?" and I began to explain how I felt like I didn't belong because it seemed like my peers did not appreciate me or respect my work as a fellow artist, yet my professors did, and I was confused and wanted insight from a professional. If I wasn't good, I needed to know, so I could do something else, because I need to do what I'm good at to make money to support myself, being from humble beginnings. He replied with a story of his own beginnings as an artist. "In Korea, in school, I was top of my class in all of my classes, Arithmetic, Science, you name it. However, one day, I came home with grades that were at the bottom. My parents were furious, and beat me. But all I could do was laugh. I laughed because I knew I had chosen my path in life, and there was nothing anyone could do. You do something because you love it, and that's it. If you love it, you'll be great at what you do, because you'll have fun doing it. Throughout my life my parents continued to criticize my choice, but I don't care, because it's what I want. Moving back to you as an artist, you have such a great sense of design moreso than most, that no matter what, you'll be able to win people over and that's your secret weapon. Even if your animation in a piece  isn't up to par with your design ability, it won't matter, because if something looks good, it doesn't matter, people will love it."

With these encouraging words in mind, I left my first quarter in my major assured. I felt that I was in the right place. I decided that no matter what, I would believe in myself, defend my work, and fight for what I want. I would only take the feedback from my professors, because they were the ones who were in the industry, and the ones who mattered.





I walked away from my first quarter with a few lessons learned/observed:

-Backing up your data is a must. Having multiple copies of your work is a must. (I recall many a morning where I went to class thinking I had my updated project on my external but found it only to be on my laptop and then having to rush home and grab my laptop before class to survive)

-Understand where you came from. I've noticed a movement in the digital world, and that movement is the integration of natural materials, traditional art, and the genuine home-made feeling into work. People want to feel connected to your work, and by understanding where we come from as artists, and really letting our background shine through, it makes our work so much better.



-Concept is everything. Concept is what makes or breaks something. Getting your work to sell is dependent upon the hook and whether that hook helps the viewer connect with the piece. If there's no connection, people will flip the channel. They've seen it before. Original concept is key to winning over your audience. People love new.



-Develop your own personal reference/inspiration library, both a Digital Library and a Hardcopy Library. I found that it is absolutely incredibly important to collect media and reference from the field. Finding examples of strong motion media work and keeping it as reference has been incredibly helpful in terms of inspiration and in motivation. Whenever I feel down/discouraged, I look back to my digital library of spots and other works and smile, and am reminded of why I'm here. Not only that, but my Motion Techniques professor really instilled the importance of having a tangible library of books and magazines that include wonderful tutorials, examples of work, and history of the field. There's nothing like opening a book and holding the work in your hands.



-Doing things the hard way is a much more effective way to learn (contrary to popular belief) In my Motion Techniques class, I remember a lot of students utilizing simple animation plugins to animate objects for them. It completed their project, but it didn't give them the correct, natural effect they wanted. Not only that, but they weren't learning After Effects. I found that it was so much better to do things by hand because 1) it gave me a much higher quality version of my work/a much more natural feel, and 2) I learned techniques in the program that I wouldn't of learned by using a plugin, and they were techniques that I could apply to other types of animations. Sure, it took longer, was more frustrating, and was downright repetitive, but if the work was better and I was learning, I was happy, and proud because I knew I was doing the right thing.





So this was my first entry for "Reflections". I'm excited to see what I'll continue to learn, and can't wait to reflect once more next quarter.