Taking risks in your career D:

I´ve been thinking a lot about the countless paths you can take in creative fields. Each path has its own challenges and opportunities, and there’s often no clear right or wrong choice. When you start learning something new, you quickly realize how much you didn’t know.

Like many of you, I´ve been always drawing. I started studying engineering (why? D:), dropped after 2 years (not an easy moment) and went to study fine arts. No clear idea about the path to become an artist working in games, but I was learning whatever I could online and from people with similar interests I met at uni. After those years I was doing concepts like this:

Throughout my years in the Video Game and Animation industries, some of my best experiences and opportunities have come from taking what are traditionally seen as big stupid risks.

Leaving a stable job and focusing on creating.

In general as an artist I’ve been always looking for time where I can expand my knowledge and producing weird shit drawing or painting freely, that later on I could leverage in my portfolio. Using properly my time it´s been my priority, nothing like the present to create stuff.

Guys, personal projects are projects. They are valid. You don’t need to get paid to do something cool (well, getting paid would be optimal, I know).

One of my first projects that got me a proper portfolio was a project I did with other artists and no funding. Las Niñas Terribles’ shortfilm, more about this in the future.

1. Breaking Into Concept Art

When I first started, I struggled to find a job. After many rejections, I decided to take any art-related job I could find. Luckily, I landed a position as a Layout Artist for a Nickelodeon show. It wasn’t my dream job, but it was a step in the right direction. After a few months, I left due to personal reasons and returned home to the Canary Islands, where there were no studios and no opportunities in the creative field.

2. Creating Meaningful Work

Back home, (thinking that professionally I was dead) I was trying to get freelance work and also I focused on building a portfolio with projects that excited me, I stopped trying to produce the concept art that “I was supposed to have in my portfolio”. Like this:

One of these projects I made having a good time was "Meaningless Adventure" (future post about this project with a prototype that’s been cooking). A cartoon project I thought was meaningless (therefore, the title hehe), caught the attention of several studios. This led to opportunities with different companies, including Roll7, where I created the art for OlliOlli World*.

To share something money related for artists, before this project got attention I was looking under the rocks for freelance jobs and I was trying to get 50-100€ per day, I had even no idea about how to think about what to charge. When this project brought me opportunities and some good people approached, my rate changed to 250-350€ per day. Just a tip, ask people around xd

3. Pursuing New Opportunities

Three years later, I left my full-time job at Roll7 to seek new challenges. I continued working on my own projects and freelancing for a few months until Yuga Labs offered me a position as Art Director. After some time in the company, I realised it wasn’t the right fit for me and decided to focus again on my own projects.

It wasn’t an easy decision, again, since it involved saying bye to stability.

But my goal has always been → getting enough savings so I got a parachute for some time and prioritise my artistic vision, this way I can say no. And shit, it is so important to say no sometimes.

Do your own projects, work in your own vision, try stuff. That’s the path to be an artist in my view and it’s what I pursue.

I’m not suggesting everyone should leave their job without a backup plan. Each person’s situation is unique. However, for me, taking these risks made sense and led to incredible opportunities. I've always planned my goals and worked towards them diligently. Reality strikes and things happen in different ways, but you shhhhould have a plan.

Think about what you want, plan what’s your goal and keep moving towards it. Daily small steps are better than rushing a day here and there. Stay consistent to build something cool (build something cool or drawing stupid cartoons lol).

So now it’s been almost a year since I left my last full-time job, and I´m starting a new adventure after a long process. Sneak peak on what´s happening now in the next newsletter <3

*In this video I explain my path more in depth.

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