Beast Web Animatiors - Step Up

Wow, this is a pretty cool "underground" site then lol. Glad I've come across it then!

@Jones - you ain't being a nuisance, and it's good you asked. As long as the Internet is around, people will always need websites (just like as long as people pass away, funeral homes will always have business lol as depressing as that sounds). Luckily, building websites can be a lot more fun that running funeral homes.

For me, I was lucky to gain some experience doing online retail websites for big fashion brands. I was doing front-end development, even though I was versed in design. Traditionally, we were taught to specialize, but I'm a natural generalist and love to learn everything (as well as their interconnections). I never thought it would help me, but it turned out to be a lifesaver when I quit my job on 11.11.11.

Like with anything, it's important to have the spirit of determination, will-power and passion. I honestly think that whatever you put your mind to, you'll be able to achieve it. I"ve been able to land quite a few good clients since leaving, but I've never really worried about the GFC and such. It's like being told to fear Winter - it's only cold and miserable for a time.

So, to answer your question, I'm doing well enough to pay the bills, but I am pushing to do more than just "okay". The most important thing is networking (imho). Through just speaking openly and honestly with people, I've been able to land high-paying jobs without clients even looking at my work. They just trust me, which is crazy sometimes when I think about it. I don't charge by hour much anymore. It's a mind shift thing.

@Tom - I'll definitely start posting more of my thoughts on my website (www.siosism.com). I'm glad I've found you guys actually, because there are quite a few web folks who also love animation, but no one's really fused the two together. I think it's time.

In regards to the small companies doing demo videos, have a look at this article I wrote: http://siosism.com/how-does-2d-animation-help-web-design/. I'll also post up another article with some of my newer finds as well.

Would you guys be interested in a website that solely focused on web-animation for what seems to be an emerging role? I'm actually in touch with a few people in the animation and web-design industries, who I could contact separately to get their thoughts on the subject. If we can find enough people, we'll be able to hit the road running.

Siosism, do you use any other forms of communications besides this forum so we can talk to you about this idea?
MSN, Yahoo, Skype or something like that?

How long have you been doing what you do?
have you checked out the animation section of Psuda? it will show you what we usually do over here and you will be able to tell us then how it differs from your ideas on what web animation is/ should be.

Your statement on what's most important (networking) is something I fully agree with.
Withot the right people in your life, the chances are slim that you will get very far.
Important in networking though is that you shouldn't be acting like someone you're not. It's something that will bite you in the ass sooner or later.

I'm currently finishing my first year in animation college and my teachers have all mentioned that you shouldn't do too many projects for clients that you wouldn't want to keep doing, as it may mean other people notice tyhat specific kind of project from you and will want you to keep doing that for them as well.

How have you experienced this? do you choose your projects or do you accept anything thrown at you? do you try to change the client's ideas to fit your personal preferences or do you just blindly follow the client anywhere he wants to take the project to prevent him/ her from having a negative feeling/ recommendation towards you?

@Tom - I have Skype! Just look up my username 'siosism'

I've been doing web-design (freelance) for about 5 years, around 2 years at a professional studio, but only got real serious about building my own business last year. My vision for the future is much grander than what I was being allowed and I've taken a lot of risks to venture out on my own, but I feel it's all worth it. At the end of the day, I believe if you follow your heart and stick it out, you'll be guided in the right direction.

In regards to networking, I totally agree about being you. I was taught to just go to these "networking" events and try to meet as many as possible, but I've found my own way that works better for me. For the first half of the event, I keep a low profile and listen to everybody else talk. When I get a 'feeling' for someone, I make my move. It's sort of like hunting haha. That way, I'm not casting my net all over the place and wishing for the best. I'm actually surveying the environment and choosing wisely. I've found that with an attitude of trust and faith, you'll attract the right people. It hasn't failed me yet. I always manage to leave with ONE really good contact, as opposed to a hundred.

In regards to the client work, it's always going to be subjective, but I agree with them. However, without experiencing the pain of just taking on anyone, I wouldn't have truly understood WHY it's not good to just take anyone. In the early stages, it's like freshman year in high school. You have no clue what to do, so you just sort of wing it and take what you can. By the time you're a senior, hopefully you're a bit more wiser about what you take on. I think it's important to focus on knowing who YOU are first, before worrying about who you want to filter. That will come naturally (in my opinion).

There are some things I am particular with, some things I am not. If there's a project that I'm not as experienced in, but would like to try out, I may take a calculated risk. I usually check with my intuition (inner guidance, whatever you want to call it) and then take a leap of faith. Being conscious of this helps fine tune your intuition because, after you're done, you'll know whether you made a good decision or not haha. I recently had a fallout with a subcontractor, even though I "knew" it was a risk. Luckily, I had a backup plan, so it turned out for the better.

As for "changing" client's ideas, I don't know if I consciously do that or not. I'm a bit different - I'm actually TOO honest sometimes, but I think that's why clients like me. I tell them upfront that I can be a bit upfront. I don't hide behind some lame "100% truthful, honest and ethical" label because it sounds good. I focus on building a genuine relationship with the client before doing business. You'll know from that stage whether you'll work well together or not (once again, in my opinion).

Thanks for all the info. You've given me a lot to think about. wrecks brain
I really want to be a musician, and I'm going to need a job with a stable income to support that. And I'm going to need free time daily to practice. Think I'd be able to have this web development or design?
I really like designing things and would love to learn how to build a website. It'd be very beneficial to me too, because I'm going to need my own website for my music.

Well, I think that's why I'm going to write a book about it. No joke. It's good to know that you guys are interested in the subject matter, which means I'm not alone either. I'm getting help from a few key industry people, and will need y'alls help to get it out there! My aim is to have it done before the year's end, so I will keep you posted.

@Jones - what type of musician do you want to be? These days, I think it's more and more possible for people to become who they want to be. Just take a look at how Youtube lets people become overnight sensations and connect with some of the biggest names. At the end of the day, though, it's up to YOU to "go hard or go home." Those who really put in the hard yards towards their dreams, are GUARANTEED success. Even though technology is allowing us quicker and quicker access to things, success still requires patience, discipline and a bit of intuition to endure. These are just my opinions

In regards to building websites, there are quite a few resource/inspiration websites I'd recommend, but nothing beats just getting in and starting to do it. Find out who's setting the standards at the moment, imitate, then eventually find your own style. It's just like drawing (in my opinion).

siosism wrote:

@Jones - what type of musician do you want to be?

I said I want to be a musician??
Kidding....Kidding....

Well I'm going to see how singing goes for me. Just gonna be me and my guitar most of the time. I love acoustic sessions and performances, and I don't see myself adding effects or changing the sound of the instruments when performing or recording a personal album. Uhh, an example of the type of stuff I like to play would be "My favorite things" arranged by Akihiro Tanaka and "Dear" by Kotaro Oshio. I do want to do other things however. Like for example making soundtracks for movies/films and my own animations. I dont mind and would like to compose with sounds that aren't acoustic or Natural for stuff like that though.

But I'm going to need to continue to practice A LOT and it'd make things easier for me if I have a stable income. Plus I think about Health Insurance. That's why I wanna know how much free time I might have if I do web design or development. When I was looking at the career of web development and design last summer, I was looking at/considering free lance web designers and developers. I dont have a lot of information on that though.

@sio
I looked through your site, and by the looks of your interview and track record, you've got a lot of charisma. That's always welcome here.
And considering that you're an avid article writer (about the world of animation and similar media) and website maker, you just might be that extra staff member we're looking for.
If you want to elaborate even more on what ideas you have with being a part of our team and revamping this site, we're all ears for any of your ambitious ideas, cause I like you already

I could easily imagine you fitting in here, being the guy to handle the site's structure, and writing news and shit; creating a vibe here that emphasizes on well structured texts. We've written loads of stuff on this forum, but we haven't channeled these writings into a 'front page blog' kind of thing, which we should do. It's a powerful promotion strategy.

Tom wrote:

Edyrem, Where do you see yourself end up?

I'm not actually sure, but, believe it or not, if I was going to be part of an animation project, key animator would not be my favorite role to take (currently). I'll list roles that sound more appealing to me than key animator:
-Storyboard
-Character/setting design
-Fleshing out the colors/lighting of the scene

I probably feel like this because I'm currently emphasizing on painting practice. It wouldn't surprise me if I get more interested in key animating when I emphasize on animating again later on.

Creativename wrote:

"Tradigital."

Man, asshole comments like this catch me off guard with their humor.
I'll say that word is catchy and cheesy at the same time imo.

Jones wrote:

Well I'm going to see how singing goes for me. Just gonna be me and my guitar most of the time. I love acoustic sessions and performances, and I don't see myself adding effects or changing the sound of the instruments when performing or recording a personal album. Uhh, an example of the type of stuff I like to play would be "My favorite things" arranged by Akihiro Tanaka and "Dear" by Kotaro Oshio. I do want to do other things however. Like for example making soundtracks for movies/films and my own animations. I dont mind and would like to compose with sounds that aren't acoustic or Natural for stuff like that though.

I believe anything is possible. My mission has always been about bridging gaps and finding harmony between things. If you can find your unique synthesis, you are already setting yourself up in a "micro-niche" of sorts, which then makes it that much easier for you to become a leader in that field (because there would be little to no competition). Just check out what these guys did:



The sky's the limit!

Jones wrote:

But I'm going to need to continue to practice A LOT and it'd make things easier for me if I have a stable income. Plus I think about Health Insurance. That's why I wanna know how much free time I might have if I do web design or development. When I was looking at the career of web development and design last summer, I was looking at/considering free lance web designers and developers. I dont have a lot of information on that though.

Like with anything, you must find it in you to see what drives you. If security is important, don't take up freelance - it's too unpredictable. However, if you are passionate about making web-design/animation work for you, and earning good money from it, then be a maverick and take a leap of faith! Nothing worth achieving has ever been attained playing things safe (in my opinion). There are many good resources out there to becoming a good web-designer, but what matters most (once again, imo) is your passion and commitment to making it work for YOU (not the other way around). I won't lie, it's tough, but the rewards are coming to fruition now for me. I believe that Self-discipline is required now more than ever, especially as our generation (and future generations) get spoilt with almost instant delivery of everything. We EXPECT things NOW, as opposed to later. Not saying this is "bad", but it takes away the beauty in being patient and working hard towards something. And, trust me, I am no master of that at all haha. I've just learned a lot of great lessons by sort of "trusting" in a higher purpose/process. I don't mention these airy-fairy things to throw you off, but more to let you know how I've dealt with things in my own journey.

Edyrem wrote:

@sio
I looked through your site, and by the looks of your interview and track record, you've got a lot of charisma. That's always welcome here. And considering that you're an avid article writer (about the world of animation and similar media) and website maker, you just might be that extra staff member we're looking for.
If you want to elaborate even more on what ideas you have with being a part of our team and revamping this site, we're all ears for any of your ambitious ideas, cause I like you already

"sio" is a shorter and catchier abbreviation for my name. Nice. Feel free to use it from now on!

Thanks for offering me to be a part of your team! I'm currently in the process of building and growing my own business, but I love the quality of posts and interaction here! I'll sit on the offer and let you know how I may be of better service. Feel free to email me at georges@siosism.com if you want!

Edyrem wrote:

I could easily imagine you fitting in here, being the guy to handle the site's structure, and writing news and shit; creating a vibe here that emphasizes on well structured texts. We've written loads of stuff on this forum, but we haven't channeled these writings into a 'front page blog' kind of thing, which we should do. It's a powerful promotion strategy.

Since a lot of my time is currently focused on creating wealth (won't be shy in admitting so) as a startup, I'll share more of my wisdom on my blog (www.siosism.com/blog) and then see how I can coordinate with you guys here.

I think you would definitely benefit from a more user-friendly blog. I ONLY work with Wordpress because I feel that it's the best platform out there!

I also think the task of gathering the wealth of knowledge here would be a big one, but one that you would benefit from greatly if you started doing so now. It would be worth its weight in gold. You could start by choosing one topic/thread, going through all the comments, and then extracting the main points as you see fit (since you're an admin). These can then serve as a blog article to save for when you guys create your "front-page". I certainly wouldn't mind promoting your future blog, or even this forum, if you can get your branding thought out. I offer those sort of services as well, but since I'm valuing my time more and more, I only work with people who are willing to pay at least $2,000. I just be upfront with that sort of stuff because it saves beating around the bush.

That doesn't mean that I won't contribute to this forum lol, it just means for my professional services, I set those terms/boundaries, and always advise other freelancers to learn to do the same as they expand their portfolio and learn to deal with clients! I got BURNED recently because I made the mistake of doing business with a "friend" O_O

>I got BURNED recently because I made the mistake of doing business with a "friend" O_O
Haha, that shit's a killer indeed if you aren't careful.

Well, I think you're onto something here, Sio. I was thinking something similar, too, with the whole, accumulating info from Psuda and article-izing it all in a cool blog library. I honestly want to make this place a source of inspiration, insight, and interaction. Jesus, all those start with IN. I wonder if I should patent that shit

inb4 new Psuda slogan... just an idea, Psudans - don't be too shy to say it sounds stupid if you think it does.

Anyway, can you elaborate on what you mean by branding? What kind of service do you do in this sort of area that is worth two grand? Just the basic summary, if you don't mind

And of course, I'm not trying to yank you into here and give up your own endeavors; prioritize yourself, by all means. You just piqued my interest when you mentioned the idea of merging with us in some way. If your idea isn't quite what I was thinking of, then I want to know what you were thinking of. The options and make-ups are practically endless for these business relationships, after all.

Regardless of where we take those ideas, however, I do sincerely hope you make yourself comfortable here. You have valuable input to give.

Sup Edyrem. Thought you died bro. Hows your hand?

siosism wrote:

I believe that Self-discipline is required now more than ever, especially as our generation (and future generations) get spoilt with almost instant delivery of everything. We EXPECT things NOW, as opposed to later. Not saying this is "bad", but it takes away the beauty in being patient and working hard towards something. And, trust me, I am no master of that at all haha. I've just learned a lot of great lessons by sort of "trusting" in a higher purpose/process.

Amen.
Thanks once again.

Nah mate, I'm alive
My finger's perfectly fine now, haha. Here's a picture:

Same finger:

Also, I'm gonna dump quite a large amount of my own drawings and resources/insight/inspiration
Keep your cock bonered up for it.

Okay. Cool cool.
So the pains done. When I'm really hurt or sick, I realize how much of a luxury it is to be ok. Then when your ok, you dont....
Ill be waiting for those drawings man