Sunday, April 28, 2013

Follow Your Own Dreams


Image from: http://skullappreciationsociety.com

Like every morning I woke up, got my coffee, started surfing the web and went to Cartoonbrew.com.  This morning however, I read that DisneyAnimation is cutting off several employees of their hand drawn animation division.   This was disturbing because the company's roots stem from hand drawn animation and Disney has released part of their heritage.  Recently, Disney also shutdown LucasArts division from Lucasfilms.  In addition, DreamWorkslet go some of their employees.  What does it all mean?  As technology continues to grow companies will cut more jobs.  I know how it feels to lose your job. It is depressing and you question your worth.

It sounds harsh, but losing your job is the best thing to ever happen to you.  Especially in the case of the creative talent let go from Disney, LucusArts and DreamWorks. I started following employees from these companies on Twitter and I discovered these talented people have their pet projects.  Using skills learned while working for their respective companies they could now put their focus on their dream project.   Creative people will always find a way to create because it is in our DNA.  Why not use your abilities to finally work on your own dream project.  I know real world issues like bills, mortgages and other expenses can discourage a person from pursuing their dreams.  Instead, allow all the real world issues to influence your creative work. During my unemployment, I did the worst thing possible. I stopped creating! I forgot that, drawing, writing and creating made me happy.

Don't put all of your hope and dreams in another company.  Follow your own dreams and create your own projects.  Even if a large corporation does not want your talents that does not mean your journey is over. As creators we have to remember a job is a job and it does not define us.  We define ourselves with our projects that will unleash to the rest of the world. It might feel like shaky grounds for the animation industry.  However, we as artists, animators, and programmers have to hold our ground and create our own path to follow.

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