Id love to hear more storys of how you guys ended up where you are.
art school foundation at clerkenwell.
studied film and tv at glasgow uni.
briefly the lowest kind of clerk imaginable in the tv dept of an ad agency.
i started off a runner in commercials which i did for about five years.
mainly working on comics in my spare time.
then i started drawing more and more concept storyboards.
then i started working on animations in my spare time (after effects3/fcp1-era)
then i got jobs doing animation.
then i taught myself 3d.
and got a broader range of animation jobs.
went back to college at st martins and learnt "proper" 2d animation.
pretty much carried on.
taught myself shake and flash.
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it all looks sort of deliberate, but it wasnt remotely like that. at moments (the year after 9/11) i had the merest trickle of work. have very frequently (but perhaps with less regularity) panicked and thought about different careers (teaching- i tried to teach english at one point but they wouldnt let me on the course, farming- really, all manner of crazy unsuitable things) i've also looked at full-time jobs doing the same thing but i think employers take one look at me realise i've never done full-time and would probably not adapt (or maybe it's my body odour)
looking at your situation i do think it differs in that i did have *some* money behind me which translated into not having to think too much about housing myself (though that seems to be more of an issue these days than it was then) also i didnt have to pay for my university as it was when the state footed the bill.
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still i think i do have some thoughts. don't torture yourself at this stage about where you want to end up. i remember grinding myself into a pulp fretting about my future, being incredibly frustrated (especially as a runner, when i should have probably been more patient) which really made NO DIFFERENCE whatsoever. it does take time to set yourself up, but if you apply yourself, don't burn bridges, try to think constructively, be prepared to adapt/learn......you'll get there.
i would say that in this day and age, where more and more work is on a freelance basis, you can't afford to not want to go and meet people. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS! what i do find is that once you've plucked up the courage and done it you feel miles better psychologically, because you're actually doing something about your situation. also be aware that it works like voodoo- the connections you make might not actually do anything for you directly but somehow the act of doing it brings other things forth. so ring up the arts admin lot or whoever it is you think could be useful, introduce yourself, find some way to inveigle yourself. a good way is to ask people for their advice (people love the sound of their own voices, blushes)
i suppose this last point presupposes you want to go down the route of working to do more than just live.....and maybe i'm blindsided to that being worthwhile?