octagonal direction...

did i mention i was fortunate enough to meet many great artists? both professional and aspiring artists alike!! all of them gave me great feedbacks, and i cannot thank them enough... thank you all!!

but focusing to their critiques, it seems like i have too many things i want to do all at once. i need focus and direction--something like a project we used to do at game wizards.. it's like trying to go to 8 different directions all at once, and in the end, i'm just where i left off.

i think i just need to jump into one and just go for it, no time to think, but put into action. only from practice will i get better... it's exciting to know that i still have room for improvements, but at the same time, i'm feeling a little anxious that i cannot get these done quick enough.. and i don't know why i have this confidence that i can do it even before starting on it... it's not that i am being cocky, but i think it's from finally realizing that it's not about who gets there faster, or who has it before i do, it's my own race, i am going after my dreams, not to take someone else's.

here's to hoping that i continue to meet great artists on this road...

The Next Step..?

It's been a long 5 years, but I have finished my schooling officially last Friday. And I am just happy I finally finished what I set out to do.

But it's not really finished. I still have more schooling/learning to do. I was very fortunate and lucky to meet other aspiring concept artists and professional concept artists, and I've realized how small baby steps I've been taking up till now. I need to start taking giant man steps.

Only problem is now that I have gotten the feedbacks on what to work on, it's like I have 8 different directions to go all at once. I wonder if there's an efficient, effective way to maximize my learning. Learning the process and practicing, executing them during school wasn't efficient at all. There has to be a way that I can fully bring out my max potential and eventually increase it as I progress forward.

This is where it all really starts now. I'm on my own now in terms of how I go about making my works better. But I do have the resources and people I can talk to for advices, so that's good. It's overwhelming, and scary sometimes, but at the same time, it's really exciting.

preparing for the next step..

going to these galleries are always an eye opener. it's refreshing, and you get to see lots of stuff that you didn't think of, stuff you can "steal"... haha it was a surprise to see a lot of familiar faces, makes you realize it's a small world. And if you're lucky enough, soon, these people will be the ones you work with.. =) I'm got to meet lots of cool people, too.

i recently realized how i haven't been taking full advantages of the resources i had. it's not too late, but sooner would have been nicer. =) been trying to culture myself by going to galleries and museums.. but so far i only went to 4 past 6 months.. *laughter*

going to new places, meeting new people isn't something i'm really good at, i've realized. especially, ever since working late night, it was so easy just to lay home and rest. such a good feeling, but i can sleep some other time. i gotta enjoy what's out there more.

as i'll be graduating soon, i realized that i was trying so hard to get to the finish line. but actually, i should have taken the "scenic route" during the school year and explored more. but i guess graduation at this point isn't anything much, really. because i'll still be learning, still be taking on new tasks.

as i will be leaving for GDC tomorrow, my mind is just all over the place, hoping that i didn't forget anything.. but if i need anything, i can still buy it up in the SF.. haha.

it's always fun climbing the mountain than to sit on the peak. =)

Finishing strong..

It's always fun to think of new ideas.. it's fun, exciting, and have so much freedom for exploring the direction. But I believe it's equally important to finishing things well. Finding that good ending to a story makes the story that much better.

Working on the personal projects are fun, but it sure is hard to find the perfect ending for it. It sounds awesome in my head, but once i lay it down on the paper... not so much.. It's also hard to stay away from new ideas because the mind is always moving forward. Sometimes I'd combine the ideas from 2 different projects and it feels like I've done this before.

I guess that's why I'm kind of glad that these personal projects don't have limited time, because I can always come back and work on it. But hopefully, I don't have to come back 10 years from now and find myself still without ending..

decided to write a new blog with a nice introduction, but i think because i was trying to write something impressive, i was having a writer's block. so i decided to just post something, anything, and not worry about the formalities. as i'm not as skilled in writing, i think this is a better direction for me--to write my thought process and just see what comes out. eventually, something will form from this chaos..

so here goes..

as preparing for the GDC, i have decided to renew the website, still has more adjustments to be made. as i've talked to more people, though, there seems to be more things to fix. haha.. but mainly i gotta post up my recent works so that i could showcase something than nothing.

working on couple of paintings, but i doubt it'll be ready by the time GDC starts. but as i remind myself GDC isn't my final goal--since there's also grad show, etc. i will definitely post WIP and see the transition of changes. that should be fun. =)

[edit]

just noticed how this post saved the initial date i started out on this blog... has it been that long just to post this one entry??

wow..