So I've kind of been putting this off as it means acknowledging that
my second year is over and I'm fast approaching my third and final year
of university (waaaa, I don't want to leave!).
Its sad for me as I
feel like this has all gone too fast, I just want to soak it up and
enjoy it but I feel like I have been to busy to do so. Grrrr isn't time a
tricky thing?
Looking back over this year I
have came a long way and I have accelerated my rate of improvement which
was one of my main aims for this year. I think the reasons for this
were quiet clear. For one I put more time into my work and had a better
attitude towards it. Another is I finally began to understand stuff
better I felt like I wasn't fighting anymore (well I was fighting and
awful lot less), I started to enjoy doing the work so much more hence my
reluctance for it to end. This being said it doesn't mean I haven't
made my fair share of mistakes. However my mistakes have meant I have
been able to overcome stuff, I try to look at them as a positive thing
now.
My whole uni experience has been better this year. I
have experience more of the stuff I should have last year. I have
enjoyed myself, I have mixed a bit more and I have met some incredible
people. I have even changed my career aspirations. I feel like I have
found a good balance. I'm hoping I can make the same kind of jump next
year too. If I do I might be able to graduate with a decent grade.
My
grades are one thing that I'm not particularly happy about I mean they
have improved so much since last year and I should be happy with that
but its still not enough for me. There's always been a lot of pressure
on me to do well as I have been a high achiever my whole life. But here
things have been different and I've found myself getting marks lower
than originally anticipated. I fully realise now why that is and that I
will never be able to get what I wanted. But i can do the best with what
I have now. Perhaps I was being unrealistic before.
I'm
looking at this year as an overall positive experience. A lot has
changed but this time its all good. I look at last year as my year of
the Phoenix. I crashed, burned and rose again. This year I have adapted
and grown. I've found myself to be a lot pragmatic this year, I've dealt
with everything much better. I'm also feeling a bit more professional and confident in the way I present myself.
Looking forward I'm reluctant
towards starting the third year as I have realised I'm not entirely
suited to this course anymore and I feel like its going to be painful to
try and do a FMP that will suit me. But oh well. No regrets.
As
for the summer I have already made lots of plans. I can feel time
slipping away so I'm going to make the most of it. I'm going to London
to meet loads of new people again (I've always been good at that), me
and my dad are going on lots of trips to national trust sites (with our
sketch books) and I'm going to Barcelona! I'm also going to buy a nice
new camera and set up a new blog for my personal hobbies and such. All
of which I'm really excited for. I'm also going to bring back the
speed paint a week project but increase it to at least two a week. I'm
going to pratice some 3D and I'm considering making my concept for for
the group project on my own but we will see :)
Wednesday 29 May 2013
Thursday 23 May 2013
From generalist to specialist, career buling or life changing?
Well this task is meant to be all about what roles there are in the
industry and where I want to fit in right? and about the skills I've
obtained and which I find more important and relevant?
Let me paint you a little picture. (we are going to go slightly off task here, but stay with me, there is a reason for this) On my first week at university I saw a poster whilst in the estates building that said something along the likes of "are you alone in a crowd" and I thought well yeah but isn't everyone? turns out not really. I find that I'm different to people in a way that I thought was a hindrance but it turns out it might be my salvation.
Talking to various people in the past few months I've been told I have rare people skills. which felt strange to me, I have never considered the way in which I talk to people and the way I am could be considered a skill. I'm glad now that I have stuck to my guns and stayed the way I am. I have been told I have a high EI which means emotional Intelligence. According to people from industry this is rarer than you think. After doing a little research into it I have learnt a great deal about it. It's basically the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. From there it goes into different theories and such but I was interested in how it related to "The Big Five Personality Traits" which is a psychology thing and something that some businesses use for interviewing candidates. They are-
Anyway I found that these traits were things I could relate to. Looking back over my decisions that led me to where I am today its was almost as if unconsciously I was preparing myself to fit these things.
Getting back to back to the subject (yayy) I suppose you could call this a "soft skill" its not exactly a specialist skill, it doesn't really make me a pro at anything. I think the most frustrating thing about it is the fact I can't really put it on my C.V either. It only really comes across in person. That's the difference between "hard skills" and "soft skills" on paper hard skills can get you anywhere but in reality (well in my opinion) its the soft skills that make you a somebody. Whats the point having all these fantastic skills if you can't communicate them properly to your team. I think in order to function properly in most work places you will need some soft skills.
I am jealous of these hard skills everyone seems to have a lot of as they are easy to measure. But I wouldn't swap them for what I have. And after meeting Sofia I feel like these skills I have will help me get to where I want to be in the industry.
I really feel suited to management now that I think of it, I have always been able to take the lead and I thinking back I've always done a good job. I am definitely a people person and feel that I mostly come across to people in the right way. I've always felt comfortable in front of both large and small groups of people as well as when I'm on my own. And because of drama I have pretty good presentation and communication skills. I don't mind being the middle man and helping people to communicate with each other (certainly did a lot of that in the group project). I'm also strange in the way that I enjoy meetings and admin work. Correspondence isn't a problem for me either. I find myself most agreeable to the duties of a manager of producer. If i could also have a creative input that would be great, I have heard that the higher up you go the more input you get. I can see where I'd fit in and I'm comfortable with the responsibility I would have there. I'm also pretty good at multi tasking (you have NO IDEA :P), delegating and carrying a lot more weight on my shoulders than the job entails. Everyone says that it was an obvious choice, ahaa I wish they had told me years ago.
I have a slight idea of how I'm going to get there but I've found in life theres hardly ever a straight path to anything. I'm just going to carry on the way I am for now, working hard, networking and taking any opportunity I get to manage and organise anything. I'm going to keep looking into different types of management and management techniques to try and get ahead. But at the moment I see myself suited to community/ social media management, Assistant producer, producer, Production assistant and possibly a Outsourcing artist or outsource manager. All of these were recommended to me; and after looking into them I could see myself enjoying these jobs. After all isn't this why I'm working so hard? So I can get a job I can enjoy? :)
Let me paint you a little picture. (we are going to go slightly off task here, but stay with me, there is a reason for this) On my first week at university I saw a poster whilst in the estates building that said something along the likes of "are you alone in a crowd" and I thought well yeah but isn't everyone? turns out not really. I find that I'm different to people in a way that I thought was a hindrance but it turns out it might be my salvation.
Talking to various people in the past few months I've been told I have rare people skills. which felt strange to me, I have never considered the way in which I talk to people and the way I am could be considered a skill. I'm glad now that I have stuck to my guns and stayed the way I am. I have been told I have a high EI which means emotional Intelligence. According to people from industry this is rarer than you think. After doing a little research into it I have learnt a great deal about it. It's basically the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. From there it goes into different theories and such but I was interested in how it related to "The Big Five Personality Traits" which is a psychology thing and something that some businesses use for interviewing candidates. They are-
- Openness to experience – Openness reflects the degree of intellectual curiosity, creativity and a preference for novelty and variety a person has. It is also described as the extent to which a person is imaginative or independent, and depicts a personal preference for a variety of activities over a strict routine. Some disagreement remains about how to interpret the openness factor, which is sometimes called "intellect" rather than openness to experience.
- Conscientiousness – . A tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behaviour; organised, and dependable.
- Extraversion – Energy, positive emotions, surgency, assertiveness, sociability and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others, and talkativeness.
- Agreeableness – A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. It is also a measure of ones' trusting and helpful nature, and whether a person is generally well tempered or not.
- Neuroticism – The tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability. Neuroticism also refers to the degree of emotional stability and impulse control, and is sometimes referred by its low pole – "emotional stability".
Anyway I found that these traits were things I could relate to. Looking back over my decisions that led me to where I am today its was almost as if unconsciously I was preparing myself to fit these things.
Getting back to back to the subject (yayy) I suppose you could call this a "soft skill" its not exactly a specialist skill, it doesn't really make me a pro at anything. I think the most frustrating thing about it is the fact I can't really put it on my C.V either. It only really comes across in person. That's the difference between "hard skills" and "soft skills" on paper hard skills can get you anywhere but in reality (well in my opinion) its the soft skills that make you a somebody. Whats the point having all these fantastic skills if you can't communicate them properly to your team. I think in order to function properly in most work places you will need some soft skills.
I am jealous of these hard skills everyone seems to have a lot of as they are easy to measure. But I wouldn't swap them for what I have. And after meeting Sofia I feel like these skills I have will help me get to where I want to be in the industry.
I really feel suited to management now that I think of it, I have always been able to take the lead and I thinking back I've always done a good job. I am definitely a people person and feel that I mostly come across to people in the right way. I've always felt comfortable in front of both large and small groups of people as well as when I'm on my own. And because of drama I have pretty good presentation and communication skills. I don't mind being the middle man and helping people to communicate with each other (certainly did a lot of that in the group project). I'm also strange in the way that I enjoy meetings and admin work. Correspondence isn't a problem for me either. I find myself most agreeable to the duties of a manager of producer. If i could also have a creative input that would be great, I have heard that the higher up you go the more input you get. I can see where I'd fit in and I'm comfortable with the responsibility I would have there. I'm also pretty good at multi tasking (you have NO IDEA :P), delegating and carrying a lot more weight on my shoulders than the job entails. Everyone says that it was an obvious choice, ahaa I wish they had told me years ago.
I have a slight idea of how I'm going to get there but I've found in life theres hardly ever a straight path to anything. I'm just going to carry on the way I am for now, working hard, networking and taking any opportunity I get to manage and organise anything. I'm going to keep looking into different types of management and management techniques to try and get ahead. But at the moment I see myself suited to community/ social media management, Assistant producer, producer, Production assistant and possibly a Outsourcing artist or outsource manager. All of these were recommended to me; and after looking into them I could see myself enjoying these jobs. After all isn't this why I'm working so hard? So I can get a job I can enjoy? :)
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Well onwards and hopefully upwards
Anyway I’m just getting on with everything else now for Game production. After that I’ll probably do some of my own painting and try to make the most of my summer.
Sorry for the negativity I’m in a bizarre mood today to say the least. Here’s my moonshine final. I kind of like it but it needed a little more time I think.
Sunday 19 May 2013
The evil brick wall
So it feels like I have been working non-stop for months now, (in reality it has probably only been six weeks). But i feel like my body has just had enough. I have been getting such bad headaches even though I'm hydrated and well rested. I'm still trying to push it but honestly it is hard work.
Still I've managed to get quiet a bit done today. Today I have refined my Leicester final. Re-did my War of the worlds final (so much happier with it now) and sorted most of my Mortal engines development (before it was a bit slap-dash). I've still got a few bits to do so I've just got to keep pushing, luckily with these most of my prep work is done.
I also submitted my application for the internship at Lockwood. I have mixed feelings about it especially since seeing other peoples work. But hey I tried my best in the time I had and hopefully my cover letter and C.V will help. I also feel that my portfolio might be a little better, but then again I don't know all of the competition.
I've also been constantly updating my portfolio and Linkedin as well. I've also done some research into what makes a good portfolio but I'll tell you about that some other time.
I need to sleep now, I'm so exhausted.But hey back on it tomorrow, I'm a little solider ;) AHAHAHAA that's me :P
Tuesday 14 May 2013
Hi again
So I have been rather quiet I know. I know. I've just been so busy I've hardly had time to take a breather. So whats new?
The group project is over, thank Christ. Although it was a rather stressful time I have mixed feelings about it coming to an end. I did really enjoy working with certain people and it was great to help them learn new skills and grow as artists. I am proud of the work that we did and feel that we could not have produced work to the same quality if we had worked separately. I feel that overall the project was a success, although I can't help but regret the way things were left with certain team members.(I'm sure this will come up in team evaluation) However I realise if I want a career in management I'll have to let this go. Being a manager sometimes means that you will be hated and bitched about because some people just hate being told or even asked what to do. Theres nothing you can do about this, you just have to get on with the job at hand and make sure the project is done to the best it can be and on time.
All this said I am glad that I can have some time to get on with my own work now.
I've done some more brand ambassador work, which was fun, in fact it always is. It just confirms to me that I'm meant to be on the people side of things. I just really enjoy working with lots of different people. I love problem solving and being face to face with everything.
I've built up some contacts and started a LinkinIn, this might be old news for some but I recently updated it too. I've tried getting in contact with some old contacts too but we will see how it goes. I have a bit of a defeatist attitude about it at the minute as I tried searching for myself and had to go through 5 pages of Megan Rice's before finding me... I was even after my sister! SHE HAS A DIFFERENT NAME TO ME AND STILL COMES UP BEFORE ME! oh well I tried.
uk.linkedin.com/pub/megan-rice/69/508/196/
anddd I've finally regained a healthy diet and sleeping pattern.
Now all of this has been achieved I've got a little to do list on my hands.
1. Finish my Visual Design
2. Build my scene in UDK using all the assets I made for the group project.
3 Update my portfolio with said work.
4. Finish art test for apprenticeship (this one is first in priority order)
The group project is over, thank Christ. Although it was a rather stressful time I have mixed feelings about it coming to an end. I did really enjoy working with certain people and it was great to help them learn new skills and grow as artists. I am proud of the work that we did and feel that we could not have produced work to the same quality if we had worked separately. I feel that overall the project was a success, although I can't help but regret the way things were left with certain team members.(I'm sure this will come up in team evaluation) However I realise if I want a career in management I'll have to let this go. Being a manager sometimes means that you will be hated and bitched about because some people just hate being told or even asked what to do. Theres nothing you can do about this, you just have to get on with the job at hand and make sure the project is done to the best it can be and on time.
All this said I am glad that I can have some time to get on with my own work now.
I've done some more brand ambassador work, which was fun, in fact it always is. It just confirms to me that I'm meant to be on the people side of things. I just really enjoy working with lots of different people. I love problem solving and being face to face with everything.
I've built up some contacts and started a LinkinIn, this might be old news for some but I recently updated it too. I've tried getting in contact with some old contacts too but we will see how it goes. I have a bit of a defeatist attitude about it at the minute as I tried searching for myself and had to go through 5 pages of Megan Rice's before finding me... I was even after my sister! SHE HAS A DIFFERENT NAME TO ME AND STILL COMES UP BEFORE ME! oh well I tried.
uk.linkedin.com/pub/megan-rice/69/508/196/
anddd I've finally regained a healthy diet and sleeping pattern.
Now all of this has been achieved I've got a little to do list on my hands.
1. Finish my Visual Design
2. Build my scene in UDK using all the assets I made for the group project.
3 Update my portfolio with said work.
4. Finish art test for apprenticeship (this one is first in priority order)
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