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Not having support for your dreams can crush them. I was in gifted classes but I was also a skilled artist in highschool. Won all kinds of contests and awards for both my art and my poetry. I wanted to do something with my skill. My dad however, constantly told me art is a hobby. You can't make money on it. Instead he pushed me to go into the medical field. I got burned out and lost all desire for schooling. I wound up with wanderlust and traveled the country picking up skills as I went. My insatiable curiosity and love of learning never ended, however my artistic skill simply became an occasional hobby. I do think having support of ones dreams is important, as is having realistic expectations of goals. I'm better off with my skill set and life experience than my initial options.
My dad didn’t want me to be an artist either, but I was good at it, so he financed my near worthless associates degree in art. Then I decided I want to be a cartoon animator, which was another three years of schooling. Then he said, no fucking way. This was back in the late 80’s, there were only a handful of places an animator could find employment. So I went to the cheapest animation school I could find.
I’ve been an animator for video games for over 30 years. I have a nephew that wants to be a video game designer now, and I want to support him, but the industry has turned to shit. I spend half my time supporting his dream and the other half kinda trying to steer him away. He’s getting the 50 percent support my old man gave me.
Is he interested in photo editing or general programming? There are a lot of good jobs in Computer Sci out there still. If he's more into soldering, a solid ECE/EE degree can lead to all kinds of good stuff (factory design, power plants, hell even designing alarm clocks cause someone has to do it). Find what he loves and find careers that are going strong and not total crap and you can usually steer them towards interests.
I did the same with my nephew. I made a VERY BIG DEAL about not going into debt and how you get out of any program what you put into it. He avoided the big name schools, went to a smaller 4 year university he could afford with his parents help, and now has a Ruby job, wife and 1 year old with a second on the way. He owns a house too, although his sister and her husband live with them for the time being to pay the mortgage.
That's pretty cool man. Without risking possibly doxxing yourself, can you name one of the games that you worked on?
If I named a title, my name would be right there in the credits as an animator The games industry is now a woke hellscape of vindictive internet detectives. I’ve done way too much Hitler praising online to risk a doxxing.
I wanted to get into video game design. The competition is rough. However lots of independent designers are making good games nowadays. Maybe guide him to do something independent and see how it goes. Stardew valley is one of the games I speak of. Binding of Isaac another.
He got into a magnate school this year. It’s like a high school you have to audition for. He got in with a game he made himself. He’s doing well in their games program. I was asked to be a mentor at the school and I accepted. My nephew is on a team of six kids and 4 of them are gender confused. I don’t want to be a bigot, but it’s these fellows that are ruining the games industry. My nephew wants to make strategy games about herding cattle or fighting the government, the other 4 want to make sim games about converting to being a woman. I’d like to do the cow herding game.
4 Years, 10 hour days, 7 days a week with your girlfriend earning big bucks with a degree for stardew apparently. I've never played it but I can't imagine there being anything healthy about that lifestyle. You don't hear about solo devs like that in their 30s and 40s cause they aren't that fucking stupid and unbalanced
My dad gave up on me when I was a kid once he figured out that I wasn't a quick enough learner. He could have spent quality time with me teaching me skills of his trade to build my confidence but instead he verbally belittled me and lectured me about how much of a whore my mother was. Good Times
I bet your dad would tell a different story
So could mine between cheating on Mom and beating us. Shit happens. Rotten parents happen.
I wouldn't take that bet. Plenty of Fathers belittle their apparent whoreson children to whoever has the misfortune to listen to them, maybe save the uplifting hallmark movie moment for another time buddy.
That the son was a whore?
Sincere apologies that your artistic gift was extinguished by your worrisome father, I can understand where he comes from but I can not support his decision to do that to you. I hope yiu can maybe one day renew yiur love of yiur gift.
I still utilize my skill on occasion. I don't believe in regrets. I'm where I am and who I am because of what I've lived. I love who I am and wouldn't change anything about my life out how I got here. Once you reach a certain age you can't but help to reminisce. What might have been can be fun to ponder on occasion but where I'm at in life now is a pretty good place to be. I still enjoy art, it's just not a passion any longer. My natural talent never disappeared, I just don't have the drive to constantly create like I once did.
I ended up with a MEd instead of art school. Same reason, no parental moral support. I turned back to art and taught myself to paint after a stroke. My daughter is an artist and she had to fight her Dad.
So what are you doing now? You can still be an artist it's just that the being poor part sucks ass and the burn is that if you are really good your art is only worth a lot after you die.
I can't fully answer that without doxxing myself. What I will say is I enjoy what I do most days. Art is still a passion of mine, but it's a hobby that I use to de-stress. I'm much older and wiser than the kid in me who used to live with his head in the clouds. Push come to shove I can survive with the skill sets I have. If I would have followed my heart or done as my dad wanted I wouldn't have the knowledge or skills that I currently possess. I made mistakes along the way, but that's how I learn best. I'm still good at art, but like you and my dad both pointed out, am I great? Probably not. I've met others who are better.
I can't fully answer that without doxxing myself.
You can be vague enough to not risk any doxing at all.
What I will say is I enjoy what I do most days.
That is good. There are many niches in art where good is enjoyed by people so you won't land in books about about great artists but lots of people can enjoy your art anyway. I like the old hot rod kustom culture stuff, also called low brow art, that is very popular and loved by lots of people and good enough can pay decent.
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