Good on you! I did something similar (tech to music), the irony is now I am drawn to programming as a hobby as there are some bits of the brain music just doesn’t exercise. On the whole a happier person.
I plan to leave tech to pursue art
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Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#122Hi! I'm the author of this post -- it was an unlisted draft that I shared with a few friends, was planning to rewrite most of this before publishing. Please forgive the rough edges Main changes I'd make to this article - Agreed with others that I might be naive, but I'm 20 y/o and now's the right time to shoot for my dreams rather than settle - I'm applying to animation school soon (Sheridan). I started coding when I…
Good idea to share here as I didn’t have this kind of community at age 20. I think your perspective is solid and will enable a good working career in the US if you aim for it. Half the job is just showing up it seems like, but you do need to be in demand somehow to get a good pay rate. More skills are more and can open doors!
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#123OP I read your text. As an teacher of VFX in an (european) art university let me give you a few tips: You are only 20. You should not worry about your age at all . Art school is ¼ about the skills and tricks you learn there, ¼ about being forced to put something in front of others who won't be wooed by fancy eye candy, ¼ about creating and finding a network of people and ¼ being exposed to other styles of art. Some o…
Super great advice and I agree a lot as a guitarist. Very same principles about diversity, challenge, and practice. In my teenage years I averaged probably 2 hours a day reaching for shred like Yngwie Malmsteen - because of that push and reach, 80% of normal playing is a walk in the park.
Once you get the technical aptitude it’s great to explore other cultures and methods and then your brain gets to express itself even more. Quite a lovely journey but also delayed gratification is built in and challenges a lot of people. Myself included…
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#124As a technical person, it’s an interesting time to do this given the change that’s coming from “generative art” tech. I’m 30 years (and one exit) into my career in tech. Still thinking about being a rock star… or at least learning to play guitar well enough to share it with people. I still struggle with the question of whether to follow passion or money. I recently had an exit as the CEO of an HR Tech company. I’d lo…
You should check out my article basically trashing the future of AI/ML music generation. I just submitted it recently.
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Without a shadow of a doubt.
Also I have been able to pawn or sell extra guitars acquired when works was better. Art tools can retain some value.
I hear you. In my case I was finally able to get to music late (past 50). I'm so grateful I was around long enough to do that. It does not pay any bills, but it gives me much happiness, even though the guitar playing is subpar.
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#126I like the idea of leaving art uncompromised, independent of earning money. I can count very few people that can involved money and get away with it. The problem with this is that you have to have a job to support your art, and that reduces the amount of time you can spend with art. They key is and i believe what is comming, work for a company that actually makes the world Better place
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#127The grass is always greener! :-D I smile because I left commercial art back in the 80's to become a software developer! More power to Laim and I hope it works out well for him, but I have my doubts. Working as a full-time (especially on-staff) artist answerable to an Art Director sucks!! Artists are not respected, paid terribly and just generally considered disposable. At least that's how it was in my day. Again, Lia…
The beauty of a hobby is that nobody has the leverage to make you compromise, or perform when you don't want to.
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#128If you don't like tech then there's no reason to force it but a lot of this is fairly naive.
>churning out code to solve problems I don't care about?
Career artists often churn out art they don't care about. Pick a job that solves problems you do care about! The trade is a separate choice.
As someone who works in games, I can assure you there are tech people that think about kindness, creativity, history, culture, art, emotions and aesthetics.
Ending with a quote from a Pixar movie is especially ironic considering they work on the cutting edge of art and technology.
I wish this young man the best of luck.
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the way I plan to go! I love coding and I have my own dream projects. My plan is to earn enough to be independent and follow my dreams. Not retired yet, but collected some nest egg. Since then, I stress less, only work on what I find interesting and speak up when I want to. Funny part: I only got raises faster this way.
For me, "following the dream" is a failed concept. It means I know what I want, which might look true but it isn't. Currently I try not to dream. I try to be awake, and open to whatever comes my way. Some things that come to me I never dreamed of, and they are much better than anything I could imagine.
An interesting philosophy I have seen in others but find myself unable to embrace. I have friends I admire that are more like a leaf on a stream. I suppose by the same analogy I feel more inclined to be the salmon lest the stream take me to some stagnant pool.
Re: I plan to leave tech to pursue art
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
I stood at a fork in the road, so to speak, when I was kicked out of the house and had to decide whether to pursue art or tech (I enjoyed both). It was clear to me tech would pay the bills — the art I could do in my spare time. Retired (am I?) now, I can do all the art I want.
The problem is that by the time you are retired you are most likely so unplugged from the cultural zeitgeist that fuels art that you can’t possibly be good at it. You can’t possibly create anything meaningful that would speak to people who really consume art, because those people are young. They’re a few examples of outsiders who buck this trend but it’s a little presumptuous to think you’re as good as them. So now y…
> So now you do “art.”
That's fine. I would never do art for someone else anyway. It's not that it's a selfish thing, I don't do art to amuse myself, but rather I do art to express a thing I need to express (for some reason). That is not dictated by the whims of others.