United3dArtists Archive

Does anyone have any suggestion on how to find time and inspiration for their 3D work?
I currently lacks both. What do you do when you are low on time and inspiration?
I do have ideas but can't make myself start with them....

I'm hoping my inspiration will come back when I can afford to upgrade to a duo quad 4 computer or faster.

We (Prodigy and I) were hoping that offering a prize for both Challenges would get
many of you inspired again. Something to work for.
If your dream is to become a 3D Artist someday then you are probably already inspired and should be creating every free moment you
can find to gain experience.
For me seeing my ideas or brainstorms come to life on the computer screen is fun and reading that
someone else enjoyed it my reward. I always work my ideas away from the computer and on scrap paper. Once I start on the Computer the
time really does fly as I get in a "zone" I do not hear anyone else, i don't eat anything or think of anything else.
I'm almost like a zombie.
Time is a killer like others have stated here already. I'm jealous of the Rayman's who come here with such vast
knowledge of other applications. I would love to learn ZBrush, Silo 2, Carrara and Blender. However I don't want to
get rusty either so whenever possible I join the MMC Challenge to truly challenge myself.
I love seeing what all of you create here also. I have learned a great deal by coming here often.
There are so many fantastic artist here...we are very lucky.
So learning, experience, friendship, challenges, feedback and sharing are my inspirations.
Great topic.

The speed of the computer is not a motivation for me. This is useful for rendering but my animation are calculated during the night. Modeling is not a problem with a good video card. Motivation is most important in regard to modeling. This is where creation begins. The speed should not be an argument because I need time to think about what I do. Motivation gives courage to all that inspiration dictated.
To be constantly hurry to finish is a sign of weariness. Take the time to do one good thing rather than hurt many things.
An alcoholic seeks intoxication. A wine lover seeks the pleasure of a good wine. The fun stops when the quantity is more important than quality. It is impossible to heal without a purpose. The real question is: what is my purpose? Then the creative process comes naturally.

ps: the subject is not Off Topic. This should be explained in the manual.

Many ideas and lack of time go hand in hand. I also do not lack ideas. Since I am very visual, anything around me easily floods my mind with pictures. From a sentence, to the way a branch hangs on a tree, to an emotion I notice I'm feeling at the time, it can all activate me. But that's also the problem. Can't work on all of them. So I organize. I decide (in order)... which has a deadline - which is the most meaningful (I think of creating art as 'speaking with pictures', and I usually have a lot to say) - which will test me the most - which will look better (have the most impact on me and/or others), and then break the choices down into a priority list.
So spyfrog, just making a priority list might aid you with inspiration (which one do you REALLY want to see come alive... First), and that will also definitely help you with Time.
Then try something called 'chunking'. Break down the one piece of art you will do first, into chunks; that way your mind won't feel overwhelmed. And then just chip away, a few minutes at a time of actual work, if that's all the time you can make.

How many times I've sat in front of the screen and said, "Oh Man! Which do I work on first? Which model, which project, which picture?"? I usually have a bunch of things going at the same time (helps with My inspiration) so if I get bored of one thing, I can immediately go after another and always keep creating.
marcel's point is very correct though... better to do one Good thing, than 4 mediocre things.
Something I'm still learning

PS: HEY Steinie!

If you Really want to work on it, spyfrog, but feel kinda 'lazy' or unmotivated, sometimes, you have to
'force yourself' to get started, to kick-start yourself. What is your goal with 3D? If you have a goal in mind, then, you will not get there, unless you work on it. If you do not work on it, you will not achieve your goal.

When I think about the things I am working on, if I don't feel like it, I think to myself, 'If I don't do this, I won't get where I want to be'. I have a few long term goals. If I don't work on it, I will Never get there. So, I work on it as much as I can. If I try, and simply can't even stay focused, then I know I must do something else for awhile.

Look for something interesting but easy and fast to create. I was in the same situation, I had time though but no ideas.
Now, I recently visited the website of Griff Wason, an artist who uses trueSpace to create the most awesome detailed models I've ever seen. He makes all kinds of technical illustrations. Viewing his work triggered me to try to create something similar but not that detailed. So I just searched the web and found some stuff like an eyepiece holder for a telescope and a high-fi headphone amplifier. I saved the images to use them as a reference to make the model from. I wasn't able to copy them 100% but my goal was to make it look as if it was real. The models where fairly low-poly and I focussed more on texture and lighting, trying to get the most out of it. Objects weren't difficult to create and both projects gave me a lot of fun, especially experimenting with the Depth of Field.

What I wanted to say is, sometimes it's good to get your inspiration from other artists.

Cheers.

To be honest your life comes in waves.. sometimes it time to create and sometimes its time to get
your work out to people. I´m in the later stage right now I just signed a contract with a gallery today that want to show
some of my early(photography) work in November. But that takes a lot of time away of creating and rather orginising some of what I did
and funny enough to even find things that I did in the past and are somewhere burried under piles of everyday things.
And yes i do rust a little bit in the meantime.
When I started out to look for software to use my first priority was ease of use and selfexplanetory interfaces.
I come back from a while away from the creating process and am back into it in no time.
The more the things are as easy as drawing the faster you get up to speed again because you havent dropped knowing how to
draw.....
But a problem with inspiration no way ....
Rather the days only having 24 hours.....and also it was nice outside and the holidays and all that too and family needs you etc.
Peter

Very good advices from you all. I will see if I manage to get my motivation back.

No doubt the sun of the summer is not conducive to stay in front of a screen all day. Maybe next winter, things will get better.

Unfortunately I see many long time trueSpace users dropping by here but not posting or showing their work anymore. I think many got hit by a one two punch when Caligari folded and the economy went sour.
I keep trying to get the long timers to return and join us here. We can only offer our friendship and a space to admire their work or their wisdom.
If we keep ourselves motivated it will rub off on others in time. I'm quite sure we too can inspire others.

before i thought the guilty was the crisis. today i think it is the letter from roman who caused a shock and caused this disaffection. We are about 20 or 30 active members. It is enought for me if we have good things to share. The only thing I regret: so many have changed their software, why they do not show anything concrete? This forum is open to all and all software. It is not the tools which should motivate us. It is the people.

Well, I think, people that acquire a different software package, may tend to peruse the forums for that particular application, as opposed to here, since, chances are, their questions will get answered more quickly, at those forums specifically tailored to the application.

I have to motivate myself sometimes, by, just listening to some favorite classic music. Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Johnny Winter. May seem strange but that drives me to work out things on paper, jot down approaches to coding, etc.

that remember me when I developed software a long time ago, I drew diagrams that strangely resembled illustrations.

I know I'm not those long-time users since I am from the pos-caligari era, anyway I'm on the list of active users that became inactive.

There's many reasons I don't touch 3D anymore, major ones are school and other student commitments. Also everytime I try to get back to it a problem appears (I already posted it I think). Anyway, I rarely do something creative after I get back to school, I just read a book and so.

Anyway, I hope I'll be back soon, but I can't promise.

Queensryche

Cool that you also like Queensryche Jason, we could then talk sometime about our favorites songs of Queensryche, anyway mine is Silent Lucidity

marcel wrote:before i thought the guilty was the crisis. today i think it is the letter from roman who caused a shock and caused this disaffection. We are about 20 or 30 active members. It is enought for me if we have good things to share. The only thing I regret: so many have changed their software, why they do not show anything concrete? This forum is open to all and all software. It is not the tools which should motivate us. It is the people.

Because they think this is a Truespace forum and in the second thought ... they figured Truespace is dead.
This forum sooner or later has to become an artist forum regardless of any software used because the tools are less important then the act
of creation. The tools in the best case should only be a question in the background.
Also most people have migrated already and what is is...they got to master now what they got.
I´d still love to see more from people like Wizard and see more from Madmouse and Parva to name a few.
I´d also love to hear from Roman and Tom and Norm even if it´s not 3d related just some talking......
Yes Marcel for me its also about the people... more then anything.. !
Peter
Ps .: I personally took 40 portraits of people for the coming elections here and yesterday i photographed 60 knock outs of clothings
for mag....... bottom line its all about making fast cash with unspectacular but monetarily rewarding jobs.
I have to take it when it comes... when the job goes slower I can come back to nice things to make with 3d....
I also got to earn my living...