Don't ask me to do a bad job

and i mean it.

more and more frequently at my current studio, i'm being asked to "do a bad job". not in so many words, mind you, but that's what i'm being asked.

"just slap it together."

"you don't have to spend very much time, just so something is on the screen."

"can you do this by tomorrow morning?"

this is what i actually get asked, usually with no input, or guidelines, or even the bare information i need to get the job done. however, i'm routinely asked to fit 20-30 hours of work into an afternoon- and quality, creativity, effectiveness, or communication are not criteria.

now, apart from all the professionalism issues, and doing a service to the client, what you're really asking me when you ask me to do a bad job, is to take a cut in my pay.

seriously.

i'm not likely to retire here at my current job, i'm not likely to be content to let my creative and technical skills stagnate, so when i do go for the next rung, when i go to the next job, i want it to be a better job. a more creative and fulfilling job. a better paying job. and i'm telling you right now, that doing a bad job will follow you, and that next job that you are looking for will go to the guy that did a good job.

What kinda hours do you work?

This is from an email conversation i had with Chris Storay. i'll post my reply (with permission!) and then elaborate a bit.

i average about 45 hrs a week, and no, i don't take work home. there are a couple of web guys here that will on occasion, but i think it's a slippery slope. they pay me for work here and i give that my full attention- however, they do not pay me enough to take work home and make them money on my time, and my equipment. i do have a life, and my own ambitions, and i separate my employers workload form that. Now, this is not to say that occationally, last minute projects and crunch times do not happen... When they do, i'm more than willing to go the extra time and effort to see things through. However, these whould be the exception, not the rule- good management and good project planning can minimise the likelyhood of a "last minute crunch" from happening, and lessen the impact when they do.

it is a fundamental mistake to think in terms of trading time for compensation. it is a much better world view to think in terms of trading VALUE for compensation. unfortunately, here at RSA time is king, and the work flow suffers for it (i punch a clock!).

now, you are young, and presumably single. when i first started working in 3D, i had a pillow and a blanket under my desk. i spent 16-20 hour days working, would take a nap while rendering, and then start again. unfortunately, this work ethic led my employers to take advantage of me, rather than compensate me for my enthusiasm. however, now, i have commitments to my wife and home, and the desire to be something other than a robot working to make someone else money. i understand from talking to others that this is a natural progression, and i'm not alone in thinking this way.

basically, what i'm saying is, at some point you have to draw a line in the sand between what you're willing and/or able to give, and what is fair compensation, and what an employer can take from you. if it's a supportive relationship, then both parties can benefit from the value you bring. however, working someone to death with the attitude that the employer owns the employee's time, is a mutually destructive relationship that will result in severe burnout for the employee and the ultimate loss of productivity and creativity for the employer.

Figure Drawing

While digging through some old drawing pads and found a bunch of drawings from an informal drawing group i attended in Russellville. it reminded me of how much i enjoy drawing the figure, and how much i still have yet to learn.



at any rate, i've started a figure drawing gallery of some of the better sketches. i'm planning on getting back into a regular figure drawing habit, and hope to start up another informal group soon. just looking for a suitable space, an assortment of models, and an interested group of artist.

Scott Frikin' McCloud

this post is a little late, but i've been busy, then sick. but anyway:

yup, it was a privilege to meet, and hang out with Scott McCloud on the Arkansas stop of his Making Comics 50 State Tour. my Wife Gretchen, my Brother Justin, and myself packed up for the short drive to Henderson College for an informal Q&A with Scott and family. it was a blast to get to ask questions, and interact on a first hand basis someone who i have seen as an inspiration for much of my professional artistic career. i first picked up Understanding Comics my second year of College, and found not only was it a careful and thoughtful treatise on the media of comics, but an in depth look at how we as humans go about thinking visually, and connect icons, visual media and language. it really is a great read, even if you aren't interested in guys in tights.

this of course just kicks my rear in gear to get back to work on my own comic projects. too many ideas, not enough time...

Character Modeling

Character modeling is what i love to do best. i've been learning the demo version of Mudbox3D, and am absolutely in love. i'll be buying it with the next character job that i pick up. usually, picking up a new interface is the most difficult thing for me when picking up a new software. it will run me a few days to a week to get up to speed with a new package but mudbox was easy to pick up inside of an hour. now, i'm primarily a 3dsmax kindof guy, mostly because thats what i've been using the most, and the Mudbox interface is the same as Maya, which i've used but only for a handful of projects, and the Maya interface is what usually throws me off, but after a couple of days with Mudbox, i found myself trying to use Maya interface navigation inside of 3DS! 12 years of 3DS (DOS, then MAX), and it took a week for Mudbox to turn me into a Maya user. heh.

Here's a simple test i did when learing Mudbox: took a box in 3ds, extruded fingers, set up edgeloops, then spent about an hour in Mudbox.



speaking of character modeling, my character modeling reel will be complete shortly and will go here when complete.

new layout, new blog. old grammar.

This is the initial setup for my blog. My modest website redesign is up and running, save for the CSS tags, that i'll put in tonight.

so, why a blog? so you can know what i had for breakfast? NO! (it was a Harvest power bar, btw...) i'll be posting my many grammatical errors here in an attempt to talk about, and post a bit about some 3D and design subjects that interest me, or some problems in the aforementioned that i'm trying to work through.

also, i might occasionally rant about poor management schemes and how they work to undermine my daily production activities :)

thanks for taking a look!