After making a big shift in my career direction, what is there to do next? Follow through of course. I did not go to school for Character Design. I didn't really go to school for Animation either. But that does not mean there's no way for me to take myself back to school. If there's one thing you do learn in the Arts it's how to teach yourself.

I own a bunch of books, wildly talented artists have videos and courses online (some of them even completely free!), and I have the benefit of having interacted with many of these artists in the before times. I know what kinds of work I gravitate towards and many of them leave up their last portfolios that got them The Big Job. There’s a lot to learn about how their potential was presented to a company in these things and then following that artist either on their website or social media shows you how they evolve themselves under the umbrella of a larger studio.

Studies of Mr. Carson from “Downton Abbey”

At this point in my life, I am privileged enough to not care about The Big Job. I can truly focus on the craft, the thing that brings me most joy. What IS it about Character Design that I love the most? Why do I always come back to it even though I am not particularly skilled at it? This means that I can study. I can draw from professional references, I can workshop my own character designs and see how far my own critique can take them before I start sending things around to my Short List of Critics. I can Apprentice Again.

Yes, “apprentice” is a verb as well as a noun. And it’s an important one. Western society reveres the Masters because we love to believe they see and experience things so differently from the non-Masters. But we forget that the Apprentice who becomes a Master often returns to that apprentice work. A Master can get bored of doing the same type of work over and over again. A Master may feel stagnant over time or just wants to try something new & different for the sake of it.

I have always loved trying new things. Often to my detriment because what am I REALLY a Master of? But “Master” is not a title I am chasing ever. I want to enjoy myself, I want to create to uplift my own soul and to release whatever has a hold on me in the moment. So I give myself permission to become an Apprentice Again and reacquaint myself with the kind of work that excites me most. To discover my faults and iron them out and embark on a new journey until something bigger and more challenging comes along. And Character Design is PLENTY challenging enough!

“Serenity’s Paradise” Character Illustration. Available for purchase in my Society6 Shop, Click Image for link.