what would you learn?
- Started
- Last post
- 24 Responses
- dyspl
it seems like I'm now entering a middle life crisis, or maybe getting close to burn-out and wanting some change in my life...
I'm planning to quit my job to follow my girlfriend in Singapore and start freelance again.
For the moment I mainly do vector illustrations, logos and photoshop illustrations for adverts.I'd like to extend a bit my skills...
Would you :
-learn html/flash/css/xml/etc... knowing you always have been pretty bad in mathematics&science?
-learn photography from the beginning?
-learn video from the beginning?
-go back to drawing, knowing you had some skills, but were only average/good?
-learn 3D, knowing you have some knowledge but still pretty basic?I'm speaking of being "good", not just being able to handle some of these skills when clients ask for.
- neue75_bold0
women love a man who can cook...
- +1Didsomething
- I'll also give that a +1shitehawke
- +1. After a meal fresh served pussy for desert.
That's the law.TomBac
- harmsie0
Hmm... I would learn something that you feel excited by, if you just do something you think you should learn, I don't think you get to being good at it. If you do illustration, may be think about may be moving in to motion graphics. But learn something for the sake of it.
- "but don't learn something for the sake of it" should have readharmsie
- clearThoughts0
Don't learn HTML/Flash/CSS - it won't make you happy. You can probably get more satisfaction out of gardening.
- Not probably, 100%.TomBac
- Gardening can change your life.clearThoughts
- flashbender0
if you like money, go with: learn html/flash/css/xml/etc
That will most likely give you the most freelance opportunities
- jimbojones0
3d/flash/video
- Horp0
I don't think its a mid-life crisis. I think a lot of people in our industry are feeling like this lately. We've hit a point of oversaturation now. Its hard to get excited about doing something because its pretty much all been done before now.
It sounds like you do similar sorts of things to me... hybrid illustration/graphics. I think that's an area on the wain at the moment. Its been fashionable to solve design problems with decoration for a long time now and really it has to go out of fashion again as it did in the late 90's.
Its nigh on impossible to do something genuinely new and exciting without it becoming some mad 3d deep complex surreal fantasy epic mindblowing vista, and frankly even that's done to death and has a diminishing commercial outlet.
Everyone who can do something visual is busily doing it and posting it online. We're all lost in a sea of visual material and feeling sea sick. "Go and learn to do something totally outside of the creative industry" would be be my choice.
- < well saidjimbojones
- "We're all lost in a sea of visual material and feeling sea sick." Exactly. AND the idiots are winningjimbojones
- "pretty much all been done before now"
true, and very sad.dyspl - Hear, hearTomBac
- dyspl0
Well, I'm intreseted in all those things ; I'd love to be able to to nice websites, good photos etc...
But doing some self criticism, I know I tend to try everthing and stay quite average on each. I feel that for once I should focus on one new skill and develop it.@neue&harmsie ; I keep in mind cooking and gardening for my next crisis , for my 40's I guess.
- shitehawke0
I would leand how to control things with my mind.
That or photography or 3d.
- kelpie0
learn to fight bears. During my last career crisis I fought a small possum and knew from the satisfaction of the sheer primal animalistic buzz of it that to take on a truly impressive mammal predator, to leave my comfort zone and take a genuine risk, was the real key to feeling alive, like a true man.
plus, chicks really dig properly decent scars
- dyspl0
horp, I totally agree. I'm quite saturated myself with the "hybrid illustration/graphics" as you said. I go on ffffound and see 10times better impressive works than I do, and anyway there are so much people doing that ; I could see some mindblowing image and care for only 10sec.
If it was only a matter of taste I would go for drawing or photography... but can you make a living doing that? starting at 30?
- shitehawke0
Kelpies right, chicks dig scars. They also appreciate a good cook. Learn to cook what you kill and women will be enthralled and throw themselves at you.
"whats for dinner?"
"Well dear today I wrestled a bear and killed it so we're having sautéed bear steak in a red wine reduction with caramelised red onion and wild mushrooms. Oh and I made you a coat from its hide"Instant knicker remover.
- dyspl0
speaking about career change i've been seriously thinking about being :
-gardener
-barman
-dealer in casino
-policeman
-custom bike builder*I don't know anything about all those activity :)
- barman was probably the smoothest job I ever had.clearThoughts
- My GF loved being barmaid a few years back.dyspl
- kelpie0
- nice in summer, horrible otherwise
- like having no cash and watching your friends have a social life while you work?
- um
- NO. most horrible job in teh world ever. talk to a copper about the work life they have
- bet theirs F all money in that. could be fun though
- utopian0
I just started learning:
- mobile app development
- serigraphy
- arc welding
- dyspl0
-just bought 2 lottery tickets, 15 millions euros would help for a futur career change.
- flashbender0
I'd like to be a mechanic
- dyspl0
kelpie : "bet theirs F all money in that. could be fun though"
Well this is what I already do so...
- shitehawke0
kelpie is right again about the barman job. Every barman I know started straight after school (as its an apprenticeship over here). I don't know anyone who would actually go into bar work after years of work.
And just because I know a lot of barmen doesn't mean Im an alcoholic.
- TomBac0
From my point of view, anything you think would gain you a lvl in your own personal development and benefit is good for you.
You can also try with other fields of knowledge. Maybe science, architecture.
I went in to direction of inter-dependable communications and relations. Emotional intelligence etc. I also started to practice sun-gazing (solar yoga). Fundamental forces of nature. Space.
Practicing wing-chun. At some point my body started to feel like 80 year oldie. So that was i might say, necessary to stay healthy.So my advice is anything that you feel great about it.