- February 9, 2010
- 14 Comments
- Videos, Will Draw For Food
Compare Your Life To Pixar
Like this? follow on twitter: @joshmbroadcast A slideshow video representation of me explaining why perseverance is a massively important key to surviving as an artist.
If you want to embed this video on your site or blog, cut and paste the code below:
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14 Responses to “Compare Your Life To Pixar”
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This made me feel so much better about my work. I am going to keep going, this gave me hope. Thanks.
Awesome video – really puts things into perspective.
Where exactly is this social study you are referring to?
I’ve been told these studies from people I know in person (I go to a shrink and have friends who are life coaches), and the original study I’ve been told was taken after studying the field of NYC’s acting world and how long it took on average for an actor to “make it” within the field.
Online, however, the closest thing to the “12 year” theory can be found if you google “10,000 hour rule” where people such as Malcolm Gladwell explains it takes 10,000 hours to master a craft. Since that means 10,000 actual hours and not including the seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc. where you rest, eat, check e-mail, etc. These hours of mastering a craft will stretch beyond the years, and can calculate to reach around 10-12 years. Online usually states 10 years, so I felt saying “an average of 12 years” was a nice compromise. Especially because it can sometimes take a person longer than 12, or shorter than 10, to “make it.”
The overall purpose of the video, as I feel like you know, however, is the point of overcoming the dead periods in one’s career and to “keep on trucking.” That things aren’t rewarded right away, minus a few exceptions.
While the self-help book, “The Secret” might talk about positive thinking, it kind of excludes the point that a person has to work for it. Almost all other self-help books will talk about the time it would take for a person to “blossom” such as one book I’ve read/reading, “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow.”
Hope this helps.
Cheers Josh, this was brilliantly done, and made me stop and inhale and exhale slowly. Slow and steady wins the race
What about those of us who are almost 40 and still failures? Are we allowed to be depressed?
I’m not depressed. Just sayin’ is all. You make a good point and I can’t help snarking.
Well, even if you were depressed, you’re allowed to be as long as you’re able to get out of it. Everyone has an off day, week, month, year, etc. Even the most “perfect” people in human history had off moments.
Failure is subjective. Ultimately this message is for people who are working at something to be happy with their work. Because I think being happy at what you do is more successful than being rich.
You may or may not remember me, but I used to talk to you a lot back in 04-05.
You told me I was too young to have a style, and you constantly critiqued my stuff.
If it wasn’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have kept trying. It’s because of you that I have a lot of fans now (not .. like.. a ton, but I got lots). I’m getting 2 or 3 commissions a month (doesn’t sound like much, but they’re high dollar ones), and I keep making more friends almost every day.
Thank you, and I’m so glad to have found you again on the interwebs.
Hey,
I remember you, but unfortunately I don’t remember me critiquing your work, especially because I’m a bit different these days. While I will critique a person that wants some feedback, the word often associates to the more negative aspect… Like a person pointing out what’s wrong with their work, rather than what’s right.
I feel these days, who am I to judge a person’s artwork? If they are passionate over what they do, then they should do it, no matter how good or bad they might be! I am just one voice in a sea of money, and I much rather be a positive voice than a negative one.
But if I helped motivate you to keep trying, then thank god I didn’t scare you away from something you’re passionate about. I might’ve done that to people without even knowing… But I’ll say this much, it’s never my intention.
Too bad this hopeful and well thought-out idea doesn’t pertain to the technical industry. I wish I could just “Keep On Trucking” and eventually invent the next iPad. Unfortunately, I have to come up with that next iPad in theory and hold onto it until I can spring it on the public and be a millionaire. Art, though can be emulated, can be copied nor is there an incentive to turn a profit right away (talking less commercially). No, the technical field is a shark tank of people who are not partial to eating their own kin if it means they get to eat more chum. But I guess I could take your advice into my academic life, if I keep working hard, eventually I’ll get on the graduation stage.
Hmm. I’m not 100% sure. I have pretty much zero knowledge in the technical industry, so work with me here. Success doesn’t always mean millionaire, billionaire, the next ipad, etc.
Sometimes it simply means doing what you love and living through it. If you find yourself in a job/career where you feel accomplished with what you’re doing, but your income is still in the five figures, that to me, is still a success. I also believe you can keep working to go further than five figures… Not to settle and to fight your way through where you believe you can be… But the fact of the matter is, not everyone is going to become rich, or make the next ipad, or film the next Avatar…
A monk who spends his whole life living on a mountain can find success by becoming enlightened. But it might take him 4 life times until he gets there. However, he isn’t making a single cent.
He’s still a success. He is happy. That’s ultimately what matters most.
So a success story doesn’t always have to be Pixar, exactly. It could be that very pretty mom and pop bed and breakfast inn that’s hidden behind that meadow.
This video has made me feel so much better. I’ve totally bitten the bait on the whole “I’ve got nothing to show for my life goal so far.. woe is me!” while I’m only 25. Thank you, thank you so much for making a video like this. I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel like I can continue on and feel better about the fact that I haven’t gotten noticed yet. I’ll just use this knowledge to keep trucking on until I do get noticed one day. Thank you.
My boss sent this to me a couple months ago when I was going through this frustrating “can’t get anything right at work” phase and it totally brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for making such a smart, uplifting video. Everything about it is absolutely true (in any industry – especially mine, graphic design. But I draw comics too!). Thanks man, you’re brilliant!