Finding Work
Overview
The first question to ask yourself is... am I a Generalist or a Specialist? this is a question facing every artist and designer. Being a generalist allows you to say "yes" to a larger quantity of opportunities and works well in small to medium-sized markets and companies where generalists are highly valued. Being a specialist may be your dream and that can work out if you target larger markets and companies that have large staffs working on large projects that are typically located in large metro areas like Los Angeles and New York as well as those hiring remote workers. You may have to start as a generalist working for small studios and work your way into a specialization working for large studios.
There are a Number of Determining Factors Which Can Lead You Down One Path or the Other:
How you choose courses and approach your projects at school.
The freelance and internship opportunities that you find while at school.
The job and/or freelance opportunities that you find after graduation.
The work that you choose to create for your portfolio.
The work that you choose to include in your portfolio.
Understanding specialization is easy. One simply practices, works, develops their reputation, applies for jobs and gains referrals in their specialization.
Generalization allows you to say yes to a broader array of opportunities. Here are Some Tips for Doing That:
Have confidence in and be disciplined about applying the fundamentals of art, design, animation, and interactivity. They are universal and will produce great results in any application. They include:
Digital Illustration
Graphic & User Interface Design
Sound Design
Animation
Video Editing
Story Telling
Don't be afraid to apply for jobs and freelance opportunities that contain impossibly long skills lists. It's likely the exact person they are looking for does not exist. But you do, and if you feel confident you can say yes to half or more of the skills on the list, you will be an attractive candidate.
Job / Project Hunting
Collateral
You will need a Linkedin profile, portfolio web presence, resume pdf, boiler-plate cover letter template.
Apply for Jobs and Projects on the Job Posting Sites.
If you are using one of the Freelancing sites, don't worry about making a bunch of money right away.
You're building professional experience that increases your value to future prospective employers.
You are building your portfolio with real client work.
You will be able to increase your prices as your ratings go up and you will get faster at production.
Participate (Network) in Local Meet-Up Communities
Make "professional friends". Make sure you have a social media presence where these friends can follow you.
Stay Active with Your Social Media
Building a large following on social media is not generally useful (unless you are operating a retail or original content business). However, social media will help those people that are interested in keeping connected with you remember you are available when they have a project for you in the future.
post micro-news releases when you finish projects or get new projects
post some work-in-progress
share some valuable information
follow other artists, designers and potential employers... comment on their posts.
Cold Call Places You Would Like to Work at or do Freelance Work for
Research these on-line and simply send a letter of inquiry that states your desire to work for them. Make sure you work is a good "fit" for them, or create a special portfolio piece for them.
Run a postcard campaign
I f you feel your work is a good fit for a studio or company, use their website to find their contact information. Phone calls, connecting through Linkedin, or other social media works best, because email's can end up in spam folders. Browse Steam, iTunes App store, Google Play store, YoTube and other media for publisher information.
Typical Salaries
Salary research can be performed at the websites below.
US Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
It's about 'fit'
Employers are looking for talent that have portfolio work that demonstrates skills that align very closely with their specific needs. Applying at companies or for freelance opportunities that do not align precisely with the work you have in your portfolio will not yield positive results. This means going to company websites and researching what they do to determine if you could be a match with the portfolio work you have to show.
Prove You Can Do The Work
Though some say "never work for free", I have found that providing a free sample or executing a small free project is an effective way to get work. Proving that you can create exactly what a potential client or employer needs trumps all other forms of self-promotion, and it shows a highly level of commitment to obtaining the project or position that most other candidates will not have.
Some potential clients and employers will ask you to do a test project to prove you can match a visual and/or motion style. This is especially true in the entertainment industry
Network Everywhere
Opportunities can and are realized in the most unlikely places. Here's an example: You're at your 6 year old nephews birthday party. You're sitting in a cheap folding chair, eating cake, sandwiched between your grandmother and a distant relative from your sister-in-laws side of the family.
You say "hi" to grandma
Then turn to the mystery person and say "hi I'm me, my nephew's uncle. I just graduated from Kendall college. So... what do you do for work?"
He says, "I'm a plumber. What did you study in college?"
You say "website design".
He says "That's great, my brother owns a small business and they are looking for a website designer."
You say, cool! Can I get your email or phone # so I can follow up with you about that?" He says "Sure".
Attend Events and Engage in Conversational Networking
These events can be related or, seemingly, unrelated to your profession. All types of companies and organizations need media. When beginning a conversation in a networking opportunity, make the conversation about the other person. Ask them about their work, what they do for fun. Prove that you are listening by asking questions that will prompt them to elaborate. If you bring yourself into the conversation, keep it on-topic. Ask for advice but don't ask for work. If they find you trustworthy and likable, they will ask you what your story is, and if there is a connection there, you may get asked to take the professional relationship to the next step. This may manifest itself as an informational interview, mentoring, an internship or a request to quote a contract project. This scenario may seem contrived, but if you partake in this activity you will learn something valuable from every conversation and you will become connected to people in your industry in a very genuine way.
Track Your Activity
Set up a spread sheet to keep track of the following
• Jobs you have applied for and the date you applied
• Leads that you gathered through networking.
• Scheduled dates for sending follow up inquires on jobs and leads
• Notes summarizing conversations and correspondence with all prospects.
Example:
Typical Positions
Looking across genres an be key to finding work when you are first starting out. Your skill-set and intangible qualities can be useful in companies and industries you may not have considered yet.
New artists and designers must balance the breadth and depth of their skills. Small studios value the creatives that can wear many hats well and large studios can afford to have specialists with a deep tool box in one area . Listed below are different strengths that can lend themselves to different positions in these industries:
games
animation
film
apps
informational
education
training
advertising
retail clothing and accessories
toys
Visual Development
concept artist
story board artist
layout (setting up scenes)
commercial illustrator
Animation/Video
layout artist
animator
sound designer
video editor
Video shooter
3D Artist
modeler (character & environment)
texture painting
layout (setting up levels/scenes)
product and architectural simulation modeler
Interactive
web designer
interaction designer
UX: user experience designer
UI: graphic user interface designer
user experience tester