"There isn't anybody who is not guilty of that in VFX!" - Chris Nichols Episode 4
The Naked Texture Artist is a podcast where VFX/animation veterans have deep and honest conversations about their challenges and growth as working artists.
The catastrophe has not been called off. Yet. The Hollywood strikes are resolved, supposedly. But obviously it will take time to rebuild what the drought has destroyed. Hiring has started again as a trickle here and there. But the whole “strikes are over and now everybody go back to work” was of course never going to materialize. So most people out there are still hurting.
This period, in the VFX industry's history, has been a grim reminder that we are living in a house of cards. Many, if not all, artists have had to have some serious reflection on their career, and what their future will look like.
You know I am a huge fan of Chris Nichols. Not only because of his texture work and his passion for our art and craft – but also because he is such a grounded yet thought-provoking person to speak to. This perfectly fits with the times we are living through.
This episode, I count as my most personal yet. Listening, and re-listening to my conversation with Chris has brought a lot of aha-moments and paradigm shifts for me personally. We talk a lot about our experiences being artists, and how that relates to jobs, studios and even hiring other artists.
I hope this can be as instructive and helpful for you too, as it has been for me.
Do yourself a favor, please, and explore and support the amazing work Chris also does on the side:
https://www.artstation.com/porkpiesam...
Also mentioned in this episode is @AllanMcKay
and / saltyanimators
0:00
00:12 Intro
00:39 Does loving texture work too much get in the way of your career?
05:37 Interview start – The challenge of creating digital human beings
07:24 Being a lead – how to balance it and find joy in it
14:10 Breaking into the industry
16:17 Intermission: One does not simply walk into Weta...
20:16 Breaking into the industry – Canada
20:47 Breaking into the industry – what to do differently?
22:03 Intermission: Imposter syndrome
23:56 Coming from a small-town background
27:35 Intermission: Luck, hard beginnings and how your career trajectory plays out
30:47 Canadian work exploding
32:20 How to spot bad gigs
33:46 Intermission: “Every studio will do that” - Making sense of studios and our place in the world
51:19 The ebb and flow of hiring trends and your priorities as an artist
56:13 The perspective of the hiring team lead
57:56 Do's and don'ts of reels and the hiring process
01:03:37 Outro