Frumpy Face

hello! i dont have any process gifs but i put together a little tut for you, i feel like im overdue for a proper one :8) i want to make a more in depth tutorial on background painting (maybe a video?!!?!) but for right now i’ll just address your questions on texture if that’s okay!

here is an ultra basic bg we’re gonna spruce up. keep in mind i’m not going to talk about lighting and composition really so, try to put that out of your mind for now. anyway, there is no texture or edge difference in this yet. everything is smooth and samey (but there is a little bit of atmospheric perspective in the color). the most important thing at this stage is that every unique shape or plane is on its own layer. this is because all texture and lighting will be clipped to the corresponding layer.

sorry this is kind of ugly but this is how i arrange my layers LOL. everything is arranged on planes. i think of it like cut paper stacked on top of each other.

make a clipping mask for the texture you’ll put on each shape. i talk a bit about clipping masks and how to use them here. normally i’d have a clipping mask for texture, shadow, and light, so it can get a little crazy when you have a lot of layers but it’s invaluable for experimenting and getting things just right.

ALRIGHT SO LETS TALK ABOUT ACTUAL TEXTURE. i think about texture as having two functions: 1. to draw the viewer’s eye to where you want it to be, and 2. to describe the material/feel of objects. for our very first texture, we’re going to put some snow on the front tree. im using a variety of brushes, please check my FAQ for a full list. since i want the viewer to focus mostly on the front tree, i’m going to put the most texture on it. to answer your question about when i add texture, i usually just kind of follow my intuition and use it when i feel it’s needed. i will almost definitely go back and add/take away throughout the process of the image. a lot of things change and it’s cool to change your mind throughout. i don’t really follow solid “steps” for every piece, they’re always different for me!

now i am just continuing to add texture here and there. the middle ground trees get a bit of snow, but it’s subdued enough to not be the focal point. as well, i added some texture to the snow because i wanted the front plane to be the one you look at the most. everything behind the middle ground trees is wholly untouched. now we have a nice contrast between smooth/textured going on! and contrast/opposites is the key to guiding a viewer’s eye.

after all that i decided at last minute that the front plane could use some texture to differentiate it. but looking at it now, i’d probably go back and rethink it. that’s life.

finally! i added some color corrections and some gradients to push back the mountains and trees. i also added some falling snow and an overall paper texture to simulate a snowy feel without having to paint it all. the paper texture is behind the front plane, again to push everything behind it back. i would be very careful about putting a texture over everything, it can really flatten everything or make it look fake/gimmicky. clip it to shapes or erase where necessary.

lastly, a short word about more contrast. here, i am trying to push the contrast between soft and sharp. the only difference between this image and the last step is that i blurred and sharpened some planes. there are multiple ways to think about this, but for me, the photographic approach is easiest to understand and it’s just how i like my art to look. basically, i try to always make my focal point sharp and in focus, and blur other elements.

thank you a lot anon!! (  /)w(\) here, i made a few notes about the steps i follow while drawing feet:

^ that’s assuming you’re not drawing from a low perspective, as if the camera was on the floor or something like that!

Over this past summer, I was given the amazing opportunity to be a Production Intern at Cartoon Network (I worked on Clarence; woo!)

Every once in a while I get people who either come up to me in person, or who message me on Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram etc. and ask me how I got the opportunity, and how they can intern in animation as well. Recently (Over the course of the last week or so) I’ve been asked a bunch, so I decided to create this massive master post in an attempt to get the information out to as many artists (and non-artists) as possible! 

I know a lot of people who feel like getting into the animation industry is completely impossible, (I should know, I felt the exact same way not too long ago) and I also know just how LITTLE references there actually are on finding an internship, and beyond that, the type of experiences that people who gotten the chance to intern have had. I told myself that if I got the internship, I would try to change that, and here we are! (A little late, but I really want to make this as helpful as possible)

If you all could please Reblog this to your followers I would love it! You never know who’s looking and hopefully, I can help people with my experiences! 

So to make it easier for people who don’t have the time to read all of my ramblings, AND for the sake of ease/reference; I’m going to break this post up into different sections: My Internship search - My initial excitement/rejections - How I got the internship - My experience as an Intern and How Interning has helped me as an artist

My Internship search: 

Halfway through last year (My Sophomore year of college) I had decided that I would take a leap of faith and apply for some internships. I didn’t expect much of it, but my hopes were high because I thought I had at least a halfway decent portfolio, and my resume had some pretty okay animation experience on it (I’m the head of the only Animation organization on campus) and I’m majoring in animation so I had some 3D experience and 2D experience (which I’ve worked on on my own time, since it’s what I want to do) 

One of my biggest worries was the fact that I go to a state school: Southern Illinois University. The school is great, and I love it there, but I couldn’t afford art school, so I was very worried about how many opportunities there would be for me in Southern Illinois. Especially with the amount of amazing art that I see coming from people who go to schools like CalArs, Sheridan and the like. I was frustrated because I wasn’t there and felt like I would never get the opportunity to work in animation, which has been my dream since I could hold a pencil. Cartoons have changed my life, and they still do; but I was genuinely afraid that because I couldn’t afford a more art-related education, that I wouldn’t get the opportunity to tell stories like I’ve always dreamed. (But I digress) 

As I was saying: I was doing all of your standard (I want/need a job) searches to try to find something in animation: Glassdoor, Internships.com, JOBS.com; stuff like that. FUN FACT: I’ve read every single Glassdoor review for both Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. Every Job. All of them.

Some internships are a lot easier to find: Nickelodeon, Disney, Titmouse

While some are WAAAAAY more elusive: Cartoon Network… 

This narrowed my search down from a bunch of animation studios.. to a handful. My candidates were: Nickelodeon, Dreamworks and Titmouse. (All wonderful animation studios!) Now here’s where it gets interesting:

 My initial excitement/Rejections:

I didn’t hear back from any of them! NOT ONE. Which I learned after a very long, VERY stressful waiting period. (At this time it was early to mid April) Now; I knew that I was really too young to be applying for the internships, (I’m young for my grade so I was 19 at the time) And I knew that all of these internships specified that they wanted a Junior or above, but I figured since the year was almost over and I had good grades that MAYBE, they would let me slide. But I had no real experience working in animation, and although my hopes were high, they were also reeeeeeeal low. 

After waiting for the few weeks that I did, and not hearing a peep, I was dejected, frustrated, and I felt like there was no hope for me… Which leads us to…

HOW I GOT THE INTERNSHIP: 

When it comes to how I actually GOT the job: The answer I want to give you guys is that it was complete luck, and that by a series of random occurrences, somehow I was offered the position…. BUT, that’s only half true. Honestly, I worked really hard on making sure that I had as good a résumé as I possibly could: 

By that, I mean that I’ve worked really hard in school to get good grades/dean’s list/honors program, etc.; and I also started an animation organization on campus. (There’s a major, but there was a huge lack of enthusiasm and community within the program at SIU so I wanted to help to bring other artists and myself closer, and make great art while we’re at it) 

On top of that, I wrote (what I think was) a really good cover letter. But… Even with all three of those things, I don’t know if I would have gotten the position if it wasn’t for the internship coordinator at my school. I go to Southern Illinois University, and she pointed me in the direction of the Cartoon Network internship. (The Turner website isn’t like Nickelodeon, they only post internships when there’s a position to be filled)

LUCKILY for me, the Producer of Clarence (The wonderful Keith Mack) is an alum from SIU, so he connected with the internship coordinator (bless her heart) and I learned exactly when the position opened up. My resume and things got sent straight to him. I got a Skype interview a couple of weeks later, and I got accepted the day of the interview!

So I mean… Looking back, it was half luck, half hard work. 

It’s not like the grades and stuff really matter outside of college; Grades are just arbitrary letters, after all. But, I say that to say that I’ve tried to work hard in college even though I’m not at an art school, and that if you’re focused, it doesn’t really matter WHAT you’re good at; but how hard you work and the type of person you are. You can never go to college but be an amazing artist and an amazing person, and if you meet that ONE right person, or if you’re at that ONE correct place at the correct time; amazing things can happen; and I FIRMLY believe that. 

While I was at CN I was talking to someone (I don’t know if it’s best to call her out by name?..) But anyway she was telling me about how some of the artists are found at CN and she told me that Tumblr, YES TUMBLR. Is a HUUUUUUUUGE factor in the hiring of some people! So if you can… POST POST POST! Putting your art out there is the absolute best way to get seen. You NEVER know who’s looking at your artwork, and this website is an amazing platform for sharing, and learning about art. (And as a shameless plug: The blog Artists-Everyday is actually meant for just that ;) check it ouuuuut)

But moving forward; let’s talk about: 

THE INTERVIEW:

The interview to be an intern at CN was both really intimidating, and really comfortable at the same time. I love animation pretty much more than anything, so the idea that a single interview could determine whether or not I got a life-changing opportunity was pretty much one of the most daunting things that I could think of. The fact that I was in southern Illinois RIGHT at the time that I would have had to interview really didn’t help either… It was really scary to me, because it meant that I wasn’t going to be able to interview in person. It was a Skype interview, (a group one at that) and it was my first time ever interviewing for a position online. 

Once I got past all of the initial fear, the interview was smooth sailing. They had already seen my resume and cover letter; so we really just spent a lot of time talking about casual things: my favorite animated movie, what my favorite episode of Clarence was, etc. It wasn’t like your usual interview where they ask “why would we hire you” or “what is your greatest weakness” and I really appreciated that. They weren’t robots, they weren’t the ANIMATION GODS like I was imagining in my head – they were actual people, who happen to love animation, and the interview reflected that. 

I learned that I had gotten the position the day that I interviewed, and I’m SO GLAD I didn’t have to wait any more days, because at that point I was on fire on the inside. II don’t know what the hiring process was like for interns on different shows, so don’t take my word for how long it’ll take if you make it this far) 

MY EXPERIENCE AS AN INTERN/HOW IT’S HELPED ME AS AN ARTIST:

There is no one word to describe how amazing it is to work at Cartoon Network. A lot of CN stuff is “hush hush” high security, and they don’t allow you to take pictures of the inside of the buildings - So I’m not going to say much, other than: It’s magic. Pure magic. But I will say one thing: Free food. AT ALL TIMES. EVERY DAY. 

Working there is one of the most creatively satisfying things I’ve ever done in my life. The people, the atmosphere… it was all so inspiring. I’ve learned more in those past three months than I have in the last two years, and It’s all because I was surrounded by so many people who are better than me. People, who I might add, are some of the greatest, nicest, and most helpful people I’ve met in a long time. Plus, Cartoon Network really goes out on a limb to take care of their employees. 

I got to sit in on voice actors doing their recordings, I got to see storyboard pitches, I got to see animatics and assets for episodes that were unaired, and it was all being created right in front of me by such PASSIONATE people. 

I EVEN GOT TO MEET TOM KENNY. He remembered my name… 

As a production intern you get to see the logistic side of things: and you really grow to appreciate Production and that side of the industry, because without the production team, there would be no show! Even though I want to be a storyboard artist, I now know more about the industry and Cartoon Network as a whole, and it makes me feel much more connected to the shows that I watch on television.

One of the other biggest things about the program is the fact that I got to take storyboard/character design tests for practice, and I got the chance to pitch a show to the studio, in front of the Clarence Crew and even some really important executives! which was an AMAZING opportunity that I learned a TON from. I got amazing feedback, and I had to push myself harder than I’ve ever pushed myself before. Mentally, artistically, and personally. 

IN CONCLUSION. 

It’s possible. Being an intern at an animation studio is possible. Getting a job in animation is possible. Making friends in animation, and actually feeling like you belong to something you’ve dreamed about since you were a child is POSSIBLE. It doesn’t matter where you go to school, it doesn’t matter if you’re afraid, and it doesn’t matter what you look like. People are drawn to people who are genuine; and if you love animation, or production, or storyboarding or character design, and you work hard and try to really open yourself up artistically; you CAN do it. Take it from the 20 year old black guy who loves anime, video games and cartoons. You can do it. 

I don’t know how many people will see this or how helpful it actually is; but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE feel free to share this info with your followers, and on top of that if you guys EVER have any questions about my experiences or need me to clarify anything for ANY reason you’re absolutely welcome to contact me! 

I know how many people would love to intern, and I know (from experience) how DREADFUL It is to find conducive information about how the process works and how YOU can get an internship. 

Hope you guys stuck with this post till the end, and like I said if you ever have any more questions, (hell, or if you even want to share YOUR art with me… I’m always open!) 

TL;DR:                  This Gif Sums it Up 

When I was in college there was this ongoing competitive mindset from the teachers /students that: “If you’re not drawing all night / getting 1 - 2 hours of sleep, you’re going to fall behind.” If you’re an artist you’ve probably met this kind of thinking… I’ve heard it from so many pros / tutorials.

One of my professors said that line all the time. I loved this dude. he worked at Disney on many of my favorite movies, and my young self became absorbed in this mindset. About 3 years into my degree that professor had a stroke, and when he went to the doctor they said he actually previously had something like 10+ strokes without even knowing, brought on by stress, and that he needed to slow down. 

Since then I’ve heard tons of other accounts of sickness and divorce brought on from addiction to work.

A few years later I was listening to an Animation podcast interviewing Glen Keane. He brought up that there were other animators who would live and breathe their work, never going home, barely sleeping, etc. 

What shocked me was that Glen Keane said something like “I ignored this idea, and decided to go home every night to spend time with my family, because I could learn just as much from my life experiences with them.” 

Anyway I just wanted to take a second after hearing a statement like this again recently and let any young artists out there know that:

Artists and creatives, take care of yourself.  A life of sleep deprivation can lead to illness and early death.  If your body is suffering your creative life will suffer too. 

So! Today I want to talk about how I got my job in the casual/social gaming industry and offer some tips for artists who may be struggling to find work. This is by no means a foolproof formula on getting a job, and this is only MY experience and by no means does it apply to everyone and their individual circumstances, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. But these are just some things that worked for me and maybe they will work for others too! (And yeah there are a billion other posts like this one but I never get tired of reading them!)

THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD VERY BAD YEAR AND A HALF BEFORE I GOT MY JOB

I went to a private art school in the Midwest. I got good grades, I made some cool work and great friends, and I graduated with my bachelor’s and 100% confidence that I would get an industry job within 3 months.

I mean, 6 months.

… OK, definitely within a year…

… year and a half…?

… Please?

It was 19 months later when I was finally employed with a full-time industry job.

In that time, I was working a part time job for a whopping $10 an hour (which was considered pretty good for my job/my state). The rest of the time I was doing freelance work (mostly for friends and family, which ranged anywhere from realistic portraits to graphic design, I would accept anything if it involved anything vaguely artistic) and doing commissions on deviantART and FurAffinity.

I learned a lot during these 19 months. I learned about communicating with customers, I learned about marketing yourself and target audiences, I learned about ETAs and taking on too much work and working faster and more efficiently to maximize my earnings per hour.

I applied to every job in the area that I thought would vaguely relate to art. Unfortunately the only real corporate art and design opportunities in my city were product design for a major corporation or small (read, TINY, like under 20 people) animation and design houses, both of which I was massively under-qualified for.

I thought I was hot shit in high school, I thought I was hot shit in college, I thought I was hot shit coming out of college, but nothing in my portfolio was appealing for an employer looking for a product designer and there wasn’t enough experience to be hired by a tiny design house only looking for the best. All of a sudden I wasn’t hot shit anymore. I was just shit.

I grew resentful of my school. Why hadn’t they tried harder to get me a job? Why hadn’t they taught me how to market myself? Why was the animation department so lackluster? It must have been my school’s fault. I went to a terrible school. They were why I was failing.

(To be fair, although I no longer blame my school on my failures, I have a much different view of privatized art schools nowadays. But that’s a different story.)

I quickly fell into depressive spirals. Everything was hard from then on. I knew what I really wanted. I wanted an animation-related job in California like I’d dreamed about as a child. I wanted to work at Disney or Pixar, do storyboards or character designs like everyone else. But that was 2,000 miles away in California, a huge and expensive undertaking. There was no way. Guess I was stuck here.

It was only in fall of 2012 when things started looking up. My outlook on life profoundly when I had made some major changes to my personal life which simultaneously raised my self-confidence and permitted me more time to focus and create.

Not a month after making this life change was I approached by an old classmate of mine. I knew he’d been working in California for about a year (he was brave — he’d moved out there with whatever he could fit in his car, he went to the Animation Collaborative and made connections and did everything I was too scared and hopeless to do at the time). He said there was an opening at his company and that I should apply.

Excited, I looked at the qualifications and — oh. Never mind. I don’t think I’m qualified for this job. He insisted I should try, insisted that he would help and send his bosses my information. At this rate, I figured sure, what the hell. I applied, not expected anything but another rejection letter.

And they responded saying they were interested! A Skype interview was scheduled. Following-up happened. A couple weeks later, I had an offer letter in hand. I was going to California!!

2.5 years later I’m still here. I have new skills, a contact web, new confidence, and new life experiences and that was worth the time I spent waiting for it to happen.

So now I’m seeing people going through the same mess I went through. I remember how much it sucks. And I want to help. Hopefully I CAN help.

KAYCIE’S TIPS AND THINGS TO CONSIDER WHILE SEARCHING FOR WORK:

1. PRODUCE WORK — ALWAYS HAVE PROJECTS TO WORK ON. Personal projects show that you have initiative and self-discipline. While I was waiting for my dream job to call, I both finished and promoted my Periodic Table of Elements project. I did freelance. I worked on some comics. I had a strict once-a-week updating schedule for my blog. I entered pieces for gallery shows. I re-did old drawings to see how much I’d changed. Sometimes I just did some fan art because why not? It’s fun!

Always have something to work on! Even if the progress is slow - trust me, I’ve had story ideas stewing around in my head for 10 years without ever putting them on paper. You don’t have to work 8+ hours a day on your project (if you have that kind of time though, great!), a little bit at a time is also very effective. Setting self-deadlines can help, but just make sure they’re reasonable (trust me, you may be dealing with unreasonable deadlines once you do have your Big Job, so take advantage while it lasts!)

BONUS – Try to do projects that you can tangibly hold once you’re done with them, like a book, or a print, or a series of buttons or stickers. Something that can be seen in a context larger than “I drew this to put on the internet”. A reaction to a physical thing is PROFOUNDLY different to a reaction of an image on a computer screen. We see that stuff every day. If we can hold it in our hands, or own a copy of it… it’s much more professional AND much more personal.

2. PRODUCE WORK YOU LOVE — it’s cliche, but focus on what you like to do, even if you don’t think there’s a job for you in that field. An aspiring comic artist might get hired for storyboards. A graphic designer might end up doing UI design. If you produce work you love, it shows. And that’s really the whole point, right?

If you have the option, try new things but don’t drown yourself trying to do something because you think it’s trendy or desirable — best case scenario is that you end up doing that job and eventually resenting it because it’s not what you really wanted to do, but now you’re stuck in that field because that’s all you’re qualified for (i.e., wanting to be an animator but pursuing a career in graphic design — not because you love it, but because it’s less competitive and pays more). Be true to yourself and what you love!

If you don’t know what you want to do yet, that’s OK! (I’ve been at my job for 2.5 years and I still don’t really know what I want to do.) Keep trying new things to find out what you like most!

3. RESEARCH – If you really want a big fancy industry job with health insurance and vacation time, find out what’s out there and plan your attack accordingly. I had no idea that social games were even a remote possibility before I got my job because they didn’t teach us about games in college. It’s the perfect culmination of what I was looking for in a job - animation, illustration, and character design! Find out where your ideal industry “hotspots” are. Figure out where in the country/world those places are and what it would take to get there. Find out if there’s anyone you know that lives there or anyone THEY know that lives there that you could talk to. Your network will build.

But, that leads me to my next point…

4. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IN THE AREA TO GET THE JOB/BE SUCCESSFUL — there’s this belief in the job industry that you have to be there to get it. While this can sometimes help, THIS IS NOT ALWAYS TRUE. I got a job in CA while I was still in MN. There are many artists out there like me who relocated for their jobs. Faith Erin Hicks doesn’t live in the comics capitol of the world, and yet she’s an incredibly prominent figure in the comics universe (she even wrote a post about this). Technology has blossomed in the past decade, and many preliminary interviews are conducted over phone or Skype.

Honestly, I could have moved out to California and peddled my portfolio around, and maybe I would have ended up like my classmate and gotten a job. But the main reason I didn’t move out to CA because IT’S RIDICULOUS EXPENSIVE. Like, apart from maybe Honolulu and Manhattan, the Bay Area is the most expensive place to live in the entire country. I lived in MN with my mother for over a year for free because I made peanuts, I was paying student loans, and I didn’t want to live in a 5x5 room in a strange state with 4 random strangers. I know not everyone is in my situation and not everyone has the luxuries that I had, but I’m 99% confident that I would have run out of money if I had moved out to the Bay Area without getting my job first. (When in doubt, ask about relocation opportunities! Some companies WILL pay to relocate you!!)

5. USE SOCIAL MEDIA — post your WIPs and finished products! Get a Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Blogger, Facebook… if your favorite artists or people you’d want to hire you have an account and are actively using it, get one! Post every day on at least one site. Need topic ideas? Talk about art! Talk about your favorite artists! Feature your friends and have your friends feature you! Talk about things you like that aren’t art! And above all, USE HASHTAGS! Yeah they’re kind of annoying to read and don’t go overboard but they DO HELP!

BONUS! Posting images (instead of just text or links) helps! Twitter especially has this annoying thing where if I share something on it from Instagram, it will post a link to the photo but will not embed the actual photo. Upload the photo separately with the link! Nowadays people scroll past things so quickly you really need to catch their eye right away, so images will help you do that!

BONUS! Beware what you say on social media if you expect professionals to see it. On the one hand, it’s social media and you can say whatever you want, but if you encourage potential employers to view your social media sites (i.e., leave a link to your Twitter in your resume or on your website), you’re inviting them to read everything you’ve ever posted. If I’m scoping someone for a job recommendation and all they post about is how lazy they are and how they should be doing art but they’re too tired, that’s a red flag for me and I’m going to be hesitant to recommend that person. (I also tend to shy away from people who have perpetually negative attitudes, but that’s just me.) Instead, consider getting a “personal” account as well as a “professional” account.

6. DON’T BE A SUCK-UP — we’ve all done it, we all know people who have done it, and some people have been successful doing it. But for the most part, it’s pretty obvious when you’re brown-nosing. Sure, make as many connections and learn and ask as much as you can of peers and elders, but make sure it’s all genuine and not out of desperation. And above all, don’t bribe them with gifts or try to do them favors and expect to get a job recommendation because you were nice to them. Earn their respect by being yourself. It’s OK to show that you’re interested in what they do or where they work and how they got there, but if they say “sorry we don’t have openings right now” or “sorry, we’re looking for someone a little more experienced”, be prepared to tone it down a little or back off for a while.

Remember, a job rec reflects directly on the person doing the recommending. It’s always a bit of a gamble bringing in someone you don’t know or have never worked with before. They want to be sure you’re a good fit, not just in skill set but in personality, or it may reflect badly on them.

7. DEALING WITH REJECTION — Sometimes, you won’t be the right fit. Your work may be good, but sometimes it’s not what an employer is looking for. And that’s OK! Thank them for their consideration and start applying elsewhere.

Don’t be afraid of job postings that require a certain level of experience (except for maybe positions with “senior” in front of it). It’s mainly a tactic used to discourage certain types of applicants. If your work is good, the employer won’t really care if you don’t have 2+ years experience. Remember, you’ll go through training when you enter any new job, so you don’t have to know everything going in!

Though sometimes you may get rejected because you really don’t have enough experience. This is also OK. Thank them for their consideration and keep applying elsewhere. Not all jobs require the same level of experience.

BONUS — Dealing with Gallery Show Rejection — this came up with a friend of mine recently. If you’re applying to a gallery show and you get rejected… do it anyway!! Proceed with the project as if you had gotten in, follow the specs they give, and post it on your own sites and social media. Maybe promote the other show too. Not only does it show that you’re Awesome and Unstoppable, but maybe the gallery show curators will see it and decide hey, maybe they should invite you into the next show…

SIMILARLY! Rejecting Unpaid Work — were you approached with a cool opportunity that you’d LOVE to do but are bothered by the fact that you will not get paid for it? Do it (or something similar to it) yourself! For example, I saw a call for artists for a project that I would have loved to participate in, but it was both unpaid and had a deadline that I wasn’t sure I could achieve. So what did I do? I made my own, separate project. That way I got to set the deadline, I got to sell it, and I didn’t feel any pressure or obligation to get it done. I find that I will do things better and faster if I love to do them rather than if I feel obligated to do them.

(Here is a good post about free labor and why it is bad.)

And MOST IMPORTANTLY…

8. DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF — being between jobs (especially right before your first big job) can be incredibly stressful, scary, and demoralizing. Some days you will be so full of energy and motivation you feel like you can take on the world, other days you will be practically fetal on your bed crying because you think you suck and you’ll never amount to anything. IT’S OK TO FEEL THESE THINGS. It will suck, it will be hard and painful but IT WILL BE OK. Talk to loved ones, build your support nest, and don’t forget to take time for yourself because you’re working hard and you deserve it.