Topics from Progressive Mechanics Panel (Patreon)

Hey everyone! I was on a panel at a local event at Northwestern University called Progression Mechanics, and we had a really great discussion about shifting tides in the games industry. Tom Eastman from Trinket Studios, Adam Boyes from Iron Galaxy, and I talked about a lot of touchpoints that I wanted to expand upon after ruminating over them the last few days. Thanks to those folks for having me on the panel, it was awesome!

We primarily spoke about these in regards to building a path in game development, but they both apply directly to being a digital artist.

Generalization vs. specialization

One of the major discussion points was finding a balance between being a generalist and specialist, which can feel like a huge mystery to tackle as a digital content creator. Everyone will give you a different perspective on this discussion, but it really depends on what sort of team you want to work on. Here's the general rule of thumb:

For smaller studios with just a few workers on hand, they're going to want someone that is a generalist. This is especially applicable to companies that are made up of less than ~20 people, where everyone needs to be wearing a lot of hats.

In larger studios and corporate settings, you're going to be better off moreso as a specialist. It's likely that you'll be doing a very specific, niche type of work, so they want to hire someone that can finish those tasks reliably and efficiently. 

When freelancing, it still depends on who you want your clients to be. I have been focused primarily on illustration and concept art, so I'm able to work in a lot of different styles and draw a lot of different things. I can paint characters, props, and environments, I can do paintovers and create 3D block-ins, etc. The more generalist you are, the more that people can hire you. However, you have to be good at everything you sell yourself as. The quality of your portfolio is marked by the weakest part, so don't feel like you have to add a bunch of old or outdated art to your site just for the sake of having a big body of work. Quality is more important than quantity... always.

I recommend going on the career websites of vastly different companies to get a better understanding on what is expected from artists in those roles. Look at actual job openings and compare how specific the requirements get. 

My personal recommendation is to work vertically and then horizontally. At the end of the day, you can only be hired to do what you've proven you can accomplish at a professional skill level. If you start out as a generalist and try to be a good at everything, you're going to be "okay" at a lot of things for a long time and no one will have a strong enough reason to hire you. In an industry that is so incredibly competitive, you have to be better than "okay" at anything to get in. This is why I recommend choosing a specific skill or two to hit a professional quality level in, then branching outwards from there.

Following trends vs. standing out 

This also varies on the type of jobs you want to reach (if that is what you want out of your art.)

Something I appreciated about our panel is that the three of us have had a really diverse set of experiences in our industry. One (Tom) is the founder of a small indie company, the other (Adam) is the head of a larger company, and I'm a freelancer, so we all had different perspectives on this. 

Adam talked about how it's important to his company to be up-to-date on trends so that he can follow the money and work along that formula. Tom then discussed how their approach is the exact opposite: trying to make something new and different that stands out from the ever-growing sea of indie video games. 

At the end of the day, both of them are right. Whatever you're making has to be identifiable and relatable enough for the audience to understand it, but it also needs to provide something new so that people remember you. I can't overemphasize how big of a topic this is in making digital art. It's really hard to find that balance.

No matter what you create, whether you're following trends or trying to set them, the best approach is to get really good at it. People appreciate both highly skilled art that is pop culture relevant and highly skilled art that is unusual and unique. 

Pursue your curiosity, the methods and styles you like, then refine them. Practice them. Make them beautiful and fulfilling to you, invest your energy and passion in them. This will take many years, but when you are truly hired to create your OWN art (whatever that may look like), it's the most wonderful thing in the world.

Stuff I've written that cover some other topics that came up during the panel:

• Identifying early symptoms of burnout 
• Finding work as a freelancer 
• The benefits of working in-house before freelancing 

Thanks for reading!