To say, at 24 "I will never… [insert anything here]" you are assuming (stupidly) that you are in control of what you will do for the rest of your life.
To say, at 24 "I will never… [insert anything here]" you are assuming (stupidly) that you are in control of what you will do for the rest of your life.
I say this because if you told me two years ago I would be working as a production assistant on a film with good chances of showing on stages as massive for indie films as Sundance, I would have (undoubtedly) said "I will never…[insert that awesome opportunity I had here.]"
I always thought I would graduate (in 4 years haha) and get a job as a graphic designer and that would be it. I'm not saying that would be anything less than a great life, I know plenty of people living that awesome life right now.
So much of what we as designers learn is by example, this sets us up to be capable to learn anything someone is willing to show us. The "can do" mentality is a must when learning anything new, you have to want to learn that skill. This adaptability and willingness to learn makes our skill set far wider than one would think going into art school as a Graphic Design major or any art discipline for that matter.
This brings us to the present for me, I am a Graphic designer, College Student, Production Assistant, Camera Assistant, Motion Graphic designer, (among other things). With my design background, my eye for aesthetics as well as my past camera work, my bosses tapped me to work on the video side of the business as well as the design side. I already had the fundamentals down, and while on shoots ranging from corporate videos to commercials to films, I've been given the chance to learn by example from people with 20 and 30 years experience in an industry I didn't plan to be a part of two years ago. I've been able to do this in part, due to the ability engrained in my brain by being taught in art school that I can learn most things by watching someone who is masterful at a particular skill. And that the more interest I take in that skill, will determine how good I become at it.
So, the transition from art school to most creative processes can be easily translated when someone is willing to take you under their wing and show you how something is done. To what degree you push this ability, and how fortunate you are in meeting the right people and being at the right place at the right time will determine how many "hats" you can wear in your career path. When someone asks me "..do you know how to..[insert something I don't know how to do]" the answer is always "not yet." This is the mentality that will keep my workdays challenging and engaging for years to come.
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