CG Artists: Collaboration is key
by Anthony Filice on September 23, 2009
in Articles, Community, Mastermind
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In my last post ‘What Has Twitter Done For You? ‘ I underlined how important it is to connect with your fellow professionals in order to grow in the CG Industry, this is because you are exposed to the different thinking methods of other CG Artists.
I also hinted in that post, that it is very easy in this day and age, to connect with others with the help of the Internet.
So why benefit from the Internet and start to connect with you fellow Artists in a different sort of way…COLLABORATE!
Every time I see inspiring CG Stills, Concept Art or a great 3D model on a forum, blog or magazine, I always think to myself, ‘I’d love to work with that guy/girl’.
Six months ago it dawned on me, I can work with these Artists (provided they agree) whenever I want.
All it takes is an email, tweet or forum post to get you started, the important thing to remember is that you’re able to effectively sell your skills, obviously you need to have a pretty clear idea of what you want to create in order to convince the other Artist that it’s something for them worth doing.
I’m not saying the first person that you email will say yes, but I’m sure you will find another CG Artist who is willing to collaborate towards a common goal.
There are endless CG Communities and forums out there on the web, try CG Society, 3D Total, 3dm3, ImagineFX, there are literally hundreds of sites where you can find your ideal candidate.
The next time you come across a some CG Art or Designs that inspire you, why not think of a way you and the other CG Artist can collaborate on a project together, combining your specific skills with theirs to produce something fresh and new.
In my opinion it’s not always the best option to go for glory yourself, if you help others and they help you, you can collectively work on the same goal and have more of a chance of succeeding.
Yes…you have to split the glory, but that beats splitting nothing, do you agree?
Are you interested in finding another CG Artist to collaborate with?
Been doing this for almost a decade and what you say is true Anthiny.
Some are calling this ability E-competence or virtual competence. It’s also increasingly seen as an essential skill for employees who conduct work on-line, collaborating, managing projects and sharing knowledge.
A recent article on the subject said “It may take some finesse to convince employers of its value, however. “You don’t want to walk in and say, ‘Well, I’m really good at Facebook’,” . “Nor can you say, ‘I have virtual competence’; that might not mean much.”
Instead, it suggested, use language that appeals to employers. Things like:
* I’m comfortable using a variety of different technologies and software to communicate with people who are local and distant.
* I’m comfortable using technology to explore new features that might help me in my job.
* I’m comfortable communicating with people at a distance even though I’ve never met them.
* I like to seek out other people who may be able to help me or have information I need. ”
*Anthony, Take a look at collabunlimited.com to see what I’m doing to create positive buzz about artist collaboration value and success. Email if you or anyone else reading this is interested!
thnx
sd
This is awesome stuff, thanks for reading my article and sharing your expertise on the subject.
I’d love for CGArtistDaily.com and collabunlimited.com to collaborate on this topic in the near future.
best
Anthony
Collaboration is a must!! It brings new and fresh ideas into your project, taking a great project into an awesome project!! We’re currently collaborating with @southerngfx and the impact is amazing. Its taken a great idea forward so fast and developed another level to the project, he’s the part of the team we’ve been missing.
I also think some of the time the collaboration doesn’t require a person to physically contribute to a project, information and pointing in the right direction is invaluable.