Seven New Year's Resolutions For Animators

Bong! Happy 2019!

What should an animator's new year's resolutions be? The animation business is growing fast, offering jobs and opportunities to well-trained talent. Whatever happens with Brexit in 2019, it is likely that our industry will continue to expand.

That said, the world of animation and visual effects is a competitive one, and animators need to be smart to stay on top of their game. Animators need to be good, and easy to find and hire.

So, apart from (obviously) going on a post-Christmas diet,  what are the best ways to maintain your edge in 2019?

1. Polish your demo reel 
Your demo reel is your shop front, your calling card, and it should be up to date and easy to find. Potential clients will judge you on the quality of your reel, so take a hard look at it, weed out the mistakes, and polish your shots.

Even if you are just starting to learn animation, you can still cut together your best shots, and compile them into a mini-reel. It will help you identify your best work - and also help you take a good clear look at what needs improving. To see how to create a great reel, read this blog post.

2. Create your own website or blog

Free websites

If you haven't done this already, you need to do this now. Having your own blog or website makes you easier to find. Your url should be something like joebloggsanimation.com. That way if someone enters the keywords Joe + Bloggs + Animation - they will find you.  It's also a good idea to have your demo reel hosted at YouTube and Vimeo.

3. Be on LinkedIn

Nowadays, our industry is on Linkedin. Especially freelancers and recruiters, and ours is a freelance business. Don't like social media? It's time to swallow your pride and sign up. Animation Apprentice students link to me at LinkedIn, and through my profile they can link to dozens of industry recruiters. LinkedIn is where animation recruiters live; it's where they will find you. To see more about the importance of LinkedIn, and how to optimise your profile, read this blog post.

Enter now!

4. Do a new piece of animation
Start something new, perhaps a short piece of dialogue. We recommend entering the online 11 Second Club competition; it's a great way to polish your skills.

5. Stay in touch
I keep in touch with all our students at Animation Apprentice at our Facebook Classroom, and I post the latest job announcements almost every day. My biggest problem is - silence. I don't know if students have applied or not, if they have been accepted, or rejected, or what. If I don't hear from you, I can't help you find work. So - keep in touch, and let me know how the job search is going.

6. Send your reel in to ten studios.
The only way to find work is to keep sending out your reel, and apply for jobs. Keep an eye on the jobs page at Animationjobs.com (and other sites), and call up your friends in the business. Do they know of anything coming up? Your friends and former colleagues are often your best chance of getting a job. Even if you don't feel qualified for the job, apply anyway. Eventually you will be successful.

7. Consider taking on small freelance jobs. 
Why not ask friends and family if they need some animation work done? Perhaps a logo for their company, or an explainer video, or a small piece of digital art work for a project. Doing live briefs is often the best way to learn - pleasing clients is what digital artists do for a living, so it's good to learn early how it's done.

Happy new Year!

----Alex

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.

What should an animator's new year's resolutions be? Animation is a huge and growing business, a far cry from the cottage industry it used to be even twenty years ago. But it is a competitive world, and good animators need to work smart to stay on top of their game. So here's a checklist for some simple ways to maintain your edge.
1. Polish and re-edit your demo reel.
Your demo reel is your shop front, your calling card. It needs to be good, and it should be up to date. Potential clients will judge you on the quality of your reel, so take a hard look at it, weed out mistakes, and polish what is left.
2. Learn a new piece of software.
New software is coming out all the time, and you can never know too much. Whether it's Maya, Max, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Premiere or Final Cut, clients will expect you to know the basics of these packages, or else be able to pick it up fast. The good news is there are free tutorials all over the web to help you get started and learn the basics.
3. Start a website or blog
If you haven't done this already, you need to do it right away. Your reel and any associated art work should be hosted online, at a website or blog, It doesn't really matter which. You can build a free website at Blogger or Wix - try it. You'll be surprise how easy it is.
4. Do a new piece of animation, just for fun
Start something new, perhaps a short piece of dialogue, or a bit of creature work. You could enter the online 11 Second Club competition; it's a great way to get noticed and to polish your skills. We encourage all our students at Animation Apprentice to keep on touch, and send us their work for review. We are always happy to take a look and give a critique.
5. Send your reel in to ten studios.
The only way to find work is to keep sending out your reel, and apply for jobs. Keep an eye on the jobs page at awn.com, and call your friends in the business. Do they know of anything coming up? Recommendations are the life blood of the business. Your friends and former colleages can be your best chance of getting a job.
- See more at: http://www.animationapprentice.org/blog/new-years-resolutions-animators.html#sthash.JBD2T3nb.dpuf

What should an animator's new year's resolutions be? Animation is a huge and growing business, a far cry from the cottage industry it used to be even twenty years ago. But it is a competitive world, and good animators need to work smart to stay on top of their game. So here's a checklist for some simple ways to maintain your edge.
1. Polish and re-edit your demo reel.
Your demo reel is your shop front, your calling card. It needs to be good, and it should be up to date. Potential clients will judge you on the quality of your reel, so take a hard look at it, weed out mistakes, and polish what is left.
2. Learn a new piece of software.
New software is coming out all the time, and you can never know too much. Whether it's Maya, Max, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Premiere or Final Cut, clients will expect you to know the basics of these packages, or else be able to pick it up fast. The good news is there are free tutorials all over the web to help you get started and learn the basics.
3. Start a website or blog
If you haven't done this already, you need to do it right away. Your reel and any associated art work should be hosted online, at a website or blog, It doesn't really matter which. You can build a free website at Blogger or Wix - try it. You'll be surprise how easy it is.
4. Do a new piece of animation, just for fun
Start something new, perhaps a short piece of dialogue, or a bit of creature work. You could enter the online 11 Second Club competition; it's a great way to get noticed and to polish your skills. We encourage all our students at Animation Apprentice to keep on touch, and send us their work for review. We are always happy to take a look and give a critique.
5. Send your reel in to ten studios.
The only way to find work is to keep sending out your reel, and apply for jobs. Keep an eye on the jobs page at awn.com, and call your friends in the business. Do they know of anything coming up? Recommendations are the life blood of the business. Your friends and former colleages can be your best chance of getting a job.
- See more at: http://www.animationapprentice.org/blog/new-years-resolutions-animators.html#sthash.JBD2T3nb.dpuf

What should an animator's new year's resolutions be? Animation is a huge and growing business, a far cry from the cottage industry it used to be even twenty years ago. But it is a competitive world, and good animators need to work smart to stay on top of their game. So here's a checklist for some simple ways to maintain your edge.
1. Polish and re-edit your demo reel.
Your demo reel is your shop front, your calling card. It needs to be good, and it should be up to date. Potential clients will judge you on the quality of your reel, so take a hard look at it, weed out mistakes, and polish what is left.
2. Learn a new piece of software.
New software is coming out all the time, and you can never know too much. Whether it's Maya, Max, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Premiere or Final Cut, clients will expect you to know the basics of these packages, or else be able to pick it up fast. The good news is there are free tutorials all over the web to help you get started and learn the basics.
3. Start a website or blog
If you haven't done this already, you need to do it right away. Your reel and any associated art work should be hosted online, at a website or blog, It doesn't really matter which. You can build a free website at Blogger or Wix - try it. You'll be surprise how easy it is.
4. Do a new piece of animation, just for fun
Start something new, perhaps a short piece of dialogue, or a bit of creature work. You could enter the online 11 Second Club competition; it's a great way to get noticed and to polish your skills. We encourage all our students at Animation Apprentice to keep on touch, and send us their work for review. We are always happy to take a look and give a critique.
5. Send your reel in to ten studios.
The only way to find work is to keep sending out your reel, and apply for jobs. Keep an eye on the jobs page at awn.com, and call your friends in the business. Do they know of anything coming up? Recommendations are the life blood of the business. Your friends and former colleages can be your best chance of getting a job.
- See more at: http://www.animationapprentice.org/blog/new-years-resolutions-animators.html#sthash.JBD2T3nb.dpuf

What should an animator's new year's resolutions be? Animation is a huge and growing business, a far cry from the cottage industry it used to be even twenty years ago. But it is a competitive world, and good animators need to work smart to stay on top of their game. So here's a checklist for some simple ways to maintain your edge.
1. Polish and re-edit your demo reel.
Your demo reel is your shop front, your calling card. It needs to be good, and it should be up to date. Potential clients will judge you on the quality of your reel, so take a hard look at it, weed out mistakes, and polish what is left.
2. Learn a new piece of software.
New software is coming out all the time, and you can never know too much. Whether it's Maya, Max, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Premiere or Final Cut, clients will expect you to know the basics of these packages, or else be able to pick it up fast. The good news is there are free tutorials all over the web to help you get started and learn the basics.
3. Start a website or blog
If you haven't done this already, you need to do it right away. Your reel and any associated art work should be hosted online, at a website or blog, It doesn't really matter which. You can build a free website at Blogger or Wix - try it. You'll be surprise how easy it is.
4. Do a new piece of animation, just for fun
Start something new, perhaps a short piece of dialogue, or a bit of creature work. You could enter the online 11 Second Club competition; it's a great way to get noticed and to polish your skills. We encourage all our students at Animation Apprentice to keep on touch, and send us their work for review. We are always happy to take a look and give a critique.
5. Send your reel in to ten studios.
The only way to find work is to keep sending out your reel, and apply for jobs. Keep an eye on the jobs page at awn.com, and call your friends in the business. Do they know of anything coming up? Recommendations are the life blood of the business. Your friends and former colleages can be your best chance of getting a job.
- See more at: http://www.animationapprentice.org/blog/new-years-resolutions-animators.html#sthash.JBD2T3nb.dpuf