Tips For Working in the Entertainment Industry

The entertainment industry is full of entrepreneurs and lots of money, but of course it is hard to manage things when working as an individual. So here are a couple tips to remember when entering or continuing your work in the entertainment industry. Always remember if you want to be the best you have to be ok with sucking at it first.

THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS. Whatever brush, trick, DVD, etc. you think will make you successful will not make you successful. No matter what it is hard work will always trump all. So you better make sure you love what you are doing because you will have to do it a lot in order to be good at it. Have you heard of the 10,000-hour rule? Be a good artist first then network. Too many people focus on networking to get a job when they cannot produce better work than their competition. Networking is important, but I am a firm believer that good quality and quantity raise to the top. No one is going make you a profitable entrepreneur, they can only show you the paths, which you can take, and it is up to you to take them and develop in your own way. Create awesome pieces of work and most of these problems will be non-existent.

DO NOT RELY ON ANYONE. Not your parents, friends, family, co-workers, etc. Be prepared to walk this journey to become the best artist alone if need be. That doesn't mean you can't ask or even take help along the way, in fact its encouraged, but the second you begin to rely on these things is the second you will begin to bitch and moan about how you never had good teachers, or money, proper training, DVD's, or friends in the industry. All these are unnecessary excuses for why you couldn't do something yourself. Instead do it all yourself and inspire others to join your cause in whatever it is you do. There are plenty of people who are in worse situations than you and make it work so don't fuss and fight unless your prepared to make a difference about it.

SHARE THE WEALTH- DOESN’T BE GREEDY. Share your knowledge with the world. When you leave the mentality of "what can I take from everyone" and move towards "what can I give to everyone" around me. Only then will you enrich your environment and create opportunities for not only yourself but also everyone around you. When everyone around you is good, you will then push and enable each other to become better. The more you share the more people will gravitate towards the environment you created. This can lead to networking and creating a buzz for your career.

BE POSITIVE / EMPTY YOUR CUP. You know those individuals who talk negativity all the time on other people, and usually talk negative on other studios claiming they could do it better, but they have never worked before. They act like they know everything in order to impress people. Those people don't get jobs for a couple of reasons. One, they are annoying. The industry is small so keep your mouth shut and do what you love. Two, they think they know everything. If that were the case you would already have a job at the best studio in the world. Empty your cup so that you may learn what others have to teach. This industry has no room for egos so leave it at home.

TAKE INITIATIVE. Be proactive in your learning. Never wait for information to fall into your lap. If you want to know something go find it. The Internet can teach you anything now a days. That means go to workshops, demand certain classes be taught in your schools. Make a difference in your community that will make you better and everyone around you.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORT. Surround yourself with positive, motivated, kind, hardworking artists and you will be surprised how much better you will become when you surround yourself with people who are successful. Also act professional at all times.

DO OTHER THINGS! Draw a lot, but have other hobbies, hobbies keep you sane and help you become more socially aware in the world. Pick up a sport, go out on dates, travel. Experience is the most important tool you can use and it usually comes with age. Those experiences can be used in your work. How can one truly paint a scene that depicts love, if you have never been in love before? Make sense?  Be aware of the world around you, there are so many moments and experiences waiting to happen that will spark an idea or solve a problem for you in your drawings. So don't miss out on them.

NAME YOUR PRICE. It's important to know from the start how far do you want to take this. I mean how much of a successful artist do you want to be? Because the better you want to be, the more sacrifices you must make. Do you want to be a mediocre artist, making cell phone games? Do you want to be an entrepreneur who has worked on a few semi popular events? Or do you want to be that guy that everyone knows your name? All of them are great options and some people live happy lives doing the smaller things. Everyone is different. So name your price of how awesome you want to be. If it ever gets higher than that, then get out while you can. If you can live with the fact that you might not be able to do some things in your lifetime then you will be all right. Be aware that your goals and priorities can and will change, like when starting a family.

NEVER STOP LEARNING. Art will take you the rest of your life to master. The second you say you're good enough is the second you become replaceable. Enjoy the journey of learning.

HAVE FUN. OTHERWISE WHAT'S THE POINT?