VFX CAREER for 3D Artists - 7 Critical Steps to Career Success

Hey everyone! long time no see!

I have been working on a lot of new content (a lot focused around building a personal brand as a VFX artist and attracting clients) - as well as a lot of VFX tutorials which I'll be posting soon!

I wanted to share a lot of critical advice in one short video that is focused around the core advice that will really make a difference in your career. We all have the shiny stuff like "go cut a demo reel" and "go learn 3ds max or Maya or Houdini After Effects etc." but I want to share with you a lot of core career advice for VFX artists that I hope sticks with you for the rest of your life.

This video is something I wanted to share because it's really critical for all of us when it comes to growth.
I share a lot in here from how I got started, to how a lot 'never' get started. As well as finding your passion in what you do.

I hope you enjoy this video - I think it's critical for all 3D artists focused on a successful VFX career to understand these 7 critical steps to career success.
****************
CONNECT ON SOCIAL
▶︎ Instagram | @allanmckayofficial - (Daily Stories!)

[john-petercomitis]

I am NOT alone :) Even though I have lived a completely different life to you Allan, there is so much that resonates within me in what you are saying constantly! Thank you for always helping me keep my mindset clear through the knowledge you share. I am truly grateful always!

[RaviKumar-foys]

Thanks for this video, Allan. Every time you come up with this fresh view on the artist's side of life that we go through every day without understanding the consequences of it, we forget to see the big picture.

[ivanenev]

"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with", that sounded a lot like Dan Pena and I LOVE IT!

[SheyenneART]

I am 34 years old, and besides being a VFX artist, I consider myself an artist too. I paint and sculpt just for myself. I love to be a VFX artist but I always feel I am a strugggling artist who have a penty of creative energy what its just stuck outside, and very hard to pull it out. And When I was a teenager and went to a Highschool, it was a Traditional art highschool, where were really defied "What is art, and what is not". And that time I was really really interested about fantasy and sci-fi, when I was a first grader (about 14-15 years old), when was the first Lord of the Rings went into the cinemas, and I fell in love. So I started to paint this kind of pictures, obviously in a level of a 15 years old, but according to the terms of my school standard it was not "art". I am very lucky with my parents because they were always encouraged me, and tried to help to reach my dreams, but I remember there was a point when it was a parents day in tehe school when one of my teacher said to them that they should convince me to stop painting these pictures because it goes nowhere...

And later when the real struggle has started, when we started to prepare to get into the Hungarian famous University of fine arts, I stopped painting like this, because the University teachers don`t like it. Get into these university was like Hunger games: three rounds of the "hiring process" - the first stage when you show your portfolio - 1 day. Second stage: if they pick you out from the hundreds of applicants you should participate a week of drawing contest, everyday you should go in at 8am, and draw until 5pm after a model. Third stage: if you get through this stage, you`ll only be just 20-25 applicants for the 12 seats, so another week, where you get creative tasks, and the very last day there is a personal interview with the biggest university teachers. It was kind of nomral if a student don`t get in at first try, usually we had to wait another year and try again if we failed. I tried it four times. I lost every interest what I really loved on purpose: fantasy, sci-fi, video games, DnD etc, just because they`ve said its not good, and nobody will appreciate this. So after I tried everything I gave up to get in and I failed, I gave up and said, okay I won`t go in that university, and I felt myself pretty bad, that I am not good enough to be an artist. I went to another schools and I remember I tried to give up art entirely. I went to a schol which doesn`t related to art and there was two years in my life when I did not do almost anything, I remember only one painting has born during this two years, when I realized, I cannot live without do paintings, drawings, and not to any creative work. So finally I landed a University (another one), studied Graphic Design, and later thanks to the Universe (God/Destiny/Luck/etc.) who heard my dreams in landed in my first vfx job, completely accidentally (I did not know ANYTHING about 3D, but they hired me for a 2D role).

Now I have a couple of years experience, a good vfx profession, and a very good workplace, but in my personal life I still struggle with my artworks, I still feel they are not good enough, I could be more, I could do better and I have to try very had to pull out the creativeness from myself without hearing the echo in my head that it`s useless... But this video touched me very deep, and I can feel every word of it! I feel myself very grateful, thank you Allan to share your thoughts, these are really encouraging and help a lot to find our place in the world! :)

[JavierHonore]

So inspiring Allan! We as a community need to understand that sharing our knowledge is the way to go with each other, we should feel proud for other people's achievements and let everyone know that with passion, love and effort, there's nothing we can't achieve.

[effectsroom]

"There is something that never changes"
Only Passion wins !
Allan McKay you are correct ! The same things happens to me and even more than that.
I am getting tortured by my family because I have joined my career as an VFX Artist and sometimes even beaten by my father but now my father bought my new Cabinet which contains "AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X 64 Cores 128 Threads" because I am doing freelancing and earning a good money as a fresher. I have taken money from my father on rent and will return to him in less than 2 years 😊

[notcapo]

allan please we want more tutorials on 3ds max
!
you are very good and I learn a lot of things from your tutorials

[jankarl]

Thank you Allan! This has changed my point of view and my overall mind set, now I just have to find those people who are better than me, you should make discord community or something for cg in general, that would really help a lot of beginners including myself

[theloniuspoon]

this is such an industry specific channel but its the most helpful one ive found on youtube regardnig the actual economics of doing this field of work. the average salary posted for an animator is like 50k plus but from this channel ive learned and have seen you can earn way way way more than that lol

[RP_VFX]

Hey Mr. Allan..
Thank you so much for your motivation and inspirational videos..
Because of those videos I got motivation and I'm going on a path that I enjoy doing..
Love and wishes from India☺

[nelpiper]

That's great buddy. Thanks for the effort and for caring.

[MyCatJojo]

I really appreciate your advice and concern. Thank you for helping me boost my morale. I could relate a lot of things you mentioned in this video.

[nanoddreams]

After a long time a new video, thanks Allan, btw these days am bit struggling, still trying to recover switching to Blender

[eclipse]

Hi, I am John Gomes, this video definately gave the the boost.We have something common like not sharing our goals with others and proving people wrong.I will meet you soon, once I deserve the honour.You are awesome.

[inspirationalgoosebumps]

These 7 steps are like Seven Wonders of The World for me. 😀

[hypdmzg]

I hope artiste always share their experiences to another i think if people stop being so hard about keeping their knowledge we will have a better industry
right now when almost everyone are using social media they should instead of dismissing eat other make connection this way we will have a bigger industry
I wish artists stop being negative to creating relationships

[DrVFX]

Thank you for the video allan
Great content keep going 👍🏻
I would like to hear your answer in this question please it will help me a lot
Is there any chance to work in a studio remotely from another country or there is no chance
Thank you.

[rohithrook]

I am a 13 year old boy i want to be a VFX artist in studios .but I am using a free open source software"blender" would it help me to
be an artist

[GrimGris]

I don't know if you will see this, however i am trying to learn vfx and i want to, ive been wanting to do it for years now, but i just found you, and you are the way i want to be, you followed your dream, but my biggest hurdle at the moment is that i want to drop out of college, and teach myself vfx and i know i can succeed, i'm willing to fail and learn and keep going but someone said that if i drop out i wouldn't be able to get a job, and i read a lot about just have a strong show reel and ill be fine. but i would appreciate your knowledge on if, i did drop out that i could get a job somewhere, like would you hire someone like me if i showed talent, and progress, and that desire to succeed, but i dropped out of college to teach myself this, im not afraid of starting off knowing nothing, because i know i can learn to do almost anything, and im willing to keep trying till i do, i know im not anywhere close to being on the level of being able to make a job off this... yet, but i wont stop till i am the best, and even then to stay the best i cant stop learning and i want that, i want to inspire others and to fill people with wonder or stun them with how amazing something looks, and but i need to start and right now what is stopping me is College and everyone filling me with doubt that even though i know i can get to the level to work with companies but they are saying they wont even look at me because i dropped out, so what im asking is If im good enough even knowing im a college drop out would companies hire me?

[xuanngocnguyen]

hi, allan i am living in vancouver .I'm completely new to vfx, can you give me some tip on starting out, shoud i go to school or learn by my self