Dave Thomas: A Career in Animation- Lecture at CSUS

 

    A lot of what I accumulated from Dave Thomas's lecture is common to the advice of other animators I have talked to and heard from. He encourages us to practice, practice, practice. He also stressed that rejection is apart of the process and that no amount of it should deter you from making your career happen. Cal Arts specifically never wanted him even after getting countless references from Pixar animation studios they still didn't accept him into their program. Only now, as an accomplished professional and teacher, they reach out to him to teach in their program. Which i can imagine is a satisfying win after years of hard work a progress in his career. 

    He noted a few nominal moments in his career such as; his idols in animation telling him straight up,

"your terrible"

and his collected response was "how to I get better?"

he passed the vibe check, and was accepted by them and continued to take fine art classes to get better at drawing.

Another moment in his lecture what he highlighted is that;

"always make things that are ultimately for you, that how the best work is made"

I find that the art work that is for me, vulnerable, and honest in intention and persistent in craft is always my best work. 

While his advice rings true, and is generally encouraging, i still feel that most of his lecture would be more applicable to people going into to client work and more company related art pursuits. That being said, i enjoyed his attitude and general willingness to share is career experience with us and remind us that the path has many ups and downs and take many years of persistence.

What I gleamed from his experienced in his career is that he is someone who believes that opportunity should be sought out, and pursued. He seemed adamant that anyone could accomplish goal as long as determination and a plan were applied. He is an obvious success story, adding weight to his recommendations of how to build a career and at what cost it comes.