Things Have Changed

Well it has been a while since I’ve posted last. Quite a few things have changed since then. Back in November I was laid off from URS to do budget cuts in Government Contracts and due to the company not winning any new contracts for the new year. Loosing my job sucked but after five years of employment I was grateful that I would be receiving a severance package. That was going to be extremely helpful going in to the month of December and with Christmas coming around the corner.

The job search began before I was let go and it wasn’t going very well. It wasn’t until the week before Thanksgiving that I started interviewing for a position with Regent University. I was super stoked about landing interviews with Regent. I received my BA from Regent in ’09 and since then I’ve always wanted to work there. My true dream is to go back as a teacher within the Animation Program. Well about two weeks went buy before I heard the awesome news. I was offered a job as an eLearning and Instructional Design Specialist for the College of Arts and Sciences. I started at the beginning of the year and since then the job has been nothing less than awesome.

The people here are fantastic, the campus is beautiful and the work is extremely rewarding. I’ve worked on a number of projects since starting here. The most rewarding one has been the work I’ve done for Regent’s MOOC “LUXVERA.” LUXVERA is really turning into something fantastic and it’s only going to get better from here. That’s not the only thing that has been rewarding. I’ve been working hand in hand with my boss developing a new course style for a History 101 class. I can’t go into details but everything we’ve done and the things that I have brought to the table are really shaping this course into something pretty cool. Testing the waters with it begins in about two weeks and if everything goes right the course will go live in the fall. Keep those fingers crossed!

On to a different topic… School is still going strong. The semester is 20days from being finished and I’m stressing like I’ve never stressed before. Reason for the extra levels of stress is because this semester I have to pitch my thesis idea, or what AAU calls “Mid Point Review.” What I have to do is come up with a VFX idea where I will showcase my skills that I’ve learned over the semester here. The idea doesn’t have to be original but you do have to produce something that can be finished. I can have help from other students and non-students. The goal is that I produce 3-6 shots of VFX awesomeness. The reason for the review is so you can pitch your idea, or in my case, my idea to a panel of Professors. I have to show my concept, artwork, storyboards, previz, test shots, etc once done they will review the work and discuss if I may proceed. What I mean by that is, if they say yes, I am able to move forward on my thesis as well as take my remaining classes. If they  say “NO” then I have to go back to the drawing board and then re-present.

The whole process is extremely stressful. To help relieve some stress and show off my progress I’ve started another blog, nathansthesis.wordpress.com. Check it out when you can.

The last bit of news that I have to share is that I’m in the process of buying a new house. We’ve been looking and have made a few offers but nothing has paned out yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Removing the Old

Has I have grown in my walk with Christ I’ve been experiencing a transformation. My transformation isn’t necessarily a physical one but one from within. I created a graphic that represents the identity of my transformation and growth.

pulling back the curtain

Make A List & Check It Twice

No I’m not talking about your Christmas list. What I am talking about is 10 things you should try To-Do everyday. Okay, let be a little more clear. This to-do list I’m talking about is a list that you’ll make everyday when you get to work or, if you’re like me, when you’re working on your skills or updating your demo reel. Before my start at my new career I was never a list person. I kept everything in my head and tried to keep up. Doing that didn’t work for me. I had start making list to help me finish assignments and I’ve made a few to keep track of what I’m working on. I’ll admit now that making a list and then crossing things off feels good. It makes me feel productive. The consistent productivity has this wonderful byproduct of accomplishing more. I heard this saying somewhere when I started AAU:

You don’t wait to do the work until you get the dream job – you do the work in order to get the dream job.

Everyday when I get to work (my job is different from my VFX work) I make a list of ten things I’ll try to do every workday. There are days when I won’t get them all done, but I always do my best to deliver. It has proven effective for me on numerous times. The ten things are:

1. Read something related to my industry.
2. Read something related to eLearning/software development.
3. Send at least two emails to touch base with professional network contacts and/or old colleagues.
4. Empty my Inboxes from my email accounts and social network accounts.
5. I check in with my colleagues to offer help on what they are working on.
6. Watch a video on the latest techniques that apply to my work
7. Review my top three goals for my skills that are focused on growth.
8. Identify and execute one task to support each of my top three goals.
9. Post at least five valuable pieces of content on all my major social networks and media accounts.
10. Take a full minute to appreciate what you have and how far you’ve come.

This list definitely could be longer but you have to take into account that if you make a long list many of your task are less likely to get done. While at work I get way more done then just the 10 items I write on my list, but these are the ten that I know I can do with consistency. Time and time again tells me so. Of course you don’t have to make a list of ten you can make a list with any amount on it, just remember the goal at hand is to accomplish as many as you can without rushing. Take your time. If you only start out crossing off one or two that’s fine. One or two still counts for productivity. Keep at your list and you’ll build your performance and soon will be crossing off your entire list.

When it comes to working on animation and VFX task I create a very similar list. I designed this list to work both ways. I love what I do at URS. Creating eLearning content for numerous clients is rewarding. Plus I know that by increasing my skills I can take what I’ve learned at URS and apply it else where in this field. With the growth of Higher Education and the demand for it online having this skill set is a must. This is the list I use while at home working on my Animation and VFX jobs and skill building:

1. Read something related to the Animation & VFX industry.
2. Read something related to software development.
3. Send at least two emails to touch base with professional network contacts and/or old colleagues.
4. Empty my Inboxes from my email accounts and social network accounts.
5. I check in with my network contacts to offer help on what they are working on.
6. Watch a video or tutorial on the latest techniques that apply to my work.
7. Review my top three goals for my skills that are focused on growth.
8. Identify and execute one task to support each of my top three goals.
9. Post at least five valuable pieces of field related information on all my major social networks and media accounts.
10. Take a full minute to appreciate what you have and how far you’ve come.

Is there STRENGTH in your network?

Over the past month I’ve been writing about how to build and maintain your professional network. With constantly meeting new people and growing your professional network is crucial to uncovering job leads and building a successful and lasting career. But today I’d like to talk to you about another really important piece of networking that is, in most cases, often neglected: Network Maintenance. With anything you build you have to maintain it. The same goes with maintaining your connections once you have them. You can’t build up a new network every time you look for a job or have a career need; think of your longer-term connections as a bench of teammates that, as long as you stay connected, will be your supporters for years to come.

If your network is anything like mine it’s made up of old classmates, current and previous coworkers, and close friends. As we get older and move further in our careers we can lose touch with a lot of those connections. A question you might ask yourself is “How do I reach out to that someone I haven’t spoken with in a long time?” Well I’ll admit that it might feel awkward to send an email, friend request, or a request for to connect on LinkedIn to a former colleague, classmate or client, straight out of the blue. I think you should do it anyway. Here are two reasons why: First, social media is still a new enough communication channel that people aren’t shocked to be contacted by an old friend who has come across their profile. Second, it’s so important to your job search and career prospects to maintain a strong network that is worth that potential awkwardness. With that being said, you can lessen the potential weirdness of the situation by making that email or request a “Let’s get back in touch” message.

When you write that message there are a few things you should keep in mind. When I write that email I’ll explain how I “discovered” or even “rediscovered” them. I make sure I have something relevant to talk about. I usually do this by either checking out a few of their social network pages or I’ll even give them a quick Google search to find some recent information (this will show them that you have a genuine interest in them and that you can me a mutually beneficial network connection). And finally I’ll close the message by telling them a bit about what I’m doing and then I’ll suggest a follow-up conversation so that I can keep in touch with them. The follow-up conversation is where you can talk about your job search and offer up yourself to help you contact with any needs they might have. Remember, this first message is to be a friendly networking outreach, it is not the time to ask for a job. Reaching out to someone you haven’t spoken with in years and asking them for work can potentially hurt your chances at a solid connection.

Well lets say that you have already reached out and you’ve reconnected and things went really well. But now what? The real question is how do you keep in touch with someone when you don’t have an immediate need or any thing to share with them? The best advice I can give is to give them something. And I don’t mean anything physical. I’m speaking more on the lines of saying “Happy Birthday” and or, congrats on the new job or promotion. You can even comment on a discussion post they may have started or commented on, or even status updates on any of their social network sites. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman calls this doing “small goods,” and it’s one of the best uses of the site.

LinkedIn provides some great ways to spark this type of outreach. You can use the LinkedIn news feed on LinkedIn.com. There, you can see a stream of what your LinkedIn connections are sharing in their updates and find reasons to reach out. If you like an article from someones posts, they’ll get a notification which will then keep you on that person’s radar screen. If and when something pops up you can use can use their status updates as a reason to reach out with a message. Remember, try to offer something of value to your contact. This is also important for you. Make sure you are posting discussions, status updates, and sharing articles to give your connections a chance to keep in touch with you as well. If you get a response be sure to reply to anyone and everyone who made the effort to reach out. Showing your gratitude strengthens and maintains your relationships.

Seriously, You only get one “First impression”

img credit: pinsofwar

If you’ve heard the expression, “Your first impression, is your last impression” then you may know what I’m talking about. For a few weeks now I’ve written about using social media sites to help you develop and grow a professional network and create a personal brand with the hopes of finding a great job or reaching a new customer base. This expression fits into what I’ve been talking about. I may have spoken briefly about this before but I’d like to touch on it a bit more especially as it relates to Linkedin.

You’re building your network and so far things are going great then you notice that a lot of your “Request to Connect” are not being answered and now you may start feeling that your network has plateaued. That might be true but it could be you’re not giving that connection the best first impression. If you’re saying to yourself that “I’m not meeting this person, so a ‘virtual’ request to connect doesn’t count. If you thought this you are wrong. That button is your chance at a first impression. Linkedin gives you a short (300 character count) chance at making that first impression count. Because LinkedIn created this incredibly useful way for us to expand our network, it doesn’t mean we should take all the steps out of the process. Not customizing your request-to-connect text, can indicate that you don’t appreciate what it takes to build trust and respect. Nothing says, “I couldn’t spare 10 seconds out of my day to show you why I want to connect,” more than failing to customize the request-to-connect text. Thus, when possible connections see this default text:

“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”

They may assume it’s SPAM – impersonal and not worth their time. You can avoid this assumption by taking a moment and doing a little research on the person you’re wishing to connect to first. If you already have that’s great, but taking a moment to read an article interview they did, or even an article they wrote and then mentioning it when you are requesting that connection tells them how you know them. I can actually confirm that this works. Earlier this year I reached out to Eran Dinur, VFX Director with Brianstorm Digital. I heard about Mr. Dinur from listening to a podcast that fxphd produced. They were interviewing him on his work with Boardwalk Empire and on The Men who Built America. Being a huge fan of Boardwalk Empire, I did my homework on Mr. Dinur and then reached out to him. With a day or two I got a positive response back and we keep in touch on a semi monthly basis.

When it comes to requesting you have to be careful in your reasoning to why. If you are requesting a connection with someone who you think could help you land a job, please make sure you don’t come off ‘self centered’ and off topic. This is an example of what I mean:

I got laid-off 9 months ago and time is running out on unemployment. Please connect so I can send you my resume. I need you to tell me what to do to make it stand out.

That is an example of a request, I pulled off the web, that someone sent to an individual that could have helped them if they wouldn’t have been so self-centered and off-target. I could never do that to a potential connection. Writing them and making them feel that it’s their job to fix your employment troubles is low. Doing this has seriously ruined your “First Impression.” Networking is best done when both sides enter into it professionally, politely, and without demanding rewards from the relationship before it’s even established. Build that ‘first impression’ first by letting your connections know how you know them, and a really good reason why you want to connect with them. Then build upon that new relationship by sparking conversations on topics the speak about or ones you both have interest in then you can ask that person if they would mind taking a quick moment to review your profile or resume and respond with a few tips on how to improve it. When you ask for something, make sure you always give the person a way to say no, especially if what you’re asking for only benefits you.

Get to the Chopper!!!!

In my last post I discussed about me working towards finishing my VFX demo reel over the summer. I also talked about how I was going to recreate a VFX shot from The Avengers. We’ll I’m still working on that shot and I was able to come up with a twist! (No I will not tell you). But I also talked a little bit about re-doing my VFX scene that I did this past semester for my Production of Compositing Principles class at AAU. I can safely say now that I know exactly how I want to reshoot this entire scene. I orginialy shot the scene with the camera being stationary while my actor came into frame and headed towards the VTOL (Virtual Take Off Landing) aircraft. Here is a screenshot of that scene:

With the redesign, I knew that I wanted to change locations to something a bit more open and free of background elements that could move into my shot. When I shot this I had a train, random cars and joggers that would keep popping in at times. So I am going to be searching for a wide open field, hopefully without grass, I’d like something with dirt and trash, but I don’t think I’m going to find that around here. I plan on a new ship design based off of this sweet toy that I found at Toy’s R Us last weekend.

Now I don’t like everything about this design, but I do like certain elements so I will be referencing that elements into my design as well as elements from the upcoming film Elysium staring Matt Damon. I’m also referencing the following shot as what I’m looking for with my scene.

So that is what I’m planning and I’ll be posting updates on both this scene and my Avengers scene as progress grows. Stay tuned.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round n’ Round

Yep that’s right the wheels on my creativity bus are really moving now since school has ended. Since my third semester has ended, I’ve been brainstorming like crazy with all kinds of ideas for things do but some ideas have been complicated or to time-consuming. That doesn’t mean I wont do them down the road it just means that for right now I’m looking for ideas that I can do on my own or with the help of one other person. I haven’t posted it here yet but last semester I did a really short, 10sec video, with the help of my friend Shane. It was a VFX piece where Shane was fighting his was to the evac point. I added in muzzle flashes, a matte painting of a sci-fi city and a dropship that was modeled after the one from Aliens. In the end it worked well and I learned a lot from working on it. However, it really needs a make over. We’ll while designing a whole new scene and doing some research I came up with the idea to find VFX shots from some of my favorite films, small ones of course, and my plan is to reproduce them with my own little twist.

I recently came across a demo reel and it had some really sweet breakdowns from the film The Avengers. One of the break downs was from the scene where Natasha is tied to a chair with the russian army general and the three bad guys. One of the bad guys pretends to drop her down and opening in the floor.

We’ll now that I kinda know how this was done I’m going to attempt to recreate this shot with my own actress and a twist. I’m not sure what the twist is just yet, I’m still working on that but I’m sure it will come to me soon. Even if I don’t add a big twist the shot will still have my creativity applied to it. Once that shot is finished I’ll be moving over to recreating my scene from school, This is it here:

Get to the extraction Point!

Things to Remember When Networking

Since my post about networking, I’ve done some thinking as well as a bit of reading and I’d like to share some ideas that I think are important to keep in mind when networking or just starting out with your network. When I was starting out I didn’t have much guidance but now with the amount of talent out there, there are three important things that you need to consider before you start building.

Design and Define Your Brand – Before you can start a professional network you first need to define your personal brand. By finding your voice and identifying what you stand for, you will be able to better articulate what your goals and the potential business relationships that you want to build. If you have a business that you are starting in which you will be selling something or a service that you can provide make sure you have it laid out exactly what it is you are offering. Short and sweet and to the point always works best. People do not like complicated. Now if you are an artist such as myself, define your art and skill as your brand. Make your audience know that you are a mural painter, photographer or a videographer show your audience what you can do for them as well as the business they could be representing. Think about the three things you’re most passionate about, what tone you want to set in your content, and what you want to achieve with it.

Are you Producer – Take a moment and consider whether you are a producer or a consumer of content. I’ve read in a number of post from professionals in this field that you should strive to be a producer, someone who generates a lot of ideas and a lot of content. From what I’ve learned is that the more you produce the better you become. I constantly come up with ideas so I care around a notebook or use an app on my phone that when that idea jumps into my mind I make sure to write it down right away. A lot of times I’ll spend hours running through that idea, finding ways to make it work, working out its pro’s and con’s. Other times I right it down so I can come back to it later because I know for sure that I’ll forget it if I don’t. It will happen. Think about who succeeds more, a Producer or a Consumer? A consumer just consumes information over and over again eating up everything they see. Nothing is really gained by doing that, I mean what’s being done with the information they’re consuming? It’s producers who will succeed because they are the ones generating new conversations leading to new connections. This is where social media can help you build your identity in a short amount of time, based on the content you’re posting and what you’re saying.

Yes, Optimize– The success you’re looking for will begin and end with knowing what makes you happy. Just as you should first identify your personal brand before reaching out to new connections, keep your personal goals in mind as your business or skill set grows. It’s important to know and understand your limits; don’t prioritize a busy life over a fulfilled one, trust me about this. I have done this WAY TOO many times. I recently said at the start of this past semester that I wasn’t going to do any other extra work because I wanted to focus on my studies, and the fact that the three classes I was taking were core ‘heavy load’ classes. But I didn’t listen and my studies and my personal life suffered. Now, the network you have or the network you’re building deserves the same thoughtful attention you expect from it. You get back what you put in.

Does your resume seem so boring?

I really used to think that way. Plain white piece of paper that describes my job history and skills crammed onto just one sheet. Every time I had to make a new version or update my current one I always wondered if an employer who would be looking at because of a position I applied for really understood that I have the skills they are looking for. Plus how can you make yours stand out when the hundred other people who applied for the same job have the same resume with crammed info on a plain white piece of paper. Well now you don’t have to worry, you can stand out among those in the crowd. A sweet new website, ResumUP.com, can help design you a resume that is for sure to be seen! If you are on the hunt for a new job I really recommend checking them out and creating a resume worth looking at. Here’s mine as an example.

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn ohhh my!!!!

If you read a bit of my last two post I spoke briefly about how I have used social media sites to setup a social professional network. Yes a professional network. With all of us being surrounded by the growing social media world, it’s much easier to connect with people who I share the same interest with, career goals and skill set. If you don’t about this already you might be asking yourself, how can I do this? We’ll it’s a lot easier than you think, but it does take some effort on your part to build it and keep it going.

Now the network you build can be for anything. Your business, your art, interest & career based. The network that I am building. I say building because your network will never be ‘built’ because there people that you will find that you share common interest with and who they are or something they do, you’ll want that connection even more so because for every person you connect with, you gain their network. To create your network you’ll be utilizing the help of social media as well as face-to-face contact which I touch more on later. Many of us already have a Facebook account where we talk to and ‘stalk’ our closest friends, high school pals and an occasional ex. We’ll did you know that you could create a ‘Like’ page that can showcase your business and/or talent? If you didn’t that’s okay because you can create a completely separate page where everyone can see the art, crafts, business that you can provide them. This page is just like any other page that you’ve seen and liked. You don’t have to create a separate email to maintain it either. Page notifications will show up on the left hand side of the screen. You know, where all the request for games and stuff show up (below your favorites and apps). Here is an example of mine: CLICK HERE Since I have what is called a “Professional Network” I link people to this Facebook page only. I have the average FB page just like anyone else does, but I rather not share my private life with people if I can help it. I don’t care if they access my page, I have nothing to hide. I don’t post pictures of myself doing stupid shit because it can influence employers not to hire you. Believe it or not, it does happen. The reason FB is a really good networking tool is because of the amount of users that are on it at a given time and the fact that most people in this world have one. Just ask yourself how many times a day do you check your Facebook and read your timeline…??? (A lot isn’t it?)

Do you tweet? You should. Now don’t think that twitter is full of people tweeting all the time about what they just ate, how they ate it and now they have to pee. We’ll there are those people but for the most part it is an extremely powerful networking tool. If you don’t have one it’s pretty easy to set one up and you don’t have to stay glued to it all the time. Depending on how you want to use it, think of it as a open-source text message that millions of people can read at anytime. I say that because if you haven’t heard news reports lately you need to be careful of what you tweet. Try to stay positive. On twitter find people that you can relate to and who you can benefit from either it be business or career wise. If you are using it because you are a crafty person or have a hobby that you love the same rules apply. Now when you start engaging with your followers or you add new ones, it’s always nice to send a quick direct message thanking them for the follow and it’s here where you can add a link to your website, portfolio, music, etc. And because you took that extra few seconds to set that up it’s highly likely that they’ll click that link. Twitter is also extremely helpful if your in a bind with a project your working on or if you need some serious feedback on a question or anything else of that nature. Reason is because you’ll get faster responses from people rather than waiting for that email from a boss, customer, friend, professor. I’m actually speaking from experience here when I say this. This past semester I was stuck numerous times while working on Scripting assignments and being that it was really late when I was working on them, I knew that I wasn’t going to get a response from my Professor about what I was doing wrong and adding to the fact that week prior I emailed him asking for advice and it took over a week to get a response from him (The class size was only 12). When that happened I new I could jump right to my network in search of help. Sure enough with in 20 minutes I was back on track! Just as people can help you, you can help them and I think it’s really important to do so or at least return the favor to those who have helped you out. If you haven’t already done this, give it a try and let me know how it goes.

It was in my final year at Regent when I created my LinkedIn account. I was graduating and needed to put myself out there so employers would notice me, plus I read how LinkedIn was becoming a serious networking tool for everyone. The best way for me to describe it is that it’s a expanded version of your resume. When you create an account it will feel like you’re writing your resume up. You’ll input a heading, a summary which is just like that objective box that you used to do on your resume after high school, present and past places of employment and your education. But whats good about LinkedIn is that it allows you to expand those sections. You can add projects to both your education and employment sections. This then allows potential employers to see your past work with out having to fish for through your portfolio or demo reel. That recommendation later becomes obsolete in a sense because present and past coworkers and clients can post on your behalf about how awesome you were on this project or that one. There is a new feature that is growing on LinkedIn and it’s called ‘endorsements’. This is where you or anyone in your network can endorse you on a particular skill or skills that you have. The more endorsements you have the better because again it shows people that you really have the talent that you have described on your profile.

The best part about LinkedIn is that you can connect with people. You’re saying, “Well I can do that with Facebook, why does that matter?” True but not like this. See LinkedIn has an amazing network of people who work for the companies you’ve dreamed of working for, people who working businesses just like you do or have similar skills in which you can pick their brain about. Facebook has that ability but Facebook is not the same. It’s more personal than professional. For instance this past fall I had a calls at AAU on Editing with Avid and I had an assignment in which I needed to create an Editor’s Report. This is where you breakdown the shots and cuts in a particular scene of a show or film. I decided to write about the first episode of “The Walking Dead.” We’ll I had this really good report going but I felt that it needed something more so I did my homework and found, Hunter Via, editor of that episode. More research led me to find out that he won an award for his editing on that episode. So I ventured over to LinkedIn and did a search and found is profile but was afraid to reach out to him. This is the editor of a hit show, he wont have time to talk to me. But I sucked it up, sent him an invite to connect to my network along with a message that told him how much of a fan I was and congrats on the particular award and why I was writing him. I figured what’s the worst that can happen, he doesn’t respond, oh well. I already had a great report I just wanted to amend it by adding his input about his creative process. I’m glad I did because that same night he responded saying that he would be honored to talk to me for my report and then gave me his cell phone number with instructions to call the following morning. HOW AWESOME IS THAT! I thought about why he responded and I believe it had a lot to do with the fact that I took the extra time to write more of a personal message rather than leaving the default message that is sent when you request someone to join your network. I’ve read recently to that it’s something that a lot of people don’t think about and is why, in some cases, you don’t get a response when you send out request.

Building a network is easy in a sense because many of us already do what we need to do to build one. We sign up on a site so that we can connect to others, share stories, post things, share our lives. The only thing different is that a we have to think professional and adjust what we do. Instead of posting drunk pictures or pics of our cats, we post images of products we are selling or our art, we share what we’re working on or post about new techniques, and our connections become less random and more focused.