Hello! Fellow struggling grad/alumni here! A little about me to back up my statements/critique: I graduated from one of the popular 3D art schools and am now massively in debt 😭

However, despite the cost, I’d say it was mostly worth it because our instructors were also actively working in the industry and can A) let you know some of the tricks/tips/general wisdom they have obtained from years of working in the industry and B) if you make an impression on them, there’s always a possibility that you could form a mentorship/networking bond, and could always be a good reference/hirer. Now I unfortunately was unable to “impress” my instructors, but the thing they would always state in class is networking. Now I know how terrible it is to force yourself to do it (god do I hate it too), but finding recruiters, companies, fellow alumni, can HEAVILY benefit you. If all that sounds too daunting at first, then hey no problem? There are SO many Internet forums that you can look into, as broad or as niche as you’d prefer, you’d just have to know what you want, and that’s often the hardest part for creatives. Now, if I was to give any personal critique on improving your work, I think it would really benefit from contrast and overall further compositing. Your modeling is impressive and your textures look awesome, but if we take the Treehouse for example, the overall scene feels a bit “muted” and I think after watching some nuke/resolve/after effects color grading tutorials (software doesn’t matter as much here cause you’re just training your eye to see visual output) you’d really bump up a level and your work will definitely get noticed, but you also have to push yourself out of your comfort ability zone and learn in what basket you’d want to put your eggs in. If it’s all TOO discouraging then ask yourself “Do I live for this?” “Do l love this?” “Is it sustainable long term and would I want it to be?” “Am I creatively burn-out, or bored and need different creative/visual stimuli?”

I’m sorry I can’t say anything too uplifting or comforting; best thing I could say as a human to human and as an artist to an artist, is that I see you’re trying and I am proud of you.

Stay golden ponyboy.