What were you doing at 23?
>>146334402Getting my hog cracked stupid-style by your slut mother, same as everyone else.
>>146334402I'm 21, what should I do?
>>146334402Inspecting planes in Japan
>>146334402Having panic attacks and feeling like life had no meaning.
>>146334402Craig is cool and all, but like always its a case of him just happening to be in the right place at the right time. had somebody else gotten his job we'd have some other cartoon series, and Craig would just be some nobody with a bunch of OC's on twitter.
>>146334402Crying, in desperate need of therapy to cope with an abusive childhood, being unemployed in a small town.
I will be dead before then
>>146334402I grew up poor as shit and had parents who were about as thick as a box of hammers so I couldn't afford to make cartoons for a living at that age
>>146334490> a case of him just happening to be in the right place at the right timeI hate when people describe shit like this because it makes it seem like he was just sitting around and then won the lottery. Luck is preparedness meeting opportunity. He spent over a decade honing his drafting skills, sense of taste/humor/storytelling ability, and animation skills. He created a beloved graduation short that he used as a pilot and when he met people who happened to be looking for projects to green light, he was ready to go. You’re not wrong about being in the right place at the right time, but he spent a ton of time also becoming the right person with the right skills. Being in the right place at the right time happens more often than you think to the average schmo, but most people aren’t ready when it happens and can’t take advantage of it.
>>146334490Didn't PPG get rejected because Whoopass in its name? He would have had attention a lot earlier if if he changed the name.
>>146334420Get drawing, bucko.
>>146334402Burned out from school, feeling creatively empty, bartending to make ends meet, and drinking a bit too often. I think I’m finally hitting my stride in my 40’s and, oddly enough, might be working with McCracken in the near future.
>>146334560>a lot earlierAnon, he created the pilot when he was like 21-22. If he was working on the show by 23, it really doesn’t get much faster than that in a Hollywood. Shows often spend several years in development hell. In fact, there’s a good chance the profane name helped get him more attention.
>>146334590IIRC it took a good few years after that first short he did (Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins) for CN to see the potential in the show because apparently it tested pretty crappily with their test audiences for a while. He was probably late twenties by the time the show entered production anyway.
>>146334420Literally anything, but do *something* other than consume media and masturbate. Find a hobby and hone a skill as a result. Go out and meet people. Find mentors. Be curious about a lot of things. 21 can be a great age because you’re not expected to know everything yet and there are people still interested in helping you foster your ability. As you get older, that changes. You don’t need to know what you want to do in life yet, but you should be trying a bunch of things right now in an effort to figure it out. Or do nothing and then wake up in 15 years wondering where the fuck the time has gone and what you’re going to do with yourself to get out of working shit jobs.
>>146334606Fair, but CN was already interested. Having a different name wouldn’t have gotten it greenlit faster, then. That’s a superficial change and people still had vision and imagination back then. Today, on the other hand, something minor like that might be the killer since execs are brain dead idiots that need to be spoon fed everything,
>>146334554>Being in the right place at the right time happens more often than you think to the average schmo, but most people aren’t ready when it happens and can’t take advantage of it.>most people arent readyThen it wasnt the right place at the right time, dummy. For every Craig Mc Cracklin that got his cartoon greenlit and launched his career, theres dozens of people that slaved away doing all the same things he was doing, but just didnt get that lucking break by by in the right place at the right time. it goes for pretty much any industry or profession.
>>146334658> Then it wasnt the right place at the right timeSure it is, but I’m not going to argue the details here. Something tells me it will be frustrating. > theres dozens of people that slaved away doing all the same things he was doingMore to the point, there are even more people who are in the position where they meet an influential person who could jettison their career into the stratosphere, but they never bothered to do the work that would allow them to take advantage of that.
Writing my thesis in linguistics at Princeton.
>>146334402I was watching The Powerpuff Girls
>>146334402>What were you doing at 23?
>>146334490>but like always its a case of him just happening to be in the right place at the right time.That's the secret of success
>>146334402When I was 23 I was probably waging and fapping in-between the rare draw or twoI'm 27 now and not much has changed
>>146334402>Yeah, made this smoking hot secretary babe named Bellum. She's got a rockin bod n stuff.
>>146334652CN hit that phase too where they wanted brand new shows that were originals. Probably remembered his pitch and said, yeah sure why not.
>>146334402Learning to code.
>>146334402I was doing a grueling mail sorting job, got laid off due to attempts to optimise the budget, ended up with a job that was so embarrassing I don't even put on the extensive version of my resumé and decided to go back to university.Then the following years I ended up studying creative writing, journalism and media technology which formed the courses for my first bachelor's degree. Then I got my master's degree in UX design, ended up working at Apple support, quit to sell vape pens and take one more course in Communications so I could get a second bachelor's degree in that. Got laid off from the vape store due to "expressed disinterest" and the second bachelor's degree got delayed a few months.This monday is when I finally earned my second bachelor's and I am currently unemployed. I'm trying to get a job in UX research/design or at least an IT job more serious than the fucking Apple support crap but it's tough, right now I'm basically just sitting in government mandated meetings with a job coach alongside people who are mostly 20-30 years older than me. And the guy I'm assigned to is largely clueless about the types of jobs I'm trying to get and keeps bringing up that he has contacts in the warehouse business in case I get desperate for work.
My life essentially ended at that age, the last of "friends" that I had left completely abandoned me
>>146334402I'm 19 so still studying. (law)Gonna be a lawyer like everyone else in my family pretty much.
>>146334402wtfalso im not even 23 yet
>>146334402I came up with my series Mechanica I am currently making.
>>146334402working retail during the wuflu while getting started learning to draw
>>146334708most people have to get a job as a kid and are actually working for a living during the time rich kids spend drawing all day, then the rich kids think they’re disciplined for having money and free time and using it the way they want for self improvement. Then they give each other jobs and chastise you for your work ethic
>>146334402uh... writing this post, I guess. I do draw, but I don't really want to make cartoons. though I do wanna try making a comic soon.
>>146334402Making money duh, also I wasn't passionate and skilled at the time to make something that would boom.
>>146335859This is a cope. I’ve had to have a job since I was legally able to hold one. People complain about not having time to draw but still somehow find time to game or watch entire series of countless anime. If drawing is what you do when you’re not working because you enjoy drawing, you’ll end up getting pretty good at it,
>>146336549> People complain about not having time to draw but still somehow find time to gameThis. Anons have this weird warped perspective that all illustrators came from rich families. In reality, they just don’t love drawing as much as they wished they did so they need to come up with excuses for why they are unable to do it.
>Genndy and Craig worked on Two Stupid Dogs when they were 21-23>Genndy pitched Dexter when he was 24Craig pitched PPG when he was 24>Van Partible pitched Johnny Bravo when he was 24/25>Seth MacFarlane made Family Guy when he was 25. Before that he worked at Hanna Barbera in his early 20s>Maxwell Atoms pitched Billy and Mandy when he was 25. Worked on Cow and Chicken when he was 21-23>Greg Miller pitched Robot Jones when he was 24.>Alex Hirsch pitched Gravity Falls when he was 25. Worked on Flapjack when he was 22.>Pendleton Ward pitched Adventure Time when he was 25.> Jhonen Vasquez pitched Invader Zim when he was 25.It’s over for us
>>146334402i was 21 when i was forced to be my frail mom's caretaker
>>146336681How old was Hillenberg when he started on Rocko's?
>>146334402Jerking off to PPG r34
>>146336955In his 30s
>>146334402Jerking off to the powerpuff girls
>>146336681Who's the oldest first-time pitcher?
>>146334402failing to even complete a single trimester of part time community college
OP, personally I wish we lived in a world where all people had a "can-do" proactive attitude in which the axioms of efficiency and creativity are at the forefront. It's that although most people can't recognize the "how"they get lost, indulging in someone else's dream or wasting away. However we live in the most free time (play on words intended) in history with books that document all of human behavior/history.What I'm saying is good luck, anons.
>>146334402Craig also got pretty fucking lucky. There plenty of artists like him who do the work and are skilled and don't get noticed. That's why it's important to constantly work on your art and keep going, you never know if that one piece you didn't finish would've been the thing that jumpstarted your career.
>>146336549Of course you do, and you’ll make a living at it when you’ve put the hours in, but you’ll never have been in McCracken’s position just because you had the gumption.
>>146334402Quit my 1st job in my hometown (was absolutely miserable and the place I'm from is a dead end post-uni), found a job in the big city and moved away from home for the 1st time, learnt a lot about being a professional working with clients and enjoyed my first real taste of freedom and personal growth beyond hobbies that I had maintained. Cut off toxic friends from back home and never spoke to them again, started taking my Japanese studies pretty seriously and went to Japan twice after that, finally started dating too. I kinda regret not doing a degree which was more related to my interests but the good news is that I've finally starting making a site with portfolios for my engineering projects, artwork and video editing work, and I'll be pursuing a new Masters next year (potentially in Japan, started a new job to save up for it). I had my crisis of identity at 25 so I'd say that 23 is a pretty carefree and fun age to be, enjoy it anons. Just always make sure you're doing something that you genuinely enjoy and try to keep improving and networking with people.
>>146337629luck and connections are the most important things that will grant you success in most fields. though everyone wants to believe they made it because of their own hard work and grit and that anyone who hasn't made it is a lazy bum who isn't trying hard enough.
>>146336654>>146336549Very true, the number of people who I have tried to encourage to keep up/pick up hobbies who say they're busy, then proceed to scroll Shorts all day, is absolutely shocking. Social media has absolutely destroyed everybody's attention spans, even I'm not drawing or making as many videos as I know I should be.
>>146334402other people's girlfriends>>146334420other people's girlfriendsor boyfriends, you know, whatever
>>146334490The right place being CalArts, same as the Disney Renaissance animators, the Pixar top brass, Tim Burton, and some of the Simpsons people.
>>146334402>>146334490>>146334554>>146337629>>146337675Craig only got lucky because of his contributions to his work on Dexters Laboratory and 2 Stupid Dogs.And the fact that PPG was very successful compared to the other Cartoon Cartoons at the time.
>>146337828>CalArtsAnd that’s literally the reason why CN came crawling back to him, JQ Quintel, and the Adventure Time crew to make reboots of their shows.You know CN is desperate for money now.Meanwhile they ignore their other non-CalArts creatives such as Maxwell Atoms and Tom Warburton, you know people that actually want them to reboot their cartoons.
>>146334635>Or do nothing and then wake up in 15 years wondering where the fuck the time has gone and what you’re going to do with yourself to get out of working shit jobs.Yeah...
>>146334402and then he got married to faust and ruined his life, learn from him, don't make his same mistakes
>>146337820You too could be in the right place, CalArts, at the right time, 1979. Always be prepared.
>>146338025just mad he got redhead pussy over you.
>>146336549Reading this book from Kyle Baker really opened my eyes. So many people say they want to do comics or cartoons, but never actually attempt to start. There's no guide that will let you go in immediately and be perfect. You need to not be afraid to jump in.
>>146338239So many people here lament that they can't make it in the industry. but don't regularly doodle, don't try even flipbook animating or stick figure programs, SOMETHING.If you don't have that drive to start, it's not for you.
>>146338239>>146338260some people simply don't have the talent to make it. simple as.
I draw in my free time constantly, I just need to put all my shit into stocks and then quit my desk job so I can focus on it. The goal at the early 20s is to NEET these days.
>>146334402>What were you doing at 23?Hitchhiking across Canada and back.
Jaking of
>>146335392this
>>146338590truthnuke
>>146334402Browsing this board in 2008.
>>146334402writing this post
>>146334402i don't know yet
>>146334658REMINDER https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wv0cs2QPjfo&pp=ygUZZGFudGUgZXF1aXZhbGVudCBleGNoYW5nZQ%3D%3D
>>146336955>>146336981Plus, Stan lee and ditko were in their 30’s when they made Spider-Man. Stop being doomers
>>146340029Run, get out of here while you still can.lest you become one of us
>>146340094dang successful outliers exist. i guess we can all stop being doomers guys. statistically speaking at least 0.1% of you will make it! stop being such a doomer now.
>>146340128AND? How would you describe yourself, anon? YOU UTTER WEAKLING! IT MAKES ME SICK AS IT'S A SIN TO BE WEAK IN THIS WORLD!
>>146340180You reap what you sow anon. Success is relative to an extent anyways, but if you’re mad you don’t have anything to show for your 20’s, that’s on you
>>146334402Quit my IT job in IT consulting and pivoting into IT consulting.
>>146334402I’m studying and applying for internship or apprenticeship but idk if I am good enough to get accepted.
>>146335376Go reach out to hiring agencies, non government obviously.
>>146340394success isn't very relative at all. if you can make a living wage off doing what you enjoy that's making it for 90% of people.
>>146334402your mom
>>146336681I remember seeing a similar list elsewhere once, about famous videogame/computer/tech people. All the people on the list made their most important works when they were in their early 20s. I didn't happen to save a screenshot, but the list stuck with my mind. I found it interesting that people tend to peak at such an early age, and it's all downhill after that.
>>146334402he always looked like a character from a junji ito manga
>>146340647Born doomed
>>146334463Really? Sounds pretty cool actually
>>146340094Also the KFC guy didn’t find KFC until his 60s.Age is just a number. Shouldn’t stop you from living life and achieving your goals.
>>146342217>these small percentage of people won the lottery so you can too!!!!lolit's better to have realistic expectations.
>>146334402treating people for cancer
>>146342640Still not as impressive as creating THE POWERPUFF GIRLS
>>146334402Working meme jobs in tech because my parents weren't rich enough for me to go to Calarts.
>>146334402Those were the days. Was running my own business. Life was easy back then.
I was submitting to screenwriting contests and playing MTG
>>146334490>right place at the right time.This really happens a lot. Most people just don't realize it because they have different plans. Sometimes they even fight it. People always told me shit like "follow your dreams." As I got older, I realized you're supposed to take your dreams with you wherever life takes you. The animation industry sucks right now. I can't imagine relying on animation for a living in this current time line.
>>146334402What a creep! Drawling little girls at such an age.I bet when they're around, they make me feel like he's the only guy in town!
>>146336549Being pretty good at drawing doesn't mean you will be able to get a job in it. I agree people should work hard on their hobbies if they want to work in that industry. However rhe opportunity McCracken had to make an original show at age 23, that's so very rare. We cannot say that he got it just because he worked hard. People should not expect that type of quick success.
>>146334402Playing World of Warcraft.
>>146337711Hard work matters. You got to be able to put in the work. But to get the opportunity to do so is really fucking hard. You need connections and that is also luck. When i was younger, I used to try and network with people. I would bust my ass going to these conferences, getting people's numbers. I'd offer to give them feedback, but shit, nobody would keep the group going. These super successful, they work hard, I would not doubt that. But everything aligns for them in a way it does not for a normal person, their like college roommate is connected to some showrunner and they get to pitch off of that.
>>146343276>Hard work matterssilence boomer.
>>14633695530's and he was doing other stuff with his life outside of animation. its never too late if you have the drive
>>146342689Damn, the PPGs look like that?
>>146334402Thinking about JC Denton when he was 23 in the game.
>>146342935Is life not easy anymore?
>>146334402Living the NEET life because I dropped out of college and had no idea what to do with my life.
I was not born in the US or Japan and as such, I can never pursue comics/cartoons in any way.
>>146334402I'm still 20 but I've already made multiple pitch bibles, too bad the industry doesn't want original ideas anymore>*tosses all my scripts into the trash and goes to work on the millionth old ip reboot*
>>146334402Twink death is such a horrible happening
>>146343156Right. I’m not saying that success is a given. I’m simply shooting down the idea that you have to be rich to get good at drawing which is what was being alleged. Working in the industry requires a lot of other skills and not everyone who can draw well is a good fit just as not every good home cook can work in a professional kitchen.
>>146345228he just aged and gained weight. the grey hair and eyebags make him look older than he is i will admit. he's still got a good head of hair despite that.
>>146345228Twink death is as natural as twink birth, and it's all part of the twink cycle.
>>146345228To be honest he aged really well
>>146338239>>146338260It’s easier to make excuses than it is to start. It’s also easier to think you could do something better than everyone else who is actually doing it when you don’t actually make anything. I think a lot of people want to have done something more than they want to actually do it. They want the attention and admiration for creating a cartoon more than they want to actually make it. That’s fine, but it’s good to understand that about yourself and stop trying to blame classism or society or politics for tryout failure to start and realize the only reason you don’t learn how to do something is because you’re really not as interested in it as you want to be.(I don’t mean you specifically, anon. It’s a general “you” as in most people).
>>146338814> I just need to put all my shit into stocksYou might want to hold off on that for a bit. Global financial prospects are not looking great atm. I’m not talking American politics. Just in general we’re poised for a pretty heavy recession.
>>146334402I think I was still working as an EMT
>>146345228Looks like he finally got a nap.
>>146340180I wasted over a decade not following my dreams because I thought it was impossible. Then I started seeing people who I thought also had no chance start to actually make it because they just kept going. I finally started making a go of it and was surprised to find out that I could find some success. There have been failures and setbacks too, but in general I’ve been making much more headway than I ever would have thought possible. I’m just kind of pissed I wasted so much time not even trying. Of the people who don’t even try, statistically speaking 0% of them will make it.
>>146343276> I'd offer to give them feedbackYou sound like a self aggrandizing dick. That is not how you network. Give feedback only if people ask for it, but trying to inflict it upon people is not the way to build a community. Just be friendly. If you make professional quality work and are friendly with enough people, eventually one of them will be that random connection where everything aligns for you too. You can’t plan it. Just make friends everywhere. The world is small. Eventually you’ll know someone who knows someone.
>>146344849I know several professional animators who are Venezuelan, Brazilian, Filipino, Chinese, Australian, Dutch, Mexican, German, Spanish…most of them work remotely.
>>146345586Naw. The spectacles distract you from the raccoon eyes. He still looks like he supplants sleep with diner coffee and cigarettes.
>>146334402Can Hirsch fight 23 year old McCracken to win Faust’s heart?
>>146337711>>146343156You guys in this thread are some of the most self defeating faggots I have ever seen. Times have changed, you might not be able to get a job in the industry, but screw the industry, the industry is dead. Maybe if you want to work on some babified version of a show reboot like velma you could work in the industry. There are people right now making pilots on the internet, taking risks and getting major acclaim. Hazbin Hotel had a massive team working for them, but a decent pilot with limited animation can easily be made by one person with drive. You don't need Disney tier animation, you just need some key frames that tell an entertaining story. I would know, I'm currently making one. YouTube is mainstream tv now. If you told someone in the past that if they just had a completed film ready to go they could guarantee it got played on live tv, he'd have a freaking stroke. And yet we have that now. We have all these opportunities thanks to the internet that previous generations have never had, and you're giving up and saying there is no chance. You guys can go ahead and stay faggots if you want to, but I like to actually try. >>146345017
>>146346530to make it on youtube you still have to pander to popular trends and algorithms. you can't just make what you want to make and expect success. all the most successful youtube animations are made from the ground up to be what people will flock to. it's soulless. make art but making art and specifically changing it to make it a certain way so it goes viral sounds really shitty to me.
>>146346581>you still have to pander to popular trends and algorithmsYou think the guy that made Sublo and Tangy Mustard is appealing to any kind of trend? With anything there actually has to be some sort of demand for it, but that’s just life for anyone making entertainment. Just look at Monkey wrench, amazing artist creating one of the most boring things imaginable, but you know what he’s trying unlike your faggoty ass
>>146346628Forgot pic
>>146346645Did you just forget it a second time?
>>146346645There we go
>>146334635>Go out and meet people. Find mentors.How do I do this
>>146334402Same shit I'm doing now at 24, doing college classes and living with my parents.
>>146334402He's so handsome~
>>146334402Being in a relationship with a Japanese housewife that wanted to divorce her husband.
>>146348045sounds hot
>>146334402Killing 9/ 11s in afghan. Only managed a whopping total of 3 though.
>>146345310The allegation was that if you’re rich you have the advantage of time, opportunity, access, timing, and are attractive marks/opportunities to executives, which is why a handful of rich kids became showrunners at 23 and the professionals who work for them who aren’t their classmates started in their late 20s and 30’s.
>>146346530Bakshi was right
tfw I am 43
>>146334402Same thing I'm doing now at 44. Thanks for posting this on my birthday, dick.
>>146334402I was not drawing little kids, that's for sure
>>146334412kek>>146347211this>>146340457nta but they're the same anon. I've been waiting a year for them to contact me about an office job. Still nothing >>146334402Drawing with a pencil and paper, haven't really touched animation but did draw a 5 page comic. Got my first commission a week ago and surprisingly it wasn't NSFW. I dunno ai slop has killed most of my motivation to "make it big in the animation industry". After hearing how all these concept artists, voice actors, and story board artists have up and lost their jobs I kind of don't want to bother anymore. Hell these greasy animation studios even used their hard made work for the AI's database without them knowing.The most I look forward to now is being good enough at drawing to make a fun really edgy (with a touch of racism for shits n giggles) comic that is heavily inspired by The crow and Underworld.
>>146335376>This monday is when I finally earned my second bachelor'sCongratulations!
>>146346530>you just need some key frames to tell a storyto me that just feels like outright releasing the unfinished storyboards. I don't want to put my project out there until the animation is done, but the problem is I'm stupid and made something that's 20 minutes long and I have no way to actually get this done unless I dedicate years to it or drop out of college and animate full time
Where can I find a community of fellow artists?
>>146350733online
>>1463344021995 is not the same world as it is now
>>146350733>>>/ic/
>>146351173NOOOOO YOU'RE JUST NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH!! MUH JUST WORLD!!!
>>146335439hey can you stick to shitting up these threads instead of the WOYA's? Thanks.
>>146334402>What were you doing at 23?Nothing. Just lamenting about all the time I had wasted and imagining how much happier I'd be if I cracked down and learned a hobby. I never did.
>>146334635>Or do nothing and then wake up in 15 years wondering where the fuck the time has gone and what you’re going to do with yourself to get out of working shit jobs.Fuck you man.
>>146351284Shut the fuck up ya gay retardWhat even is “these threads,” McCracken threads? Reminiscing on your past? It’s queer nonsense from a pathetic mind used to talking to kids online.I understand, it sucks to be constantly reminded that not only am I a special genius, a bunch of art projects would benefit from collaborating with me. Also there are artists in that thread very obviously influenced by me.
>>146334402Trying to hack it at uni.Couldn't.Didn't help my dad died about a year and a half earlier.
>>146334402Hey idiots. These guys all lived in California/moved to California (in the 90s where the economy wasn't shit) at a young age. If you haven't made a cartoon at age 24 and you live in fucking Wyoming, it's nothing to be that ashamed of.
>>146334402I like like his wife.
>>146351790t. Alex Hirsch
>>146351807I like Lauren better than he does
>>146351766Sorry for your loss, anon. I hope you have many memories of him to cherish and can carry forward any wisdom with which he may have gifted unto you. Hug your remaining loved ones.
>>146334402Power fapping to girls
>>146352030Thanks anon. I'll go do that.Made my day.
>>146351777It's more about projecting your general dissatisfaction with life. It's less about not doing exactly what he did and more reflecting on the fact you have no friends, money, or accomplishments and you've miserably and objectively wasted your life.
>>146352383some people's brains aren't wired to enjoy socializing no matter how hard they try.
>>1463523831. You are leaving out Christianity, Hollywood is not friendly to our savior.2. People have different lives, if they all try to do the same thing and be the one who makes it to the finish line they’re subhuman bugs.
>>146351790she's got a healthy bosom on her
>>146353160ENHANCE
>>146336681>25, 25, 25it's not too late for me, i'm 25. but i don't live anywhere near these companies (california) to actually do a pitch. nor have i ever taken any classes or went up the proper ladders. i just want to make a simple pilot, post it on youtube, and see what happens. not in terms of "people reaching out and wanting to pick it up" because that feels above me, but just getting my idea out there and seeing if people will react wellthen i'll think about trying to build it up some more if people like it. i'd need to actually get money to pay for voice actors, music, etc though for any additional episodes. and i need a job for that first. i don't mind making the pilot no dialogue and just cobbling together some simple atmospheric bgm for the pilot.
