Slipping and sliding on deadlines - Time management Part1

In the last few months my work schedule has changed dramatically. What was a 9 to 5.30 Monday to Friday routine has changed to a self-managed 7-day week free for all. Escaping the restricted employed world has its challenges and I’m facing them now as I type. It's 8.30 at night and for most the working day has been forgotten. For me, a person who has his desk in the kitchen, it’s very easy to jump back in the saddle.

The barrier of having to travel to your workplace can sometimes be an annoying one but can also be a bonus if you look at it differently. Sat in traffic on the way to work I would quite often think how great it would be to work from home. But having work so close is not all roses. If there is work that needs doing, which there always is, it's not very difficult to fire up the computer and finished that last e-mail.

The great stuff – flexibility

                  Don't get me wrong being your own man and working to your own drumbeat is the best thing I've done in a long time. Because most of my work is done on a laptop I have great flexibility and can work from anywhere with an internet connection. Paris, Rome, Barbados or like most days Uttoxeter (really have to take more advantage of this one).  The freedom is liberating and gives me the feeling I can go anywhere and do anything. It also gives me the freedom to work when I want so if I want to finish early on a Friday I can. One of the other great things is that all the work done is for me to help me move forward instead of adding to others. 

More than you think.

                  All of the above is true and I believe in time will become reality. But when you 1st start it's hard. Getting the correct balance of life and work and that mixture is a challenging one. Because of this I can work when I want I to. At the moment I have 3 major projects on the go and they all overlap. I have a web site design business; I'm developing an e-commerce sales site and studying for my Masters course. Each of these requires a certain amount of time each week.

At the moment I'm under time pressure for the e-commerce site to be launched so all my efforts are going into this. On saying that I also have to pay the bills, which at the moment the web business is doing. But to add to this for the e-commerce site I have to created video graphics that's tied into my Masters course. The balance of all these projects is a difficult one but can only be resolved by just working hard and the more hours of work the better I feel I am getting the balance right. Which I’m not sure is true.

The slip then the slide

                  With all of these projects I try to set deadlines. Setting these deadlines correctly is difficult. So far all the deadlines I’ve set have been missed. Through one reason or another sometimes not within my control hitting these deadlines has not been possible. Is it because I expected too much? Or I'm just unrealistic with what I can get done within a time frame. It may be that I'm just slowly getting into gear. One thing I do know is that sometimes if I let that small deadline slip it creates a slide moving everything forward a little. So it's my aim to stop and achieve the small deadlines stopping the slips. Which I hope will stop the slides.

Stopping it!

                  So how do I do this? For starters I’m going to start recording my progression. Tracking my hours worked and what I have achieved. This will inform deadlines in the future and hopefully make me more accurate. It will also give me an indication of where I work best. I'm also going to educate myself in ways of working by researching different working practices. I have a list of books and I am going to read that’s I believe that may help. 

Books

·       37 Signals (2010). Rework . RandomHouse

·       Tim Ferriss (2011). The 4-Hour Work Week.  Vermilion imprint.

·       Steven Gibson (2008). Going Self-Employed. Right Way

·       Mark Forset (2006). Do It Tomorrow. Hobber & Stoughton

Listening to Podcast

·       5by5. Back to work (2012)

·       lifestylebusinesspodcast.com. Lifestyle business podcast  (2012)

So within the next few weeks I hope to report back to this blog with my findings.

Motion graphics organisations, groups and communities.

Organisations are a great way of linking into what's on going in your specific industry or area. It brings communities together with meetings and sometimes even awards. So what is out there for me as a motion graphics and VFX artist? Well not a lot really, I have struggled to find any official organisations. I believe over the last few years these groups have moved online, as this is where work can be shared and discussed easily and at any time. Below I have listed my findings along with a brief summary of their functions.

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http://www.ivca.org/

International Visual Communications Association

Joining Fee: £240 for a freelancer

The IVCA is an organisation that is designed to help anybody related to the production industry. This includes video editors, directors, copywriters and artists. It helps to promote you within the industry. This is done by social networking events and links from the organisation's website. It also gives you access to awards run by the IVC. You also have access to industry statistics and areas in which the government is trying to assist. Part of this are invites to industry events targeting international markets. If you're a larger company it also assists with employing staff and treating them correctly. The IVCA also has membership services to help with any media law e.g. copyright and contract advice.

A colleague who is part of a production company made me aware of the IVCA. They have not renewed their membership this year but their organisation is well established. For someone coming into the industry like myself, what they offer is appealing. Cost is a little high and I am unsure if for a freelancer a lot of the benefits would fit. The attraction from me is the possibility of it raising my profile. The social networking events sometimes open doors but can be a little hit and miss. Membership is something I would consider further down the line, but I have the feeling I might be a small fish in a big pond.

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http://vimeo.com/

Vimeo online creative video community

Joining fee: Basic free / Plus membership $59.95

Vimeo is an online video website for the creative community. It covers art, education, music and much more but they're all related to the creative.  It allows users to upload work and discuss and rate videos from people across the globe. It allows users to tag and categorise their work so others interested in the area can find it. There are also channels that you can submit and subscribe your work to. You also have the option of entering your work into the video Festival awards, which started in 2010. Further, it allows people to share and host their videos online, which can be technically quite difficult.

Vimeo Award 2012

I'm already a member of vimeo but I've only uploaded a few videos at this point and have not tried to promote my work. I have found it amazing for discovering new ideas and seeing what others are doing. It gives me a standard in which to aim for. It also inspired me to see what can be achieved within my category. Over time, I plan to become more involved and will need to become a plus member as I produce more videos.

2010 Vimeo award – Motion Graphics Category

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http://www.siggraph.org

SIGGRAPH

Join fee: $42

Siggraph has been around for about 30 years and is an organisation for the computer graphics industry. It holds annual conferences around the world focusing on innovations within the industry. The last conference was in Vancouver with the 2012 conference being in LA. The organisation mainly supports the technology behind the CGI and less about the artistic side. They also have what they call chapters around the world, which are smaller groups. The nearest one to here is the Manchester group based at the University. As a member of Siggraph you receive quarterly newsletters and discounts on tickets for the events. You also receive access to online presentations about advances in CGI technology.

I'm unsure how I would benefit from joining Siggraph but will investigate it further. I would very much like to attend one of the conferences, as it is where a lot of new software is premiered. They often have some great speakers. Last year when it was in Vancouver, I watched Nick Campbell as part of the Maxon presentation of their new software release. As there is no artistic community behind it I'm not too sure how it would influence my work or promote me as an artist.

Task 2 : Why an MA ?

Enjoying your job

Working is a large part of life and if you are not getting the most from your work I believe you are really missing out. A job goes through cycles, and you can't expect it to be great all the time. There are times where it’s harder, times where you’re just constantly learning and other times where you are just doing what needs to be done. But if you are not enjoying it a fair proportion of the time, you need to do something about it.

I’d been working as part of the web team for 5 years, I had learnt a lot and really enjoyed every day for at least two years. Overtime this had faded and due to the companies very odd structure I had lost all the control of what I produced. Everyday became the same and I started dreaming of a way out. 

I was also in a position that I had fell into. Web design was something that I could do and get paid for but wasn't what I had planned. After leaving school, I attended Art College, which led on to a multi-media degree. The area in which I focused on was 3D animation and video editing. This was something I really enjoyed and wanted to pursue as a career. So now I feel its time to get back on track and find a way to refocus on my goal.

The Goal

From my early teens, I had been attracted to the production of TV and film. Behind the scenes is where my interests lay, the amazing things you could do with special effects and camera angles. My love of the sci-fi genre fed into this fascination but I soon started to notice visual effects appeared in every kind of story.

There is one niche, which especially over the last few years, I have become more interested in. This is where the love of visual effects and graphic design come together. Title sequences have become a real fascination. When a film or TV program starts, it teases the viewer. It prepares the Observer for what is to come within such a small timeframe and is a great skill.

This is an area I would love to be involved in. I would like to create a portfolio around this area. Hopefully at some point in the future seeing my work at the local cinema.

Leaving the 9 to 5

To get anywhere I needed to improve and add to my portfolio. So this is what has led me to join the Masters course. I could have tried to work around my day job but did not feel this was enough. I needed deadlines and be pushed. I also believe being surrounded by creative people only adds to your own creativity. Sharing ideas is a very important part to the creative process and this was something I could not achieve alone. Unfortunately the company I work for would not support me. So I had a decision to make, stay and get on with it or I could break free and (can't believe I'm going to say this) follow my dreams.

   

Leaving wasn't as easy as that. I still needed to earn money but after discussion with my wife we decided we could live on less but I still needed to earn.  Luckily I had a friend who offered me 2 days a week and I believed I could fill the rest of the week with freelance work.  So I left and I'm now 5 months down the road and really enjoying it.  It was a great relief to break free and I'm really happy I did it.

Beginning the Masters

 Stepping back into education after 10 years is a bit daunting, as there are some areas I really do struggle with.  The biggest of these is my written work.  Three months before starting the course I was tested for dyslexia.  I was found to have dyslexia, which was kind of a relief as I now understand why I am the way I am.  Up to this point I've avoided written work where possible.  But I do feel it is an area in which I need to improve on to progress, in particular grammar and spelling.

As part of my dyslexia test I found I was very poor in some areas but excelled in others.  My understanding of spatial awareness and the way in which things are positioned are very strong.  My dyslexia has pushed me to learn in different ways.  For example, I use a lot of software to create my final product.  So I have found by using video tutorials I can rapidly assimilate information.  Resources like Lynda.com are of great value to me.

I believe I have a good understanding of the area in which I am embarking on but believe I need to create portfolio that proves this.

Below I have listed a few bullet points of areas I wish to improve on the Masters course:

• Advance my skills in and motion graphic and VFX
• To give me focus to complete projects
• Deadlines to give me motivation
• Mix with other creative to share ideas
• Improving my understanding of the industry to enable me to communicate more effectively with other professionals
• Adding to my portfolio with complete projects
• Create work around my chosen niche (title sequences) 
• Advance my writing skills
• Improve my work life