Age 29, Male
Student/Artist
Bay Area
Joined on 11/23/08
Posted by Fiziks - December 22nd, 2008
I have all these ideas for flash movies, but when I start animating I just lose all motivation and sense of direction. I can't seem to be motivated by anything at all. I'll put most of my creativity into the beginning and starting characters, then just lose interest when its time to make things move.
Do any other flash animators have any kind of thing that they do to keep themselves motivated and on track?
Yeah, I've had the same problem since I first began animating. It's like I want to make a carrer out of my talent, but I can't be bothered to do it.
There does seem to be a way to help me get stuff done though. Back in high school I had a graphic art class, and I loved it. I even went there with a friend the free period before my actual class, every day, and I had no problems animating there.
Fast foward three years and I really haven't gotten anything accomplished. But then it hit me, maybe it's the company. Ever since that class I've just been animating alone in my room with friends and family stopping in to see how it is, but never really getting too involved.
So I joined a flash group here on NewGrounds thinking they would push me to do some work. I never got so much writting and animating done in my life. The group fell apart in 2 months or so, but I didn't want to lose my stride. So I joined a collab, got something finished, then joined another.
Right now I have two collab parts finished and I'm waiting for both of them to be released.
I see you want to join the Lazer Collab too, good start. I hope everything works out.
Yeah, I figured I wanted to just see if there was a collab I could join up with and try to make a part for it. i've only been with one other collab, which never got off the ground (See the "Forgive Me Collab").. It just fell apart somehow.
I'm working on my piece, not so much animating right now but getting everything draw out (BG, Shoop face, lazer, color swatches, ect.) I just really hope I can stay on track and get it done by February 15th.
I totally have the same problem! To deal with it, I tend to work on a lot of smaller projects, cause for me, the main problem is that I don't know enough to get a large project done before I lose interest in it. For me, most of these small projects come from the flash section of the forums. I surf those forums looking for people who are having problems, then i spend an hour or two working those problems out. The great thing about this is that while you are helping someone with their problem, you are also gaining all that knowledge for yourself! This way the larger projects won't seem so large cause you now know how to do it! Course, most of these are actionscript things and not animating... but it's the small project thing is the point i'm trying to get across!
kibas-cool
I had the same problem, and still haven't even finished my first flash. What I'm doing right now, which should work for most people, is to work on it only 30 minutes a day, though not exactly timed.... it's more of a rough estimate. As for how to stay on track, try figuring out the entirety of what is going to happen in the flash, and start with just making the animations outlines move, then coloring it in later. Even though it doesn't end up looking as nice at first, if it wasn't crap you'd probobly get a good feeling when done with the outline animations. If it was crap then practice making short clips instead of a big project until you get good.
Fiziks
Yeah, I suppose some of it is not exactly force of will, but just working on it until you're interested in finishing it. Thanks!