Dreams don't come cheaP

To pay my way through college I worked as a construction laborer and I delivered furniture for some fancy furniture store- there were a lot of times when those jobs sucked BUT they allowed me to pay for school and save up for my first computer AND now that my "work" has me sitting in a comfortable chair using computers- I'm TOTALLY glad I experienced real work as I know the true value of real work-

I know what its like to have aching, swollen hands and a stiff spasming back while you try to dig holes into heavily impacted soil in the summer sun- So when people admire my filmmaking/animation work ethic I have to go "yeh but this isn't REAL work" 

There's tons of people who do insane physical labor for 10-18 hours everyday in shitty conditions just so they can have fresh water or eat- so how are we going to say our "work" is hard? First world problems my friends- acknowledge the global society and our problems are not problems at all- so stop complaining and get to work!

Since I know all this filmmaking/animation stuff is easy work it allows me to work harder and for longer periods of time than other people in my fields- I have to laugh when I see people complaining about how "hard" doing 3d/animation/film is ^_^ You want hard? Try lugging a 50lb sack of concrete on each shoulder up a hill to a job site all day in 95' heat! That shit is hard! It's a grind that tests your willpower and thats what its all about...

So if you find yourself complaining about how hard this stuff all is- go pick up a shovel and dig for 8 hours or do some real work for a few weeks/months/years- when you come back to the computer it will be easiest thing you've ever done haha-

Entertainment biz "work" isn't work- it's play- never forget that lest you become some spoiled little batcH that pats himself on the back for pushing pixels or typing on a computer all day.... awwwww its so haaaaaard!

When I lived in Los Angeles I remember overhearing lots of film/entertainment industry people talking about how "hard" their work was- haha lazy fucks living pampered lives totally detached from the reality of the world-

I work harder than anyone I know in this field and I'm telling you right now IT'S NOT HARD WORK... I point- I click- I move the mouse-I type- I draw- its not hard. It's not real work and I'm thankful I get to do this everyday...

I think a good attitude to take is one that embraces the struggle and takes pride in having to go through bullshit,  difficulties,  and setbacks while never stopping moving forward- because when you do finish the "work" you'll know that you earned it- and that feels great!

If you have bullshit/hardships to go through- you can take on loser mentality and constantly complain about it and blame other people for your shitty situation OR you can take on winner mentality and just do what you gotta do regardless-

Blood, sweat and tears-

That saying never really meant much to me until I came to a point recently when I realized I had shed all those things in pursuit of my goal of making films and when you do- there is a certain pride that comes with giving your all- giving your all and still falling on your face perhaps- and a pride that comes with getting back up and still going after it- and never stopping- one day you'll reach that place and it's probably the greatest feeling ever to have the battle scars- to have shed the blood, sweat and tears and made it to your goal solely through hard work and willpower...

As I've been working on the new film this week  I've been listening to this MAchine Head track on repeat...

It's all about the BLOOD the SWEAT the TEARS- I guess what I'm taking about really is "paying your dues"

I've seen a trend in the U.S. wherein people want everything but don't want to do anything to get it- so then they just sit around and complain about what they don't have instead of actually working for it and NOT giving up when they experience setbacks/hardship

You can't expect to have ANYTHING unless you pay your dues! Have you shed the blood, sweat and tears in obscurity for your work for years and years?! No? Then you have nothing to complain about- just get back to work- put your head down and grind---- and grind.....

Have you tried your best time and time again just to fall on your face- and have gotten back up time and time again just to try even harder the next time? No? Then stop complaining and get back to work!

If you've experienced a "failure" and you're still at- pat yourself on the back! Wear your scar proudly and you move forward struggling, but never stopping!

We get out what we put in- so realize this entertainment stuff isn't real work and BE GLAD you're able to even do it at all! Seize this golden opportunity and work harder than everyone else and never give up and just then maybe we'll be lucky enough to live our dreams!

Dreams aren't handed out for free you know? You have to work harder than you've ever worked before- for longer than you've ever worked before- I'm talking YEARS and YEARS in obscurity realizing that you're extremely lucky to even be able to do this "work"

I spent 9 hours yesterday trying to come up with a python script to solve some workflow problems- I did solve the problem with a little help from a nice guy from Belgium on the cgtalk forums- but I was grindin on it for 9 hours- and I still had my 15 shot quota to animate- so I did that too and finished at 5am giving me an 18 hour "work" day- I did that the day before- and I'll do it again today- and for as long as it takes! Dreams don't come cheap!

I haven't reached my dream yet but I'm having fun trying to get there ^_^ Embrace the grind- be proud of your willpower and keeping moving forward my friends!Brought to you by professional weirdo M dot Strange.