I have come to a crossroads in my life.

I’ve been looking at the animation field and the job market, confused, frustrated, and ultimately exhausted: movie studios are outsourcing jobs left and right, and with the added elephant in the room of generative AI, or AI altogether, the future of the industry seems very unstable, which, for someone looking to build a career in the industry, I am left stuck and, again, frustrated.

I have come to believe that frustration is a double- edged sword: On one hand,

Frustration and be a powerful distraction; an unstable climate is not necessarily a productive climate; I, myself, cannot focus, much less create, in an environment with constant disruption or distraction.

The Bible says that “a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways.” You cannot see what is ahead of you if you are always looking back or looking around. And in my case, I’ve spent A LOT of time and energy searching, applying, writing, building and rebuilding my resume, trying to tailor it so that it fits. I was determined to MAKE IT HAPPEN! Just for all that effort, all of that time and energy, to ultimately lead me no further than where I was: stuck, and, again, frustrated. But not only was I stuck and frustrated, now I am exhausted, at my “wit’s end”, unsure of what to do.

Worry begins to set in. The pressure continues to grow: What am I going to do?

One day, I was doom-scrolling on Instagram, when I came across a quote, it said: “Sometimes your direction is more important than your speed”.

It made me think.

Suddenly, in a brief moment of clarity, I realized that, while on one hand, frustration can be a powerful distraction, but, on the other hand, frustration can drive you to take action.

Sometimes a simple shift can make all the difference. Sometimes a simple change in direction can change the trajectory of your entire life.

The passion that I have for the art is true, I love what I do. I am excited by what I can do. So perhaps it is simply a matter of shifting my focus. Perhaps I’ve been distracted, looking down one road when I should be looking ahead, focusing on the road that I am currently on.

Think about it: You spend so much time and energy on your artwork, then more time and energy on your resume and cover letter, competing against thousands of other candidates, some of which have more connections than you, because the truth of the matter when it comes to the job market, it’s who you know not what you know. All of this time and effort for a handful of jobs; some of which are not even real.

And, even if you do manage to get past the application, and say and do the right things in the interview, and get the internship or the job, you again will wind up in the same place, “looking for work”, in a few months anyway.

Why frustrate yourself anymore?

And many who want to get into the industry have ideas for shows and movies that they want to make but again: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. On top of that, studios are less likely than ever to take a chance on projects that do not already come with an audience, hence, sequels and reboots. You will not be chosen to make your vision, you will be chosen in making someone else’s.

So again, “Why frustrate yourself anymore? Why are you seeking approval from others who will quickly reject you, ignore you, and discard you?”

They don’t know you. But you know you. Or perhaps it is time you got to know you.