CalArts

Hi ! I'm finally starting up my own CalArts blog after settling down here in California for my first week !

I'll be keeping this blog running through the entire 4 years of my life at CalArts and I know it's gonna be an amazing 4 years !

Before I start, here's a short story of what happened before I got here, to CalArts:

I graduated with a digital animation diploma at the age of 21 and got a job at a visual effects studio as a matchmove artist right after my graduation, which I thought was pretty cool. I've never been interested in visual effects particularly, but I thought it's good for me to at least know how things work behind the big screen, and see where I'll end up later on. Life was good and I had loads of fun working on cool hollywood films.

After working as a matchmover for about 10 months, I learned a lot about production and made a lot of new friends, but then I realized I wasn't drawing as much as before. I was cutting down a lot on my drawing hours even during the weekends. Whenever I tried drawing something, it barely came up, and even if it did, it wasn't any good. I felt like I was losing myself, and the artist I once used to be was decaying day by day. It felt almost like my life as an artist was gonna end right there. I was at the ledge and a leap could've ended the artist in me. So I figured I'd better start doing something to put myself back on my feet. I started carrying a little sketchbook with me everywhere I go so I could sketch everywhere. I sketched during lunch break, afterwork hours and also sometimes in the office when I'm waiting for my shot to get approved.

This went on for some time and then one day, I suddenly thought of CalArts. Months ago, I picked up a book called " THE PIXAR TOUCH: THE MAKING OF A COMPANY " by the author David A. Price, and CalArts was being mentioned repetitively inside the book, so I figured I should finally do a google on CalArts, which I did, and that's where the fun part starts.

Like many other applicants who applied to CalArts, I've never had much faith in getting in because it's so competitive. Getting into CalArts wasn't an easy job and many hours of crazy work went into the process of application, portfolio and to finally get there in person.

Being accepted into CalArts has to be one of my most treasured opportunity up-to-date in my life today, and it was an opportunity that was created by the hands of so many people that I unfortunately can't list them all down. To name a few of them, they're my friends and lecturer from college and work who gave me strength to keep moving forward, Mario who's the creator of Animatedbuzz, Mike Krummhoefener from Pixar who inspired me to fight for my dream, David A. Price who's the author of the book who led me here, my sweet family members who gave me their never-ending encouragements and supports, and finally of course, my lovely Dad who's paying so much for the fees so I can have the chance to live a dream of my own, which was something he didn't have when he was young.

Now coming back to the present, I'll be updating this blog frequently to document my 4 years of life as a student over here at CalArts. I'll be flooding this blog with pictures of events, friends, places, assignments and everything CalArts.

CalArts is indeed an awesome place to be and I'll be having loads of fun over here, no doubt. At the same time, I'll never forget how hard it was to take myself all the way here with the help of so many wonderful people whom I'm missing back home. The purpose of me being here today still strongly remains with me, and I know that nothing I get over here should be taken for granted. As long as I keep that purpose close to me, I know I won't be far from achieving my dreams.

Now let me end this first post with a quote from Mark Twain.

"Twenty years from now, you will be more dissapointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Alright, CalArts ~

HERE I COME !!!!