Understanding the Problem

The conditions which accompany a business leadership position vary dramatically by circumstance—that is, business type and industry. For example, the CEO of a small chain of grocery stores and the President of a large media conglomerate will have vastly differing daily experiences at their jobs. My challenge is to define the context in which I would be at my happiest and most successful in a position of leadership.

I have chosen not to approach this challenge as if there were a single, definitive answer. I used to be so fixated on my idea of “destiny” that I believed there was a single perfect thing for me to do with my life—and the only variable was whether or not I identified and lived up to that task. This is defined as a “misconception” in Bill Burnett and Dave Evan’s self-help book, Design Your Life.

According to the Informed Design Rubric by Crismond and Adams, a beginner designer assumes that the problem of deciding a career should be straightforward, and oversimplifies it, ignoring critical nuances of what a career actually is. An experienced designer knows that framing the problem accurately is the trickiest part of solving ill-defined problems like career design, so will take his or her time to understand the needs, priorities, and values of the person in question.

Based on the research I have conducted about myself during the last three months, I can say with some certainty that I enjoy delegating for the sake of delegating and overseeing a big picture, regardless of context. I will discuss this in depth later. However, I am also am the kind of person who needs recognition in order to feel satisfied with her work. My willingness to persevere against difficulties can only be motivated by passion. I will frame the problem like this:

 

Which industries and types of businesses, if any, will create the environment and stimulate the passion I need to do my best work and deserve acclaim?

 

My intuition beckons me to consider my love of the arts as the first clue. My life is heavily influenced by my love of culture, creativity, and beauty—the streaks of which emerge in various avenues of my life. I am an expert in illustration, adept in interior design, and have always loved theatre, film, and classical literature.

Furthermore, I have a lifelong association with video games which I consider to be the richest, most comprehensive amalgamation of the arts. My father was a talented electronic-engineer-turned-entrepreneur who oversaw a successful hardware company. The company manufactured parts which were sold to computer companies, and which were sometimes used in more advanced game consoles. Because of his company’s solid relationship with Sony, my siblings and I enjoyed early access to several prototypes of Sony’s Playstation 1 before they were officially introduced to the global market. I had the privilege of being the first to test the first few games available for the Playstation 1 and have never been able to shake the love of them, even to this day.

That was in the nineties, when the game industry was in its infancy. Its products were largely unacknowledged by the general populous. Games were enjoyed almost exclusively by hobbyists on the fringe of society. In those days, game developers were quietly pioneering the evolution of console games from primitive, 8 and 16-bit arcade titles like PAC-MAN and Galaga to full-blown adventure titles complete with a cast of characters with overhanging arcs, plot narratives, cut scenes, and musical scores.

 

Research & Generating Ideas: Selection of Major and Design of College Career

One important thing to understand about the video game industry is that it is very much in its infancy, and like any young industry, it is extremely volatile. The procedures of procuring employment in this field are not regulated or standardized—meaning the path to success as a game developer is still largely open to chance, opportunity, and interpretation.

Video game artists are not hired on their educational background, but on the strength of their portfolios—which are comprised of homemade games—personal connections, and the harmony of their technical styles with the artistic style of the company. Game developers are not promoted to positions of leadership by furthering their education; they are promoted almost exclusively based on personal connections and the commercial successes of the projects they have worked on.

No one in my life understands that better than my friend Kareem, who opted for a bachelor’s degree in game design from Full Sail University. Kareem has spent the last two years applying for entry-level artist jobs at companies like Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Rockstar, to no avail. In my talks with him, he testified to the number of occasions when he would be passed over for a job opening in favor of an applicant with less formal credentials than he had. Unlike Kareem, those other applicants networked aggressively at game expositions. Many of them had worked unpaid internships for the sake of building a work record, and the most successful of them had portfolios of three to five small homemade games to show off to hiring managers. The games did not have to be perfect or brilliant, but recruiters of game development firms look for them to separate willing professionals from the droves of hobbyists they encounter in the hiring process. They are looking to see that you as an applicant can supply valuable ideas and have the discipline to finish the projects you start.

When I was a kid, games were produced by teams as small as 50-100 individuals. Nowadays, in the era of open world, online multiplayer titles, and art development teams can number in the hundreds. An art director of such a game would need an exemplary command of music theory, visual arts, film editing, script and story writing among many other skills. Regardless of the team’s size, an art director’s job remains the same: To unite the talents and efforts of a group of creative workers into one effective, cohesive artistic vision. One of the skills needed to accomplish this goal consistently is a solid understanding of the industry’s leading graphics software in addition to years of practice.

An art director in today’s media climate requires extensive knowledge of the industry’s leading imaging software, the forerunners of which are Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator, ImageReady) and Autodesk Maya, a prominent software interface used to shape the three-dimensional characters and environments found in AAA Game Titles. Like chief executive officers, art directors communicate with their staff largely via email—so familiarity with office software like Microsoft Outlook is key.

As the industry is expanding and growing increasingly corporate in nature, game art directors are called upon more and more to be proficient in business management skills. The most important business and management skills related to this job, according to O*Net can also be found in Appendix A.

Lead Creative Directors in a game development firm spend their days coordinating with senior creative staff to set goals, deadlines, and establish quality standards for “art assets.” However, they are not just visionaries tasked with setting the tone and texture of a project. They must also have an exemplary command of time management, negotiation, persuasion, judgement, and problem solving, not to mention management of personnel and resources.

To address the duality of these demands, I considered two majors: business management, which would culminate in a BBA Degree, and Electronic Design, which would culminate in a BFA degree. I compared the pros and cons of these two majors in my Exploratory Essay earlier in the semester. (Appendix B)

A bachelor’s degree in business management would not exclude me from becoming an artist, provided that I seek the appropriate training as outlined in the following section—but it would prepare me for the executive orientation of my desired role. A bachelor’s degree in multimedia and design doesn’t cover any classes I can’t find privately and affordably on websites like Course Horse—and doesn’t guarantee any reliable job prospects I would be interested in. As a result, I turned away from it.

 

 

Weighing Options

 I am not a novice artist; I am self-taught and have been practicing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I am trained in ceramics (sculpture and modeling), in both traditional and digital 2-D and 3-D illustration and have sampled some pre-requisite art courses here at City College. I know I do not need a formal university degree to prepare an impressive portfolio.

I would however, require a basic understanding of coding and other technical skills, which I feel can be acquired through a “boot camp” certification. I am currently completing an online course in Unity proficiency, developed by a game developer on the website Udemy. Next summer, I am attending a full-stack coding boot camp at General Assembly. These programs will give me the skills I need to complete and refine the production of my homemade games, which will serve as the foundation of my job application as a game artist.

As I interviewed Kareem and watched online video interviews provided by real-life game artists, I realized what little worth my prior preconceptions held. As a result, I am no longer restrained by the idea that I could only ever be an artist or business leader, but never both. I recognize now that, with the help of some strategic decision-making, I can absolutely be both. By switching the focus of my university education from the fine arts to business management, and pursuing art education and relevant technical skills on the side, I accomplish the following:

 

• I am training myself simultaneously in two very distinct but important disciplines required to be hired as an art director.
• I am preparing myself to build a competent game design portfolio of two to three fully constructed games needed to secure employment as an entry-level developer.
• I will receive official certifications of my proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Autodesk Maya and prominent game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.
• I will have a mainstream, marketable business degree to rely on in the event that my attempts to gain employment as an artist are not immediately successful.

 

Being enrolled as a business major also does not stop me from joining art organizations like Film Club, Multimedia Club, and Photography Club. I have already set up an elementary network of all kinds of artists through my 2-D Design and Art History classes. For this coming Spring Semester, I have already enrolled in an introductory coding course at City College’s Grove School of Engineering. I plan to take full advantage of social clubs to build meaningful relationships with equally motivated and talented students—I know this will help me find work and other opportunities.

 

Developing and Testing Prototypes

A skilled designer knows that there is only so much one can learn from research and generating ideas. In ABC Nightline’s “IDEO Shopping Cart,” a team of designers must visit a grocery store to interview the potential client, which in this case were the store’s customers, employees, and manager. After designing their own prototype for a new kind of shopping cart, they take the time to test them by pushing the carts around themselves and to observe customers in action.

To truly understand whether the role of art director would be a good fit for me, I understand that I will have to put my ideas into practice by actually acting as an art director. At this point in my progression as a professional artist, it makes the most sense for me to take advantage of my network to look for opportunities.

Last week, I had an opportunity to interview an art director at dinner with my boyfriend’s best friend, Stolis. Stolis has spent the last decade managing the start-up indie film production group Hilltop Studios, which he founded from his high school film club. The group, which is comprised of about 15 staff members, began filming brief original skits but have since produced two award-winning feature length films which they privately funded. Currently, Hilltop Studios functions as a side business, thanks to a stable partnership with a portable toilet rental company who hires the group to film and edit its advertisements. Stolis functions both as the president and lead director of the group in all of its projects.

I interviewed Stolis for over an hour, focusing on the challenges and managerial tasks associated with being a director and president. I first asked how he secured the funding to complete two feature length films. He explained that as an indie producer, he understood the necessity of starting with very basic materials and keeping his ideas simple. “When you’re creating something, especially when you’re just starting out, it’s tempting to go out and get the most expensive equipment and software. Fortunately, I just didn’t have the cash to make that mistake. I was stuck with my dad’s old digital camera (I started filming before camera-phones were a thing)—actually, most of my early short films were filmed with just that. As I got comfortable with the fundamentals of filming, I felt the itch to bring it to the next level. I moved back in with my parents (into the basement of their house) to save cash. I gutted my walk-in closet and padded it with cheap insulation, sent wires through the walls and hooked up a microphone and that was my homemade sound studio. I was so proud of it, and I still use it to this day. Then I bought a mid-line camera with my savings; it was just good enough to film the feature lengths. I’m Greek, so I have a huge extended family. My dad and my uncle, both deli owners, had some extra cash to throw my way after they were impressed with my early films. All in all, both films probably cost about $15,000 to produce, from a combination of my savings and some generous donations from family.”

I then asked after his creative process. “[Hilltop Studios is] a really small group. Everything I’ve ever made is from the combined work of everyone in the crew. That’s how indie works—I think ‘indie’ is a weird name for this thing we do, since we are all so dependent on each other.  We have our titles, sure, but it’s totally collaborative. I write parts of scripts, Chris writes others, and we’ll cross-edit each other’s work. I’ll approve the [musical] score, but Henry finds and hires the orchestra. You need to know how to do everything, but you don’t need to be an expert. Just enough to give guidance. As a director, your job is not to get lost in the details. Your job is to have vision and maintain it to the end so that your audience and hopefully, your clients, can see it clearly.”

Stolis explained the importance of his early works—even those which he agrees are amateurish—in becoming the adept director he is now. After all, they earned him the respect he needed to garner cooperation from potential investors and employers.

I closed the interview with a proposal for a future project: A series of film reviews framed as a conversation between two friends. He was impressed with my ideas and seemed energized by the concept, even chiming in with ideas of his own. After an impromptu interview where he asked to look at my portfolio, the review of some script samples, and after the fervent recommendations of my boyfriend, who champions my abilities, I was invited to work with Hilltop Studios as an apprentice director.

Planning is ongoing, but production is set to begin in late December. Filming will begin after the New Year. I plan to use the experience to develop my skillsets in photography, filming, and editing (footage and sound). I hope it will be a valuable next step in the process of designing my career.

 

Functional Task Analysis

Stolis enlightened me on several practical functions of being a director. One which stood out to me in particular was his process of reviewing submitted materials and counseling staff to improve upon them. He regularly revises submitted drafts of scripts, for example, and cautions that the revision of creative work requires can at times require extreme levels of tact.

Stolis described one instance where, during his second film, his overzealous criticism of his head writer’s script caused the writer to quit in the middle of production. A mistake like that can devastate the progress of a creative project, especially when resources are scarce, or when someone else’s investment is on the line.

The task of counseling staff requires high level functioning in all three areas of Data, Things, and People, according to Jonassen’s Functional Job Analysis.

In the area of DATA, the most pertinent functions are (4) ANALYZING, (5B) COORDINATING, and (6) SYNTHESIZING. A creative director needs to read and review materials in a range of mediums and be able to distill content, substance, and main ideas. He or she needs to evaluate the quality of said materials, identifying areas of strengths to be enhanced and weaknesses to be improved upon. The best and most well-known directors will SYNTHESIZE—they will elevate their craft to a new level by betraying the status quo of how works in their field are typically crafted.

The functions under PEOPLE are the most demanding for a creative director and inescapable. This doesn’t necessarily require a creative director to be friendly—but instead to have influence and control over a group of people by way of social skills. A creative director (1) COACHES his employees, who typically have less experience in their field in comparison. He or she must be able to (3B) PERSUADE his or her team to follow certain ideas. Ultimately, a director must (5) SUPERVISE production activities, (6) NEGOTIATE with the producer for creative liberties and extensions of budgets, and (7) MENTOR struggling artists and writers.

Stolis explained to me that directors for large creative productions rarely need to engage themselves physically with film equipment. As an indie film maker however, he needs to know how to transport equipment from location to location (1A HANDLING), how to set up equipment while on set (3B SETTING UP), and how to operate sound equipment and cameras (2B Operating-Controlling). During the editing process, he needs to know how to interact with film and sound editing software (3A PRECISION WORKING).

 Fortunately, many of these skillsets resemble my aptitudes and priorities closely. I have determined this by referring to PETAL 3 Parachute Skills Grid and Prioritizing Grid. (Appendix C) This comes as no surprise to me, since my Holland Code is EAS, which aligns closely with O*Net’s evaluation of the creative director role AES. This will be described in more personal detail in the next section.

As I analyze Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory (Appendix D),  I identify most strongly with visual/spatial intelligence, intra and interpersonal intelligence, and verbal-linguistic intelligence. I believe these attributes will lend themselves well to finding early success in the field.

 

 

Reflections on Myself and the Design Thinking Process

I analyzed my work throughout the semester to get a better understanding of how I have progressed in my career thinking–from the beginning until present.

Upon initial review, I was frankly unimpressed by the data I collected in the first major assignment, my “Good Times Journal”—although the sparseness explains the low satisfaction scores on my Dashboard. I deduce that the activities which I engaged in during my free time at the beginning of the semester were mostly in reaction to the stress of adjusting to my first semester of college. They were mostly coping mechanisms, rather than accurate portrayals of what my day would look like with more stability.

It’s clear that at this point in the course, I had only a loose grasp on the objective of the assignment, which was to conduct research on my personal activities in order to accurately frame the problem of my career design.

Later in September, we were asked to complete a mind-mapping activity to simultaneously analyze our journal entries for patterns and practice idea fluency. Though I failed to realize it at the time, these “mind maps” and the summarizing “napkin sketch” would help me find the breakthrough which would unite and justify every assignment in this design course. (Appendix E, F, G)

   

I enrolled in this class because I once believed I was a person who was skilled at many things, but passionate about nothing. As a result, I felt insecure about the path I chose to follow in my educational career. Every activity which am skilled at and enjoy doing, and all the insights I have gained about myself all lead to the same place.

My Holland Code is EAS. E is for Enterprising, in that I enjoy starting and managing projects. A is for Artistic, in that my style of thinking and the activities I enjoy are creative in nature. S is for Social, in that I relish the ability to supervise and nurture others to their highest potential, and hope that my work will in some way contribute to the greater good of humanity.

According to my completed Bolles’ Prioritized Skills Grid (Appendix C), the top five skills I am happiest to employ are Supervising, Systematizing, Developing/Improving, Using My Brain, and Coordinating. These are no doubt critical to effective art direction.

My ultimate life goals are to be happy and to be able to both contribute and be recognized for my personal gifts and talents. This research into my specific, documented skills, needs, and interests helped me to understand how my desires manifest in the ways I choose to spend my free time.

My mind maps helped me to understand that each and every one of the activities that stimulated flow for me (playing business strategy simulation games, analyzing films, developing my own series of comics, and even renovating my condo) were reflective of my constant need to create and manage projects—a trend I didn’t recognize until I analyzed and annotated my early mind maps and mash-up. (Appendix E, F, G) I didn’t enjoy films and documentaries passively as an audience member, but actively, as an aspiring producer carefully analyzing the works of others. I didn’t redesign my office and kitchen this year because I needed to—I did it because I had artistic visions I felt compelled to pursue. I wanted to.

My most recent Odyssey Plan is a mash-up of my original 1^st and 2^nd Odyssey Plans.  (Appendix H) According to the “Informed Design Rubric” this is a demonstration of my improvement as a designer in the patterns of “Skipping vs. Doing Research” and “Idea Scarcity vs. Idea Fluency”—it clearly shows improvement in my comfort expressing details and specifics of the plans I make when compared to an earlier version.

I used to think that my general understand of the game industry and a mere art degree was enough to break into the business. I also used to think I understood myself well, especially in terms of what I enjoy and where I fit—but I was only half right about my assumptions. As a result, I found difficulty articulating, specially verbally, my life and career goals.

Because I was taught to conduct research on the game industry, I learned how to find the proper terminology and to speak about the field.

My needs, hopes, and desires as revealed in my research will be comprehensively addressed with an undergraduate degree in business administration combined with supplementary independent study in art and coding—culminating in some years of work experience as an artist at a small game studio and followed by an offer to lead a creative team to success.  (Appendix I)

My annotated Matrix of Informed Design Rubric (Appendix J)  shows how I can categorize myself as an informed designer throughout each design step at the culmination of this course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

“Art Director.” Get In Media, Full Sail University, getinmedia.com/careers/art-director-

games.

 

Burnett, Bill, and Dave Evans. Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. Knopf, 2016.

“IGN’s Top 100 Game Developers: Industry Advice – How to Get Started.” YouTube, IGN,

27 Feb. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgwG-VBKStU.

 

“‘Most People Don’t Realize How Much Work It Takes.” Pro Character Artist on Getting

Hired.” Performance by Daniel Orive, YouTube, Blender Guru, 22 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7LLPgpyiec.

 

“Summary Report for: 27-1011.00 – Art Directors.” O*Net OnLine, 2018, Accessed 24

November 2018. www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-1011.00.

 

Taptara, Xia, director. How to Get Your Art Job in Video Game Industry – Q&A Episode 11.

YouTube, YouTube, 18 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJFElDBelMQ.

 

Appendices A through J.

[Relevant screenshots of the O*Net Art Direction Profile Page.]

A.                                                          B.                                                      C.                                                          D.                                                     E.

F.                                                         G.                                                          H.                                                        I.                                                            J.