It was Wednesday , it was cold, and it was raining outside. I was on my way looking for a lighthouse at a pier and I was getting frustrated. Google maps was glitching and I was having trouble looking for the location. Fortunately, I had left early enough to have some time for setbacks because I was determined to reach this event - the 'Create Now New York' event that was being held by Adobe Live.
Why I was Determined to Reach this Event.
During the pandemic and being in quarantine at the same time with the rest of the US, I decided to work on advancing my skills as a 3D artist. I enjoyed the comfort of learning 3D modeling and other skills without going outside. As my 3D skills advanced another skill was regressing. That skill was networking.
I am a naturally inward person and the less people I have to interact with the better. Although having the ability to be on your own is good I do recognize the dangers of isolating myself. When I started as a 3D modeling intern I worked on being more open and my ability to communicate with others by networking. I attended as much animation events and collected as much numbers and emails as I possibly could.
As I attended more events and spoke with more people I started to become a little bit, just a little bit less awkward and then the pandemic happened.
The pandemic forced us to stay home and networking events became virtual. I did attend many virtual events but then I became tired of doing so. I began to become relaxed in my comfort zone and barely focused on networking and focused more on my 3D skills. I want to come out my comfort zone again and 'Create Now New York' provided the opportunity to do so.
What I noticed about the event.
The first thing I could not help but notice about this event was how fancy it was. It was dimly lit and there were waiters and waitresses dressed in all black walking around with plates of drinks or hors d'oeuvres. There were stations for different types of sliders and flatbreads. Even though it is normal for artists to dress down and the other attendees who were also artists, graphic designers, and UX/UI designers were also as dressed down as me I couldn't help but feel that my outfit was not fancy enough because of the aesthetic of the event.
The second thing I noticed that many of the attendees were introverts and preferred to keep to themselves like me. Many of them were glued to their phones or standing to the side while just looking around. It took a while for people to start talking to each other.
What I did to come out my comfort zone.
My goal was to come out my comfort zone and to do that I decide to approach someone I felt would not normally talk to me. I looked around and saw the tallest guy in the room and dared myself to approach him and I did just that. I walked up to him and asked if he mind me being there. He looked down at me and said with a serious and stern face that he does mind. I gave him a stank face back and prepared to walk away, that's when he told me that he was just joking and we started to talk. He shared with me that he is a graphic designer still in school and the different kinds of things that he works on.
Another woman joined the table and I introduced myself to her as well and she joined the conversation. I stepped away for a few moments and more people joined the table and I was not able to get my spot back so I continued to walk around to meet more people. The second time I joined the table again there were only women and we engaged in more conversation before it was announced that Adobe was going to start its presentation and we looked for seats.
The guest speaker and what I learned from him.
This year's guest speaker was Tejas Hullur, a TikTok Content Creator and YouTuber. Hullur started his TikTok back in 2020. He would later start an ice cream shop with another YouTuber and start his own newsletter.
As he introduced himself and spoke about what he had accomplished so far he spoke with confidence while still being down to earth.
As he talked about what he learned from making his content he mentioned, what he would say, is the greatest ability of artists, the ability to reinvent themselves.
When he spoke about this it struck me hard. This was because one of the things I am currently struggling with is how I have been perceived by others I have worked with or worked for when I had interned at several different animation studios. I am petite, have a high pitched voice, and have a lisp, which is a speech impediment. I tend to not be taken seriously by my peers or supervisors and this shows by them ignoring me when I talk to them from time to time, the condescending comments they give me, and how I tend to be left out of conversations. This did take a hit to my self-esteem which led me to be even more closed off than usual.
Hearing Tejas Hullur talk about artists' ability to reinvent themselves reminded me that even though I can't control how others view me I do have major control over my image. Although my voice was ignored at studios I made my own platform for my voice which is my studio and school, 3D Modeling from A to B, where I do not only share my knowledge but I am also writing this blog where I write in my voice.
This goes with another thing he mentioned. While talking about his journey he talked about his struggle in finding his voice until he received this advice from his mentor, 'If you are ever stuck, just write. Action > Inaction"
I had struggled a lot with finding my voice from being ignored and not being taken seriously but I am finding it again by writing this blog. The advice from Hullur's mentor is true and hearing it made confirmed for me that I am on the right track.
Conclusion
Not only was the Adobe event a chance for networking it also helped me in regaining my confidence as a 3D artist. I became my encouraged in growing my platform and working on my blog. Can't wait to see what I will accomplish.