Hi, my name is Larry DeGala. I have several series on Tapas at the moment. I'm posting My Two Cents on the topic.
If you like painting and colors, I met the Las Vegas artist who painted water towers across the United States during the '80s and '90s.
This was during the mid-'90s when I was learning Corel Draw (in New York, Photoshop was the industry standard; outside of New York, independents used Corel). I worked on billboards for outdoor advertising where our clients were Marlboro, Beazer Homes, Lawry's Restaurant chain, and all the major casinos. My boss had me climbing billboards and helping the crews with changing the super flexes. I learned to weld structural steel. And I am naturally afraid of heights.
In the mid-2000s, I met a lady who worked on Star Wars Episode 1, 2, and 3. She was brought onboard to do the artwork of many of the vehicles, especially the Anakin Swoop Bike.
She is an artist that does industrial design for the architectural industry. She does not use a computer; her work flow is completely organic-- pens, markers, certain brushes. Her lifelong salary did not come from Star Wars franchise. She understood her value in the market and positioned herself appropriately in that market. She was an artist who did industrial design.
To make a long story short, I did not have a single mentor, but I met many leaders in the field according to their unique specialties. My message today is that your career path should involve a healthy mixture of arts and sciences.
But what has this to do with Anime/Manga?
1) Be flexible as the industry will experience highs and lows. The ones who benefit from the fruit of their labor are those who stuck it out the longest and learned to adapt. I only had the chance to do my Tapas series because of COVID19. Nobody was hiring. Nobody was working.
2) Keep learning. Be that lifelong student. Expand your mind.
3) And collaborate with your peers. They might end up being partners (if not for life) but over the long haul.
And that's My Two Cents.
