image source: animal-kid.com

Sometimes you have to make tough decisions.

I have a nice job, my boss is a really nice guy and I get along well with my colleagues. Nonetheless I felt that I needed more time to work on my personal projects like my short stories and my web series Shadows of Prey. I need to bring all these creatures to life that are lurking between the trees outside my window and are inhabitating the space below my floors.

A lot of my friends give me strange looks when I talk about what I will be doing next. And there are a lot of people who say that the movie industry is dying, including George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

But fear has never been a good adviser. And economic conditions will always change and evolve. These are excitings times we are living in today. Within the entertainment and art industries, things have never been more difficult than today – and they have never been easier. Sure, when you get older you lose a lot of energy – all those six hour-sleeps you have had in your life sum up.

And even so… you only have this one life in the life form you are currently occupying. Make it count!

In my case it means that I went back to university some weeks ago to study theatre, film and media science… and work on my own stuff between the lectures. Trying new things, working on my stories and short film projects.

Taking this decision was not easy. Life tends to get more complicated when you grow older and you really have to think well about what you do. Not working in my fulltime job as an animation artist means that I will be loosing a lot of money… money I need to pay my bills, support my family. And there is always the possibility that things will not work out the way I have planned.

It will be a tough time, with even less sleep than I have had before and there is no safe and proven route I could follow to reach my goals. I know that there will be a ton of obstacles on my way and that some things won’t work out. Even now that I have barely started out I encountered some problems because somebody who promised me something very important to me cannot fulfill his commitment.

But once you have made a decision you push forward. No matter what stands in your way – you keep pushing forward.

I am pumped that I have made this step and you, who are reading my blog, have front row seats during my adventures and wrong turns, ups and downs in storytelling, filmmaking and in a life as an artist. Wish me luck! 🙂