Are you always hungry for more ?

Technology is changing so fast that you can't be confident that your knowledge will be up-to-date in next few years. As an example: physically based rendering is becoming very popular but it's a completely different story with the speculars, diffuses etc. As Helder once said (or posted someones quote on FB) something like: soon the internet will be full of messed up metal materials in PBR. Damn it's true.

You become an egocentric asshole that nobody likes when you start thinking you are better than the others and have nothing else to learn.

In all my years of games industry experience, I noticed that the guys who needed to learn from others the most were usually the ones that did completely the opposite. I also noticed that the best artists, the ones that truly inspire me and bring new solutions to problems are humble, listen to others and always seek new stuff to learn, it's a direct correlation imo.

Never stop seeking knowledge, that's the only way to grow both as an artist and as a person

...and the best thing is that the more you know, the more you feel you don't know. Or something like that. You know what I mean... Anyway, that's good, you're entering a level where you're solving problems by your own, not using others' ideas and solutions.

Why you're asking? Any bad feelings?

Every day I feel like there's more I need to learn. Mainly because you start learning something then realize you need to know X other things to truly understand what you're working on.

Basically what seir said, the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.

i am always craving more !

Seir has pretty much summed up my feelings.

Well this is a debate about desire, and what's more personal than someone own desire; while at the same time something so influenced by others.

that's the thing :

Quote from knj

- every time i'm looking here or on polycount at some killerstuff and then i see my work, i'm getting down.

- for instance some of you guys working at top studos may think "fuck it" i can't go any higher so why bother.

I know that for me at the very beginning (when i was 12 years old, 27 now ) making half life maps, i was only doing it to have fun and play them in lan with my friends. I was not even thinking about becoming better, being recognized, or joining a prestigious studio; i should have been doing electrical engineering.

But slowly and inevitably these things started to get into my head as goals, or desire. But why actually ? Because i made that craft my identity and because others were doing the same thing. I'm not even sure it as something to do with art.

We are all the same, look at your co-workers coming by three or four behind your screen to look at your work and tell you it's cool, they see where they can place themselves, and if they are asking you questions it's usually because they take you as a paragon for themselves. Good or not, we are all incredibly insecure about what we do and what we are, even the best of the best have someone to look after and imitate. Although while craving for that, what's more comforting for ourselves and desirable than holding the object of other people desire who try to imitate you to get it.

But would we be thinking like that if that better person wasn't existing in the first place ?

It's important when you are asking yourself these things to actually question your own desire and see if you are acting for your own good reasons.

I know for myself it started with having fun, i made environment art my craft because i thought it was fun and a sharing experience, and in the end if it is still fun i will continue, if it isn't, i should stop and find something else if i can.

I thought this was going to be a thread about food.

loving to see so many responses that describe exactly what I feel

Well, it's actually pretty hard to be lazy with your career nowadays lol!

We all agree like in gay marriage. Lovely.

Quote from knj

No seir, not bad feelings but, every time i'm looking here or on polycount at some killerstuff and then i see my work, i'm getting down. I'm trying to use most of my free time on some personal work, and i know that just doing it over and over and over again will make you better, but what bothers me is that i fell hungry and i always see what i could make better in my previous work (which is a good think i hope) but for instance some of you guys working at top studos may think "fuck it" i can't go any higher so why bother. So i just don't want to get a work addiction

I was curious what's your point of view

I'm not in the industry but based on your posts I do want to leave you with a word of advice that applies everywhere. Stop comparing yourself to the best others can do. No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you!

Everything else is covered by the other answers in this thread.

Some good answers here. I definitely feel a desire to learn more. Both in terms of being able to better express myself through my work by having a broader skill set, but also just to stay current and ideally ahead in what is undoubtedly a very fast moving industry.

One of my regrets in my early years at IO was that I lost that desire a bit, and for a long while just coasted on what I knew a bit too much, not really going outside my comfort zone because my actual day-to-day work didn't require it. It's actually something that made me feel really bad later on, but also something that I faced head on has gotten way better since then. The last thing I'd want now is to feel overly confident in my field, because honestly that would feel like I'm doing something wrong, or not challenging myself enough.

Pretty much sums up the discussion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

I think I have always been fiercely competitive, so rather than just getting let down when I see the work of others, I get angry at myself and see what I can do to make my own work even better. Or at least that is how it used to be. Nowadays it's probably less anger and more inspiration I get from seeing other people's work. I admire people who can create great compositions and visualize special relationships between objects and colors are able to give depth to a world. I've also grown much more fond of classical art, and draw a lot of inspiration from paintings from artists I wouldn't have known existed if I didn't look into it.

Also, when I'm not doing physical work I'm usually brushing up on methodologies, history and theory, which, for all the flak it gets here, is still pretty useful. I agree that in many cases studios or individuals will have their own way around creating something, especially in a subject as fluid as design, but creativity begets creativity, so even if you don't find what you're looking for, you might get inspired to try something new.

Minos and seir are dead on.

There are so many people that just want to better themselves and help others... it's a wonderful thing!

Minos and Seir nailed it.