Russian annimation and design

Kol Belov of kollaps.ru is the main reason I'm not a Flash designer. A few years back, just after university, I was sold on the idea of becoming a Flash animator / designer and started spending a great deal of time doing up story boards, learning the concepts behind animation and started developing my own characters ... then I found kollaps.ru and realised I'd be better of somewhere else. I didn't exactly give up, but there was something about watching his animations that made me realise that not only did I not have the ability (which could be developed) but I also really didn't have the passion to be able to create such work, and without that passion, whatever I did develop would be without soul. Kol's work has soul.

I'm not that fussed about not following the Flash path; I'm almost exclusively print based design these days, though I wouldn't rule out returning to my multi media roots later in life ... next week maybe? It's not that I'm fleeting, but if I'm going to do something, I've decided that I can no longer take on projects half-heartedly. I'm always full of (shit) ideas, and I have attempted many of them, without any real success, not only in the design world, but in all aspects of life ... that's not to say I'm a failure (in my mind anyway). Only recently have I started to understand the true meaning of commitment and dedicating yourself totally to one thing, seeing it through, and gaining that sense of achievement / accomplishment, which is why the decisions I need to make in the next 2 months will have a profound affect on not only what I take on next year, but for the next five years, such could be the size of the goals I set for myself. But that's a story for another day. Back to animation, I wouldn't be surprised if I did have another shot at Flash, but I'd have to find a true passion for it, and start stalking Mr Belov to steal his concepts. He'd understand.

A good artist copies. A great artists steals.