Time management. I have the skill – in fact I can be very organized, when I want. The problem is that being lazy comes so much more naturally.

It hit me as I was lounging about over the weekend that I’m wasting a lot of time. I’m not falling behind in my work by any means – and believe me, it’s an easy thing to do here – but there are plenty of hours in my day that could be put to good use, but usually aren’t. I could be exercising more. I could be going to martial arts club. I could be writing in the mornings (my favorite time to write). I could be going out and sketching, or going to FEWS.

It’s kind of starting to hit me – I’m slow on the pick-up sometimes – that to be good at something, you need to put in the hours. Despite my emo one-liner of the last post, I’m pretty good at figure drawing… but I could be so much better if I just drew. I had a pretty good session at the last Intermediate Figure class, and having glimpsed some figure work from May I’m amazed at how much more weighted and three-dimensional my figures are now. But I could be so much better if I drew more. There aren’t many things in life that you can learn once and have the knowledge forever. Even if you’re good, there’s always potential to grow. You need to nurture your skills, let them develop.

I realized today that this is my problem with Maya. I SUCK at computer animation – I’m actually better at hand-drawn animation! Isn’t the computer supposed to make it easier? As it turns out, Maya’s a lot more complex than I thought it’d be. It’s a whole new way of thinking for me, who has only had to worry about creating art in a 2D environment. It’s not that I’m bad at Maya… I just haven’t put in the time to explore the program, to figure out how it works and what it can do.

So bottom line… my life needs structure. I’m not bad off, but I could certainly use improvement.

Especially because as of next week, I will be employed. I’ve been going back and forth on whether I want a job or not. On one hand I don’t since, as the above illustrates, I need the hours to devote to my school work. A job can really compete with that. But at the same time… I like money. I’m kinda paranoid about running out of it. And… actually, working really does help to give my life structure. It gets me up and moving in the morning, which means I’m being productive rather than lying in bed pondering if and when I’ll get up. And as backwards as it sounds, the less time I have to work, the more I get done.

My favorite quote (and personal motto): I do my best work under pressure.

So yes, after a lot of humming and hawing, filling out applications and not turning them in, turning them in and not hearing back, or hearing back and declining interest… I actually went to an interview. I actually got an offer. And I actually took it. The adventure begins.

It’s not like I won’t have time for both. And from the sounds of it, I’ll really enjoy the work I’m doing. It’s just a matter of making the most of what I have.