Hey everyone,
The holidays are approaching and that means one thing. You’ll be visiting a bunch of relatives and old friends who wonder what on earth you do!
So I’m curious, how do you describe your tech artist job to your grandma and your technophobic uncle Chet?
Sometimes I’ll just keep it simple and say I do 3D animation and sometimes I resort to using ridiculous face-palm analogies like “puppets in the computer” complete with wild hand gestures. :p:
You?
Acquisitions and Mergers.
Unless I want to get into a deep discussion with someone, my stock answer is that, “I’m a liaison between art and engineering.” I will explain that not all artists are technical, and that not all engineers appreciate what artists do. It is my job to bridge this gap and to make sure that each are relatively satisfied and productive. Most people glaze over at that point, and rarely does anyone want to ask further questions. Apparently for most people, what we do is about as interesting as combing through actuarial tables.
My dad was a maintenance fitter in a car factory, I tell them I do that but with video games.
Ha! I use the “my dad” analogy as well sometimes! I have an easier time describing what he does than what I do.
I say I am a technical artist and depending on there reaction I tell them that I make videogames or I go more in detail like problem solving, tools, tasks that need a technical and artistic vision, awesome job, …
The trick is to show the right expression/ body language when talking about it 
“I make stuff explode in the computer” Is what I say. My mother always says I “Design games” and I have learned over the years to just nod my head.
funny we all kinda have our, “i’m kinda an artist or some shit.” talk ready, but also the, “ok, you might want to sit down.” talk. I tell people, “I’m a programmer for the artists.” And the people who woln’t understand I tell them what ever I’m feeling like being that day. hahaha
For some reason, I always think of this scene in that 70s show when i try to explain to friends and family that “I do games, but you cant see my work physical inside of the game.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7n3GNOTCRE&feature=related
I remember when I finished school and was going onto university and everyone used to ask me “what are you going onto do” including teachers from school and old women in a shop where I used to work. I used to say “errr, media?”
I usually just say I develop custom software for the artists, which actually isn’t incorrect.
For me it ranges from:
‘I code’ , ‘tool developer’, ‘Just like how Windows Vista isn’t perfect, Maya isn’t either’, etc.
The hardest explanations/conversations are the ones with grandparents that’s for sure!
My mother thinks I draw everything in game that you see on the television. Yea, that’s it. So, its not really worth getting into with her.
I, quote, “Make making art easier for the artists”. After, that is, I explain that yes people do more than just test games (as if they are conjured into existence 99% done and just need bug fixing).
I normally say ‘I explain to animators how to rotate the clavicles’ then when I get blank looks I just say ‘I make sure that stuff that the coders get what they need form the animators and the animators get what they need from their software’.
So far I’ve found a plastic dinosaur analogy pretty useful to explain rigging. ("…ok, so modelling make the shape, but its like a plastic dinosaur, you just jump it up and down, can’t move its legs or anything till we come in…") but I don’t dare try anything else.
I get blank stares at the studio when I try to explain some of what I do. I hate to think of what it’d be with family.
I usually show them my spare time art stuff, but then adds the comment “though you may think this is what I do but its not”.
My fiance is a Designer and I am an FX/Technical artist.
I just tell them think of it like chess. He makes up all the rules and I make the pieces. Thats the only one where I’ve actually gotten some kind of ‘I think i might know what you do now… maybe’ response from the family.
Or there is always the ‘I make explosions’ response.
Well
Today’s i am doing job after studying.
Thanks for sharing.
[QUOTE=Syreian;13496]
Or there is always the ‘I make explosions’ response.[/QUOTE]
As an FX/Tech artist as well, if I’m approaching someone that really has no interest in what I do, that’s what I tell them. Sometimes I include mention of specializing in making games work on the consoles, but usually people only want to hear the explosions part. :sigh: