How Workaholism Almost Ruined Me (CalArts Second Year)

[@witchinghourart9771]

Workaholism is totally an issue many artists face (especially in the education or professional spheres), and I love seeing people talk about it. Thanks for sharing

[@mewTripled]

Yes so truee. I'd love to hear more artists talk about it as well!

[@lainasketches6711]

I don’t care what art school you go too whether it’s a prestigious expensive school like CAL SCAD Ringling, or a shitty art school like AI; the mental strain and toxicity is so so real!!! And the depression anxiety and burnout is hard

[@mewTripled]

Yep totally agreed!

[@febbeedraws2285]

Oh my lord I can relate to staying in the studio/lab and feeling no sense of time management. It took so long to realise it was making my work worst and my mental health just plummeted 🥲🥲 my motto now is it can be done in the morning 10 x faster than doing evening overtime …. Sleep and rest is more important aha

[@mewTripled]

Yeah I totally agree with the morning thing actually haha. I'm so much more focused then too!

[@mayawilliams35]

You being vulnerable about how you broke out into tears in front of your mentor tugged at my heartstrings. When I first found you on KZbin and saw your work back in 2017, I always saw you as this impenetrable queen- but hearing how much you've had to endure only made me realize that even the people I look up to aren't made of stone- We're all hurting behind closed doors, no matter what our skill set is in life or who we are. Thank you for sharing your journey with us about your time at Calarts, it reminded me to take care of my mental health along with my well being, and to balance my workflow with my personal care. Stay strong, Queen ❤

[@luniette]

girl we are the same person, im also working nonstop while grieving rn on the sudden loss of my mom...starting my last year of college too. you just made me reflect on that

[@conniel2248]

I don't technically go to art school but thank you so much for sharing this. I'm in my third year right now and I had a breakthrough that I was really, really stressed from overworking and being on campus until midnight every day that I couldn't sleep. but like at the same time I feel like a lot of people look up to me or that I need to keep up a facade that everything is fine and I can handle it so tysm for being vulnerable :,) its time 2 reevaluate my life rn ahaha

[@ceciliag]

Love hearing you talk about your experiences! I totally get you and hope finding a work life balance is easier for you!

[@mewTripled]

Thank you so much! Glad I can help in any way!

[@tuckertoonsg9587]

I love hearing about how you struggled during your first years. Not that I want you to struggle at all! What I mean is, you don’t sugar coat or hide how your life was going in that time. You talk about how you were battling with yourself over how much you worked, your social life and wanting to keep in touch with old friends while trying to make new ones. It just makes everything feel real, like I’m not just staring into the void that is a success artist in the industry but a person who know their faults and trying to improve on them. Just like everyone else. Hearing you makes me see my own faults. I’m aware that I am a bit over ambitious for my skill level. I’m aware that I am easily distracted and or that I stay up all hours of the night trying to be the best I can possibly be without taking care of myself. Seeing you, hearing you talk about how you had to deal with it just makes me feel a bit more at ease. And I thank you soo much for that.

[@mewTripled]

Yes, of course! I wished more artists talked about this too back in my year. I am glad this can help you in any way!

[@StevieWunderz]

I feel like it is destiny that this video come out as I just came upon a major burnout episode stemming from my freelance work, and it's been depressing the hell outta me. So, while never going to school for animation, I do put a lot of pressure on myself to study the fundamentals of art at home. So, after two years of overworking myself. It was bound to happen I guess, and like you, I struggle with setting schedules, working out enough, and getting out enough to meet new people. So I'm gonna use this as a good frame of mind to have with ones journey to becoming professional one day, and try to have a more balanced lifestyle. Thank you so much for talking about this tough subject.

[@sandysanchez1624]

The crying part happened to me as well, i know exactly what you mean by repressing your emotions with using animation. Respect 👊🏼

[@prinkidoodles]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us! 💖

[@mewTripled]

Yes of course! Glad my experiences can help in any way!

[@ivankovwink1311]

I'm in my second year of majoring in animation and honestly I'm still struggling with finding a healthy way for being an artist. Like I started struggling so much with my self-esteem ever since I started my major because I 100% believe that everything I make is shıtty, that I'll never get hired when I graduate, that I will never amount to anything and that I made a huge mistake thinking high enough of myself to dare think I could ever make it in the animation industry. And the stress and self-doubt is stifling my creativity too and I never had any problems with being creative since I was a kid, so it feels like my world has been turned upside down. I have been trying to build confidence, but it is so so hard. I think that the hardest thing about being an artist is not making art but battling with insecurity, self-doubt, impostor syndrome, etc. 😣

[@MillSketches]

Had the same experience during my third year making my student film, I wouldn’t come home from the labs until 11 at night, I ate like crap, my relationships with friends were crumbling before my eyes. I had a lot of self doubt and kept thinking My art = my self worth and that was the most important thing to me. to deal with it I just worked non stop and it made me so physically and mentally ill. Still trying to get out of that mindset and make time for friends

[@MillSketches]

Art schools are great and all but don’t let it ruin your health

[@mewTripled]

Ahh so sorry to hear you went through that rollercoaster too, but glad you have learned from it as well! It's nice to hear about other's experiences (not that I wished any of that upon you lol), but to know we're not alone when it comes to these things :)

[@NicoleNageli]

This is so comforting😭 thank you so much for making these videos, Michelle!

[@ghastvy]

I really admire you and everything that you do. When you talk about your struggles and vulnerability it makes not only artists but people in general feel less alone. I find myself in the same position of workaholism due to the fact that I have to apply to art school soon and everything feels like it moved so fast and I'm scared out of my mind. So I end up putting myself in a mindset of working 24/7 or else I'm never going to be good enough or I'm never going to get into school. So seeing this video really helps and I want to thank you for that. You've been a huge inspiration of mine ever since middle school and actually one of the reasons why I want to pursue animation!

[@MintyHappyfresh149]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences!! It makes me feel better that I’m not alone in my animation journey. I especially relate to coming out of my shell and being open to new friendships. I’ll admit it was a struggle, but in the end I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I feel like I’ve become braver, more confident, and more authentic than what I used to be. I only wish I could stay in the labs and socialize but Covid is really making it difficult,,, It’s my last semester so I probably can’t do that,,, but I’m glad I get to see people in person 💙

[@xeinakingdom]

I'm really excited to watch the video 💕

[@mewTripled]

Thanks!!

[@matejzezelj6711]

Thank you for making my day better 💕

[@mewTripled]

Glad to help in any way!

[@mickeymouse7146]

You've inspired me so much to keep drawing, thank you and keep up the good work ❤

[@Kittensrme]

This is exactly what is happening to me as a student in music school thanks for posting this

[@yuenwang2345]

hi michelle~ i'm a senior making my thesis film rn and with the work culture at my school its really hard not to get caught up in the "grind". i appreciate your take so much. ty for your unfiltered realness !!

[@mewTripled]

Yeah the glorification of work is real in college :| ! Glad that this video can provide some transparency! Thank you!

[@anni1961]

Hearing about your experiences is so interesting, thank you so much for sharing your stories!

[@sevenfawm]

Did all art school dorms have those exact beds and shelves? My art school had that lol. Workaholism is huge in art, and it burned the hell out of me and a lot of others

[@Kimmiekawa]

So interesting to hear about your journey, looking forward to the next video! 😊

[@AdzukiBean]

Thank you so much for sharing! Finding myself falling into this trap again, so this was a great reminder to think about self care more

[@mewTripled]

Ahh thank you! Glad to help in any way!

[@nachoss2228]

Love this, this is so important!!! I used tot be literally the same.

[@lockheart619]

When you said he asked you how you were, I immediately knew you were gonna start crying. Mostly because as a college student this happened to me 😭

[@nachoss2228]

I love your tshirt by the way!!

[@mewTripled]

Thank you!

[@lilnillasundae]

i am so thankful for this video! i have struggled with workaholism for my entire life and unfortunately i didn’t stop to rethink my work/life balance until i got into graduate school. now i have a pretty good system that works for me and i feel so much better about myself and i still manage to get all my tasks done. i commend you for recognizing something needed to change in your third year!!

[@outpostorange9580]

Glad you were able to break the cycle

[@joeygarcia7213]

Loved the video! C:

[@mewTripled]

Thank you! :'D

[@yani-yan3489]

I am currently watching this while doing homework

[@mewTripled]

My apologies to your teacher haha xD

[@yani-yan3489]

@@mewTripled ohgahd i've never thought you'd reply (it really such an honor). It's quite funny how this vid is about workaholims and I am here procrating the shit out of myself hahaha ...but thank you for being my inspiration in art ,for the past few months your vids motivates me to continue making art.

[@malakbreaka7409]

Michelle i love you !!!!!

[@mewTripled]

❤️❤️❤️

[@LillenArt2]

Please don't blame yourself for workaholism. I think a lot of schools promote unhealthy habits. It's really sad...

[@fuzzydragons]

i am so guilty of being a workaholic, and i know its bad on so many levels but if i stop doing things I fall asleep lol

[@disaster4550]

tbh i dont think its possible to manage and balance your life in art school lol we even had teachers who were saying so openly to us, like "yes you dont sleep and do homework all night but thats normal in college we did it too" i even felt bad that i slept for 8 hours lol but to be fair i did procrastinate a lot

[@PJdraws277]

Yes caught up about hunting serious job, BTW the kittens are interrupting. 😸

[@mewTripled]

haha yesss they always do that whenever i'm filming T_T

[@Yuunarichu]

Hello~!

[@mewTripled]

Hey!!

[@arden3544]

did you ever have any regrets in choosing calarts in terms of having a limited field of what you got to study? i'm in my college application process right now and i'm having a hard time deciding where to go/apply to. i've always loved animation and i want to get a job in the field, but i also want to use my art school experience for my own personal enrichment in other mediums/fields of study. i want to take classes in fashion and printmaking, sculpting, etc, without having to sacrifice a path in animation -- is that totally unrealistic?

[@amatya2988]

Maybe look out the experimental animation program? I think the May have more flexibility

[@xStarstargirlx]

Never went to CalArts but I am an art major at my university. I had classmates like that. One of my friends did alot of things; she tried out many courses (mostly the fundamental classes like intro to sculpting, intro to photography, intro to whatever) before eventually focusing on her block concentration (painting). It is doable; it just takes alot of effort on your end to make it through the semester because you also have to deal with core curriculum courses (which I hate). You may have to take classes during the summer (or even winter break) if you want to off-load the courses during the regular semesters. And maybe check out mixed media programs?

[@Elizabeth-mf3dn]

Omg same I would have Diet Coke for breakfast 🤮🤮🤮