Knowing this protected me from creative burn out

[@Vinnie-Gattz]

I read somewhere that it's scientifically proven that rapidly switching focus between tasks takes energy. This is really what multitasking is, and this is why it's often tiring and stressful.

[@alexxx4434]

On the other hand there is advantages in iterative approach when you explore new ideas.

[@Smieska_13]

It's funny, every day when I start work, I'm immediately intimidated but after watching Baumgartner Restorations, he always says he starts with 'an easy win' , start with an easy part so you get some wind in your sails, and I find that helps get me going immensely.

[@Twiddle_things]

Fellow Baumgartner fan I see :3

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

Such a good tip. Also, to keep momentum going, finish your day with a piece that is unfinished, that way you have something to easily jump right back into. A lot of writers do this with leaving a sentence half finished, so that the next day they can at least finish that sentence if they have writer's block.

[@xiaa]

Actually this explains a lot. Last year I decided to try to make a comic, and I didn't start inking or toning until I storyboarded/thumbnailed the ENTIRE comic. It took abou 10 months to thumbnail and then 1 year to ink/tone etc it but I never felt burnt out by it, and was actually excited to work on it, and did manage to complete it! On my current comic, I am trying to just storyboard and ink as I go, but it's not working out as well, so maybe even though it's not as fun, I should go back to the first method. Hearing that you work a similar way and make decisions, change your mind, switch things around etc makes me feel better about my progress too.

[@areakastudios6704]

This actually is very eye opening, and it makes sense, too. The parts where we can freely come up with the project and discover what we want to do with our ideas can make it so tempting to just start working on the polished bits right away. Your common knowledge knows to just keep it slow, but your impatience and excitement, especially towards the end of the project can make you go "But I want it NOW!!!!".

[@_aiborie]

Timestamps (for myself) 1:59 Creative Side 2:56 Labour Side 3:48 Switching Gears 6:19 Examples keeping these “gears” in mind 7:50 Why it is important to be aware of them 10:18 Why switching gears all the time was problematic 11:16 Recap & Things to ask yourself

[@katium9176]

This, along with Abbie's "What story do I want to write, without it having to be perfect" advice works so well for me, especially for animation.

[@journeyburney]

Raise your hand if you needed this advice right about now ✋

[@Ace_V1]

✋

[@pinkiepurplez]

✋️

[@OFFICALBREEMATIONSTATION]

✋🏾

[@drewo.127]

✋

[@WinterEcho]

✋️

[@OFFICALBREEMATIONSTATION]

In the last project I've done, I had an issue where during the animation process I would constantly change my ideas on how a certain sequence would play out. This caused burnout and I was forced to remove certain parts in order to just get it done. While the animation turned out good, I knew things had to change when it came to the planning stage and this video helped out a ton.🎉

[@muted5ilence]

*Staring at this very relevant video title* Helpful for me and my bestie, we need it 😭

[@fallingheadphones]

The switching gears thing, I knew I was having an issue with it but I couldn’t compartmentalize the differences in labor vs creative modes. Thanks so much for this video, it puts a whole new perspective on this

[@ZCoreStudio]

this is by far your best advice video never thoughts of separating them into labor and creative struggling with BGs and writing the most...

[@0ia]

That's nice, though I like to judge advice videos on how they help long term, because I don't know how helpful its ideas are until I've applied them and gotten a result (or specifically not gotten one).

[@momamoame8073]

This reminds me of another great piece of advice I've received to invest in the preparatory stage. It help you find problems before you've locked them in by moving to far ahead. You can also see this in drawing, where getting fixated in details without nailing down the blocking can lead to issues with proportions and the composition.

[@melindasavenia]

Wow, this is so true! When i published my weekly comic series, the process of switching between story writing - storyboarding - drawing execution was challenging and exhausting. I often spent more time working on script and storyboard. When creating a weekly comic series, it's not very easy to maintain the art quality thus i always tried to make some time to practice my drawing. At the time i concluded my comic series, i was having a major burnout to the point i don't want to do anything related to comic anymore! (Now i'm gradually creating comic again tho) I really don't know how some comic authors, especially Japanese mangaka, can run their series for more than decade! 😵‍💫

[@Sundji]

Ive subconsciously been aware of this and I even do like you said, for certain stuff i can just turn my brain off and listen to a podcast while I work. Its a good way to warm up and make progress on something while not being too stressed by it. The problem is investing time into an idea that isnt well planned out so I really appreciate your emphasis on making the creative part thorough and low labor. I definitely need to practice just getting my ideas down without putting so much labor into it.

[@HadassahDoe]

I wanna be a professional artists but sometimes when UI hear all the hard, complicated, time consuming work I kinda get overwhelmed by it almost feeling like I can't do it. There's so much to animation and I want mine to be the best. That's why I'm gonna keep working up tp my dreams.

[@hayk_animation]

Ive been trying to figure out the best way to make more time for my stuff without getting overwhelmed and this was helpful. You know me, I've been churning stuff out for years but I tend to burn myself out a LOT

[@_aiborie]

Okay this was a chockfull of helpful information condensed into 14 mins. You're helping people save time and energy on this one, you rock!!

[@ChrispyCheerios]

The method you use where you lay out the creative work first, is exactly what I had to start doing too! I’m just a hobbyist animator, but gosh when I left creative decisions for later in my projects I always ran into issues where some scenes were all done but didn’t work with the new choices I was making. It led to a lot of frustration and burnout, but now when I do things kinda how you mentioned, I’m able to make so much more progress and really enjoy all aspects of it. So I 100% am on board with everything you talked about!

[@lb10003]

Excellent description of ‘decision fatigue’ and ‘mental load,’ and how constantly switching between tasks is especially draining. Your advice to split up the preparation and execution stages of a project to reduce mental fatigue could be applied to any project, really. I feel inspired to try this now!

[@roseschwarz5339]

@TonikoPantoja Thank you so very much. I am a single raising mom and I was burning out nearly every second year, till I even had to drop out. Apart from not getting any praise for my constant, challenging but rewarding work - I was wondering why I get burnt out so quickly. Now I know: because I had to “switch gears” all the time. You provided me with an answer and solution. Awesome! And I love your art and your way to talk to us 💜. Your perspective is very, very valuable. All the best for you 💝

[@re3042]

This is like one of the best advices I heard in a while! I struggle continuously with creative burnouts.. so much that have a lot of trouble finishing projects. I also think perfectionism is part of the problem. Polishing drawings all the time and then it stops to be fun after a while…

[@Mezzy..]

watching you draw in a couple lines and then the paint tool immediately fills in everything inside the lines was the most fascinating watch, I was just mesmerised by it the whole video

[@fruit_fingrr]

Wow this is even deeper than animation production

[@animatrix1490]

This is something I've noticed too, at least a little bit. One of the things that's so difficult for me in animation is having to switch those gears. I have a little more experience with comics so that's easier for me right now to separate out the creative/labor than when I animate--if I've done my thumbnails right, there are fewer decisions I make when I'm penciling, and then inking and color go incredibly smoothly (especially if I've done the correct pre-production color planning and already decided on a palette, etc.) In my head I always called the "labor" parts "vacuuming" --a task you can just do practically by muscle memory, kind of relaxing--but I really like this way of putting it into words.

[@ChanceCardFilm]

This reminds me of a lecture on the science of creativity. The presenter talked about the brain having two modes, the open mode (creative part) and the closed mode (labor part). The talk was primarily about how to focus on building a creative practice, so seeing how both parts come together practically in animation is really useful. It's also easy to look at all the great work out there and forget how much planning and prep goes into everything we see, tempting us to try to skip that important step and making the process more stressful than it needs to be. Its a great reminder that solving problems when the stakes are low ends up being more efficient in the long run.

[@Morphexxer]

after drawing for 8 to nine months and have made almost zero progress i cant even draw a box person in perspective. Talent is real and it is the only thing that matters.

[@forkfighter]

This is why I do my work in phases and allow time between each one (usually, weeks apart). For example, I have the idea stage (storyboarding, brainstorming, scripting), recording, animation, post-production and final touches. I don't always follow this linear path but it makes me feel less overwhelmed. Besides, when I'm doing the 'labor' part of the project, it gives me time to think about my next idea.

[@ericduchesnes7340]

Thanks for sharing !.. Nice work Toniko !.. 👍👍❤❤🕊🕊

[@_vlpin]

This is really good advice! And something i learned in my masters year. I optimized my workflow so well that even when I worked 8 to 11 hours a day for a couple of months, I didn't get burned out at all! And I feel like I still had time for other creative stuff after hours, before sleep.

[@littlereuby]

Interesting topic. I also focus on one task at a time. Once that task is finished I move on to the next and don't go back. Same to writing. Plot out the entire thing, but not the details. Much like a step outline. I think it is also important not to spend so much time planning. That's why I don't get why people animate entire storyboards. I only do still images that capture the key event, then detailed boards for the complex action sequences. For example when I write, I know the key events that must happen, so I start writing leading the characters in that direction. Then let the characters decide how they react with the event. Similar with animation. I let the characters decide their interaction in the scene, depending on message and the emotions. The problem with overplanning is it may kill the spontaneity that comes with creativity. So having a plan that leaves space for the fun things is crucial, to get push through the boring parts of a project.

[@okamichamploo]

This is super true. I learned this when I was in a manga school in Japan. We had various deadlines for multiple page comics, and I noticed that if I did one page to completion and then move to the next (as was pretty common for most people), I would get burned out, but if I split it up into different overall stages and spend a few days roughly sketching all the pages of the comic, then another few days detailing, then another few inking, then another few doing tones and or background work, not only would I not burn out as much, but I would actually work quicker and get more done. This way I would only switch gears once for each stage, rather than switching gears for every stage over and over again for each individual page.

[@sanjeev.rao3791]

When you think about it that's basically the assembly line method of animating in a way.

[@colormegeeky]

Thank you for helping out animators throughout the years Toniko. 💙

[@Emilysarahmerritt]

This is the video I've been waiting for 😭

[@MalakaiXed]

My only big problem is that I treat the laborious part as a creative part because I see how better it can be while Im doing it

[@battz7252]

Wow, this was really helpful! Not only did this advice saved me some time, it also helped me to finish some artworks more efficiently. Thank you!!

[@NoVIcE_Source]

oh wow this is so obvious when you say it like this, but i never realized it before... thank you

[@SwizzleMix]

Holy moly did I need this advice right now, thank you so much Yellow Dog Man

[@prinz4279]

I know that this is some actually important advice that may benefit me in the future but I can't shake the perception that all of this is being taught to me by that white artist dog in your previous animations

[@lawrencetyrpa]

These are some great thoughts and advices. Thank you!

[@pinkiepurplez]

I think I suffer from a mix of this and a bit of apathy. I have no real motivation to make stuff, although I hype myself up to try. And then I do try and give up as soon as I feel like I'm not fast or good enough. Good video to combat some of that though 🎉

[@princessthyemis]

You're definitely good enough!!!❤

[@locochavo4560]

Really needed this video lol

[@ThiagoCRocha-fh6lg]

This video should be cannonized in the art comunity, holy shit

[@BriceKoua-11-11]

I can feel the pain in the 2nd gear on the tumbnail

[@chikkenhawke]

i can see i will be coming back to this video frequently.... thank you Toniko!!

[@bloohaus8670]

Good advice even for a 3d creative! Ty!

[@pfinton]

Loved Blue Eye Samurai

[@2dchai]

Great video and perfect timing, I needed to hear this advice 🙌

[@crabofchaos7881]

Sheesh, I shouldn't have put this video on while working

[@This-thing-here]

This was really helpful. But that aside, if you ever feel inclined, can you change those dancers into Vegeta? They have his same costume.

[@lilladoma]

Oh I loved these advices! Can you guys also tell me how to make color layers like that in tvpaint so as to speed up the labour part?

[@lbrtvlldr]

Yo me libré de una multa con la misma fórmula. En una plaza, me metí sin querer en el carril bus. Había tres coches de policía justo delante. Me paran. Admito el error, pido disculpas, pregunto cuánto es la multa, y el agente me dice que son 150€. Resoplo, me disculpo de nuevo, y el tipo me dice: "le he dicho cuánto es la multa por la infracción, no que se la vaya a poner. Feliz Navidad". De malas NUNCA sacas nada, de buenas, a veces sí.

[@0ia]

Very cool tonko pant

[@briandblanchard]

what tool is that at start where a squiggle instant fills a space? why not just use bucket fill?

[@OhanaAnimations]

Hi Toniko Pantoja! Can you do a video about how to set up casting calls for an animated film? 🙂

[@BuranStrannik]

This does help, i think. Thanks!

[@ellisett]

Great advice!

[@kirakoraawesome]

How do u color so fast???

[@piplol2609]

A good example of animators who are into the labourous side of animation and not creative are stickman fight animators. An example of a creative who hates the labour is me LMAO

[@lemond2007]

What's your favorite idea? Mine is being creative. How do you get an idea? I just try to think creatively. (Green is not a creative color)

[@Kittycathead]

THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@CamelliaFlingert]

Unfortunately i was born very weak (mentally), to the point i can't withstand any activities in this life aside from simply staring at my monitor day after day, doing nothing, i'm suffering from perfectionism and unable to not suffer from any slightest mistakes, also i have zero creativity and unable to generate any ideas at all no matter how many references i use or how much material i've already inserted in my visual library, and i'm unable to learn anything because my brain is a broken mess, my brain simply becomes overwhelmed instantly even before i draw at least something, even simply few lines/sketch, and i need to shut it down to not suffer and need to escape back to doom scrolling or playing video-games to i can relax and forget about all this stuff and not feeling overwhelmed/hurted on the verge of breakdown with hysteria, i'm not drawing anymore, i do nothing in this life since i was born, only playing video-games and endlessly escaping from this life and everything i need to do, because i simply can't, and after i realized my mortality now i don't have any reasons to care about that i'm a loser who achieved nothing in this life, because none of this matters, if you're a good artist or a bad artist, we all will die equally, we will lose it all, so i will not spent my life doing uncomfortable things for the sake of waste my life when i can spend it on what bring me at least a little bit of joy and peace, and i never had a passion for this to begin with, my only motivation in this life - envy and desire to be better than others, not doing it because i want to do it, i have no passions in this life, only pain and despair

[@Mezzy..]

Thanks for this ❤

[@user-nd7rg5er5g]

Can I ask what show/video at 10:28 is? It looks very good!

[@angwypengwy]

ive been watching your videos on mute .... you're a guy?!? Thank you for the advice! I'm torn between making comics or polished illustrations, and end up getting burnout switching between these two projects. I think I'll have to reflect if I like the creative gear or labour gear. I want to balance both or else I'll fall into art block. I've been leaning heavily into labour lately and know I'm slacking off on creative stage ....my drawings turn out meh. Now I know why! I still don't know if I prefer switching gears fast, how often should I do it or when but I have a starting clue to tackling future burn out. Thank you for the video 💓

[@ScooterCat64]

I'm guilty of jumping between stages, might be one of the reasons I have never finished anything

[@Meleeman011]

how are you almost perfectly filling the line work with one line in your frames?

[@0ia]

TVPaint Pro's color layer feature. Can work strangely at times but is nice.

[@Meleeman011]

@@0ia i found it on krita holy shit

[@0ia]

cool have fun @@Meleeman011

[@Banaananananananaman]

@@Meleeman011 where?

[@fsihfhsifihsfshifhis]

What app is that that you're using to color in your animations?

[@tgrey_shift..mp334]

THANK YOU!!!!

[@moniquita720]

What program is that? 👀

[@BBWahoo]

I'm a lazy bastard

[@AbdiCow]

what software he uses?

[@bzargoodboy]

yes

[@catbatrat1760]

7:08 writing

[@CushionSapp]

I'm leaving a comment on this video I watched

[@meljazx]

Bot?

[@CushionSapp]

@@meljazx Nope

[@Pomodorosan]

burnout*