What did you accomplish this year?

[Amber Alexander]

With 2009 coming to an end soon, I thought it might be nice to take stock of what we all accomplished this year. For me, sometimes it feels I'm just walking on a treadmill in life and not really getting anywhere. I look at the amazing artwork from the people on this site and the flaws in my work become more apparent to me, which makes it seem like getting to that skill level is farther and farther away. People don't really take the time to look behind them and see how far they have progressed. Even if you're financially in the same place as before, I'm sure you've done something this year you are proud of.


For me, 2009
* I bought my first tablet and learned to paint digitally
* Unemployed to having some freelance illustration work
* Published in a few small scale magazines
* Learned the basics of Maya
* Graduated with honors from UC Berkeley and started Grad school
* Finished my Army contract (choosing to not reenlist was a big risk for me because it was a financial blanket but I survived without it)

How about you guys?!

[Raoul Duke]

I don't want to talk about it!

[karma militia]

I don't want to talk about it!

Ditto.

For me, sometimes it feels I'm just walking on a treadmill in life and not really getting anywhere.

http://www.explosm.net/comics/1717/
(I'm the guy in the background)

[Mordus]

I designed and created the costumes for the EAT production The Tribe, I held a workshop on Monstrous Art for a local library, pushed forward with my art GCSE and doubled the amount of studies and reference I use.
Oh, and I had a bloody good time.

[Amber Alexander]

http://www.explosm.net/comics/1717/
(I'm the guy in the background)

cute video LOL

[Randis]

this year i got one year older, again.

[Amber Alexander]

this year i got one year older, again.

You won a contest, that's pretty major to most of us.

[BlightedArt]

Passed first year of uni and learned a lot of useful things from it.

Moved out, though a bit late in life, but have become independent.

Decided where I want to go in life.

Found a flat with my girlfriend, living together happily!

It's been a good year.

[Bill]

This was a hard year. I'm glad it's over.

[Irishdrunk]

Oh not much. Just took the first few steps towards an art career.

[tobbA]

Not much, really...

[Brain]

I've had a pretty stagnant year in art, though I did win the staff division of the school Bush Art competition. I've helped transcribe CA videos (though nowhere near as much as I could). I've helped nurture adults and kids interest in art and computers. I proposed to the woman who completes me. And I stood by her while she gave birth to our son - quite easily the hardest day of my life.

[Dave_]

I didn't die, twice.

Or was that last year?

[Miles_]

I guess, I passed my GCSE exams with mainly A's and A*'s,

I got my 2nd Dan black belt in karate,

I advanced my art skills a nice amount,

I got my work featured in ImagineFX.

Those are the main four I guess, this was quite a good year, despite a whole bunch of bad stuff happening with the family D: Looking forward to 2010

[jordyskateboardy]

Pff what a year.

Came across myself in various ways. Was really confronted with my friends and I ended up dumping them all. Due to them not being friends in the first place. Been bullied and shit like all my other 16 years but this year I finally learned to stand up for myself and actually care about what I want.

Guess I had my first gf that was kinda cool.

Artwise I finally managed to get serious about it and find my dedication. I've finally reached a point where I'm consistent with my dedication and all the slacking is gone. My life has gotten a lot more organized and I barerly waste time. This also resulted in a huge amount of discipline which helped me score really great in my first exam week.

It was a year where I learned tons both scocially and art wise. Hope I'll keep this same growth rate next year. Should be tons of fun.

[carlosranna]

I painted and drawn a lot. Learned a big bunch about some stuff i needed, like some anatomy major stuff.

I came out of my confort zone a lot of times.

I openned a illustration Studio with a great friend, and we got ourselves some clients in advertising. We also won a national (brazilian) award in character design.

I completed my post-graduation in animation and 3D modeling, made a short movie for it and also made the art for a 2D video game for the Global Game Jam.

I decided to propose to the woman i love, and we hope to get married in 2010.

We adopted a lovely dog that appeared in front of my house, full of car oil on her body and totally scared of people.

2009 was great for me. The only bad shit that happened, was the fact that this was my first year without my mother, that died of cancer in the end of 2008...

I´m expecting a great year in 2010. The best of my life, so far, i hope...

[Whitevillage]

Just thinking what comes in mind...

- Meeting friends I know mostly online again IRL and we had a really great time,
- Finished my animation program at last college
- I got accepted to the art academy,
- A one page comic feautered in a comic magazine,
- Improved at drawing and I'm pretty satisfied when looking back at last year.

I'm forgetting other things, I'm sure...

[Ariel9]

I've been outside Italy for the first time: visited Spain, and the UK.

I've been on a plane alone for the first time, and actually many times now.

I've had people who didn't know me personally pay me for my art.

I've come out to both my parents properly, and with my little sister.

I made long term plans with my girlfriend, and not dreamy, pretend ones. I'm going to move in with her in 2010. It's exciting and kinda scary.

I think that's not bad, but it's been a year of waiting, and of big heartbreak, too. Here's to the new decade, I *know* it's going to be much better.

[JFierce]

Made it to 21 without drinking, that was a personal goal I started at the start of high school
Besides that its been a boring year

[karma militia]

Made it to 21 without drinking, that was a personal goal I started at the start of high school
Besides that its been a boring year

I lol'd... oh how I lol'd.

This thread has been excruciatingly depressing for me, and i was just about to express that.

But that just made my day

[Chompo]

- Finished high school.=D
- Did Psychometric Entrance Test.
- Had one major break in drawing.
- Didn't recruited I was suppose to in July, but it's delayed
- Made it to 2 years of running 3 times a week.

Great thread! Need to appreciate stuff more.

[Baron Impossible]

Made it to 21 without drinking, that was a personal goal I started at the start of high school
Besides that its been a boring year

It's the last part that boggles the mind

[Spirit]

Hmm... lets see what I can remember.

- 2009 was a better year than 2008 (which was by far the worst year of my life to date)

- I worked my ass of and managed to achieve an A in my art GCSE, despite one of my projects "mysteriously diappearing" (it was stolen) which was worth 30% of the grade.

- I met the most amazing person this year, after knowing him for over 2 years before we decided to start seeing each other.

- I went to London for the first time in my life (to visit the most amazing person ever )

- I travelled on a train for the first time in my life, and by myself!

- I finally figured out that art was something I am serious about, even if it wasn't my first dream in life.

- I stuck by my morals and beliefs no-matter what, even against strong peer and social pressure, as I know what I want and respect myself and others, and won't go against who I am because it is deemed "cool".

- I have started to explore other areas of art I hadn't looked at before, widened my astistic taste or "broadened my horizons". Also, I'm starting to figure out where I want to go with my art, and have improved quite a lot, while experimenting and having fun too!

- I have worked outside of my comfort zone and will continue to do so. I am so thankful to the art teacher which told me I always worked in my comfort zone. THANK YOU!

- I have figured out some weak areas in my art which need to be tackled and worked on. (there are many of them, considering I'm a beginner... one step at a time!)

- I helped to proofread some of the subtitles for the CA Subtitle project, but collegework got in the way for a while, but now I can do it again!


I'll stop now, I ramble on too much.

[Ian Barker]

This year I...

-Became a senior at my college
-Discovered CA! (registered here a couple years ago but never posted)
-Improved at drawing a decent amount
-Bought my first tablet and started to paint digitally
-Really began to figure out what I wanted to do with my art
-Learned that what you put in is what you get out

[Slothboy3000]

What a shit year this has been overall. I really, really hope '10 is better.

[karma militia]

Well, if it helps sloth m'boy, you're not alone in that feeling.

however, we need to be a little bit pro-active.

[cl0aked]

I managed to expand my social life to levels never before seen and that brought some sweet stuff. Published my first paper. Started putting in the time and effort to become a great artist. Just got my third job.

[Two Listen]

Moved 900 miles.

Got married. To a girl I met when I was 13 on some pokemon forums.

Got a steady job that pays decently for not a whole lot of work.

Built a new computer, a much needed upgrade.

Bought a new car.

...

Lived life to its...fullest? I suppose?

...hmm.

I'm really happy with my life. But for some reason its hard to think of accomplishments.

[Noah Bradley]

Transferred schools, learned how to use acrylics & digital reasonably well, started doing landscape paintings, sold my first painting, went to IlluXCon, turned 21.

Good year, all in all. But next year should be amazing.

[Armonah]

I quit World of Warcraft.