Main Dish of the Week#
I once read an article that had a good saying:
The work within eight hours determines our social role and professional status... while the life outside of eight hours determines what kind of person we can become.
In a day of 24 hours, the ideal state is 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 8 hours of free time.
The 8 hours of free time, which can be arranged freely, is the difference between people.
To make good use of these 8 hours, I have done many things, such as learning knowledge from other industries, exchanging experiences with colleagues, and cultivating a new hobby. The most important thing here is to do a project that doesn't care about the results.
What is a project that doesn't care about the results?#
- The word "project" is easy to understand. The book "Get Things Done" has already perfectly explained the definition - a series of planned actions made for specific results. This means that the attitude must be serious and the process must be well thought out.
- Not caring about the results means not caring about specific rewards. It means that the original motivation for doing something comes from the inner passion, not from the desire for external praise from the beginning. This means that the initial intention is purely driven by interest.
- Therefore, a project that doesn't care about the results is something done out of interest and with careful planning.
- Isn't it contradictory to be driven by interest and plan seriously? Not really. Being driven by interest means that there is no ultimate goal, while planning seriously means having specific objectives. For example, in a painting competition, I painted a picture to win prize money and more business opportunities. This is the purpose, and painting is just a means to achieve the purpose. The goal is to meet my own and the competition's standards for the painting before the deadline.
Why do projects that don't care about the results?#
There are several benefits to doing projects that don't care about the results:
- The first is long-lasting motivation. Motivation comes from interest, and interest is a driving force that is completely driven by the inner spiritual level. Once this power is generated, it will last much longer than money, personal relationships, and honor. You won't even feel like you're "working hard" to do something. I have always believed that "working hard" is a pseudo-concept when it comes to projects driven by interest. When doing such projects, you don't feel like you're making an effort. It's actually similar to playing a game. Once you feel like you're making an effort, it means there is resistance. You will feel that it's difficult and subconsciously believe that you can't do it. This resistance is completely psychological. The essence is that your interest in this matter is not strong enough at the moment.
- The second is that this kind of project produces works rather than mere commodities. The feedback from commodities is mostly money, accumulated experience, and more business opportunities in the market. These belong to the 8 hours of work that should be completed. If you continue to do them, it's just overtime. The return from works not only includes these, but the most important thing is that works will in turn shape you and guide you to find the path that suits you best. It's also the so-called basic principle that choice is greater than effort.
- The third is the unimaginable progress. After completing one or two projects that don't care about the results, the time I spent ranged from three months to a year. During this time, I would gain at least one or two additional skills, although the level may not meet market standards. However, these are progress spans from 0 to 60 points, which greatly motivates me to find ways to do better.
This website is one of my projects that doesn't care about the results, but my initial interest was to develop my own website so that I could easily showcase my case studies and CG artworks to others. Then I gradually discovered that my interest in writing far outweighed coding and web design, and I don't consider becoming a programmer as a career option. So, let's keep it simple and focus on writing. There is no purpose, and the goal is to choose a topic I like and write an article about it every week, with no word count requirement. As you may have noticed in the plan, each article has three sections.
- Main Dish of the Week: Discussing the understanding and opinions on the topic.
- Creative Fragments: What I have created recently and any insights gained.
- Weekly Highlight: Sharing any valuable content I think is worth sharing.
The most well-known project that humans have done that doesn't care about the results is the launch of the Voyager spacecraft. This website is also my "Voyager spacecraft" that I launched. What is yours?
Creative Fragments#
This week, I took on a commercial activity key visual related to trendy toys. The progress is going smoothly so far, and it is expected to be completed next week. If it turns out well, I will consider organizing and sharing it.
Weekly Highlight#
- I recommend an article in which the author briefly introduces their work experience in different animation companies in China and abroad. The article also analyzes the outsourcing and subcontracting models of CG animation, the copyright supply and development of derivative products in Japan, and the Hollywood model of animated films. Regarding the current situation in China, the article believes that outsourcing or subcontracting has created the basic conditions and capabilities for animation companies, laying a solid foundation for future original animations.
- A Brief Discussion on Doing Animation and Being Done by Animation