I've just finished my mandatory military service and am now at a crossroads. 3D art, or 2D? And do I study here in Singapore or do I pursue my degree abroad? So uncertain about the future now. My art is moving in a new direction, towards digital painting. A new, much faster medium than 3D or pencils.

But with it comes questions about the future. Pragmatism would have me go the 3D route, but while I enjoy 3D art, technology is improving at such a blistering pace keeping up is just so tiring. And to be at the forefront means maintaining a highly technical skill set applicable only with the highest end hardware. Bewildering arrays of new technologies in shaders, lighting, particles and workflow have to be mastered as quickly as they develop. The sheer magnitude has forced extreme specialization in a chosen field (lighting, rigging, texturing etc). Add this to the fact that the 3D field is increasingly becoming a production line, the artist no more than a skilled factory worker realizing someone else's creative vision, and its no wonder why one would have second thoughts. It's depressing.

Conversely, a 2D painter is the sole owner, so to speak, of his work. The only problem is... well finding work! With legions of animators required for an animated flick, it's much easier to find work there than as a digital painter.