Having a Family as a 3D Artist

Is it possible?

I recently received the following message…

Ok…so let’s dive into this…

Why is this even a question?

The truth is, it's a real concern for artists starting out in the industry. You've got this whole "starving artist" stereotype looming over you, making you wonder if you'll always struggle to make ends meet if you choose a career in the arts. And when you are first starting off in the industry, that is kind of the case (more on this in the next section.)

Also, most gigs out there for inexperienced workers are short-term contracts that require you to bounce around from one city to another. One minute you're in Vancouver working on a movie, then next thing you know, you're hustling in New York to finish up a commercial, and before you can catch your breath, you're off to London to work on some Game of Thrones spinoff that's actually a romantic comedy about White Walkers. It can be a blast in your twenties and thirties, but not exactly ideal when you're ready to settle down and start a family, you know?

Not going to lie…I had fun using some text prompts to generate this one…

So it really comes down to two things:

1. Can I earn enough to support a family?

2. Can I find a job that's stable and doesn't have me constantly on the move?

Can I earn enough as a 3D Artist?

When you are in school and first starting your career, figuring out how much an artist makes is a total black box. Sure, there are websites like GlassDoor or others where people can report their salaries, but I have no idea how reliable those are. So let me be transparent. I will lay out every salary that I had when I worked in production. Take a few things into consideration with these numbers:

• This is just my experience in my career. Others will vary.

• This spans the years 2008-2021 so it’s a little dated.

• Base pay is the range of income at that position. Actual pay is an estimate of actual earnings based on overtime pay and film bonuses.

• All numbers are annual salary and in USD.

• For those outside of the US, these numbers are for rates pre-tax. Generally, there’s a large chunk taken out of your paycheck for various local and federal taxes.

Render Wrangler/Technical Assistant
Base Pay - $38k to $50k
Actual Pay - $53k to $62k

Jr. Lighting Artist
Base Pay - $60k to $75k
Actual Pay - $80k to $95k

Mid Lighting Artist
Base Pay - $80k to $105k
Actual Pay - $105k to $120k

Sr. Lighting Artist
Base Pay - $120k to $150k
Actual Pay - $155k to $190k

Department Head
Base Pay - $150k
Actual Pay - $170k
**Once you reach a certain level or job-type, you no longer get overtime pay. Just bonuses.

So what do these numbers mean? What lifestyle do they equate too?
Let’s dive into the meaning of these numbers and the life they equal by taking a look at the two phases of my career.

Phase 1 - The Lean Years

So one thing the numbers above don’t mention is cost of living. For all of the years covered here, I was living in one of the most expensive places in the world, NYC.

Eh…that’s actually not technically true because at first I couldn’t live in NYC. It was too expensive, so I had to settle where the big city NYC dreams go to be compromised…Connecticut. (Ok…that may be a little harsh but every film that has a person based on Connecticut because they gave up on their dream and left the city…looking at you Revolutionary Road.)

But those first years are tight. You might have to get roommates. You might have to defer student loan payments. You may have to make sacrifices to get your career off the ground. But you will be fine. You will have enough to eat and keep your lights on and pay the bills. Unless you are incredibly lucky, there really isn’t any way around this phase of the career.

Phase 2 - Base-Level Stability

But honestly…this phase only lasts a few years because you start to get more project credits under your belt and more connections and you start to move your way up. The key difference to me was that I no longer find myself worrying about how much the electric bill was. Previously, it was like… “Oh dang…I really liked the AC last month. Looks like I’m only eating rice for the next few weeks.” Now, I didn’t have to compromise decent food for climate control.

And honestly…this is generally where you are going to be for the majority of your career. Able to live comfortably but not extravagantly. Whether you are making $100k or $200k a year, the lifestyle really doesn’t change that much. You will comfortably afford your bills, be able to go on occasional vacations and out to dinner with friends, and generally live a life where you aren’t in constant fear of financial insecurity.

Will you have a FU amount of money? No way.

Here's where the real challenge kicks in: when you start thinking about buying a house. See, most of the desirable jobs in our industry are in expensive cities like New York, London, Vancouver, LA, San Francisco, and the list goes on. A simple two or three-bedroom apartment can quickly soar past the $2 million mark, and with your salary alone, affording a hefty down payment, let alone the monthly mortgage payments, becomes a distant dream. This kind of investment is only feasible if you have a partner with a solid income or some family support.

But for most folks, the financial situation looks like this: you can live comfortably wherever you want, but when it comes to buying a home, you may need to compromise a bit on the specific location.

Can I find a job stable enough?

Now, let's talk about the stability of employment. Can you find a job that keeps you in one place?

The short answer is: probably not in the beginning, but eventually, yes.

Early on in your career, you're somewhat at the mercy of whichever company is willing to hire you, wherever they may be. But as time goes on, you start to build a network. Eventually, you reach a point where you stop actively applying for jobs and people start seeking you out for work. As your reputation grows and your connections strengthen, you may even find yourself having to turn down job offers.

Once you reach this stage, things start looking great. You can finally settle down and choose where you want to live. Do you fancy living in NYC or Toronto and taking jobs in that area? Or maybe you have family in Wyoming and would prefer to be closer to them while accepting remote work? It's all possible once you've built up your client list and can maintain a steady stream of the kind of work you want to do.

Moreover, bigger companies that offer long-term stability often value experience. So, having a few years of experience under your belt can also open doors to those industries.

So, while it may take time and effort to establish yourself, eventually, you can reach a point where you have more control over your work location and enjoy greater stability.

What about layoffs?

Mixed in the middle of the original question was a bit about being a loser for being laid off. Here is a hard truth that many of you need to hear.

You will almost definitely be laid off at some point in your career.

It is not embarrassing. It is not a badge of shame. It is simply a fact of life.

Notice I didn’t caveat by saying this is only true of being an artist. Because it is true of everyone, layoffs are such a common occurrence in modern capitalist societies that we take them for granted. There is no occupation you can have that are not susceptible to the potential for layoffs.

Side note…If you are looking into the history of how we got into this world of frequent mass layoffs, I highly recommend The Man Who Broke Capitalism by David Gelles. It’s a fascinating history about a guy named Jack Welsh who took over as CEO of GE in the 1980s and set the stage for this unstable landscape.

But for 3D Artists, I’ve found that while being laid off sucks in the short-term, there are some benefits after a few years. Check out the whole article here:

The advice I will give in regard to layoffs is to try and work at a different company as your significant other. I’ve seen it happen far too many times where a company shutters and both partners lose their income and access to health insurance (when in the US.) I get that it’s super convenient to work in the same spot but you are exposing yourself to larger problems down the road.

Salary Growth is Not Always Linear

One thing to note before I wrap this up is that your salary will not always grow linearly over the course of your career. There are countless factors that could lead to someone taking a paycut for a particular role or project.

Maybe you really want to work on a specific project but it’s a smaller studio that doesn’t pay that well? Maybe you are rolling off a contract and you take a short gig for less just to bridge the gap to the next big project. Or maybe you are feeling burnt out and just want to downshift for a couple of years to figure things out.

Either way, don’t feel bad if the line graph charting your salary sometimes looks a little crooked.

In Conclusion

From my perspective, being a 3D Artist and having a family is truly fulfilling. While it would have been tough if I had kids when I was first starting my career, I now earn enough to provide a good life for my kids, and I have a job that brings me immense satisfaction while also making me a better parent. Working from home has been a game-changer because I can now share what I create with my children. It's a joy to have my son walk into my office and ask about what I've made that day.

And here's another exciting perk: if you work on films, there's a chance to get your kids' names in the credits as Production Babies. Seeing each of my children's names appear in the credits of a film was one of the proudest moments of my life. Knowing that their names will forever be a part of those credits brings me immense joy and a sense of legacy for them.

Overall, being a 3D Artist and a parent has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me. It allows me to create a good life for my family, enjoy my work, and share the excitement of my career with my children.

Non-AI Generated Photo of My Kids

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3D News of the Week

A roundup of interesting 3D related news you may have missed this week.

Apple Introduces Vision Pro - YouTube.com

Why Apple's VR headset could succeed where every similar product has failed - cnbc.com

Breakdown: Developing Games for Windows on Arm With Unity - 80.lv

Procedural Mylar Balloons in C4D - twitter.com

Nvidia researchers use AI to turn 2D video clips into detailed 3D graphics - venturebeat.com

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Artist of the Week

Ali Chenari

All Images by Ali Chenari

Link to ArtStation Profile

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3D Tutorials

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3D Job Spreadsheet

Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)

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Michael Tanzillo has been a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic. Currently, Michael is a Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D Growth team at Adobe.

In addition to his work as an artist, Michael is the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging.

www.michaeltanzillo.com
Free 3D Tutorials on the Michael Tanzillo YouTube Channel

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