Lonely Flamers

Flame Between Renders
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Would you say being a Flame Artist is a lonely job?, …we can only relate with each other and there are not many of us?..and it can be dog eat dog, whats your view? ,… maybe WFH for too long is making me ask this?

But its not just about working in our industry, what about socialising outside, how often does one meet a another Flame Artist?

I think its cool when i hear about a flame artists dating each other, but its quite rare.
I once met a flame artist who was born on the same day, year and town as me, thats got to be rare,…

and you ?

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Similarly another Flame Artist and I met in LA last year and found we grew up in the same town in the UK. Didn’t ask about birthdays though… Maybe it’s a thing.

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I think a part of it is it’s inherent to being Flame artist (or all around VFX artist) to be self sufficient. We often have to take on entire projects alone and often do much of the producing.

I think some of the best pairing for workability is Flame artist + IT engineer or roto artist.

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wait… you guys have social lives? :upside_down_face:

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For me, not really. I cannot recall the last time I felt lonely. Typically there’s 2 to infinity flame artists working on a show with producers and schedulers and engineers and EPs and Directors and clients so usually loneliness is not a feeling i feel. Typically I feel the opposite side of things, but each of our situations is unique. I can absolutely see how certain situations bring loneliness. Based on studio and project structure, it’s of course possible to feel all sorts of ways. Some people thrive on that independence, some not.

Some of work In 1500 person companies. Some of us work in small teams with the same people everyday. Some of us are completely on our own.

The funny thing is during the pandemic I feel far more connected to more people then I ever have. It’s not a natural muscle for me to be social and have genuine relationships. It’s a workout regimen for me. But I make it a point to call people every week and attempt to make meaningful connections.

How does one meet flame artists? Don’t we all have the same therapist? I just ask my therapist to recommend me some friends. :slight_smile:

How does one meet flame artists? You’re doing it now! There’s a bunch of us here. About 1,000. And join the discord. It’s casual and we talk trash and help each other amd share memes and other nonsensicals. It’s a great way to connect with others in a slightly more private way.

If all that isn’t your style, sign up for a Logik Hivemind. We’ll put you in a virtual room for 8 weeks with 5-7 flame artists and force you to build a network. :slight_smile:

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being a card carrying member of the introvert club - i like the isolation of working for hours in a suite on my own.
I have worked jobs with loads of people in and out all day long and its just not for me. I have a colleague in the next edit suite, and we keep the door open between the rooms and thats enough. If i need more contact, there’s nearly 100 people in the building (although none of them are in this industry - the joys of being an in-house facility for a non video company!)

The one thing i missed were the “watercooler moments” when a casual comment could spark a discussion that resolved a particular issue. Now i need to visit Logik for those…but thats fine with me.

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I thought my sense of humor was weird and felt really lonely about that. Until ca.1995 when I found you guys on flame-news. :grimacing:

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Sorry maybe ive been misunderstood,… here’s my first draft of my post maybe its clearer but sorry if it not cleaner ,…

*Anybody else feel lonely when socialising in the outside world ? as there’s not really many of us and nobody outside understands us or understands what a Flame Artist is, I can’t relate to my old school buddies anymore, who have average jobs ie drivers, chefs, property developers, etc,… *

Those who kind a get it, look at me and say “you get paid to do this?”… I once told an old friend about me negotiating a rate, that my client was trying to knock me down $50 dollars, and when i told him what my rate was , he said “you crazy not even whors get that,… just take it”, …I did not…

I give up. When being introduced to my friends friends I actually use say I’m chef, to avoid explaining, …or my friends would say I make porn films for a living ,… made people laugh,…

I doubt many went to school with other flame artist,? maybe some similiar?, … I didnt go to film school,… wish i did.

Maybe some of you just left your old buddies behind and made new ones at work? , …but thats not really the same…right? its nice to have old buddies around, its like family,. but interests change.

Maybe its just me?, i have met another flame artist who feels similar, …maybe its just us, or this Covid world messing with my mind…

Do you only socialise with people in the industry? Maybe this is too personal, maybe im still a kid to be thinking of this ,…

Is anybody else