Arrived in LA

Well, arrived a few days ago here in Hollywood from Japan. I still can't believe I am here. Talk about culture shock! LA couldn't be more opposite to Tokyo. I chose this area since the school is just a few minutes walk or bike ride. It's not the nicest area (strip commercial stuff, industrial area close by) but makes the to/from school easy. And its only for 9 weeks. Will get a bike to make it even easier. Not having a car in L.A. is like a huuuuge disadvantage - this is a car culture for sure. But, I'll be so busy with school maybe i wont feel the pain of it? I hope...

I am attending a 9-week course series at the The Gnomon School of Visual Effects to learn Maya. For those that don't know, Maya is the leading 3d application used in film and TV. It's an incredibly huge open-ended program that can do just about anything a person might want to do in 3d and more. But it's not so friendly to learn or intuitive, so the learning curve is quite long. I wanted to transition to this program from 3ds max, which i have been using for many years in the shortest time possible and at the same time learn the techniques the studio guys use to make awesome 3d but in a fast, correct workflow. Hence coming to Gnomon. The School is also very well known in the 3d community as being the best out there. They offer onsite classes, online learning, DVDs, and more. Anyone who does 3d knows about this place.

The last year in Japan, work was a bit scarce and I felt my skills (and motivation) decreasing so I think I need this to get back to where I was, and even go beyond that. I want to be able to create the highest level CG that I can and see how far I can evolve as a professional. It was either that or become an english teacher to stay in Japan, which I said I would never do (not that there is anything wrong with that). I have tried to visit a few areas, like Japantown, to have some feeling of Japan, speak Japanese with people, but it's just not the same : (

What will I do after the class? Well, that depends. I really want to go back to Japan, to be honest. I already miss being there and learning Japanese, my girlfriend, meeting my friends, and so many other things. But not finding the right fit for a job was tough and I am not old enough to retire and live on my millions. ha. If there is a way to go back and find satisfying work with a good future, then I will by all means. In the meantime, will see what I can here in California or maybe head over to NYC since there is always work to be found in both those areas. Well see.

Do I like being here and back in the US? Well, let's just say I am happy to be busy again and learning from such talented artists. For now, that's my focus. My mind is here, but my heart is still in Japan.