Do What You Love

Dan Sexton is an animator. He is also my boyfriend, my best friend and a real life superhero (undisclosed information, keep it to yourselves). In 2012, he founded a YouTube channel called ‘Crunchlins’ (a word we used to call people we didn't like), on which he makes animated, comedy videos. Here's one of my favourite videos, one for the Minecrafters.

I have been with Dan since the first day he began animating, right back to his first video, which was born from hours of work on Paint. In case you weren’t aware, animation is the art of creating constant movement by changing a still image, ever so slightly, a lot of times, to simulate motion. In Dan’s case, these images tend to be those from his favourite video games or original characters that have spawned from his abyss like mind. I started this blog because I wanted something that I could invest effort and creativity in; after university, as I've explained in a previous post, I was left feeling lost. The most frustrating thing was how little focus I had. I'm not a hugely creative person, so I wanted something that had no rules, was free and expressive. From being in this grey zone and witnessing the enjoyment Dan got out of animating, I started to consider how fulfilling it could be to have a personal project to throw myself into. Ergo, welcome to my blog.

You may or may not already know about Crunchlins. If you’re reading this, you may be one of my Facebook or Twitter ‘friends’ who has fallen victim to my furious spamming of news feeds with this unexplained, made-up word (I feel no guilt). Maybe you’re a subscriber, someone Dan has worked with or a close friend. I’m aware it can be hard to read about a topic you have little or no affiliation with, so thank you for getting this far and I hope you enjoy. Both Crunchlins and SarAndBackAgain are places that are open to curious trespassers.

A few days ago, Dan handed in his notice to his daytime job of five years to focus on animation, a move that I'm sure you'll agree takes a certain amount of courage. Although he will be passing into a zone that isn't quite the security he’s used to, he will be in complete control of his career and there is no concern in my mind about his decision because of his relentless drive to succeed. His list of achievements is continually growing. Although he’s working ridiculously hard, I can tell he’s elated and loves what he does. I don’t mean it lightly when I say that I’m proud of him. Isn't it everyone's dream to find a job they love? If Dan was a superhero, I think his superpower would be having the courage to do what he loves and inspiring others to do the same; he has certainly inspired me. The moral of this story is to have the courage to do what makes you happy. This could mean changing your attitude to your existing job, quitting a job you feel nothing but hate for, or taking time to explore a new, more enjoyable career path.  I thought it would be nice to 'interview' Dan so he could tell you a bit more about what he does, to give you some tips if you feel like trying it yourself, and to show you that being brave can reap the rewards.

Why did you choose animation?

"Growing up I always wanted to be a cartoonist, more for comics and I pretty much drew all the time. A friend of mine in school who did some animation got me interested and then I started to do it just for fun, to show my friends."

Any tips for budding animators?

"There is a free 30 day trial of Adobe Flash CS6, that’s the programme I use to animate, so it’s worth getting the trial before you buy the full version, because it’s a daunting programme if you’re new to it. Take your time with animation, you won’t get a cartoon out every day, the production time is a lot longer than many realise. Refine your skills. I like to design my characters on paper first, then practice them, that way you become familiar with them and you can get them onto a computer fast. I recommend starting with a Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet, which is the most basic model and costs around 50 pounds."

What are the hardest parts of the job and have you ever doubted yourself?

"The feedback. I've done animations that have been seen by people who aren't my subscribers and sometimes they can be negative and narrow minded. It used have an effect on me and would demotivate me but you get the positive feedback too, which is so helpful, especially if it’s constructive. The worst comments I've ever been given are ‘Why would somebody even make an animation out of this crap’ which was great as you can imagine, and ‘This video gave me aids’, which I actually found hilarious because the implication was bad, but the person writing it was clearly an absolute dick monkey. Those people are always the ones who come out at the bottom. I only doubt myself when feedback is irrelevant and harsh, but you have to remember that there’s an audience for everything. I love animating so much and there is a genuine market for people who do it, so the doubt never stops me."

What do you love the most about being an animator?

"I love putting out new animations because it’s so satisfying to see it all together, you built it up from scratch, make something non-existent full of sound and colour. I love doing the arty side, so character design, especially recreating my own version of old characters I love. I really enjoy writing with friends, we voice together and the improvisations always make me laugh."

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to become self-employed?

"If you have a passion, keep doing it, don’t be held back by anyone, push your way forward. If it’s something that you can take or leave, maybe you don’t want to actually do it. For me, when I started animating it was the only thing on my mind, so it was easy to work out that I wanted to do it. Focus on the dreams you want to bring into your income and try and find a way that you can achieve them. Discipline yourself. You can’t just say, “I like playing football so I’ll play it in my garden for a few days and then I’ll be pro”, you've got to put in the work and take on board improvements and what people say, especially from others in the industry (note, being told what you’re doing is ‘gay’ is not constructive material for improvement). A year and a half ago, my first animation was two stick figures and since then I've developed my characters so much."

What are your hopes for the future?

"I’m hoping to expand my YouTube channel. I have a new production schedule which is the beginning of that. I’ll have new cartoons up every other Friday. I will continue to make shorts and sketch shows, maybe one day see my cartoons in between shows on TV, it’d be cool to be part of something big, maybe a TV series like Adventure Time or a childhood cartoon brought back."

Are you actually a superhero?

"I need to speak to my lawyer."

You’ll find his animations at http://youtube.com/Crunchlins, have a look, laugh, enjoy and if you’re feeling particularly neighbourly, share some love. Other than the questions I've asked him, he has no idea about the content of this blog post. I love being sneaky. To Dan, this is a big thank you for all the support you give me and keep up the good work. To my readers, I hope you are doing something in life that makes you happy.