Being a solo animator can feel like juggling 100 jobs at once. Artist, director, marketer, accountant, and coffee runner. So is it really possible to turn all that hard work into a living?
Some animators say yes, others say it’s almost impossible without a team or studio behind you. But there are more ways to earn money in the animation industry other than just animating. There’s character design and rigging, creating background art for sale and even teaching your skills to others.
Do you think a solo animator can make money and build a career on their own? Why or why not?
A solo animator can most certainly make money on their own if they have the talent and exploit the right market. However they are much more likely to be stolen from.
I totally agree that your work can be stolen, but I dont think the odds increase just because you go solo. Its hard for even big companies to protect themselves today.
Big companies like alphabet ? who own youtube and contribute to the majority of the IP theft ? Or perhaps big companies like AI makers that train AI on stolen IP ? Sole animators can rarely afford to launch a lawsuit let alone survive failing one , Even if a creator wins there is a possibility the payment will be delayed… I would love to see more solo animators giving it a go for a career.
I wasnt speaking about specific big name companies, nor was I accusing them of theft themselves. What I said was, even big companies have problems protecting their content from theft. I know because I deal with several who have had this issue. My point is that theft is an issue regardless of whether you are an individual or a large company, so I see no additional problems for a developer who wants to run solo rather than be part of a large company. As a solo developer, you have to accept that there will be a certain amount of loss from theft. But not everyone will cheat you.
