2009 Flash Animators' New Year's Resolutions

What will you strive to achieve in 2009? Here are just a few of my goals as an animator, to help improve my skills and expand my knowledge in the New Year. Breaking your New Year's resolutions is as much of a tradition as making them, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway. What are your resolutions for 2009?

Resolution No. 1: Finally upgrade to the latest version of Flash.

I don't know about you, but I've been stalling on upgrading from Adobe Flash Animations CS3 to Adobe Flash CS4. I want to, but lately I haven't really worked on any projects where the enhancements offered by the newest Flash would really benefit me, and I've been eyeing the price tag rather dubiously. With how often Adobe's been turning out versions lately, sometimes I wonder if I should wait.

Resolution No. 2: Find a new job.

Ever had that job that drove you absolutely batty? I think we all have. For me it's not About.com; I love it here. One of my smaller side jobs, though, is making me gnash my teeth. When that happens, it's time to move on and look into upgrading the old career. 2009 will hopefully see a change in the economy, so the job market may soon look good for all of us.

Resolution No. 3: Expand network contacts.

You can never know enough people when you're an animator, whether freelance Web Design Training or otherwise. You never know when someone that you met at SIGGRAPH may do you a good turn later when you're looking for work, or when the person who struck up a conversation in the checkout queue at the market might turn into your latest freelance customer. Keep business cards with you at all times, and resolve to branch out and expand your network of contacts.

Resolution No. 4: Take a class.

That's right, take a class - any class. You'll find inspiration for animation in surprising places; you might take a class on German language and suddenly be inspired to create an Flash Animations on the history of bratwurst. ...all right, that may be a cheesy example, but you get the idea. Learning is often a source of inspiration, and if you don't want to take a random class, take an art class - sculpture, painting, sketching. Improving your artistic skills in one area will always reflect in improvements in your animation skills, and may inspire a fresh new shift in your style.