Role: Senior Generalist / Lead Artist at Paradox Arctic
Graduated: 2011
My name is Frida and I'm a Generalist Artist working in the Game Industry.
Since my graduation from Gscept I never left my hometown Umeå where I got my first internship at Coldwood. I later moved on to Zordix and finally ended up at Paradox Arctic in 2015.
As a generalist I've had very ranging tasks, from VFX, UI and 3D in Magicka 2, Animated 2D Portraits for Stellaris to icons and illustrations for Crusader Kings II and EUIV.
Last three years I've been working as both Art Lead and Director for an unannounced title, also taking on more strategic tasks to lead and develop the studio's art team.
Goin back to the late 90's, my passion has always been playing or modding games. As a teen, reading about game development in the magazine Super Play was one of my guilty pleasures etc. It just happened that I became most talented in the arts, so after high school there was no doubt in my mind to pursue my dream through that route.
My years in Skellefteå would best be described as a creative pink cloud and a stark contrast to "normal school". For the first time I had classmates with the same ambitions and goals as me. I felt right at home. You could say all my energy was directed to creative endeavors, much like a creative boot camp.
I have much to thank Gscept for becoming the person I am today. Beside the broad artistic foundation, the education helped me grow immensely as a person, to a degree I would never have reached on my own.
My best advice for you wanting to join the game industry is to be true to yourself, follow your dreams and ambitions, stay curious and open minded to people’s ideas and don't compromise your passion for some predefined stale image of what a professional artist should be like. Games are a product of close collaboration, so soft skills of communication and being a trustworthy co-worker is just as important as hard technical skills and a good portfolio. Being too passionate usually comes with a price we all know as burnout syndrome, so be kind to yourself, sleep, eat well and take care of your body!
Finally there are so many gains from working in the game industry beside the usually creative tasks, be it having great supportive team members, maintaining a popular title, communicating with players or just working towards an inspiring strategic goal.