Elliot discusses the topic of working as a foreign citizen in the concept art industry.
Q My name is Reza and I have a question. As a foreign citizen, do I have the opportunity to become a concept artist and work abroad on a full-time basis? And if so, what do you think are the best ways to get that full-time job as a foreign citizen? I come from a country that does not have concept art as a job profession (Indonesia), so I have a plan to work in a studio that is not from my country (especially US). What do you think about it?
- Find a studio that offers relocation assistance
- Enroll in a US university, find an internship at a game studio, then get hired full-time as a concept artist.
- Find work in another profession that has more demand than concept artist, then, slowly transition to a concept artist career (assuming I get a chance)
I guess this plan is quite messy, but that’s because I didn’t have that much luxury in terms of money to go travel and become an international citizen and live in another country, so this what I can think about for now.
By the way, thank you for all the educational content you provided at bigbadworldofconceptart.com is very helpful in improving my knowledge to become a concept artist.
A Your problem is one that I am familiar with and have had several aspiring artists in a similar positions, contact me for advice. In fact, I just published an article that you should definitely read on the BBWCA website. The short answer is: Yes, you can become a professional concept artist (which is a huge challenge in itself), but since you live outside of the US, things get even more daunting. Unlike artists born in the US, who only have to worry about getting the right education, you will also have to worry about finding sustainable employment once you’ve graduated. Looking ahead, if you return to Indonesia, you will likely need to find international clients and work for them on a freelance basis. So, basically, you are right – you will have to move to another country. The question, though, should be: “where?”
Of the three options you listed, I think your plan to enroll in a US based art university, is your best one, but getting an F1 Student Visa can be a bit difficult these days with the current administration in the U.S. government. Before making any plans to come to the U.S., you should definitely read up on the current immigration laws affecting student entry into the United States. You should also know that in the USA, F1 visa holders cannot accept off-campus employment at anytime during the first year of their studies. Under certain circumstances, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) may grant permission to accept off-campus employment after one year of study. You should check before assuming that you will be able to work while enrolled in school here in America.
As an alternative, I suggest that you seek out concept art schools that are not in the US, but are equally as competitive. (like Syn Studios, Montreal, or FZD, Singapore). You should look for a country that has not only good schools, but several video game studios that can offer potential employment. You’ll have to do a bit of research here, but it can make the world of difference down the road. For a list of international concept art schools, visit the BBWCA website. To see what video game studios are out there, visit the GameDevMap website.
Hopefully this puts things into perspective and gives you a realistic idea of what to expect.
Best of luck
-Eliott
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