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There will be days where noth ...
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Source: http://nathanbryan.net/AnimatorOnTheRun.xml

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<title>Animator on the Run</title>
<link>http://nathanbryan.net/AnimatorOnTheRun/</link>
<description>They say that an animator has to live, eat and breath animation. This may be true but an animator must also move. I guess it takes an animator to understand t he true importance of movement to art but all art needs movement. I am a running animator. My sport supports my art. If you feel unconfident that you can run and be artistic, this feed is to prove to you that mvement only helps you accomplish more. Be more.</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<managingEditor>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</managingEditor>
<copyright>Nathan Bryan </copyright>
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<title>Animator on the Run</title>
<link>http://nathanbryan.net/AnimatorOnTheRun/</link>
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<item>
<title><div id="BlogPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">For the Fun of it</a></title>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Feb 2014 10:05:36 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000007</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">00000007</guid>
<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[In the words of a great cat, “Happy, happy, joy, joy”;
 <?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
There will be days where nothing will bring you down and nothing can hurt you.  The beautiful sun will wrap its arms around you and protect you from the cold wind and strong moon will bring delightful dreams of love and adventure…  You will have days like those and you will have days that make you doubt the sun will ever shine again and that your dreams will forever be of failure and anger.
 
An artist is forced to remind himself that he did not become an artist for fame, glory or money but for the joy of doing something greater then yourself.  An artist must also make the decision that doing something other then art is sometimes important for survival.  We have to remind ourselves that the art is fun and sometimes fun has to be set aside for the lives that all people must live.  There will be weekends and evenings that will give you freedom to have fun because the job of an artist is not that playing but that of doing what we like between breaths of life.
 
Many of my running friends already see where this is headed.  They know the challenges of a runner and the strategies for running long distances and fast paces.  Runners understand the exhaustion of that comes out of injury and the joy of running at the end of a long day.
What we must all understand is that most of us will not get to run all day every day; we must live between runs and deal with the challenges of life.  Walk through your day proud; stand as much as possible, dance when you can, breath and repeat.
 
I have been asked how I do everything that I do.  How do I accomplish as much as I do in a long day?  Life is not about how much you can accomplish to me but how much you can experience.  How much of life can you drink in?  Are you fast enough in your lifetime to know what it means to be big and small?  Are you strong enough to know what it means to be powerful and gentle; to break and create?
 
We all have our own paths in life and sometimes the path winds away from your goal before it winds back towards what you want out of life.  Find time to enjoy even these adventures and learn new lessons that you would never have expected.
 <o:p></o:p>In the words of a great pig, Hakuna Matata.
</div>]]></description>
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<item>
<title><div id="BlogPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">Music</a></title>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:04:57 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000006</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">00000006</guid>
<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[The balance of the soul;
 <?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
One of the most confusing aspects of running to those who do not run is how someone could possibly enjoy waking up at 3:00AM to go for a run.  The very thought of it causes pain to the average person.  Exhausted, hungry, chafing, sore, pushing yourself to a limit that the mind doesn’t naturally chose.
 <o:p></o:p>
This reminds me of my first semester of my animation degree.  When I started, it was hard to stay up until 2:00AM and have to wake up a 6:30AM to go to receive more work to do.  You start by making a game of it.  How many days can you go on 4 and a half hours of sleep…  How many days can you go on 3 hours of sleep….  How many days can you go without sleep as you finish your finals?
 <o:p></o:p>
After a while you find something that makes it easier to wake up at your most tired.  For me this was music.  Music is great for regulating the patterns of the heart and the body.  Dancing is one of the oldest known forms of meditation.  In times where life was slow, the music was a steady drum and a harrowing flute.  Music today isn’t good unless it has an entire drum set, a base guitar or an entire ensemble of instruments whose names are rather hard to pronounce.
 <o:p></o:p>
I recently watched a movie that discussed the two aspects of music.  The symbolism of the film held that the lyrics were that of love and the melody was that of sex.  How simplified this symbolism has become.  It used to be that music was a story and that every instrument was a character that intertwined with one another in a dynamic play on sound and image.  String instruments had an allure while horn instruments reminded us of what lies beyond death and the drums held the pattern of the universe in tow.  High-pitched sounds played a more humorous event while deep vibrations held sadness of lost love.
 <o:p></o:p>
Back to the point:  Choosing the right music for the right action is important.  The heart beat can be bound by the right music and your foot steps can be given structure by the light trappings of the drums in a happy song.  The heart provides oxygen the brain and the brain wakes the body.
 <o:p></o:p>
In animation, character and personality fall into great importance.  Every character has their own speed at doing things and their movements have their own smoothness and poise.  In a song, listening to the guitar in an old western song has a specific feel and timing while the feeling of this Avril Lavign song that I am listening to now has an entirely different sound and feel.  Both have a prominent guitar but the character is different.
 <o:p></o:p>

<a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/t31/328242_471546206199916_62394131_o.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 50%" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/t31/328242_471546206199916_62394131_o.jpg" align="left"></a>
Before a run, a playlist needs to be mixed that enforces the speed I am looking to run.  At 3 in the morning, I am concentrating on the music, as there is nothing to see in the pitch of the shadows from my light.  I listen to the characters of the songs and the instruments and imagine the characters interacting.  The Durugadorous has a couple of characters that will be interacting as well as the logo animations.
Would a song make sense as the personality of a crow or a fisherman?  What makes for a funnier story with two characters?
 <o:p></o:p>
Whether you are an artist reading this blog or a runner looking for inspiration, pay attention to the personalities of the songs.
</div>]]></description>
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<item>
<title><div id="FeaturedPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">Running with the Ravens</a></title>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Feb 2014 09:11:08 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000006</link>
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<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[The balancing act of the birds;
 <?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
2 days a week, I commute to work where I tutor students in groups of 1-3 depending on the day.  This last week I had a slow day due to Valentines Day, I think.  I had some hours to work on private projects while I wait.  I cannot bring myself to work on something for another employer while on the job but I can work on my own stuff.
 <o:p></o:p>
The idea for this project came from running and the animals I see while running.  Unless you run, you could not imagine the kind or life vanishes when they notice you are near.  
 <o:p></o:p>

<a href=" http://nathanbryan.net/index.html"><img style="WIDTH: 50%" src=" https://secure-b.vimeocdn.com/ts/440/074/440074214_295.jpg" align="left"></a>
My logo is a fox wrapped around a spark.  I wanted to bring this concept to life and the secret story behind it.  I associate animation with the flame and the movement of the fox there is bounciness to both.  The fox, however, is only one of my skills and no longer shows the vastness of my skills.  A redesign is in order and what better way to show this then with a full animation.
 <o:p></o:p>
I have been designing with this for a while and need it to be just right.  
<a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1619180_809741862375270_246918562_n.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 100%" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1619180_809741862375270_246918562_n.jpg" align="left"></a>
I drew and started modeling the first character for this a while ago but the overall shape was not reading correctly.  I started over.
 <o:p></o:p>
This is a Raven.  I see many of them on my runs and, living in the country, get regular chances to study them up close.  They are different then crows and show a bit of a darker image then its smaller cousin.

<a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/524077_623866374296154_1621547032_n.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 50%" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/524077_623866374296154_1621547032_n.jpg" align="left"></a>
My first version held more true to the shape of a crow then what I wanted.  
 <o:p></o:p>
I spent the day drawing raven images off the internet and making diagrams and only after I had grasped the hunched-over menacing shape of the raven, did I draw a couple of images to start modeling.
 <o:p></o:p>
What is the Raven regarding my skills you may ask?  I guess you will have to find out when it is done.  A few hints for you; I chose a Raven instead of a crow because of its gliding motion and it is a bird which comes with a special king of difficulty.
 <o:p></o:p>
The shape of your life must start with a plan.
</div>]]></description>
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<item>
<title><div id="BlogPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">Starting Over</a></title>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:33:42 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000005</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">00000005</guid>
<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[There is nothing wrong with admitting that you have failed;
Everyone has a hard time admitting that they have failed and everyone fails from time to time. Understanding that the only true failing is giving up is sometimes the acknowledgment that you will kill yourself smashing your head into a wall even if it takes you years. Everyone fails every now and then and the important part is what you do after failure. This is what is called starting over. 
Isn’t starting over the repetition of the same mistakes? 
<a href=" http://vimeo.com/29237073"><img style="WIDTH: 50%" src=" http://nathanbryan.net/Images/Horses.jpg" align="left"></a>
I have been told that I am an expert at starting over and starting over does not mean repeating yourself. The value of experience is priceless. I animated a horse all the way through one time only to decide I broke it and had to start over. I knew what I had done wrong and I knew how to do it correctly. An animation that took me 5 weeks was done in 2 days. I never could have finished this 2 day animation without 5 weeks of experience. 
I loved that class by the way. I started over many times on each of the animations because I liked animals. The class was to teach us about animating animals. I didn’t end up taking everything exactly how I learned it but boy did I get a lot of information to incorporate into my own style. Lead with the hips because that is where the weight resides. Block in the whole pose for each key important pose. 
When I became a runner, I met many others who were interested in running. When you begin, there is the desire to run every day and all year around and to run hard and fast. With that kind of momentum and duration, you are going to injure yourself. It may take a month or more likely, a week, but it is going to happen. 
If you think I am suggesting that you slow down, I am not. You have to begin running with whatever drives you initially have. We all run for our own reasons and if you push that reason out of the way then you will lose your drive to continue. 
When you injure yourself, take the time off to heal but understand that you will have to “start over”. When you are ready to begin again, remember what injured you the first time and take it into account. Injury and starting over is a part of learning. When you “start over”, you will not only hold the lesson of the mistake that you made but your body will also be better prepared to stand up against that specific kind of injury. 
Happy Belated Valentines! 
</div>]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><div id="BlogPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">The Long Run</a></title>
<pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2014 07:47:57 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000004</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">00000004</guid>
<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[Step by step we finish;
There are many runs in our life but the most memorable is the long run.  We runners are proud of the distance we run whether it was slow or fast.  I can run a 6 minute mile or I can run 20 miles.  The greater the number, the greater the feat(Pun fully intended).
Many people who do not run view running as an arrogant sport.  The glory falls to you alone as the sport is not often run in teams.  Runners proudly show off their medals weeks after their race even though it is just a finishers medal.  There is nothing like the feeling of finishing your first half marathon, first marathon, first ultra marathon.  I still have my first 3rd place age group medal in my bag for those interested in seeing it.
Why shouldn't a runner be proud of our accomplishments?  Never before that race have we felt like we could even accomplish such a distance.  How about all accomplishments?  Can't I be proud of my last model as greatly...  Or my last rig...  Or my last animation?  Each of these accomplishments require a long run.  Each has a journey and each reinforce the same lessons.
Most long term long distance runners understand where the strongest running happens and when the speed happens and where to concentrate their efforts.  When getting ready for a run, I dress appropriately and prepare my timing method.  My Garmin beeps in excitement and support.  I have my nutrition ready and I press the button to start.  My heart is still at a resting pace so I start slow, conserving my energy for later in the run.  As my heart rate builds, I push my speed faster.
During the run, I have specific times that I refuel(No random snacking).  As I am in the long run, I am concentrating on the task at hand and not admiring the mountain sides or stopping to get pictures of the cows looking at me like I am stupid for moving so quickly without something chasing me.
At any time, something can go wrong that will cause me to slow down a little.  I assess the damage on the fly and react in small amounts.  The first third of the run requires me to find a pattern and build up my strength to keep that pattern.  The second third is for beating away at that pattern and keeping my heart rate level and even.  The last third of the run is the toughest as this is when everyone starts getting tired.  The goal is to push hardest and work the hardest to keep your pace up.  The exhaustion only serves to relax your muscles and tendons.  The most efficient and functional running happens at the end of a run.  No matter how tired you are, you keep the effort high.
No matter what you are working on, the most efficient work happens in the last third of the project.  The most beautiful art comes from your last bit of work on the project.  Reserve your energy for this point.
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sign-language-sammi-signs/id687476395?mt=8"><img style="WIDTH: 50%" src="http://nathanbryan.net/Images/Sammi.jpg" align="left"></a> The project that I am working on right now is simple and short game animations for an iphone app for young students of Sign Language.  The first set is out and I am working on the second.  Check it out.
Run on and run strong.
</div>]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><div id="BlogPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">A Small Mouse</a></title>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:48:55 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000003</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">00000003</guid>
<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[A world from a tiny mouse;
<img style="WIDTH: 50%" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1/390479_519285764754216_1437865791_n.jpg" align="left">When running this morning, I was reminded of a story I once knew...  Well, many stories actually.  In a story, bravery has been widely recognized as important.  The main character needs to be brave against all odds to keep the story moving forward right?
It was dark at 3:00 in the morning when I went for my run.  Needless to say, the creatures of the night are not expecting a brightly glowing, slightly loud human to be wobbling along the thin path of the empty highway.  Owls screech in warning, coyotes play in the distance, pigs rustle in the bushes and most importantly mice scurry about.
The smallest of the creatures and assuredly the most scared that I see on my morning runs scurry down their holes as quickly as possible when they fall into the cone of bright light emanating from a belt around my waist but that is not the end of the story.  These little animals have no ounce of bravery when they are running away from me but as they don't see the spectacle of me running down the street often, they choose to pop their head out of their holes one last time as I pass.
This catches my attention because I can see their glittery little eyes as I pass.  It is curiosity that keeps them in sight.  Their inquisitive minds interest in me makes them take a second look.
One of the most important and often forgotten aspects of animation(among my students at least) is the recognition of organized thought organized into action.  In other words; ACTING.
When I see these mice pop their heads back out of their holes, I am not thinking, aw how cute.  I am thinking, what would drive these incredibly terrified creatures to risk a second look.  Their lives are on the line at all times and they are more interested in me then their fear pushes them to escape.
How can I use this in an animation?  There is the most immediately recognized manner of animating a terrified curious mouse or there is a more regular slightly less recognized manner.  With an two characters interacting.  One will always be more timid, docile and silent.  What could drive this character to stop running from confrontation with the more confident character and confront whatever fear is holding him back.
The more confident character might also have a fear forcing him to put on a facade of strength and obnoxiousness.  What would it look like if he found the one emotional response that gives him the real emotional depth to withstand his fear and bight his lip or simply relax out of concern out of the fear of losing his friend because of how he is acting.
A simple mouse drives so many stories.  The ideas flow from a simple concept rolling around in my head on a 40 minute run.
Go run for 40 minutes today and see what you see.
</div>]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><div id="BlogPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">The Heartbeat of the World</a></title>
<pubDate>Wed, 5 Feb 2014 07:49:47 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000002</link>
<guid isPermaLink="false">00000002</guid>
<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[A simple implausible clock;
"Clocks have recently been a theme for me."  I am not completely sure why but I keep noticing them in the most random of places and find myself thinking about them when I should be thinking about other things.  Today, I was going to talk about heartbeats and their significance to both animation and running.  Instead, as I am dwelling on the subject of clocks and time and ticking, I will discuss another rather important topic and save the heart for another day.
There are many kinds of clocks.  Clocks for decoration and clocks for efficiency.  Clocks for telling time and clocks for measuring time.  With running, we now have clocks for comparing time to our speed and even clocks that have little to do with time.  We carry busy schedules and only chose to think about time when we are running late or when someone close to us has run out of time.  More and more people are forgetting the importance of time and the reason why we have clocks.
<img <img style="width:50%;" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/25049_562408203775305_1560727316_n.jpg?lvh=1" align="left">The old clocks used to tick loudly and needed to be reset every so often.  Clock towers would exist in every town to announce when people needed to be at church and when high noon was...  Why high noon you may ask?  Because every town had their own time and trains transporting people through towns needed to know when to set their clocks to 12 or reset their clocks as the case may be.  Trains would reach the town before noon and the clock would remind passengers that they were in a new time before they missed getting on the next train to their next location.
<img style="width:50%;" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/t1/1456130_764585953557528_1025684847_n.jpg" align="left">How is this important to art?  How is this important to running?  I use three separate watches during my day.  This is significant considering time.  Once, long ago, people were lucky to own a watch.  I now wear a Garmin that gives me pin point accurate readings for pace, heart rate, GPS signals, VO2 Max readings and with the help of my computer graphs them out for me.  I use this watch solely to measure my run.  When I work, I use an "app" that measures time between tapping and releasing a button on my iphone thus relinquishing data unto me of the number of frames that would exist in that time period in an animated video. Its name, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fps-calculate/id325563937?mt=8"> FPS Calculate</a> I have another watch that I wear for decoration on minimal occasions.  It is a small cheap gold colored skeletal jewlized fob pocket watch. I wind it and set the time every now and then but rarely use it.
I dont have a watch to tell me if I am running late, I have a digital calendar on my phone. The original use of a watch is hardly existent today.  Neither is the soothing sound of a good old fashioned watch.  People used to let their kids hold onto their watches to sooth themselves to sleep and clock-makers can tell the efficiency of a watch by that sound.  I love that sound.
I know my subject of today's blog is not supposed to be about the heart but that is precisely the importance I see of a good watch.  It mimics the heart ticking away.  Some day all clocks will stop so whether it is an old fob watch or an expensive Garmin, relish in the fact that time ticks forward.
Thank you Grampie for the time you spent here.
</div>]]></description>
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<item>
<title><div id="FeaturedPost"><a style="text-decoration:none; font-size:20pt;">Introduction</a></title>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jan 2014 14:29:46 -0800</pubDate>
<link>00000001</link>
<author>natbryan@gmail.com (Nathan Bryan)</author>
<description><![CDATA[A curious blog;
Welcome friends.  It may seem to be a curious decision for blogs;  How running helps animation, animation is a very static art where we don't carry large amounts of equipment.  We don't have to move rapidly to accomplish some miraculous task of creating massive sculptures or impressive architecture.  Instead, we are defined more as artists by the amount that we sit in front of a computer or sit in front of a drawing table.
That being said, there are some ways that being active does help an animator.  I am not talking solely about the basic losing weight and living longer that you hear in health blogs.  This is not a blog to show animators how to be skinny nor is it a blog for runners to be artistic.  This is a simple informative moving document about the life of an artist and how I seek balance.
As an artist, I hear people tell me how they would never be able to do that and as a runner, I hear the same.  I would like to dispel the impossible and give you an image of how determination and resolve lead to accomplishing what one does not believe within their realm of control.
I would like, in the process, to share with you the accomplishments and goals that I set for myself as both an artist and a runner.  This is my first major blog but bear with me as this is neither my first, second, third or even fourth on my list of importance in my week.  The most time, I find, is in the duration of my commute on the train when I commute into the city twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Now, on with the fun...  My last major accomplishment as an animator/rigger has been a couple of rigs for some larger projects.  They are still in progress and I will be sharing them with you as I work on the.  To see some of my work, head on over to my main website's Demo Reel page.  I started as a high school student with an interest in drawing animation styles.  I think anime was highly popular at the time.  I am learning to love some of the other styles out there right now.
<img style="width:50%;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/537290_768229529859837_1850419693_n.jpg" align="left">My last major accomplishment as a runner was a race this last December.  I ran the Brazen Summit Rock Half Marathon.  It wasn't an incredible time for me and I fell during it but it is impressive for me because I got third place in my age group.  This was the first medal I had received other than the generic finishers medals.
When I run, I am usually thinking math.  Some people blank out and some people think about what they are having for dinner or dwelling on arguments from earlier in the day or even about what they will be doing on the weekend.  When i run, I am thinking about time, pace and heart rate calculations.  I am thinking about beats per minute, cadence.  These are the same beats used to time out my animations.  So, while other animators are using a calculator to time everything out, I can rely a little more on my instincts.
An artist's best tool is his instincts.
</div>]]></description>
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