1. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you’re stuck.
2. Don’t underestimate the importance of rest—it’s essential for both work and progress.
3. Striving for absolute realism isn’t always necessary; develop the skill of tasteful exaggeration.
4. Don’t get too attached to your work—it may be revised or discarded, and that’s often beyond your control.
5. Soft skills can sometimes advance your career more than hard skills. For example, a well-pitched design is often more valued than an interesting concept you can’t present effectively.

1. Create a personal reference library, organized into folders with a system that suits your search needs.
2. Utilize tools like Bridge Unreal for free assets and Blender add-ons such as Hard Ops.
3. Use Photoshop actions, shortcuts, and hotkeys to save time.
4. ShotDeck for finding references.
5. ChatGPT to streamline research—summarizing articles, extracting key points, and finding historical or character design references.

I’d rate my creative freedom at 8 out of 10, but it depends on the task. Sometimes there are strict guidelines, while other times I have complete freedom within a given theme.