So, I’ve been meaning to share this little journey of mine. It’s about tackling something new, something I’ve been calling my “lewandowski young” project. Not because it’s about football, mind you, but because it reminded me of how raw talent, that “young” potential, needs a ton of work before it shines. Like how you hear about guys like Lewandowski, not born superstars, but built through sheer grit from a young age.
My Brilliant Idea Hits a Wall
Anyway, I got this bug to learn something completely out of my comfort zone. I decided I wanted to get into, believe it or not, making my own simple animations. Seemed fun, right? Saw all these cool little clips online, thought, “How hard can it be?” Famous last words, honestly. I downloaded some free software, watched a couple of tutorials, and dived in. And boy, was I terrible. My first attempts looked like a toddler had scribbled something after spinning around ten times. Seriously, it was bad. Really bad.
I almost threw in the towel right there. I’m talking after maybe two days. I was thinking, “Okay, maybe this isn’t for me. I’m too old for this, too set in my ways.” That frustration was real, you know? You see the cool end product, but the getting-there part is a mess.
The “Lewandowski Young” Mentality Shift
Then, while I was grumbling and about to uninstall everything, I had this thought. I remembered reading about how Lewandowski wasn’t always the polished goal machine he is now. He had his struggles, his setbacks, especially when he was younger, moving to new leagues, adapting. But the guy just kept grinding. That’s when I started calling my animation attempts my “lewandowski young.” It was clumsy, unrefined, barely showing any promise, but maybe, just maybe, with enough work, it could become something. Something at least I could be proud of.
So, I decided to change my approach. Instead of trying to make a masterpiece overnight, I focused on the grind, the basics. Here’s what I did, more or less:
- I broke everything down into tiny, tiny steps. Like, just learning to make a ball bounce. Properly.
- I set aside just 30 minutes a day. No more, no less. Consistency over intensity, that was the new motto.
- I found one tutorial series by a guy who explained things super simply, no fancy jargon. Stuck with that.
- I stopped comparing my scribbles to professional work. That’s a killer, that comparison game.
A Little Bit of Progress
And you know what? Slowly, painstakingly slowly, things started to click. My bouncing ball actually started to look like a bouncing ball. Then I managed a little stick figure walk cycle. It wasn’t Pixar, not by a long shot. But it was mine. I’d taken this “lewandowski young” – this raw, fumbling effort – and coached it into something that had a tiny bit of life.
The other day, I even managed to create a super short, 10-second animation of a character waving. My kids actually recognized what it was supposed to be! That was a big win, let me tell you. A huge win.
Still a Long Way to Go, But That’s Okay
I’m still very much a beginner. My “lewandowski young” is still very much in its early training days. But the point of me sharing this isn’t about becoming a pro animator. It’s about that process. About not giving up when things look hopeless at the start. About understanding that anything new you try is going to be a bit wobbly and awkward – it’s going to be “young” and need nurturing. It’s a good reminder, I think, especially when we’re so used to seeing polished final versions of everything and forget the messy journey.
So yeah, that’s my little story. Maybe it helps someone else stick with their own “young” project. It’s worth it, even for the small wins.
