Personal Development
5 steps to get your 3D REALLY going
August 11, 2010
It´s a wonderful morning here in Stockholm, still summer and nice weather. I felt like writing about REALLY getting you on the right track…
There are so many paths to take, so many things to learn – and all the knowledge may at times seem overwhelming. I know the feeling. And here´s how I tackle that:
1. Find your passion. Sounds easy, but yet again – there are many things to choose from. You know when you´re passionate about something, when you loose track of time and feel like a kid playing with a bunch of colored crayons for the first time.
If you still haven´t found what you´re passionate about, then go out there and test different things. Try modelling, doing different kind of renders, different approaches and various styles. Try changing the mood of an image, or using different characters / objects / props.
Maybe you like to merge pieces of a render into a final composite, or do animation. How about editing animation or even adding sound? Selling your art? Helping others?
Take a look at other artists… Often, when you feel envious of some other artists work, then that may be an indication that you want to go in that direction.
You will know when you find it… 
2. Don´t get discouraged by all the fantastic artists out there… No matter how far you will make it, there will always be artists that are better than you, and artists that are less good than you. It´s just part of the reality.
Get inspired by them and don´t let them ruin your own journey.
3. When you find something you like to do, stick with it. Improve your skills by taking small steps each day. Progress is made over a longer period of time. So again, this can´t be rushed into.
When you make progress, even the smallest step – make sure you reward yourself. Most artists are very hard on themselves. You can see that from the words they speak, and from the words they write.
4. The moment you feel down for some reason, stop doing what you do and break the pattern. Do something else. Maybe another project or simply something non 3D. The thing is, and I know this from my own experience – artists often push themselves over the edge. Real progress is not made by force… It should be fun!
5. Make sure that you´re surrounded with people that help you and push you to move forward. Developing your skills in 3D and moving forward, may at times seem impossible. That´s when you need to be around people that really care for you and that make you feel good.
Allright, that´s it! That´s the 5 steps to quickly get your 3D REALLY going forward.
Let me know what you think! If you like this post, don´t forget to share it with your friends… 
Thanks a bunch!
Posted in 
Why positive thinking alone doesn´t work and what I did to deserve my wife Jeanette…
May 30, 2010
Ok, this one is going to be nasty…
Raw…
…and unsensored.
From time to time, I get emails from artists that open themselves up and reveal big chunks of their lifes. They talk about their problems and stuff going on their end.
First of all, I want to say thank you for your trust in me.
Second, it´s an act of great courage – and it takes LOTS of it to write the emails I get.
For that – you guys should be very PROUD of yourselves…
The other day, I did get a very long and emotional email from an artist that was having some serious issues. She revealed her childhood and all the issues she faced then – and today.
She felt that positive thinking didn´t work for her…
In fact, she ENVIED me that it worked for me and that I was some kind of a lucky guy that didn´t have to deal with difficult times…
She wrote that she tried and failed to improve her life several times…
And that her experience was that for every positive step she took, some bad things happened and ruined the whole thing.
Her email inspired me to write todays blog post…
I have deep empathy for all the pain others feel in their lifes…
…because I´ve been there.
And now – let´s be BRUTALLY honest here…
Let me tell you some facts about my own life… And how positive thinking is part of a bigger puzzle… And why it doesn´t work – when used the wrong way.
Frankly – how it can be counterproductive…
I was born poor in Poland. When I was at an age of 7, there was a state of war in Poland, where tanks and military guys where all over the city.
That was SCARY as hell…
We had food stamps – and had to count the food we bought.
When we moved to Sweden a few years later, we were living by – but were still poor. I had a broken, used bicycle, where my friends had new ones with 27 gears. I had cheap, ugly clothes, where my class mates had new fashion clothes.
I was frozen out…
I took various jobs after dropping out of school with ZERO grades.
NONE!
I started to drink, take pills and felt like a wreck.
And this was going on for years!
Believe me, I wanted to take my life several times – and I was close to – damn close to.
I had a high speed car “accident” (I don´t belive in accidents, things happen for a reason) where my car hit a bridge reiling and was totally demolished. The only reason I´m still alive is becuase I had my seat belt on and that the bridge reiling was strong enough.
But it was bended like butter…
My car looked like a pile of squashed metal. There was nothing left of it… There was a scary free fall of 30 meters straight down – so talk about an angel that saved me that day.
I survived that day and was able to continue doing what I did…
This was my reality…
I´ve been fighting with peoeple…
I´ve been angry…
I´ve been depressed for 20 years…
Diagnosed with borderline…
My best best friend died in cancer…
My wife Jeanette have had some MAJOR health challenges.
Recently we found out that her father has cancer in his blood.
Her grandmother died in cancer and was an alcoholic..
Her grandfather drowned himself…
Her first love died in an car crash…
I could easily write a long list of friends and relatives that have had strokes and other issues that RUINED their lifes for good…
In fact we have lost serveral beloved family members that was so close to us that life didn`t feel worthy living without them…
And on top of all the live challanges, we also had our share of financial struggles…
We´ve had cars that we used to duct tape to hold them together… Where the engine stopped running, at the most inconvenient places…
Or that simply wouldn´t start at all…
I´ve eaten noodles for weeks…
I´ve taken overdoses with pills to end my desctructive life.
And I envied people that in my point of view had it all… That had great relationships, that had nice cars, that had money, that seemed PERFECT…
So – in a single word – I truly understand and know all about…
…PAIN.
I´m not saying this to compare my life with others, nor do I blame myself or others for starting my life in the wrong way.
With those circumstances, experiences and lifeskills I had at that time, it couldn´t turn out any other way.
So… I´ve been to hell…
And I found a way out of it.
And here´s what I did…
Pay close attention – because this is UNIVERSAL.
This works for everybody that´s willing to do what it takes…
It all begins with a DESIRE to get out of the freaking shit.
When I was so fed up staying where I was – I had to do something radical.
When I hit the bottom, I have had enough.
When I met Jeanette, she understood my pain and really felt empathy of how I felt and the reasons behind it.
She accepted me the way I was…
But…
She NEVER accepted this to be a permanent state. Jeanette is a fun mix of an oversensetive fighter and she litterary KICKED me in the right direction.
And that was the sparkle I needed, to ignite my DESIRE to CRUSH my destructive life.
Slowly, I started to learn more about my self and others.
And that´s not an easy thing to do having borderline…
I read books about self development. The first one I ever read, was Dr. Phils Life Strategies that Jeanette bought me. I highly recommend it.
See, the mind that created my former life, couldn´t fix it.
And here´s why…
I was infected with disbeliefes, lack of proper thinking and I was holding on to the fact that I was a bad person not worthy anything.
This is what I learned as a kid.
Kids ALWAYS blame themselves for everything that happens to them.
Me included.
And guess what, as an adult – as I knew I was a bad person – bad stuff had to happen to me to justify it.
I justified what I beleived in, by attracting bad circumstances.
This is a universal law – and it´s called the Law of Attraction.
It´s as real as gravity. Whether you belive in it or not – it works. All the time.
You can choose to ignore it – but it still works… And it will for every second for the remains of your life.
Law of Attraction says that what you focus on – will grow. What you feel – you attract.
In therapy, I´ve learned that my thoughts, feelings and actions were all connected. (Congitive Behaviour Therapy)
Each thought, whether contious or subcountious (as a result of your background) – will create a feeling.
ALL humans react to the way they feel.
ALWAYS.
As I grew, I started to see things in a wider perspectve… And I started slowly to feel better more often…
Day by day – week by week.
After a few years, I quit taking pills.
AND… After a YEAR of withdrawal symptoms, I was free of them.
Now, here´s the important part of the story.
Positive thinking alone doesn´t work…
It just doesn´t.
I mean common – just thinking that things will become better is pure nonsense.
And those who tried – KNOW IT.
And here´s when it DOES work…
When you take ACTION.
Somewhere, deep inside of me – with Jeanettes strong support – I started to think that there´s SOMETHING more…
With each piece of the puzzle, that became more obvious to me.
So, I developed a mind set – and started to BELIEVE that I could accomplish more in my life.
However, at that time I didn´t know what that would be.
But that didn´t matter at that time… My desire for a better life, was already on fire.
But hold your horses…
My ACTION – was to gain more knowledge from successful people – some of them with the same kind of experiance that I had… but that already had made it…
After the pills were gone, I had one more thing to get rid of…
My job…
At that time, I was in so much pain, that I just wanted to stop it.
I couldn´t go to my job no more…
And that was a painful fact to realize. Because I loved that job.
But in order to move on, I had to let go of what was holding me back.
I needed to change the environment, that at that time – supported my desctructive lifestyle.
Finally, I hit a turning point.
With GREAT support from my life coach Mike Lewis (Thank you Mike, you´re the best!) – I went to the office of my boss and said to him that I wanted to quit.
And then, for the first time in my life – I was no longer employed…
The day I left my job for good, I didn´t feel any fear.
I felt free.
When people were fired all around me and in difficult financial times – I dediced to take control of my own life and go my own way…
I continued to GROW and surrounded my self with successful people.
And I still do.
They helped me to broaden my perspective…
There is NO simple road to success. All change is horribly painful from time to time.
But´s it´s worth it!
And it all starts with…
1. A burning DESIRE to change your life and take control – this happens when you´re dead tired of your situation and truly WANT a change.
This is a tricky one, becuase as soon as you say YES to ANY part of your current life… Then you´ll stay there. As long as there´s a pay off – people will always stay.
You can hear people MOAN about their jobs. But the moment they justify it by saying: -”But it pays the bills”… Done – you´re staying.
Compare that to:
-”I´m fed up – I´m OUT OF HERE”…
See the difference?
Same situation.
Different mindset.
Even if that someone can´t quit their job right away, an open mindset enables them to find a solution.
If they say that it pays the bills, then it will continue to pay their bills. (And not so much more)
You know the saying:
For many people, J.O.B. often means Just Over Broke.
2. Believe that you CAN and even more importantly that you are WORTHY that change.
This is NOT the same thing as just wanting things. ALL people WANT stuff. Instead, this means believing that you actually can get there.
How this looks like in real life?
-”I would like to have that car… But it´s too expensive”…
Done, you´re NOT getting that car.
Compare that to:
-”That´s the car I want to have, and I will get it next year…”
Same situation.
Different mindset.
If you say that it´s too expensive, then it always will…
If you say that you will get it next year, then your mind is open for searching and finding solutions…
3. Gain more knowledge and GROW as a person – therapy, books, CD´s, videos, seminars, coaches – whatever it takes to learn EVERYTHING about successful people.
I had a big issue with this. I hated when I felt that what I knew was not enough.
I actually resented successful people, because they had what I wanted to have.
That was my BIG ego…
As I let go of it, and embraced new knowledge – I started to grow as a person. And the more I know – the more there is to learn – it´s an neverending ongoing process…
Sometimes the road gets bumpy, but overall – it´s a fascinating journey…
Success – on ANY level in your life – is a DIRECT result of your personal growth.
4. Positive thinking with DAILY action
Why positive? Positive thinking creates positive feelings – which in turn creates positive action steps.
Notice, I said DAILY action. That´s EACH day. Not once a month and then: -”Oh crap, it didn´t work”…
For how long?
As LONG as it takes!
As freaking long as it takes!
UNTIL!
How about set backs?
Oh dear, don´t get me started on this one…
Set backs?
HELL yeah!
They WILL get in your way, trying to DRAAAAAG you back to where you were.
And EACH DAY I take action.
I still, as of today, experience negative thinking from time to time…
But I don´t fight it the way I used to…
Instead, I handle it with ACTION – not only REACTION…
It´s a choice I´ve made a long time ago – that has grown into my reality by DAILY action.
“It´s not how many times we fall… It´s how many times we stand up…”
Doing your best is sometimes NOT enough…
I did what I HAD to… That means pushing outside of what I thought was possible…
Recently, I saw an episode of the great Star Wars Animated series… One of the episodes started with a saying that I can´t forget…
“Belief is not a choice. It´s a conviction.”
Oh man, that´s so powerful!
So I don´t believe in sitting and thinking that good stuff will happen.
That´s the biggest lie you´ll ever hear.
In fact, that´s a really dangerous thing to do… Positive tinking alone is more like living in a cocoon – and not really seeing what needs to be done.
Dr Phil has a great saying: “As you pray, MOVE your feet…”
I believe in DOING things UNTIL they are the way I want them.
Or as close as possible.
I mean, I can´t fly and I can´t walk on the surface of Jupiter.
And I don´t look like Brad Pit, and even if I perform surgery – I won´t be even close.
But that´s not the point.
The point is, I have a CONVICTION that I WILL make it.
And I will do ANYTHING in my power to get there.
There is no plan B.
NEVER has been.
Earlier, when I was busy reacting to all the crap around me, I felt despair – and as a result – more crap came my way…
And I couldn´t possibly know what to do without the proper knowledge…
So again…
Desire, Belief, Knowledge and Action…
Law of attraction is always working…
What I focus on – will grow…
So I focus on improving my life… But at the same time, always being greatful of what I already have.
Faith, hope and love - the corner stones of life...
But how about fair?
No, life ain´t fair.
Never has been.
NEVER will be.
It´s ONLY what we make out of it. The best we can.
Easy?
No…
Doable?
DEFINITELLY!
Ok, there´s A LOT more to say about this amazing subject…
Maybe I´ll come back with more in one way or another later on…
But for now, I wish you all the best!
Behind every great 3D artist is a…
May 5, 2010
Jeanette in her natural state... Laughing!
…great spouse!
Let me be perfectly honest with you. Your spouse is either working WITH YOU…
…or AGAINST YOU…
I know that sounds harsh… Let me explain…
You´re either working as a team, or sitting on a different train…
Of course it depends a little bit if your art is a hobby or if you´re aiming for going pro.
Me and Jeanette have been together for 11 years. That´s a long time… (Yeah, long enough to turn our home into a frantic zoo)
But that´s not the point.
We´ve been going through some major, and I mean MAJOR difficulties. I don´t know how many times we´ve been close to split up and just give up the whole relationship thing.
But we didn´t…
Every couple that´s been together for a while will tell you that they´ve overcome some huge challenges.
Why?
Because that´s part of life… Period.
Now, what do I mean with working with or against you?
Does that mean you have to be equal?
No!
Have the same opinions?
No!
Or do I mean that you split everything 50/50?
No, no, no, no and NO!
Working WITH means that you´re both engaged towards YOUR common future and goals…
You can then be totally different, like me and Jeanette. We´re not even close to being equal.
Ok… Of course, you need to have similar values and goals, but other than that – you can be like ying and yang.
Jeanette is more outgoing and possesses a high emotional intelligence.. Well, that´s not only a good thing… She talks all the time… Laughs atleast 71 times a day… And is completely unaware if anyone else thinks it´s funny too…
…But don´t tell her I said that!
I´m less outgoing, but instead I have lots of logical intelligence and creativity. While, Jeanette is more careful, I´m more daring.
The point is… We FIT.
Opposites Attract, by Paula Abdul – great song by the way!
Now, what do I mean with being engaged towards a common future?
That means that BOTH are not 50% – but 100% deidicated towards the same thing. How you do it, is not important. Let me tell you a story:
During the initial year, when our company was new – there were loooooong hours involved. And I´m not talking about 8 hours a day. No, I´m talking about 19 hours a day, including a fulltime day-time job.
There was almost NO time at all for Jeanette and hardly any time for life at all. And when there was, I was dead tired, laying in my bed and counting spider webs in the ceiling that I should have taken care of last week…
Yeah, ok – I have to admit – like a suck up flower wasn´t needed from time to time.
Back to the story. Jeanette worked WITH me, by simply LETTING me do what I NEEDED to do.
Get the point?
She could have said – hey mister – I didn´t sign up for this – now, you either give me real flowers, hangovers from wine, stiletto shoes, more carpet eating puppies and a VISA card for shopping make up – or I´m out of here.
She didn´t.
(Yeah, I know – that day will come. )
But the fact is, she believed in me and she worked with me. By simply getting out of my way. Don´t get me wrong. Not getting out of my way in THAT way… We simply worked as a team, with separate tasks – for the same goal.
And guess what…
…that paid off – big time.
Why am I talking about this? Because I´m opening the new Dreamlight Dating Service?
NOT!
Because YOU need to support eachother… Whether that´s 3D graphics, running a business or playing with your hobby.
Support is important, because whatever you´re doing, you will face obstacles.
Trust me – you will…
If you´re in here for the long run… If you walk the path and are determined to GET there, then obstacles WILL get in your way.
So, lucky me for finding a great spouse?
Hell no!
I don´t belive in luck. I believe in MAKING things happen.
However… THAT didn´t come naturally to me. That was a tough lesson to learn…
I wouldn´t have come this far without Jeanette and our fury kids. But I wouldn´t have come as far without ME believing in myself either.
Your EARN your support. You don´t get it.
You EARN it…
Now, I´ve got three fury ladies sitting infront of me in my office, with that FEED ME look in their face… And I swear I saw some kind of hunger in my wifes eyes too…
So, I´d better stop writing and make us some romantic dinner!
Overlooked: The best teachers in the world
April 27, 2010
Me and Hanna
When I first met my wife Jeanette 11 years ago – I saw something in her I had never seen in a woman. Beauty? Yes, she was and is very beautiful. But she was not aware of it in a “I´m walking around knowing the world is watching me”-way. I value that a lot. That´s confidence at the core level of a human being. But there was more – an extremely high intelligence – on an emotional level.
And, boy there was a LOT more to come – but not in a way I could possibly imagine!
Anyway, I asked her out on a date. It was a gorgeous summer day. Not a single cloud. The heat was intense as I parked my shiny new black Camaro outside the hair-dresser and turned off the engine roar. She was a moral support for a friend getting her hair done that day and I was excited to meet her.
The door opened – and there she was… What the F—???
She had two dogs! Two small gremlin looking French Bulldogs. And all three were heading towards my car with a big smile! The car I´ve spent 2 hours cleaning and polishing! What should I do? Pretend I´m a lost tourist? Make a getaway?
I did the right thing.
I smiled, went out of my car and opened the passenger door. Gosh – lucky me – three for the price of one!
Hanna 10 weeks old
To cut a long story short, I´ve never had dogs in my life before. Especially not the farting ones that spoil every second of a the cool looking-dude-look in a black american car. (No, Wonderbaums didn´t help) And definitelly not the ones that eat the entire backseat of a car. (That wasn´t the Camaro by the way)
As time went by, I started to develop feelings for these small creatures. They were both special and unique in their own way. We then got a Boxer, then another one – and now just a couple of months back we rescued a Greyhound baby girl from a dogpound on Ireland. Someone threw that cute puppy away in the woods – to die. All our dogs are special, but this one really is a miracle. The joy in her eyes – that´s just priceless. Certainly worth the fact that she loves to infiltrate the washing machine and shred my underwear into small pieces!
Unbeatable sleeping style!
Today, I wouldn´t want to live without dogs. They are the best friends and teachers in the world. Of what?
Well, three things.
1. To give
For many years in my live, I was a GIMME GIMME GIMME person. How cute is that? I just wanted things. And I wanted them NOW. Today, it´s different – it´s the total opposite. That´s something I´ve learned by having dogs around me – one of the most valuable life lessons I´ve ever learned.
2. Love
Dogs love you no matter if you have bad morning breath, look like crap before taking the shower – and even when you´re tired. It´s UNCONDITIONAL. So, if you´re ever want to learn more about love – get a dog. Spoil it. Give it love. And you´ll be amazed! To learn to love is a wonderful thing. I see things I´ve never saw before. And I appreciate life a whole lot more.
Taking a walk in the park
3. To be present in the moment
Here´s where dogs excel us humans BIG TIME. They know how to be present in the moment. Have you watched a dog in the eyes, when you´re about to throw them a toy? The focus? The 100% presence? It´s unbeatable. NOTHING else exists. Just you and the toy. It´s really wonderful. What dogs have taught me – is to stay in the present. To see the small details and be happy about them.
So what does all this have to do with 3D? EVERYTHING!
If you blend all those three things together, you´ll elevate ANYTHING in your life to a new level. Whether it´s your relationships, your art or your business – those three things have an HUGE impact.
With that said – dogs are the best teachers in the world!
Now, it´s 18 degrees Celcius, the snow has melted away – the sun is shining once again – and I´m taking my family on a date!
What you focus on and give attention will grow
February 18, 2010
Ever heard the expression, what you fear you create? That means if someones drives a car and is affriad of crashing, then they will eventually crash? If someone is affraid of people, then all people around him or her will seem hostile?
That´s because we create our own reality. We create our own destiny. We see things through our filters. But not the filters of our eyes. The filters of our minds! There´s another expression: Seeing is believing. Well, I think it´s the other way. Believing is seeing.
What you believe in, will become true for you. What you believe in – you will go and find evidence of – to validate your beliefs. So, if you create what you fear, then it must match the other way… What you focus on and believe in – you create!
That´s what I´ve used to change the course of my life. I´ve struggled, and I´ve been depressed for over 20 years of my life. But once I settled for new goals, once I awakened my dreams and made them true in my mind – a shift started to take place. Since I no longer felt my life was bad all the time, I slowly started to move in a differet direction. I took another path. Now, 10 years later – I´m still on the new path, and now I´m not just walking the path – I´m climbing the mountains!
So, keep this in mind: Focus on where you want to be. Not where you are. As focusing on the problems will only create more of them. Focus on the solutions, on your dreams and goals… THAT will make a huge difference!
Grow more than your business
February 8, 2010
Most vendors focus on producing products. Nothing wrong with that, but you can´t do what you don´t know about. Therefore, it´s very wise to learn more and open your eyes. The wider you see, the more angles you can see various things from – the more solutions you will find. I read lots of books, ebooks and listen to CD´s. I learn about relationships, love, animals, 3D graphics, cars, finances, personal growth and even cooking.
It´s simple – if you stop learning – you stop growing. If you stop growing, you stop climbing the success ladder. Your success is a direct reflection of your personal growth. In any area of life!
Some of my favorite inspiration sources are: Donald Trump, Robery Kiyosaki, John Grey, Dr Phil, Randy Gage, Michael Dlouhy, Bob Proctor, Tom “Big Al” Schreiter and Mike Lewis to name a few.
I hear someone: -”But I dont´t want to do all that boring stuff!” Well, guess what – you can do whatever you want. But know this: Your life is a direct result of your personal grwoth. To have more, you have to become more. Yes, there´s a price tag. There always is!
