Checking in
It’s been 7 months since I decided I wanted to be a full-time illustrator and this is what I’ve been up to so far - I’ve taken 1 MATS course for children’s book illustration, I’m halfway done with a self-paced course called “Children’s Book Career Jumpstart” created by Stephanie Fizer Coleman, I’ve done a crazy amount of free mini-workshops ranging from children’s books to surface design, I’ve taken numerous classes from Domestika and Skillshare, created a new web site, started a blog, worked on my daily sketchbook practice, and, most importantly, started contacting agencies for representation.
I’ve done a lot, and I’ve done it all during nights after work, early mornings and on weekends. I’m proud of myself and what I’ve achieved so far. I’m proud of finally taking the leap and following my dream, BUT can I just say, I’m exhausted! It’s funny how I’ve never felt so inspired and happy, yet so tired and anxious at the same time. I’m the kind of person who wants things to happen right away, and I know this journey won’t be that. I’m learning to be gentle with myself, and I remind myself daily that small steps will get me to the finish line. Because honestly, some days all I have energy for is a 10 min sketch or updating my goals list. And that’s ok, as long as I’m doing one thing daily to move forward.
As for my next steps, I’m about to start a new MATS course in early July, I want to finish the “Career Jumpstart” course and continue sending out my portfolio to agents. Finding an agent, I knew, wouldn’t be easy and I had prepared myself for hearing crickets for a while. But that still hasn’t made it any easier. Out of the 20 I’ve contacted so far, I’ve heard 4 polite no’s; the rest, well, they remain hopeful possibilities. I won’t give up, but while I wait to find an agent who can help me land amazing jobs, I need to figure out a way to start making some income from my illustrations.
So, I’ve decided to try my hand at surface design. It’s an industry where I can still apply my love for children’s books and create products for the children’s market. I’ve already started to work on my first mini collection for fabric patterns, and I’m really enjoying it. I’ll be working on the logistics in the next couple of months and I’m thinking of giving it 6 to 8 months to see where it goes and if it’s something I’d like to continue pursuing. I also need to keep my focus on building my portfolio for the children’s book market. I’ll keep updating my progress, maybe I can help someone or someone out there might have tips for me.
On a more visually appealing update: I’ve been trying to sketch every day, even if I only have 5 mins. I do feel like I need to set a consistent time to do my sketch, otherwise, I will skip some days. I’m still trying to figure out what works best for me. I have learnt that keeping track on my calendar (who doesn’t love to tick a box at the end of the day), has definitely helped and it’s been a huge boost when I can see that I’ve sketched so many days in a row. For the last month, I decided to simplify things and give myself some parameters: just use black and white and only draw animals in alphabetical order. I’m really happy with some, and others I wish I had had more time to develop further. But, I did discover that I really like to draw animals! I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for being here.
Until next month –