Business meetings
The business meeting that stuck out to me the most was the one focusing in on employability for freelance. I didn't look into life after uni as much as I should but this was really helpful, especially with Luke's personal input. Actually forcing myself to list down my top dream clients was actually enlightening. I've realised that no idea is stupid no matter how random, from this exercise one of the things I realised was how into creating cards for a company I would be. The idea of creating the art and words chosen to be sent to make someone happy is really sweet. Another client I realised I'd be eager to create pieces for was an animal charity- helping raise money for animals with my work.
We were also told about how tricky it is to find contact details for art directors. I struggled to understand how you properly track down the business emails so this is definitely something I will be practising for the future.
Dark Dark Days
I find the dark dark days talks really useful as it's getting advice from people who have started from basically the same place as me. I always find it fascinating to see the different approaches people take in illustration and it's comforting to hear that most don't realise their path until they're living it. I really connected with Hayley Wall in this talk. I love how she's so passionate about maintaining her integrity in the business and sticking with her voice, it's truly admirable. I hope to get to a stage where I can comfortably work only for the things I genuinely believe in. I also found out that she had painted a mural in my favourite club in Birmingham back home which I found so cool. This also allowed me to start thinking about how my work could be on an exterior installation- being in my hometown as well would be the biggest feeling of pride.
When taking part in the interactive Backlit gallery it opened my eyes to just how far illustration can go. I never thought I would be drawing on boxes and then building a fort out of everyone's art but it was such an amazing experience that gave me a better perspective about how fun and interactive work can actually be.
Seeing my book displayed on the table reinforced how much I want to partake in a market to sell prints of my work. The idea of being surrounded by other creatives selling work to people gels really well with me. I think I might try looking into how easy it is to join a little market over the summer as I feel that this would be a really lovely experience and would teach me a lot.
CoLab
The CoLab project taught me a lot about myself and the ways I work best. Me and my group got on really well and I enjoyed seeing each of their ways of thinking and idea making. Our final presentation was very far from anything I have ever thought of/created before but it was extremely effective and liked by the clients.
However, I think this has confirmed that I do prefer to work on my own. I obviously found working with them really enjoyable but as a person who finds it difficult speaking up in these situations I found myself regularly getting lost and pushing my own ideas down in fear of stepping on anyone’s toes. I like to work in very specific ways and usually when I think of an idea I don’t like to stray far from it which was extremely hard when having to compromise. I will definitely take this into consideration moving forward after uni.
Trips
I went to Sneinton Market with my flatmate Leonor and I feel that this really made me think about how I will continue pursuing illustration in the future. The area is filled with little shops which are owned by small businesses, all creative based. Walking through it felt so community driven and there was such a fun friendly environment of the creatives. I went into a little illustration shop ran by Emmy Lupin and I was instantly inspired. The vibe as soon as you walked in the door was fun and bright. The prints and decor made it difficult to leave. We spoke to her and she was saying how all the stock is her own and that she had been there for just over a year. Owning my own shop had never really crossed my mind before walking in here, but it’s now something I’m really considering. I have always felt that I work best on my own rather than in a group as I struggle to speak up in group situations. Having my own business would mean that I wouldn’t need to have that anxiety and I would have a lot more freedom to create things I love rather than following a brief.
Emmy also allowed me to see just how many things your work can be printed onto, it ranged from your standard prints to t-shirts and pins. A variety of prints, postcards, cards and bookmarks opened my mind up to just how easy it is to add designs to different products for selling. She also made it really simple for people to buy exactly what they wanted as notices were up around the room explaining that if a design was wanted on an alternative size it could be printed in minutes. This would consolidate sales if someone was on the fence about an item, they have the chance to change the size to suit their preference and I think this was a really effective business method that also makes her look more flexible and reliable as an illustrator. Along with this, another smart method she used was mystery bags. She had a cheaper pack for £5- worth £12 and then a a more expensive packet that was £12- worth £25 which ranged in products. I like this idea because you can pair together final stock in order to get rid of them, but still giving your customers art they can appreciate.
Commissions
I have been doing pet commissions since 2020 and I feel that it’s really captured my growth over the 4 years in both skill and knowledge. When I was starting out I found it really difficult pricing my work as I struggle to see its worth most of the time. Because of my intense people pleaser personality I always undervalued my work to avoid the customer turning down the price- but then of course I was stuck buying materials and using up my own time for not enough profit.
I started out selling my work to my friends, pricing them at £25 each and then posted about it on instagram and facebook. I found that facebook was actually the best place to have my work noticed because it was more middle-aged people who would have the money to pay for a commission. Members of my family and some of my friends would repost my finished pieces and that’s when I started getting more attention for it from more distant family friends. More recently I feel as though my art has significantly improved from the first few years and so I see more value to my pieces. Due to this, I now feel more confident when pricing my work- charging per hour I spend as well as considering the price of materials. Along with this I feel I have developed professionally when communicating with my clients- making sure they are updated along the process and therefore allowing them to give feedback throughout.
Because of the experiences I’ve already had I know that focusing on target audience is really important. I would say middle aged people are more likely to inquire about a commission due to employment- this means my paintings are affordable to them. With this information I know that Facebook is more than likely the most effective point of contact due its popularity in this age range. In the future I hope to up my pricing to better match the quality and start thinking about creating business cards that I can package my work with. This makes my commissions easier to recommend to more people and could bring more attention.
Reflection of the year
I am so grateful for this second year of illustration and all in all I have thoroughly enjoyed it. In first year I felt very overwhelmed as I found it difficult connecting with the briefs when being told to use specific methods and materials. Because of this I can't really say I left it with work that I was eager to show off and be proud about. However, year 2 has been the complete opposite. I have really loved the freedom that has come with it and I feel that I have learnt a lot and developed as both an illustrator as well as a person. Being able to choose my own subject for amplify was really exciting and it's made me realise how much of a passion I have when illustrating at the defence of animals. It has made me think more about possibly going into pursuing my practice for a reason.
Ways of Living really highlighted the importance of taking breaks and staying grounded. It's easy to feel guilty about having time away but there's more chance of creating your best work when you're feeling refreshed. It's also helpful to have grounding techniques at hand so in times of procrastination you can stay focused and get the work you need done.
Live briefs were extremely exciting, actually getting to work with a successful company and have their feedback was really educational. I learnt how to be straight to the point in a pitch and gain some confidence for talking about my ideas. It's best to think of it more so as a conversation about your ideas and methods rather than a nerve-wracking presentation. I have now applied for a summer internship with Lion and Leopard because of how much I enjoyed experiencing illustration professionally.
All in all I feel set up for third year. With my new methods of meditation and grounding I can approach with caution and keep myself far from procrastination. I want to be more proactive and start researching more, staying curious and up to date with illustrators all over. I will start small and often in order to keep up to date on work and work with an open mind. Trying new things is fun and so I should do it more often.