Career advice should always be taken with many grains of salt, especially advice from a blog. What may work for one may or may not work for you. And although I’ve been working as an illustrator in some form for the past eight or so years, I still have a lot to learn. Having said that, I will impart what I’ve learned so far in the hopes that some of it will help others discover their own path to full-time illustration. This will be a developing series with multiple parts as they are written.
Day Job vs. Freelance, the Eternal Struggle
So you’ve decided to draw pretty pictures for a living. Awesome! I could kiss you! Now you have to decided what kind of illustration gig you’ll be aiming for, day job or freelance. Sure, you can choose to do both, part-time day job and freelance. But you can’t serve two masters. Eventually, you must choose.
The day job option offers stability. Typically, your beginning annual salary will be much more than your first year of freelance income. Your employer will also provide benefits like health care, dental and vision plans, paid vacation, maybe even a retirement plan. If stability is your main concern, you can’t go wrong with the day job. However, you may find that there are aspects of the day job that do not mesh with your artistic personality. You may have to conform to a dress code. Your hours are set. You will have to commute. You will have pointless meetings, progress reports, status updates, and endless tedium to get in your way. And your employer will limit your creativity. Oh, they may say they want innovation, but really, they just want someone to fill a cube. Of course, there are always exceptions. But at some point, even in the nicest full-time day job, you will hit a creative wall imposed by your boss.
Freelancing offers flexibility. That sounds brilliant! But be careful. As a freelancer, you will find yourself living from pay check to pay check. In a day job, if there are slow days, you still draw the same pay. As a freelancer, slow days mean slow money. You will have to provide your own health care. No one will pay you if you’re on vacation. And you might not be able to afford a retirement plan. The life of a freelancer can be unpredictable. But what you gain in creativity can’t be matched! You make your own hours, work from home, choose your clients, wear what you want, create brilliant work and reap brilliant rewards. In a day job, a job well done means a pat on the back and maybe an ice cream. As a freelancer, a job well done can lead to more interesting work and higher rates!
You could center an entire blog around this subject and there are a few. In particular, Monster Cutie endorses Freelance Switch for all the advice a freelancer or freelance hopeful could ever want. Whatever path you choose, there are a few basics to keep in mind that will help you survive.
Your Work is Awesome! Now Get Over It!
It is vitally important to have passion for your work. Every piece you do speaks about your abilities. Even if you’re working on something that absolutely bores you to tears, you must find something in it that interests you. Your lack of interest will always show. Having said that, it is also vitally important to divorce yourself from your work.
If you wish to draw for a living, you’re going to have to develop a thick skin. Your work is freaking awesome. Otherwise, no one would bother giving you money. Congrats. You rock. Now get over yourself.
If you cannot take criticism, if you are unwilling to change, if you can’t be bothered to listen to your client, your career as a professional illustrator will be before it’s begun. Yes, you may have spent weeks on the most perfect illustration of your career. But if the client wants to change something or scrap it all together, so be it. Save your masterful illustration for your portfolio, swallow your pride, and get back to work.
The Client is Always Right, Especially When They’re Wrong
Remember this mantra: The client is always right, especially when they’re wrong.
Learn it. Know it. Live it.
Your client or, in the case of a day job, your boss is paying you to draw pretty pictures. Your livelihood depends on their checks. If they suddenly want something changed or something completely different, you must do your best to accommodate their wishes.
Now, if you’re very clever, you may be able to convince your client that your way is the best. This must be done with elegance and subtlety. You must use your Jedi mind trick to convince your client that your idea is really their idea. However, if your client resists your Jedi tricks, you’re stuck. If they want that neon green star in the middle of your elegant illustration, keep a copy without it for yourself and slap that ugly thing on there.
“How else would I maintain my reputation as a miracle-worker?”
Strive to deliver on time. You may not always hit your deadlines, but do your very best to deliver on time. Setting realistic deadlines is essential to meeting them. This requires a lot of planning and is a topic we’ll cover in greater detail in a future segment.
Put on a Happy Face
Networking is essential for landing both full time jobs and freelance gigs. Personal connections and word-of-mouth have landed me more work than any job site or classified job posting. I find this is true with almost all of the illustrators I have met. Again, this is another topic that will require a future post.
I Gotta Believe!
Drawing for a living is just as fun as it sounds. Like any other job, it comes with a lot of hard work. Unlike other jobs, there is no set illustrator career path. It takes skills, perseverance, and at times, a little luck. But if you believe in yourself, you can achieve great things.
I hope some of this proved useful. Future articles in this series will focus on more specific techniques and tips to achieving great awesomeness as an illustrator. And as always, if you have questions, suggestions, or additional ideas, don’t hesitate to post in the comments.
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