Why is freelance illustration so painful?
…because we’ve never had much of a choice.
…until now.
A few months ago, epic illustrator Noah Bradley and I teamed up for a live podcast + Q&A called “There Are Easier Ways To Become A Professional Artist” which, fortunately, inspired many artists to question the status quo in the professional fields of freelance illustration and concept art.
In our second rant-filled mash-up, we share our thoughts on the death of freelance illustration (as we knew it), how personal projects and storytelling are essential to any current creative career, health insurance for artists, taxes, spec work and why we quit our dream jobs.
So if you want to get revved-up, riled-up and ready to rock the world with your visual stories, click through and press play…
Who In His Right Mind Would Quit A Dream Job?
Noah Bradley is a successful illustrator best known for his illustration work on Magic: The Gathering.
I was a Visual Development Artist and Character Designer at Disney.
…and, yes, we both recently gave up our “dream jobs.”
…and we’ll explain why.
Before we go any further, I need to say that our intent is to empower and encourage artists, not to crap on anyone’s dream of working for the big clients.
Not everyone wants to relocate to Burbank. Not everyone wants to try to squeeze through the narrow-doorway to a career in concept art. …and freelance illustration, at least in the most general sense, is becoming less desirable with every passing day.
Freelance Illustration (as we knew it) Is DEAD.
All the nails aren’t in the coffin yet, but “freelance illustration” as we knew it is DEAD.
Now, I know I just said that we want you to feel empowered and encouraged.
…and a crazy statement like “Freelance Illustration as we knew it is dead.” might not feel encouraging.
…but it is.
…because the trends that are causing the freelance illustration industry to suffer are the very same trends that are making it easier than ever for artists to gather a paying audience around their own visual stories.
…but let me back up for a second because I kinda rushed past that whole “death of freelance” thing. Here’s what I mean…
Scarcity Drives Value.
Generalist freelance illustrators are ANYTHING but scarce.
There’s nothing special about generic “freelance illustration” any more.
Generic artists attract generic clients.
Generic clients offer generic work.
Generic work attracts more generic clients.
This pattern will eventually attract bad clients (if it hasn’t already).
This is the reality for most of the frustrated freelance illustrators with whom Noah and I interact on a daily basis.
Is Your Ship Sinking?
Remember stock illustration?
It was this huge deal back in the 90’s. It was just like stock photography.
Freelance editorial illustrators were freaking out because a bunch of their clients were “renting” stock illustrations from websites and catalogs instead of commissioning original work from individual illustrators.
Stock illustration won for a while.
Not just because it was cheaper, but it was SMARTER.
This was terrible for the freelancers but great for the customer.
You can’t really blame the clients for going with the cheaper, more convenient option if you’re basically offering them the EXACT SAME THING for more money and more hassle.
The “freelance illustrators” who have thrived (Noah Bradley, for example) have offered something that you can’t get just anywhere else.
Especially in the super-competitve worldwide-online marketplace, artists MUST offer something scarce. …something special.
…or they’ll sink.
So if you’re pursuing “freelance illustration” in the general sense and you feel like you’re on a sinking ship, maybe don’t tie yourself to the mast.
Maybe you should consider jumping ship.
…because there are lifeboats EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK.
We Want You To Feel Empowered:
We recorded this podcast to inspire and empower you to look around for the lifeboats.
…a safe exit from low-paying clients, under-cutting competition and generic work.
We want you to think for yourselves.
…to continually question “the system” that everyone else takes for granted.
…to take an active role in your own career and not a passive and/or reactive role.
…to listen to your heart and not what buttheads say.
We want you to connect and collaborate and innovate with each other.
…to leverage digital resources to tell the stories you’ve always wanted to tell.
…to “zoom out” and look at the trajectory of your career and make sure you’re focused on an attainable goal.
…or ask yourself if there’s an easier way.
…or if you’re actually better at something else.
…even if they look very similar.
…to be brave and actually quit things when it’s the right time to do so.
…to understand that as awesome as “the dream job”is, it isn’t everything.
Listen To The Podcast:
Questions Answered:
- What’s wrong with Freelance Illustration?
- How do you build a following online?
- Should you do free art tests?
- What do we do about health insurance? …and taxes?
- What’s the best, fastest way to build an art site?
- How can you start making money from your website today?
We’re Not The Only Ones (UPDATE – 10/23/13):
If you don’t believe Noah and I when we say that freelance illustration as we knew it is dead, maybe children’s illustrator/ indie storybook app pioneer Will Terry can convince you.
Will just released an awesome YouTube Series and an amazing blog post which provide a well-reasoned (and inspiring) explanation of the “death” of freelance illustration.
If Will’s logical presentation still isn’t enough, you should know that it has been validated by some of the top editorial illustrators in the world.
Watch his “Speech To Illustration Students” video series in the YouTube playlist above and then head to his blog to read Where Are All My Freelance Jobs?
Links Mentioned:
The Magic Box: Everything I Know About Digital Painting
Paper Wings: Elevate Your Visual Storytelling
Chris’ Post About Health Insurance For Artists
The Top 5 Illustration Portfolio Pitfalls
Required Reading:
The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris
Check out our previous live podcast: There Are Easier Ways To Become A Professional Artist
Comment And Share:
Is your freelance illustration ship sinking?
Which lifeboats do you wish you could climb into?
What’s stopping you from doing so?
Hey Chris and Noah! Was really looking forward to your second video and it didn’t disappoint! Just having finished my degree and now looking around and wondering how in the world do I start earning money while trying to pursue my dreams of writing my own comic, you guys feel like a really big support that I don’t find anywhere else. Love you guys! 🙂
Thanks, Cassandra! We love you too!
Hey Chris, great talk with Noah. After some trepidation at the title (my brain roughly translated to: “Give up on your dream, it’s not worth it!”) the meaning of which you clarified early on, it was a relief to hear your insights about taking creative control.
One of the concerns I have is that I’m spending a lot of time and money to learn the skills necessary to eventually become a working artist and then, having achieved that goal, not being able to make a living ‘and’ then hating it!
For me, I hope it will be a balance of sorts, especially to begin with: eg a mix of part-time ‘regular’ job, freelance work and personal projects.
Thanks again
Paul
Unfortunately, I think a fair number of people read the title that way. That was obviously not our intent.
RE: Time and money, here’s one thing to consider: It takes insane amounts of time no matter how you learn but by learning online you generally spend WAY less money than Noah and I did for our art educations.
And yes, Paul, I think there will be many artists making their living off of a blend between the two – freelance and personal projects.
Hey Guys, great talk.
This talk came at a great time for me. I’ve recently come to the realization that I’m not someone who wants to do other people work, or expand someone else’s IP. (Except, like Noah, maybe Magic and D&D since I’m such a fanboy) Every time I’ve done a freelance job for someone else, I felt as if it’s draining my energy, and was taking time away from my work and personal projects, which it was.
Your talk also brought a look into the future. For years I’ve always wanted to get my foot into the door, start getting jobs, maybe try and do that full time. I thought after a while I would get better paying jobs, and eventually(waaay down the road) be able to use more money to get more free time for personal work. But then you guys talked about the future viability of freelance work, and how after a while the market stagnates, limiting your income and therefore your personal time.
So I’ve decided “Whats stopping me?” I’m blessed to have a full time job that allows me to pays bills and have evenings to myself. I’m going to use that time to produce my own “dream job”, work on my own stories and books. When I’ve finished some of them I’ll look into selling prints or books, making my own income from my work, not others!
I’m excited to see how the future unfolds. Thanks for motivation me and letting me know someone else feels the same way! Can’t wait to see what YOU do next too.
Yeah, Josh. This is why a day job can be really empowering. Great to hear that you’ve figured out what to do with your free time!
Great job Chris. I love your mission here; I am posting your stuff on Facebook, and I hope we can drive some more traffic to you. I think you are really making a difference. Keep it up!
Thanks, Justin. Yes sir. I appreciate the social media support SO much.
I haven’t listened to the podcast yet but I plan on listening to it tomorrow. I’m only basing my opinion on what I’ve generally read from other comments on what you guys said.
The thing is, to be able to build your own brand and to sell your own stories, comics, personal illustration work, etc. you have to be really effing good at your craft, whatever that may be. That can take years. You don’t just say, hey I’m going to make a comic and expect to sell a ton of copies or expect to be an art superstar overnight. You need to be dedicated, persistent and make sacrifices for what you want to achieve. In order for people to be interested in your work, you have to be really effing good!
It takes a long time to get really good at something. It can probably take a lot of trial and error. Noah and Chris have worked in the industry and have gained valuable skills in the process that they can apply to their own work. Not everyone has that opportunity.
I just don’t want someone who is naive to think that their dreams will come true overnight. I bet some people hate their day job and part of the reason why they are busting their ass working on their craft is to get a better job and eventually quit their day job and make more money.
Another great podcast, although a little disheartening to hear how bad things have gotten in the industry. As I said in a recent post I have been self employed making signs for a living, and have come to the conclusion that I need to shut the company down. My hope was to live out my dreams to become a professional artist of some sort after my company is gone for good. But this podcast is not the first place I have heard that things in the industry as a whole are in a bad place right now. I have never given up on my art and I have been doing personal projects for my own amusement for years. I am very thankful that both of you brought this subject to light and offered very tempting alternatives. It has already helped to straighten my path, which has seemed to be all over the place lately.
I really enjoyed this podcast. The first one was great too. I really got a lot out of the ‘freelance is dead’ discussion. I’ve been cutting out more and more freelance work the last couple years. I’ve also been making less -but I think that’s more because I’ve been pushing it away subconsciously.
I was certain for years and years that I wanted to do a creator-owned comic book series, but some time after I got married, I started thinking about getting a career with more “security”. So for about 3 years I’ve been training to be a storyboard artists, and doing portfolios and tests for studios. I dont think my storyboard skills are there yet to get me hired, but it feels like I’m getting close. I’ve been feeling less and less driven in recent months to pursue it as a career though. For a lot of the same reasons you guys talked about.
But its had me floundering about what to do instead for a career. I’ve had some luck with building a following, but haven’t been good about monetizing my work. So I got a lot out of hearing the way you guys approach that. That was really helpful. Felt like I got talked down off the ledge or something, haha!
Hey Chris and Noah, thanks for this podcast, it really hit home. I’ve been a long time lurker around your blog, but the talk about freelance illustration… like, oh my gawd, I am not enjoying the idea of freelancing, and it scares me. I’ve been told to look around freelance job boards like guru, freelance switch, elance, and other ones, and its just ridiculous with rates that baffle me — like $10 – 30 dollars to make detailed graphics of something or other types of art/design work. It’s sad because I see many people bid on those projects… Or a potential client approaching me and asking me to do spec work. I’ve had to reply back with the No-Spec AIGA email template for those. And I would wonder, did I make the right choice in doing so? Did I scare off potential clients? Yet something in the industry really does need to change if this is becoming the norm….
And to answer your other discussion questions:
Which lifeboats do you wish you could climb into?
I actually have been writing a script for a comic book, but I haven’t gotten around to actually drawing the comic at all. I’ve done some characters studies, so at least I know what my main character looks like, and a few thumbnails of scenes so I can add to my concept art portfolio eventually.
What’s stopping you from doing so?
I think that being a recent art grad, I’m really always thinking about whether or not I can pay back my student loans. And I feel like this stress is always keeping me from doing any creative work, because I’m always thinking that “How am I going to pay for this? Am I going to have enough in my bank account to pay for the next cycle of bills?” Although, lately, I just simply said to myself, “I NEED to stop stressing and do more things that will get me to where I need to be.” So that’s what I’ve been doing for only the past 3 or 4 weeks, after stressing out for almost an entire year or really since graduating last year….
I’m sorry, my comment turned out really omega long….
Go for it, Tannie!
If you haven’t read this article about writing comic book scripts, this one might help: http://www.paperwingspodcast.com/2012/02/how-to-write-a-comic-book-script/
hi guys. i’m a random animator. i watched the whole podcast and realized that this just sounds like a big plug for your programs. i hope you will make more inspiring podcasts because i was a potential fan.
Chris has an entire backlist of inspiring podcasts! 😀
Hey Random Animator! I would recommend looking through the archives here and on http://paperwingspodcast.com and you will find the content you crave. There are absolutely huge plugs here. And I’ll tell you what is more inspiring than any podcast could be: the low cost and HIGH quality of Oatley Academy. Chris in his saintly nature took a pay cut and relentlessly gives to artists’ futures – he never ceases to inspire those of us who stick around. I’m less familiar with Noah Bradley’s content, but I can tell you Chris attracts nothing but the best.
You’re absolutely right. When I went back and listened to it, my first criticism was that we talked too much about our schools.
…but that was honestly just because we were both so hyped-up from the live, collaborative energy.
Laura and Scott are right though, I’ve been posting lots and lots and lots of tutorials, podcasts and blog posts since 2008.
AwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweSUM!
So good guys, thank you for sharing!
You both deserve good things.
Thanks, Laura!
Thanks for sharing gentlemen, seriously considering both of your art programs!
Sure thing, James.
We would love to have you join Oatley Academy and I know Noah would say the same thing about ArtCamp.
Man so bummed I got my timezones wrong and missed this live! What a fun recording full of soooo much gold content! I remember my second CTN in 2011, after learning about the visual development world the year before, I returned with a portfolio based on paperwings podcasts and the artcasts. Meeting Chris that year simply changed my life, and his critique is probably the main reason I have continued to pursue my art. Sooooooo no surprise to me when he decided to go fulltime and become a teacher and the exact same reason I signed up as soon as I could.
I love how your pursuit has paid off in such huge ways over the past year! You’re so awesome, Tegan!!!
Seriously Chris, I wouldn’t be here without having such an amazing teacher over the last year, looks like your academy is working 🙂
Oh my, Noah said my thoughts out loud right there in the introduction!
I actually don’t want to be a freelancer. I love painting and drawing, yet whenever I get told what to do, it feels like a hassle and I do mediocre work that I’m not proud of. I want to be able to paint my own visions all the time.
You’ve made some very interesting points, particularly about taking on a “day job” rather than diluting your creative work with bad jobs.
I’m currently in a part-time day job, after being laid off from my full time job and I’ve found it far less stressful than having to hunt down clients and do illustrations for projects I don’t even care about for $100 per illustration, unlimited rights included.
I thought about how to break into the field of cover art (for books and music), and I thought whether to just start with any jobs in this industry to get my foot in the proverbial door or to focus on my own stuff and improve and then get better jobs. Noah said he would rather if he practiced his craft for a while before traing to get in so that he could skip the poor jobs so this makes sense and I will take his advice.
Anyway, I’ll probably be back with my questions once I go through the podcast again and write things down.
I feel like an outsider here because I’ve spent my 20s in graphic design, and I don’t have a lot of mileage in art, and it’s so difficult for me to catch up with others in this industry who figured out earlier in life that they want to make a living doing this and have put in the hours. Most of my art heroes had a more or less straightforward path to where they’ve gotten, and where I want to be.
I guess my main issue is that I get discouraged easily and have no idea whether I’m capable of doing this.
Sorry for my rambling!
Anyway, thank you very much, and thanks Chris for introducing us to Noah, his website is full of amazing content!
There is probably a way to leverage your existing design experience/ skill to get you to an intermediate creative goal. I know you know this, but it’s important for us all to remember that we don’t have to go from graphic design to Wizards Of The Coast overnight.
Great podcast guys. The only thing I feel like arguing back about was your opinion on free sample-art (in my world we call it unpaid pitches). I think it’s even more deplorable when it’s done by a big studio or a well-known establishment. They can afford a large scale operation, based on making money out of visual storytelling, yet they demand artists to make something for free, and the risk vs benefit evaluation doesn’t add up in favour of the artist(s). Coming from personal experience, that’s how it felt to me anyway. Thanks again for the podcast. It’s rare nowadays to find something like this: clear, useful, and kind!
Hi, Lilian.
I should make it clear that I am not in support of free tests, I just meant that it’s easier to verify that high-profile clients like WOC or Dreamworks aren’t using that work for commercial gain.
There’s no real way to validate these “startup” randos.
I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys! Looking forward to future discussions!
Thanks, Keith!
Guys: This is a highly inspirational podcast. Thank you. I will be working for myself in five years. I freelance right now but work on my own stuff while I can. What you say is common sense; that now, more than ever, artists can now direct their working fate. I am on the hunt to learn more about how to market myself and get myself out there. In the year 2014, I will be painting on canvas, getting into local galleries, selling digital prints online, writing my own graphic novel and putting out short free drawing tutorials to pave the way for bigger projects in the future. Lots to do. But the thoughts of success drive me forward to live the way I want to and have lots of fun doing it~KMZ
Keep us posted, Kimberly! I love that you’re already on this path.
Hi Chris & Noah. I said it in a tweet but I’ll say it here. I was very encouraged to keep making art for art’s sake. Great podcast! Can’t wait for the next.
You definitely halted me in my tracks, so to speak. I’m a self taught artist with no art school training to guide me in a career choice and only recently thought of trying on the “illustration” hat to see if it was a good fit. I am from a bit of a graphic design background but have always disliked working on other people’s projects with other people’s vision. Freelancing as an illustrator is exactly the same thing and I’m finding more people coming to me illustrate logos than anything else. So I’m back to the drawing board with your encouragement.
Do you have any insight or resources into digital artists selling their artwork in galleries or shows and not just as small, inexpensive prints online? I play with traditional mediums but I thrive on digital and that is where my good work is coming from. I feel though, that it can’t sell. Yes, I’ve googled and read lots of opinions but I’m curious about yours.
I will try to get interviews with some of my friends who have done this successfully. Thanks, Naomi!
That would be wonderful!
Hey guys Great Pod ! I’m a Sound Designer/SoundPost/Folly /ADR and I really enjoyed -listening ,you address a lot of the same issues we all deal with
Very interesting to hear, Alex! Thanks for the insight!
“Generic artists attract generic clients.
Generic clients offer generic work.
Generic work attracts more generic clients.
This pattern will eventually attract bad clients (if it hasn’t already).”
W T F ?
Seriously?
When was that formula discovered? 1965? 1973?
I think it was long before then. 😉
Wow great episode, guys! (Hmm, I think I start every comment with a “wow”…) So inspiring and great gems of advice in there. I didn’t even know that working on your personal projects could be your living until I listened to PWP and heard Lora’s story.
Thanks for the post and as always, looking forward to more! Glad you made a recovery from your illness, Chris. That is no fun at all.
By the way, any listeners out there that would like a “beta reader” of their writing, feel free to hit me up via email. I’m equally passionate about writing and drawing (heck yeah perfect comic combo) so I’d be happy to go over your comic scripts with you. I just completed two writing courses in September and the first four script chapters of my comic. Probably won’t have time to go over long pieces until the end of November but send away~!
You’re awesome, Emily! Thanks so much!
Hi Chris and Noah~
Its always nice to hear u guys talk about the industry and giving all the positive vibes and insights! Really helpful link especially when I am doing my freelance works and missed out on the interesting live streams!
Not sure if you guys have heard Ash Thorp’s podcast yet but I thought it would be nice to share with you guys after receiving so much all these time. Hope you guys will like it as much as I do! 🙂
https://soundcloud.com/the-collective-podcast/the-collective-ep-1-anthony
Stay cool!
Hey Chris/Noah,
Just wanted to let you know how inspiring I found this talk. I admit, I was initially a little nervous to listen because I just went fulltime freelance 2 months ago, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. I definitely agree with all points you two touched.
I’m glad you have both been able to “quit” freelancing and start up your own things. It gives me a lot of hope and would love to see many others do the same!
Would you consider publishing an audio-only Podcast of this like your others for those of us who listen on the go?
This was fantastic, so inspirational. I enjoyed listening to the two of you art rant everything out these past two podcasts. I look forward to future ones filled with more helpful content! Thank you very much for all your effort and adding in all the links you mentioned below. Extremely helpful resources. Thank you for all you do!
I second Andy’s comment (and yeh we’re not the same person). Having an mp3 of these would be great for listening on long bus or train rides and the like. I’m actually flying in a few hours and wish I could listen to this on board.
Thanks for sharing all your advice and being so helpful!
wow! this podcast was so truthful, sincere and inspirational! thank you chris and thank you noah. also the podcast by will was right on point too.
Hi!I just wanna to confirm about the topic,is that mean must work as an employee for someone or corporation or what?That’s all,thank you.
I just loved these 2 hours. Cute, cool and uplifting. I wanted to ask, if you guys could maybe do a post on “selling prints”. Often when i see illustrator´s blogs i notice many of them make money by selling prints of their (digital) artwork. It is also mentioned in your video. It would be great if anyone would make a good tutorial about how to manage a project from having artwork to selling it. Do you need to print the images out in a local copy shop and then send it to the other side of the globe. Do you need own web shop or is it better to make it via other web pages. Stuff like that. Just an idea of something that might help out a lot of people who do artwork and dont know where to sell it and how to distribute it. All the best. m
Hey Chris, good to see what you have setup here! Don’t know if you remember me, from Illopond? Man, I have been so out of it, and not keeping in tune with what everyone is doing! But I love what you talk about here. I love Noah’s work and his amazing advice he just gives out!
This is such a great subject, and I totally agree, that creating our own products is the way to go now. I think I mentioned it way back in Illopond once, that I wanted to go this route. Anyway, I have finally got my but into gear and been working on my own kid’s app. I’m using software similar to the “kwiksher” you mention. Also were you don’t have to know much about coding. So I am nearly complete with the first book, I plan on doing a series of apps involving the same character. You can check some progress out on my blog http://www.clintsutton.blogspot.com/
Now that I found your site here, I hope to be more in contact.
Thanks again for this great post!
Clint
It’s great to hear both of you discuss these topics, but learning to code, then i remembered.
http://www.codecademy.com/
It’s free, not mine either, just wanting to share.
Darren
Nice! Thanks for the link, Darren!
Chris,
Thank you SO much for yet again an amazing podcast and sharing your inspiration with all of us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🙂
You offer so much hope to other artists (myself included). Something I’ve noticed about the people who follow you (again, myself included) is that we’re all in some way or another struggling with this challenge of being an artist for a living. The hope you offer keeps us going. One thing I wanted to share was in the midst of this hope, may we find gratitude in where we are today whether that be professionally or artistically. With that gratitude, may we find peace. And with that peace, may we relax and breathe a little easier, enjoy our families, our health and everything else we might take for granted as we focus so much of our energy on this passion for art.
Again, Chris, thank you for giving so much of yourself and sharing with us all. There are so many gems and pearls of wisdom shared on your site. You’re an amazing person and thank you for being awesome!
Chris & Noah,
Thank you so much for your podcast.
I’ve recently decided to take a leap to teaching marketing to visual storytellers and illustrators through my website. I couldn’t agree more with you guys on how fulfilling it is to get emails from people saying how much a blog article has helped them. I never felt this sort of appreciation while freelancing.
You two are offering so much great information on your sites. And you both seem happy with your teaching paths.
Good luck!
Hey guys! Great video, I like this page, can’t remember how I stumbled on it.
Anyway, yeah… “Is my ship sinking?” Are you kidding me? I’ve been here with all these old pirate ships from the 1400’s. My ship sank as soon as I stop truck driving to start my own freelance art business. Don’t get me wrong, I freelanced for about ten years before. Even though I had support in the field I lost all my momentum. No matter what I do though, my artwork keeps appearing in the things I do. It natural for me to draw, being broke has really taken a burden on me.
I find your knowledge, time to teach, experience and the kind loving heart you both have including Will T are extremely wonderful and helpful.
Thank you all, hope to see more!
Many thanks
Dodi “)
Thank you for all of the fabulously useful rec’s and ideas to get motivated and grow the business! I might throw Hugh MacLeod in with the other reading rec’s. I just finished his “Ignore Everybody…” which was motivational and practical advice for navigating some of the internal and external roadblocks out there – funny, too. Just now starting out with my own gig after 25 years of thinking it couldn’t be done….wish I had you guys around then to quiet the myths and fears. You’re making a huge difference for a lot of people.
Great videos! I’m a graphic novelist with 30 years as a pro under my belt, and I just love hearing fresh thinking like this. Rock on, dude. You just made my day!
Hello:
I am a freelance illustrator with over 35 years experience in publishing. I too, have suffered a major fall in my work and client base over the past few years. In the textbook industry, the trend is to send it to India. And have them redo it wrong 5 or 6 times before approval. It has increased the profits for the publishers as the price of textbooks has not been reduced any.
It is all very well and good to say we can re-invent ourselves and the art business (yet again) when the problem isn’t the artist but the medium. Nobody wants to pay for digital content when it can be free. When it is free, fewer support people are able to make a living. Try making it as a fine artist? Good luck again, as the market here has also tanked. You suggest making stuff that is scarce and valuable. This limits the rate of success for artists to 1 out of thousands. We cannot ALL be special. Life doesn’t work that way. It isn’t working that way for musicians today either. Talent is great, and you folks obviously are very talented, have the right connections and are good at self-promotion. As a freelance illustrator, I’ve had great success in my time. It allowed me to make a very good living and to do it in NYC and overseas for many years. Craft, versatility and professionalism used to be the hallmark of success in almost every creative business. Now the ‘bottom-line’ is the rule. This is why Walmart is so huge, and bad for the middle class. I was fortunate to live in a time when the middle class was the driving economic engine of this country. People supported local businesses, which kept the money circulating locally. The disposable income that supported local arts and small stores has been squeezed away with the shrinkage of the middle class. I do not know how the next 2 months are going to work out for me. If I do not get some paying projects in soon… I will stop trying to beat my brains out on this dead market. This doesn’t mean I will stop doing art. I’ll always do art, and share it with friends, and sell it when I get the chance, but at 63 I’m not going to back to school to learn all the (software) skills I’d need to restart my career.
( if you want to see my non-commercial art – The Chair Drawing Project, visit my tumblr site: http://detroitmac.tumblr.com/ )
Hello Scott…I would love to have a chat with you sometime, about my own illustrations and maybe some fellow support…Maria Devlin O’Reilly.
Hi…just need a chat with someone in the business and maybe some advise on a good agent, for illustration. I have been drawing the whole of my life…completely self taught. (Natural born ability, as I call it). I have a unique style and have been running my own little business for about 5 years, but money is hard to come by, with what i am doing…so I am concentrating on freelance illustration alone, building a new portfolio and then plan to showcase my work…so, any advise and hints would be fab…
Much love…Maria Devlin O’Reilly.
Hi Chris,
thank you for your interesting podcasts. I couldn’t agree more with this one. It’s harsh out there for someone who want’s to make the freelance jump in 3 years, but it’s reality, and it won’t help sticking our heads in the sand.
But I noticed you didn’t spend time (I watched it twice, could I have missed it ’cause it was @ work;)) on those down bidding freelance websites, on how it speeds up the downward spiral and makes it even harder for illustrators to get bread on the table.
What is your view on them, and how do you think their influence will evolve? I personally don’t feel to threatened by them: basically, if you pay 5$ expect something that looks as crumpled? But perhaps this is where the real danger lies: underestimating the force of the cliché illustration?
I literally clapped (alone in my studio) when the last video ended. Thanks for being so generous and transparent with your knowledge. Very refreshing.
Well wow you guys this is like the most important video I’ve seen in months and it’s hit me at the perfect time.
You are SO right about freelancing as an artist and the Frankenstein portfolio. You totally put words to a phenomenon I think I saw happening but never really reflected on. All the freelancing, small projects, gigs and piecemeal work were not only giving me this colossally spread out, themeless and unfocused portfolio, but their were pulling me in so many directions, forcing me to need to build on 10 different skills at once from 3D to logo design, making myself a jack-of-everything so I’d have my bases covered in case anyone was looking for me to do anything. And it got me no closer to anything, this kind of work.
And yo I think your title is perfect and describes my situation so well– I too have finally landed a “dream job” of sorts and am finding it falls short of my dreams. Actually it helps clarify what the dream really is, to have come all the way to working as an ‘artist in the game industry’ and find out this isn’t it. Just doing art for money isn’t enough. Just sitting and making things in Photoshop all day is not what I was made to do.
Thanks for putting amorphous, complex and overwhelming sensations & experiences into words, which you’ve done so many times 🙂 It makes me realize I am not nor ever was the only one, and what’s more that there’s a way out.
I heart you Chris! Please have my concept art babies! LOL. Seriously, thank you so much for this! We were talking about this whole supply demand idea because a student can get stuck and not see the forest for the trees. So thank you for actually addressing this. It just makes sense.
I’m getting this weird feeling right now that makes me think that this post will change my life. I literally just graduated less than a week ago from Ringling College of Art and Design, but I am so caught between my options. I was offered a great paying full-time graphic design job, but I do educational illustration and children’s books. I KNOW that if I take these jobs they won’t get me anywhere closer to being the illustrator for children I simply must be. I’m at this very pivotal point in my career and these videos you’ve shared have given me so much insight and encouragement to just put my spare time and energy into MY projects. And while it wouldn’t be the end of the world to take those high-paying graphic design jobs (because student debt is so much fun), I don’t want to let them sap me. So thank you, love you guys, I loved Will Terry when he visited a few years ago. Keep it up, because we will eat up anything you business-oriented artists produce.
Hurrah! Finally I got a webpage from where I be able to actually
get helpful data regarding my study and knowledge.
Inspiring stuff guys!!!
One thing that stops me from actually going through with a project like that is that one can create on one’s own dream project, that’s fine.. But how do you market? It’s SOOOO difficult to market your own app.. There are thousands upon thousands of apps coming out daily! How does one successfully distribute one’s self-published book? It’s hard stuff to get your own creative baby out there… And try to make money out of it to feed your family too.. Any thoughts? Thanks!
You are correct in that it’s hard to land a job like we used to in the old days. The landscape is changing. I’ve resorted to alot of freelance work. Have anybody had huge success with any particular sites? The are the usual suspects such as Freelancer and Elance. I’ve personally done well with http://www.freelanced.com. Anybody else have some they can share that they have actually had success with?
Hey, I stumbled upon this podcast while looking for information on freelance and I have to agree with you. I graduated in 2013 with a BA in media arts and science and freelance is terrible where I am. I try to get attention by offering freelance work locally but come up with nothing, I go to all the freelance sites to offer up my services and get nothing. I go everywhere and get nothing over and over again to the point where any drive I have had has dried up a long time ago to the point where I am desperate for any type of job (and as you can guess, all applications I put in get denied as well) I am always told to freelance but the record has begun to skip since I’ve thrown my hat into freelance and any and all offers I put out are ignored. When I NEED money to pay for things, I don’t have time to ‘just wait’; I have to pay bills, keep myself from starving and get money for medical expensive. I NEED WORK NOW, not people walking around and not offering me useful advice or employment.
I think part of my problem deals with where I live; I live in Indiana and this is NOT a place for someone who is of the creative sort. Most of my time is spent trying to find jobs so I can get out of this place and somewhere where the interest is higher but for the time being, I just have to settle. I want to get my IP out there but again, I feel drowned out with only one or two people noticing me as a whole. I’m just so frustrated and desperate that I would do ANYTHING at this point; move, throw my resumes out a window for everyone to see, sell my soul, ANYTHING.
I’m glad I stumbled upon this website of yours. I’m an aspiring artist and I’m so relieved to hear a professional with real experience like you talks stuff like everyday problem I constantly talk with my friends, I feel like we’re in the same boat after all. I’m just curious, how do you start off at this field?
The thing is, I’m in this situation when I’m still in college and just starting to feel anxious as to what’s there left to do after I graduate, because in where I live, career opportunity for illustrator/ graphic designer/ artist in general is very rare. but I don’t know where to begin, I’m thinking of start freelancing because like you said in the podcast, I need money to create something I’m really passionate about. But I have this fear that I might undergo a wrong way, and it leaves me procrastinating. So, is it important to discover and master my own style before I even start? and if freelancing is the best option, should I build portfolio first, or should I just work on what the clients want me to do? Because, you know, having to work things you don’t actually like seems kind of sucks, and yet I need money to keep things going
Don’t bother my question, I typed it when I listened the first 1 hour of your podcast and you answered them in the next hour
Thank you for this though, really appreciate it 😀
Listening to this while I’m working at my 8-5 job. Granted, I’m just getting experience and money right now, in the world of web design and development, but AH I can’t wait to do what I really want to be doing: illustration. So, thanks for this!
I kind of agree…. but, I do also feel that if your good enough, you will always get work. You have to know how to get yourself out there, be prepared to negotiate, a live job always improves your standards.
What’s good enough? Hard to tell, best thing is too collect as much cool illustration as possible, figurative, environment, animal, fashion, old, new and aim to be as good as the best you can see. The only way to do this is keep a daily sketch book, treat each day as project based even if your not getting paid and having to do a dead end job to pay the bills. Always find the time to practice. If you do this you will win the job and the more paid jobs you do the better you will get.
The digital world has really made it easier to learn, self teach, the amount of free stuff available is incredible, so no need for massive college fees, unless your sure your going to make good use of such a facility.
The economy has grown to be proportionately service sector industry and entertainment, with a great deal of commercial illustration especially for corporate uses. I graduated pre internet, just book publishing for the likes of Random House and Dorling Kindersly in the UK. Now there are web firms, mobile developers, digital agencies, big, small. Digital work is quick and no fuss or mess, easy to change. Illustrators can turn round incredible results real fast.
It can really help to specialise, for me it’s vector, could be fast paint, concept, who knows. Just concentrate on getting good.
Remember where one opportunity disappears a new one always takes its place. The guy/girl who gets the gigs is the one that keeps practicing and keeps trying.
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Interesting insights and good advice but some of us do really like their job and can’t waste most of our time to do this “off” work…
Hi Chris & Noah,
Great blog! I have been working as a professional artist for nearly 40 years. I call myself an artist because as far back as 1977, I became aware that a career in freelance illustration was going the way of the stegosaurus.
At that time, I started learning the tools of the trade necessary to survive as a creative person in the new world. I did graphic design, first manually (does anyone remember paste-up?) and ultimately via the Mac. I did logo designs, brochures, ad campaigns, marker comps, storyboards, art direction, creative direction, copywriting, publishing, billboards, murals, you name it, All that time, I did continue to pick up the occasional illustration job, but my dreams of being N.C. Wyeth were gone.
Now, after supporting a family of 5 and managing to live a happy life, I continue beating my head against the wall trying to survive on commissions that pay less than they did in the 70’s. I watch daily as the role of the true artist, is replaced by anyone who can afford a piece of equipment and some programs and is also by the way, willing to work for practically minimum wage.
I feel bad for the young artists out there that have such a bleak future ahead of them. All I need to do is to hope that this nation survives long enough for me to collect social security.
Being truthful: I’ve not listened to your podcast yet. I did, however, watch & listen to Will Terry give his speech to his illustration students. Wow!
I’m not the best artist around, I’ve not got a ‘style’ yet per se, I’m not even young. But I love illustration & animation. Even if I don’t know what I’ll be when I grow up (reference Chris’ ‘5 Common Pitfalls Of Concept Art & Illustration Portfolios’; the section about choosing the kind of illustration you want to do).
Will makes great points regarding picking yourself & removing the time vacuums from your life. Like Will, I discovered that video games – which I’m good at – were a time suck. Ditto my job, negative people, anything that causes me to lose focus on the goal. It’s said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over & over, expecting different results each time. Different results aren’t going to happen.
I picked myself a couple years ago – I don’t have time to wait for publishers to make a decision about a book. My daughter had written a great story for children; I chose to illustrate it then went to Amazon & published it. Are we rich? Far from it; but we’re published & moving forward. Last spring, I drafted my second book – borne of the seed of an idea my son gave me. I’m working on the illustrations this winter & publishing it.
Friends referred me to Chris’ blog & now I’m challenged by the Magic Box – going slowly, but going forward. I’m thankful for friends like these, who are supportive of my effort to make great art.
Will ends his talk with a foreshadowed question: do you want to look back 5, 10, 15 years from now – look at artists that started when you did, under similar circumstances, but who squeezed out time & made sacrifices to accomplish their creative goals – & say “I could’ve done that”?
As an old guy, I’ll tell you: it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’ve done so far or how old you are. If you want to illustrate – do it. Change what you need to & do it. I started a blog earlier this year called “What ARE you waiting for?” It’s never gone any further than the name & a generic pages holding the site in place because I’ve been making things happen by not waiting. Please think about that question – I mean seriously, sincerely – & when you realize there is no such thing as the perfect time & no answers to the question really hold water, then go & create.
Hey guys – what a wonderful art-cast. I have to admit about 20 minutes in I was worried this was just another extended sales pitch for an art school, but after 45 minutes it was pure gold.
I left the games industry myself after a successful 20 year career to strike out and do my own thing. I have to admit as money started to be an issue I found myself falling into my old mindset of trying to please clients (both real and imagined). Trawling through sites like freelance.com drawing me deeper into a well of despair. Younger guys, working cheaper, everyone under cutting each other. Horrible..
Funnily my original thought had been to use my time working on an interactive story of my own combining writing and photo-montague. I kind of abandoned the idea thinking: ‘I need to make money, no one is going to want this’. The irony is – and what you guys have done a great job of reminding me – is that precisely the mentality that leads to not making very good money, and not being that fulfilled. So time the sharpen up the stylus and get back to it.
Thanks for the well needed shot in the arm 🙂
I want to thank you guys for putting out this podcast. I’ve been an illustrator for about 30 years, sometimes for a company (TSR, WotC, Warner Bros) and sometimes as a freelancer (as I am now). I freelance for a few years until it becomes too much. Then I start looking for that paycheck job only to wish I could be doing my own work. I’ve never been able to find that sweet spot. I’ve felt lately that there are probably ways in which I could be working smarter and for myself. This podcast is the nod of someone saying, “Yes, Fred, You can and should.”
Thanks again.
‘Perspective’ is everything. You have it all, you just need to see that. What are you lacking? Money. really.
Come live in the forests and plains of Vancouver Island. Explore.
Enjoy.
Hi guys,
Thanks for this podcast. I stumbled across it this morning whilst in semi despair over my ‘career’. I have worked in commercial illustration for 20 years on and off and recently went back to uni to do a postgrad degree in Authorial Illustration at Falmouth University in the UK. It’s the best decision I have ever made for myself, as the course is all about the illustrator as the author of their own work … Illustration as fine art, so to speak. I graduated in October 2014 with a very high distinction but have floundered a little since wondering if I’m on the right path. I still have some savings (enough for about a year) and hope to overcome chronic procrastination and get this thing off the ground. First (group) exhibition next week! In the meantime, my partner is converting a 40 year old trawler into a houseboat so we can live as cheaply as possible in the future (He is also an escapee from commercial illustration), although we do of course hope to be making a good living. Your podcast has given me a huge boost today to continue and to believe that all things are possible. Commercial illustration? I am SO over you!
Cheers,
Lisa
So, any chance at this industry swinging back to a place it was before in the future, or has that gone the way of analog film and the horse and buggy?
Wow, I thought I was the only surviving graphic artist/illustrator left…at sixty four it’s nice to know I’m not alone. I was laid off in May after going blind in my left eye in November (sounds like a 1940s song title). I haven’t been unemployed in about 45 years. I’ve always had a staff job as I wanted the security of that steady paycheck. My specialty has been military graphics. I’ve got concept art hanging in the pentagon and have wonderful memories of establishing art department for federal contractors. I take a lot of pride in having given starts to many young graphic artists looking for work. Now I’m unemployed…I believe the term “this sux” is appropriate. I do however see this as an opportunity to go back to my original passion and follow through with limited edition posters, both silk screened and regular printing. Also t-shirts specializing in particular subjects. I’m not done yet, just a little slower.
Hey guys, I tumbled upon your website and started reading through the articles, some of the ideas are really inspiring. Although we (Animation & Illustration students at university) have been warned about the bumps and obstacles in the freelancing world, I still feel very unprepared for this after a year of graduation. Most of which is the lack of self promotion knowledge: where, how, when, etc. Although I consider myself quite skillful (I certainly am not trying to be arrogant!), it is not enough. So how do I get people actually see and acknowledge my work among hundreds of other illustrators and artists?? I register on every website and blog that I find worth to register on, but still I see that others (some with quite limited drawing abilities) are doing much better business and can even rent a flat on their own or buy a car without holding another job. There must be something I am doing wrong or maybe not doing? I even started thinking that I went the wrong path by choosing to study Illustration, maybe it should have been Graphic Design, which is very popular and has a lot of job offers these days (however I find graphics a little boring as a subject). How do I reach those ‘good clients’ or get them reach me?
Best regards,
Milda the desperate illustrator
Hey guys,
Good talk and some very interesting insights! Let me tell you (briefly) my background and how I see today’s situation in freelance illustration.
I’ve been in the commercial art field for 36 yrs, starting out as an art director (3 yrs) at the largest ad agency in Indianapolis while freelancing illustration, uh, “on the side”. Since then I have freelanced exclusively for the past 33 yrs. Of course I started out in the “pre-digital” era and I worked in airbrushed and brushed acrylic on illustration board and canvas. It was a hugely different environment at that time – editorial art (for magazines like Time, Newsweek, Playboy, Esquire, etc.) was the rage for illustrators and there was substantial demand, even locally in Indianapolis, for advertising freelance illustration with distinct “styles”, largely dictated by the medium used. Art and creative directors were drawn to individual artists’ styles and illustrators rolled through periods of national popularity with art directors having “deep-pocket” clients who could afford to lavish substantial amounts of money to embellish their projects with commissioned original art. It was all very cool for illustrators as we held rather rarified turf in the commercial art field. “Stock art” was of little concern as most projects were quite proprietary in nature and access to stock was limited to collections printed in catalogs that had to be distributed and looked through by hand…nothing like today’s instant access to millions of images online!
By the early to middle nineties the writing was on the wall as to the growth of digital tech began to revolutionize the industry. Though initially grindingly slow Photoshop was the first shot across the bow of things seriously changing in the illustrators’ realm. The Illustrator application’s vector foundation was distinctly “un-illustrator” to most of us who had mastered conventional mediums and we found the raster format of Photoshop a much more acceptable transition… but it ran so slowly on early processors!! I can recall the application of a simple “instant” filter of today taking most of a lunch hour to allow sufficient time for working on an 8″ X 10″ image @ 300ppi and you had to have sufficient ram on board (which was expensive as hell at the time)! Wacom’s pressure sensitive tablets were another essential addition to the digital work environment before most of us were willing to give up our traditional media.
Artists (and photographers) representation firms were the way to go, generally speaking, in the 80’s and 90’s – all the way until about 10 yrs ago when the wheels started coming off. I was represented by two firms, one in San Francisco and one out of Dayton, OH (for areas east of the Rockies). I had moved to the S.F. Bay area in ’82 and never looked back. The next 20 yrs were generally excellent as my agent in S.F. had a excellent relationship with most all of the major agencies in the Bay Area —McCann-Erickson, Y&R, Ketchum, BBDO Worldwide, etc.—and there was plenty of work if one’s agent or and individual on his/her own just made a reasonable effort to be known. Nestlé, Del Monte, Hewlett Packard, Procter & Gamble, Chevron, Transamerica, Penthouse, KFC/Taco Bell, Sun Microsystems and Anheuser-Busch are just a few of the final clients I was fortunate to work for during this time. I managed the digital transition with a minimum of trauma and have found the digital tools allowed me much more freedom to experiment and greatly improved my productivity often reducing the time for completing a project by half and allowing for much easier alterations and the ability to offer variations and rearrangements of compositions with a minimum of effort.
The advent of the internet and the slow demise of print advertising has fueled the demand for instant and cheap…uh, shall I say CHEAP!… ad creation today. Today’s banner ads, e-blasts, social media, easily accessible stock art / photography and hand-held devices with tiny screens have all conspired to diminish the demand for exquisitely rendered original art. Besides, most of today’s crop of art directors have little to no connection to the “look” of traditional art styles, and though I and others can simulate everything from “oil painting” (& I don’t mean running a filter) to traditional airbrush and watercolor with my Wacom, the cost and time required are often too much of a disadvantage to overcome.
In recent years I’ve had to “expand” back into the broader realm of art direction and graphic / web design for work. However I believe the need for original, proprietary, unique artwork will certainly continue. Perhaps many new illustrators will find themselves simply feeding the burgeoning stock art inventories with “generic” art and one can see saturation already becoming quite an issue there. Of course there’s 3D art, animation, motion graphics and video that are all viable outlets for one’s need to create visual imagery. I believe the online universe will continue to grow exponentially with all those websites needing a constant supply of creative visual content. I only hope we can stem the tide of “off the shelf” imagery and maintain an outlet for creative people that want to do original and vital artwork regardless of the genre.
The Death Of Freelance Illustration & Why We Quit Our Dream JobsWhy is freelance illustration so painful?
…because we’ve never had much of a choice.
…until now