Welcome to my first blog post! I’ll be honest, I’ve tried writing blogs before and I never enjoyed it. Which kind of makes sense because I also hate journaling (though I keep trying that as well). However, I’ve been growing and learning so much in the past couple years as an artist, that I’d love a dedicated place to pass along knowledge and share more process work.
One of my favorite things to talk about are the struggles and triumphs of being a creative. I feel I’m in a unique place in my life right now to share mine and hopefully it will connect with some of you - I know whenever I find an artist who has a similar path as mine, it’s like a big giant hug from the universe.
Why do I feel in a good place to talk about that? Lots of reasons:
* I’m not a full time artist, I still have a ‘day’ job. I’ve been able to be part-time since 2019, but worked full-time for 10+ years before that. My goal is to be a full time freelancer.
* My day job has nothing to do with illustration - I’ve always worked in restaurants and that’s a whole other beast to contend with - good and bad.
* I didn’t go to art school (I studied theater!). I didn’t even have a community or network of visual artists until the last year or so - and turns out it is SUCH a giving and welcoming community, especially in the illustration sector.
* I’m 37! Why does that matter? Well, it doesn’t really, but from my personal experience, it is a whole other factor when you are trying to ‘make it’ as a full-time artist and most people in that position are way younger than you. As hard as I try for this to not be the case, it can come with a lot of insecurities and questioning. I appreciate professional artists who are vocal about when they started and normalize still figuring it out or changing careers after 35 (or 50! 70!), so I think it’s beneficial to be open about that particular struggle. Especially while I’m smack in the middle of the journey towards making art my main source of income. When I found out that one of my favorite illustrators, Yuko Shimuzu, graduated from art school around my age and didn’t start full-time as an illustrator until her 40s…..it was such a comfort and relief. It meant a lot that she was open about sharing that and it really helped me gain a renewed sense of peace that I’m on the right path. If some of you reading this are in the same position, you’re not alone!!
There you have it. A little about me and a big THANK YOU for joining me here.
♡ nicole