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Following on from Part 1 of lessons I’ve learned since embarking on this journey from full time Graphic Designer to full-time Illustrator, lets dive straight into Part 2:
5: Ask Questions
It’s easy to be intimidated by those illustrators whose work and careers you admire - thinking that they wouldn’t give you, a lowly aspiring illustrator, the time of day.
Don’t let this put you off - all of the established illustrators I have approached so far have been warm, friendly and only too happy to answer my questions. Some of the illustrators I’ve approached have also been kind enough to give me a thorough critique of my work too.
Not everyone will be super helpful and you may find, as I have, that on social networking sites like Twitter, Illustrators sometimes band together and can be a little cliquey - but don’t let this put you off, for all those people I’ve encountered I’ve also connected with 10 times as many illustrators that are only too happy to share their experience.
(NOTE: Asking questions is great, but be sure to give back too - platforms like Twitter shouldn’t be just about what you can get. Sharing the tips and experience that you’ve gathered on your journey with other aspiring illustrators is just as important.)
Remember, it’s also always a nice ego boost when someone likes your work and values your opinion enough to contact you for advice - your email may just make their day!
6: Illustrations Commissions Aren’t The Only Way To Earn A Living From Illustration
For a long time I’ve been of the mind set that to make it as an Illustrator you need to be at the mercy of Art Directors and land a steady string of commissions, but this isn’t the only way to make a living as an Illustrator.
There are many avenues to sell your work directly to your target market through sites like Red Bubble, Etsy and Cafe Press.
You could also look into licensing your illustrations for use on greetings cards, wrapping paper, clothing, jigsaws etc. There are lots of opportunities out there to build a steady stream of passive income, allowing your illustrations to continue to earn you money long after they have been created.
Recently I’ve been looking at ways to take control of my career and income by creating my own markets for the illustrations I produce. I’ve been working hard on some custom illustrations and will be launching this new venture via a website next month.
I’ll be following the website launch with an in depth article on this blog discussing my approach, including the ‘1000 true fans’ principle (more on this in the article).
The lesson to learn here, is to be creative and think outside of the box to find an audience and market for your work in this modern digital age - consider all of the options available to you.
7 Network:
If you, like me, are a bit shy about blowing your own trumpet and marketing yourself and your work….GET OVER IT!!!
This isn’t easy and I’m still learning, but through this blog, using twitter, setting up a Facebook page for my work, creating tutorials for other websites and approaching other illustrators, I’m starting to get my name out there.
It’s amazing how many of our website design clients (the day job) think that as soon as their website is live, thousands of people will flock to their website, which in turn will lead to thousands of pounds/dollars of business. But if no one knows your site exists, no one is going to visit it.
I’m not going to lie, this networking lark is hard work and not something that you just do once. Networking is something that needs to be a core part of your marketing efforts, but in time, if you put the hours in - it will pay off.
8: Collaborate With The Right People Or Just Do It Yourself
Collaborations can be great when you have a shared vision, you are both highly motivated and both parties bring equally to the table. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as I have now learned this lesson) when these things don’t align, it can be an energy draining experience and a big waste of time.
As the life of an illustrator is a solitary one, it’s easy to get swept away in the excitement of working on a collaboration, but ask yourself one question: Is this collaboration taking you closer or further away from your ultimate goal?
I learned this the hard way and wasted countless hours before decided to severe the cord and focus solely on reaching my own illustration goals.
I hope that through sharing the lessons that I have learned so far, it might help you guys avoid some of the mistakes I have made - and of course, if you have any lessons of your own to add, please do share them in the comments 
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