I have been away for a while completing my final year of
university, working a full time office job and having a rocky but interesting
dating life. Now I am here starting out as a freelance illustrator full-time. I am no longer at my previous employment but now
self-employed on a creative journey and tackling my biggest challenges.
At first I was in shock but then after a few days I got myself together and
started working towards my creative passion. I have always been self-sufficient
and it is how I am going to continue to be.
When you find yourself newly self-employed after working since you were
seventeen for big companies and in my case it is daunting and that fear of the
unknown can be overwhelming. However, I have always wanted to be a freelance
illustrator/artist and I am giving it my best shot.
It is not easy. There have been bumps in the road. Mixed emotions. Lots of areas for improvement. They are parts
of the journey. I am doing what I love and it will not be smooth sailing but I
am happier than I have ever been.
I budget, pay all the bills on time, have the tools I need, eat better than I
did last year, exercise a few days a week, have a weird but great family and
friends and have a roof over my head. I am grateful for what I have and as long
as I have what I need I can focus on my artwork.
I used to obsess over printmaking years ago and then was intimidated by it and
felt like I was not good enough for this field, so I gave up. This was how I
felt drawing portraits as I compared myself to the many talented portrait
artists and illustrators around the world. I stopped and felt unworthy of
drawing. I felt low but I was still and currently obsessed with art, portraiture
and printmaking. The comparison game can be deadly and crush you. I feel it sometimes
but getting back into portraiture and printmaking was the perfect opportunity
for me to get back into the game and helping form my business. Also, I hated
Abstract art years ago but have come to appreciate it and be fascinated by the
process. I like to think I have matured a lot more since my foundation art
degree 18 year old me. This is an area of art I use to experiment and play around with mixed media in my journals. It is very therapeutic.
I have doubts sometimes but to help me grow I push aside the
negative feelings and create. I do not have a distinguished style and a lot of
work but I am ok with that. I am on a creative, scary and exciting journey and
I feel awesome!
The beginning of my journey so far:
- Decluttered
my life
- Invested
in the materials and tools
- Put
together a business plan
- Created
a competitor analysis
- Revamped
my website and online stores
- Gained
new online stores
- Acquired
social media business accounts
- Made
a financial report to help me budget
- Constantly
working on my SEO
- Journaling
my ideas down
- I create
If anyone has suddenly lost their
job, been fired or taken the leap to quit and decided to follow their dream passion I would love to
hear about your experiences and journeys.
