My Second Best Advice for Illustrators

= your face on the internet

My #1 top advice to fellow illustrators when they’re starting out or trying to boost their career is to seek out rejection. I wrote my first ever Substack post and a blog about it - it pops up nicely on google if you search “100 no thank yous”.

However, my second best creative-career-transforming tip is this…

Get some proper photos.

Professional photos! Lovely shiny photographs of you, your creative work, you doing your creative work.

Of coooourse drawing a lot is very (VERY) important for illustrators but the power that comes with professional photos is magic.

I promise you will never ever regret photos.

Clients will be able to see your glorious shining face, and they will trust you, and hire you, and you will make money.

✅ Credibility
✅ Trust
✅ Ooh I like their sketchbook - what kind is that?

“Ughhhh, but Katie I am not READY for photos”

Ok, I am cupping your face and looking deeply and awkwardly into your eyes now.

YES. YOU ARE.

Are you a bit weird and wonky? Good. Me too.

That’s your superpower.

Bask in your weirdness!

And get photos of the weirdness. Be yourself and let the pictures of you being yourself go on the internet. Do NOT think that having pictures means you need to go and have a full body transplant/get a haircut/be taller etc.

Photo by Jassy Earl

Let the camera capture your short nails and flaky dry skin. Highlight your favourite lazy eye. Let that one unruly mole hair take centre stage. Be as awkward as you like. Most photographers are good at getting you to be a bit less awkward.

If you’re holding your sketchbook you’ll probably feel less weird about the whole thing anyway. (Is that a third tip? I think it might be! Clutch your sketchbook to give your hands something to do.)

I’m cheering you on to get some photos of your weird wonky self this year and see what happens.

**uncups your face**

Lots of love

x Katie

P.s. Speaking of basking in your weirdness, Find Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag doors will open again soon. The course is aaaaall about being your weird self (and making a thriving, rewarding and delicious creative career of it.) Be lovely to see you there!
🚢🚢🚢