Some of you have already read the news about me being let go by my agency earlier in March. The more I think about it, it really isn’t too big of a deal (for reasons I explain in the aforementioned blog post), and also I’ve been incredibly lucky with new commissions and collaborations coming my way. I’ve been keeping busy all on my own!
My Talk at a University: How to do Illustration as a Career
via Instagram: @designforum_rlp. Photo by Merle Körschkes.
In mid-April I was invited by Designforum Rheinland-Pfalz, a platform for connecting designers, companies and politics, to give a talk at the University for Applied Sciences in Trier. They found me via my profile Die Kreativen Trier, a networking group for creatives which I joined when I first moved to Germany.
While deciding on the topics I wanted to cover, I referred quite a lot to my Youtube channel, the videos that seem to garner to most interest, and the kind of questions people tend to ask me. Eventually I decided to make my talk about Illustration as a Career.
Specifically, I talked about:
freelancing full-time vs. part-time (the latter being far less romanticised but a legitimate way to pursue illustration, imo)
whether you need social media or an agency to succeed (can be extremely enriching, but isn’t necessary; community and in-person connections are more relevant)
how to market your illustration style (it’s normal and important to privately have multiple modes of expression, but when it comes to the outward-facing brand, one must streamline processes and position themselves strategically in the market — again, imo)
other ways to “do illustration”, besides commissions (self-initiated projects, licensing, join art collectives, apply for grants, etc!)
numbers: did you know that 35% of full-time and part-time freelance illustrators in Germany earn less than 12,000 € annually, and more than half of them earn less than 24,000 € annually? To compare, the poverty-risk threshold in Germany is at just under 15,000 € per year. Some food for thought.
These numbers stem from Illustratoren Organisation, a trade union for illustrators, and Die Statis, the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, respectively.
“Illustration as a Career”
If you are wondering if I was nervous – oh yes, I was! Since my German is fluent but not necessarily eloquent and correct all the time, it definitely helped to rehearse my speech over and over again, to myself, to the event organisers, and also to my boyfriend, who helped me refine the structure and some of the content of my talk. In the end I spoke in front of about 50 people, and though I was still nervous, it all came out seamlessly.
Another big hurdle for me to overcome is my annoying case of imposter syndrome. In the run-up to the event, I constantly had the nagging sense that I could not possible give a talk on making a career out of illustration if I wasn’t some big-shot illustrator, let alone a full-time one.
Preparing the speech was like confronting everything I feared, and you know what I realised? That it’s not like I’m some spring chicken, I’ve been in the illustration game for a while now, and I’ve worked on numerous projects that I’m proud of – all of that must count for something. And like a friend of mine said, everyone has different life experiences and can therefore share an interesting and even inspiring perspective.
Poster for A children’s Theatre Production
Spotting my poster in the wild, and me, a proud poster-mum
Mid-march to beginning of April, I worked on a poster for a small children’s theatre company in Trier, for an abridged retelling of The Odyssey. The director knew me from a poster I illustrated for one of his previous plays, commissioned by a different organiser.
The biggest challenge in the project was getting the facial expression of the central character, Odysseus, to not look too stern, but also not too whimsical. It was unclear what the facial expression was supposed to be from the client brief alone, and I communicated as much. At the end, the client coincidentally stumbled upon a fitting reference from the cartoon Asterix & Obelix, and this remedied the problem.
rejected sketch
chosen sketch
Collaboration: my second mural in Hong Kong
Photo by Jean-Luc Caspers
In May I went back to visit my family in Hong Kong, and besides eating plenty of veggie dim sum, frolicking in subtropical rainstorms, hardcore karaoke-ing, and crossing paths with city-dwelling cows, I painted my second mural next to the doors of La Cabane, a wine shop in Central. They found me through my mural in Sai Kung.
I was given full creative license and the shop took care of materials and preparation of the wall. The inspiration behind the imagery comes from the surrounding stairways and fruit markets in west Hong Kong Island, as well as Sci-Fi film & TV.
sketch
preliminary design / illustration
What I found most helpful during the process – besides my friends and family literally lending a helping hand, bringing snacks, providing moral support or creative input – was to regularly take a step back to survey the process. This is how I came to the decision to vary the colour of the outlines, and in some areas omit them completely. I also omitted some of the details from the original preliminary drawing.
Taking this direction was definitely a step out of my comfort zone, as line & detail work have always been a defining part of my style. But I’m glad for the risk, as the bright, fruity colours get to stand on their own. Growth!
Finished mural and me! Photo by Sofia Lisi.