This is the second part of my blog detailing my top takeaways from the last 7 years of re-training and then making a career from illustration and surface design.

4 EFFECTIVE MARKETING

Part of my food illustration success is due to the fact that I know where the art directors and authors who hire me find my food work — 9 times out of 10 it’s Pinterest. (I know because I ask with every enquiry.) Pinterest is a powerful search engine that helps designers easily find references for projects and an invaluable creative resource (more so than Instagram) for the large foodie projects I enjoy. Early on I made it my mission to size all my website images to the optimal pin size of 2:3 proportion. It’s great for an engaging approach to self-promotion that I can see one image shared and collected on hundreds of pin boards globally. As a comparison, my latest analytics show that of my social channels 74.9% come via Pinterest compared to 21.1% from IG. Everyone seems focused on Instagram, but Instagram and Facebook work on a feed, so your images get buried quickly. Pins have a lot more staying power, with some of my pins appearing at the top of searches even after 6 years. The same can be said for my sketchbook art, which has been widely spread on Pinterest.

I have a class on using Pinterest for your Creative Business. 

Much of my IG success is due to consistently keeping 20+ sketchbooks (I’ve talked about this in previous blog posts)  I started quite late on IG and had a private account for the first year. Things didn’t take off until I started sharing my moleskines, which encouraged me to get in touch with people and in turn inspire others to explore their creativity. Having a large following on IG is useful for announcing or talking about my online classes (more about that later). So I am able to reach two different groups with two different marketing approaches, which I am still careful to maintain.

5 SHARING WHAT I KNOW

I receive messages daily thanking me for sharing my insights, thoughts, methods and techniques. Sharing leaves you open to feedback and connections, because you’re giving your audience a glimpse of your life and personality. Often the messages I receive are related to inspiring folks to pick up a paintbrush for the first time, or the first time in years. I love sharing what I know and inspiring others to be creative, and that sharing started to become a valuable part of my business when I began teaching on Skillshare in August of 2016. Over the last 4 years I’ve shared watercolour techniques, ways to overcome perfectionism, Pinterest strategies and all sorts of other topics in 20+ classes, which reach an ever-wider audience.

Networking is essential for working artists, and it has been made easier through having an online presence. Even now I go out of my way to keep active within my online community, because through them I learned more about art brands/business practices. We were always willing to share what we knew if others needed help or advice. This in turn builds more trust and camaraderie, almost like a fellowship as we continue with our creative journeys. 

6 SELF CARE

This has been the toughest to implement and one I thought was irrelevant and unnecessary for the longest time. I’m writing this during a general and social media break after 6 months of non-stop work, even during the Covid lockdown. I’m finally able to honour and accept that I am not a ‘super woman’ who can work 10-hour days or beyond midnight. At one point, I had succumbed to pneumonia 3 times in 8 years, the last time being in 2018. That illness was the wake up call that finally cemented the notion that whatever I’d been doing wasn't working out for me and wasn’t in the best interests of my family. I was totally drained, simultaneously stressed and exhausted. Furthermore I was dangerously close to burning out, no longer enjoying my art. 

Contemplating self care was a major shift in mindset and lifestyle for me, so in small increments, my life habits started changing. I began eating a lot more healthily, walking as much as I could, taking naps and drinking more water. Overall working on becoming a better version of myself so I could be a better artist and mother. 

Although I’m physically producing less art, I’m probably more productive on different levels and much happier. Making a definite decision to take better care of myself by making mental and physical health a priority when I did has paid massive dividends. For me, self care means managing my time so that I don’t get overwhelmed, and it lessens my general anxieties. 

Taking time to think over and write down what I have gained and understood as an art business has put into context my experiences as a solo entrepreneur with my own unique challenges. Some of my points may not necessarily apply to you or feel relatable, but I hope just one aspect has you thinking about aiming for a successful art career.