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When it comes to competitions, internships, speculative work or working in return for ‘exposure’ there is debate on wether illustrators should or should not do so. The general consensus seems to be that if you aren’t getting paid for your work then you shouldn’t do it, which I agree with.
Working For Free or ‘Exposure’/ Spec Work
It is so wrong that in the creative industry our work is seen as a ‘hobby’, something we are doing just for fun, when in fact it is the way we want to make money. Why should work be expected to be given up for free or ‘exposure’. Hearing that illustrator Holly Exley was asked to work for free by a well known brand because they couldn’t afford for artwork on that project really surprised me. They probably would just keep asking other illustrators until someone said yes, which is why I think it is so important to say no, and for all creatives to do so as well. To give up not just your work but also time for free is wrong. The only time I think you should is for family or if it is for charity/raising funds and it is something manageable to do nothing too big.
Competitions
With competitions I think they can be a good thing for illustrators to enter, but it depends on a few things. I don’t think you should enter if the prize is not worth the time. Why spend days on a full coloured illustrated scene for say £50? Especially if the organiser profits off your entrant after the competition, they are getting the money for your work. I also think that having to pay to enter is dodgy in the sense that you are giving up say £5 - 50 with no guarantee you will win, with the organiser profiting straight away. That money could go towards something way more useful, for me it is like working a day at work with then that money I made, more than likely going to waste if I entered. What competitions do I think are worth entering then? Ones that are free, that you have work already done from personal work that fits the theme so you aren’t giving up much time to enter. Picturehooks did a competition this summer that I believe to be a good example. There was 4 prizes of £1000 with your illustration for the competition possibly being exhibited, free entry, yet they also shared the work of runner ups on Instagram. I see it as fair because it was a single illustration with an already set theme, and a reasonable prize for your efforts, you didn’t lose any money or a lot of time if you entered.
Internships
I tried to find some internship advice but I feel for illustrators it isn’t available, or just isn’t something really done in the industry, maybe for more graphic design based jobs. I think again that they are worth doing if you are getting paid or chance for a job there. It is difficult to know if it will really benefit you if it isn’t paid, if you can afford do so then weigh up wether it is worth your time.
Today for university we were given a talk by former student Ed Merlin Murray. He went over how he has used Instagram as a way of getting clients to work with and finding other creatives as well. I found it interesting to hear how even though he has a large following he preferred it when he had a smaller following of say 1 - 10k, as he could engage more with them, while now he can’t engage with everyone. What I took away from it was that it really isn’t about numbers but the engagement/ what work you put into it, so being consistent as well. Instagram or any format of a place were you show your work digitally is crucial/essential in the present. It is the easiest way to get seen by clients, by you engaging with them or them finding you. Social media is a format that can be more up to date than your website, as it is a space you can post daily.
Best Practice as a Creative and as a Consumer
Presentation
Engagement
Use Instagram as a space to enjoy, low engagement doesn’t mean your work isn’t good or you are unworthy. It isn’t a measure of quality as you as an illustrator, you should just have fun with it!
Social media is a big part of how society functions these days. If you do not have it you are out of the loop and if you do have it, you can end up being stolen of time. For me social media is something that started to be a thing when I started secondary school and to be honest I never really got into it. I got Facebook but did not really like the idea of posting about my life on it. Being someone who is very introverted, social media had no appeal to me. Then I decided to try Instagram about 5 years ago and really enjoyed the creative community aspect within it, so I slowly came round to using social media, as a way of creativity rather than being personal. I have tried using tumblr but it is something that has kind of died off as a platform, and at one point I did try to blog, but nothing gained traction. Looking back I think I just could not grasp the platforms I was using and I found it hard to be consistent (something I still struggle with).
In the present I only use Instagram as a platform to post my work, and my (at the moment WIP) website. LinkedIn is something I am considering trying, but not sure where else, Pinterest is mostly for research really. I feel like with my Instagram I only have followers that I know in person or online, or that are inactive. I think it because I find it hard to be consistent with posting and having confidence in the work that I create. I want my feed to be cohesive and not all over the place. I try not to think about the numbers on it too much, I have been using it as a creative space for 2-3 years, and have a gradually growing small following. Also I need to be more aware of how I am spending time on it, I go on it just about everyday but do not engage enough. It has been a positive place for me though, nothing negative, I have found opportunities and other creatives through it so I am grateful for that.
Instagram Illustrators
A lot of the illustrators I follow have a good level of engagement and posting that keeps them alive on Instagram. Some post regularly others not as often, but what I see in their feeds is a sense of coherent work that immediately gives a sense of style and professionalism. They keep the content varied as well, so some images show work in progress, sketchbook pages or fully finished artworks. Sometimes they might get involved with certain events like drawtober, draw this in your style or folktale week to name a few, which gives a chance for other creatives to find each other. They have contact information in their bios and links to their other platforms, like YouTube. Even though you can research and look at other social media creatives, the only thing that you can do is keep posting and engaging to be part of a creative community!
Advise on Social Media
Website presentation is very important and vital to gaining work as an illustrator. Your website should be a representation of your work, in a way that is professional and engaging. I have learnt a lot in a year from trying out different layouts on my own website, yet I know I still have more to do! For me I feel like I struggle with just putting work on it because I don’t think it is good enough or the perfectionist side of myself keeps thinking I am not ready just yet for this level of professionalism. But I also know that if I never put anything up no one will ever see my work, so I just have to do it!
Website Inspiration
I feel like these websites all give off a sense of professionalism and personality which make them work well, as they use simple layouts, few pages and they all have their artwork mostly in one place for the viewer to see.
Website To Do List
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