I recently was asked by an former professor to write up what I did after I graduated Texas Woman’s University, which I’m very proud to have graduated from but that’s a whole other posting. After attending 4 colleges and of them 2 state universities I have something to say about teaching art, but I digress, that is for a later post. But How the hell did I get where I am and is this success, because it does meet those requirements I had set up long ago. Which I kept it simple, live off my art. I would have thought it was the graphic design that I love so much and have spent the last some odd years working and developing. Photoshop, illustrator, indesign, dreamweaver, love my programs and spend hours still doing design work and will always but there was this crafting artist that wanted to mix with graphic design. I thought about Picasso, even though he was a womanizer I love his work, his artist presence of mind to embrace change in your creative. To throw it away to start a new. I look at his earlier work and his later work and I do feel a kinship to him. But by no means am I saying I am like him but all artist have that thread of similarity. But I was able to move past my watercolors and make something I felt fresh and excited about.
Anyways I ended up in 2012 thinking about my simple illustrations. I have always illustrated, painted for 20 years even but never ever gave much thought to my little doodle work. And then my doodles found my iPad at the SXSW 2012 that’s when it all came together. Also if you look at my Etsy account date you see I opened my store February of 2012, right around that time. But I started selling locally and Etsy was a side thought. A post here a post there, nothing that I kept up with or gave much thought to. That is when I was working freelance design jobs and Austin is notorious for under paying designer when students will do it for free, and we have a lot of UT design students here. After that I decided to sell my stuff on Etsy in late September but really October is when I gave Etsy the attention it takes to make it on there. and grossed $6,000 in 3 months, not too shabby.
But before all this Etsy stuff my illustration work aka, my doodles have gained some traction in the market. First a t-shirt, then an ad then a magazine cover at SXSW 2013, interview. And for the second year I will be hosting the SXSW HomeRoom, which I am so excited about. I have the good fortune to have stumbled upon some cool product developing people and now I will see my doodles in big stores starting 2014 and that also is very exciting. That type of illustration work gave me the seed money to get the supplies to start my Etsy store. So things happen for a reason. So is there a secret some kind of nugget that got me through, yes there is. Oh and everyone will say it’s impossible to make a living off your doodles, but I just kept saying I make a living off them and now I actually do. But here are 3 key things.
1. Believe in yourself 110% and forget everyone who doesn’t. This can be a hard one and there are times to take in what people say (client and work related) but concerning your passion take it with a grain of salt so to speak.
2. Positive outlook no matter how shitty the circumstances might seem. How you deal with bad times is all in your head. Sadness can create some great work but art that makes people happy, has to come from a happy place in your mind. I meditate daily and sometime twice a day. I feel that calm translates into good solid work.
3. Be yourself and illustrate or create what comes natural to you.
I painted for years, thinking the good art was one of perfection. I love painting and it has it’s place but to do large amounts of good work it has to flow like water out of you. We have limited time here and I have a lot of doodles inside me, but if these were all paintings I would have seen it as a burden. Instead it’s like this hot passion inside building and building and then when I doodle there is a release of passion and happiness. I think you can even see that in the illustration and that is why it appeals to others. Also we all doodle so people can connect to the work itself. All I’m saying since it’s natural and flows doing large amounts of work is like breathing and I am thankful and being thankful I create new doodles all the time.
So there are 3 things that gave me that extra to achieve this little success that maybe one day might become a big success. But I’m happy just to be able to share my art with others. My paintings were all stuck in many portfolio cases and I rarely showed my work, now I’m showing my work and excited for people to see it. And I wish that for all creatives.