Advice on Becoming a Professional artist
Jeremy Sutton
I am sharing here an e-mail correspondence I had with a young graphic designer who was wondering how to become a professional artist and balance the need to earn a living with the desire to follow his passions.
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998
From: Robert
To: jeremy@portrayals.com
Subject: Where to begin?
Dear Jeremy,
I am a young (well 22 year old) Graphic Designer from the North of England and was wondering if you might help me out?
Two years ago I was on a HND course in graphic design, but decided to leave after the first year because it wasn't suited to me. Particularly the lack of computer generated art/ illustration involved.
I have since been working for myself as a freelance graphic designer but now want to get back to my real passion, i.e. fine art and illustration.
The problem is I haven't got the foggiest idea where to start. I am now out in the real world and I'm not sure what to do next. I have a portfolio which is full of everything from 'cubist' self portraits right through to business cards and letterheads but I don't know what to do with it.
I was wondering if you might be able to give me a shove in the right direction, or maybe just give me an idea of how most illustrators get started.
I would appreciate any help
Yours sincerely
Robert
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998
From: jeremy@portrayals.com
To: Robert
Subject: Where to begin?
Dear Robert,
Thanks for your e-mail.
Hmm... interesting... you describe the challenge I face, that is the challenge of pursuing a successful career based on passion, integrity and creativity. As you've no doubt already discovered, the life of a freelance designer is very different to the purity of following your own creative intuition. It is easy to get sucked into doing mundane, low paying jobs with unnappreciative or difficult clients. Even working with good clients the actual work can involve less creative freedom than you'd like. Being self-employed opens up great freedoms and opportunities but at the same time is full of distractions and tempting choices that take you away from the very activity that you really want to make time for, at least that is my experience.
I suggest you take some time out, get out of your regular environment for a day or two and do some contemplation. Get in touch with the core you, your core values and priorities. Just be aware. Visualize the direction you want to take your life and your career. Just imagine, just dream. No holds barred. Anything's possible.
The act of dreaming and visualizing sets your internal guidance system, so to speak. It may be that you don't know exactly how to get from where you are to where you want to be, but the very act of visualizing a goal actually helps you achieve it. I say this from repeated first-hand experience in my own life.
Getting back to the nitty gritty, I suggest keeping up your freelance graphic design work, but be selective of your clients. Work with people you like, people who value your creativity. Don't just take on a project because of the money, no matter how tempting. Steer yourself towards the more creative projects. Take the risk of creating space in your life to be open to opportunities that resonate with your vision. Don't simply fill your time up with a mass of stressful low paying jobs that you find frustrating or uninspiring. If in doubt about whether to take on a job, ask for time to consider. Sleep on it. Don't rush into commitments.
Value yourself and your skills. Invest in yourself, your tools and in developing your skills.
When meeting with new potential clients for the first time project yourself as a creative artist as well as a graphic designer. Put together a portfolio that highlights the type of jobs you'd like to get. Don't be afraid to include your 'cubist' self-portraits, if that's a style you'd like to apply in a commercial context. Experiment with style. Develop an identifiable individual style. Create some portfolio artwork on spec in the style that you want to encourage. Don't just put in jobs you've done for the sake of it, especially if they were jobs you hated doing! Be selective with your portfolio. Less is more.
Most important: always be true to yourself.
I hope this helps you. Please let me know how things go. I wish you all the best,
Cheers
Jeremy
PS Here's a copy of some relevant correspondence that was posted on the Painter E-Mail List earlier this year in response to a graphics student asking for advice. Read this carefully and always watch out for those tell-tale excuses why you shouldn't be paid for what you do!
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998
From: Mark W. Lewis
To: Painter List
Subject: Artist Advice for New Pros
Leo wrote:
"Be active! If you like to create computer graphics then do it! Do for free for anyone who may need the service. The Web is an excellent place to start. Then when you graduate you will have either a degree, experience or both to help you get a better job."
Now here is where I disagree! Do it for free *IF, and it is a BIG IF*, the situation calls for it! But should you do work for free for a going business who is doing everything they do every day to make money? NO, NO, NO!
Folks, this (professional art/illustration/design) IS NOT A HOBBY! If you want a HOBBY, try watercolor or flower-arranging! Don't get involved in a field where you have to spend 5-10 thousand dollars to get started reasonably and work your ass off for 6 months to a year before doing any work of professional quality.
Leo, you have an linguistic anthropology degree? How reasonable would it be for me to say "Hey, everyone, you don't need a degree, just an interest! Just show up at a seminar, look for the most naive looking person and offer to work for free! You'll pick it up in no time!" Sounds pretty silly doesn't it? Would it lead to a real position? Unlikely. Even if someone took you on, you would get all the crap work to do and the minute you tried to get paid, they would find another "volunteer." And, let me assure you, business people are much more mercenary about it than linguists would be!
Education is not just the "how to do the task" information, it is the why, where, and all the rest of the "W's" you need to pursue a career in a field like art. Art is a "Prima Donna" career. What do I mean? Simply put, like musicians, actors, writers, etc. there are MANY more people who "would get a kick outta" doing this work than there is work to be done. There are people who know that and are only to happy to take advantage of the naivete of inexperienced artists.
They will say "Gee, if you will do this, maybe we will use it and then pay you." Then when you show up they will say "Well, we can't use it but leave it with us in case." Then, later, when you see it used, the excuse will be "Messing around with you made us late so we had to use it, but we didn't like it." And, guess what? They got work worth maybe thousands of dollars and what did it take? "Leading on" a naive person. What happens next? Probably nothing. You lose. *They* then move on to the next sucker. And that sucker will be there...
Now if you want to do pro bono (free) work for a *charity*, fine, but please note that in 99% of the cases, doing pro bono work is harder and more frustrating than doing a commercial job. The project you are going to be doing is the most interesting thing happening at the office, probably, and everyone and the dog will have something to add to the mix. There may be a commitee (AHHHHHHHH!) or an all volunteer staff. You may run into a "wait-two-weeks-until-the-meeting" attitude that makes it hard to schedule the work, followed by a "the-board-meets-in-two-days-and-we-absolutely-need-it-then." It better be a cause which you support or you could end up angry and frustrated. And it is darned unlikely that anywhere along the line anyone will say "Oh, we can't ask that of him/her. They are working for free." Or "Since you are working for free, we'll just accept your opinion on this."
Since I don't like to see good people taken advantage of, I often give this list to my students. I have added a note following it at the bottom of this message.
Mark's Top Ten "Lies told to Naive Artists and Designers."
1 "Do this one cheap (or free) and we'll make it up on the next one."
No reputable business person would first give away their work and time or merchandise on the hope of making it up later. Can you imagine what a plumber would say if you said "come in, provide and install the sink for free and next time we'll make it up when we need a sink." You would be laughed at! Also the likelyhood is that if something important came along, they wouldn't use you.
2 "We never pay a cent until we see the final product."
This is a croc, unless the person is leaving the door open to cheat you out of your pay. Virtually every profession requres a deposit or incremental payment during anything but the smallest project. Once you have a working relationship, you may work out another arrangement with a client. But a new client should not ask you to go beyond an initial meeting and, perhaps some preliminary sketches without pay on the job!
3 "Do this for us and you'll get great exposure! The jobs will just pour in!"
Baloney. Tell a plumber "Install this sink and my friend will see and you'll get lots of business!" Our plumber friend would say "You mean even if I do a good job I have to give my work away to get noticed? Then it isn't worth the notice." Also the guy would likely brag to everyone he knows about how this would normally cost (X) dollars, but brilliant businessman that he is he got if for free! If anyone calls, they'll expect the same or better deal.
4 On looking at sketches or concepts: "Well, we aren't sure if we want to use you yet, but leave your material here so I can talk to my partner/investor/wife/clergy."
You can be sure that 15 minutes after you leave he will be on the phone to other designers, now with concepts in hand, asking for price quotes. When you call back you will be informed that your prices were too high and Joe Blow Design/Illustration will be doing the job. Why shouldn't they be cheaper? You just gave them hours of free consulting work! Until you have a deal, LEAVE NOTHING CREATIVE at the clients office.
5 "Well, the job isn't CANCELLED, just delayed. Keep the account open and we'll continue in a month or two."
Ummm, probably not. If something is hot, then not, it could be dead. It would be a mistake to *not* bill for work performed at this point and then let the chips fall where they may! Call in two months and someone else may be in that job. And guess what? They don't know you at all.....
6 "Contract? We don't need no stinking contact! Aren't we friends?"
Yes, we are, until something goes wrong or is misunderstood, then you are the jerk in the suit and I am that idiot designer, then the contract is essential. That is, unless one doesn't care about being paid. Any reputable business uses paperwork to define relationships and you should too.
7 "Send me a bill after the work goes to press."
Why wait for an irrelevant deadline to send an invoice? You stand behind your work, right? You are honest, right? Why would you feel bound to this deadline? Once you deliver the work and it is accepted, BILL IT. This point may just be a delaying tactic so the job goes through the printer prior to any question of your being paid. If the guy waits for the job to be printed, and you do changes as necessary, then he can stiff you and not take a chance that he'll have to pay someone else for changes.
8 "The last guy did it for XXX dollars."
That is irrelevant. If the last guy was so good they wouldn't be talking to you, now would they? And what that guy charged means nothing to you, really. People who charge too little for their time go out of business (or self-destruct financially, or change occupations) and then someone else has to step in. Set a fair price and stick to it.
9 "Our budget is XXX dollars, firm."
Amazing, isn't it? This guy goes out to buy a car, and what, knows exactly what he is going to spend before even looking or researching? Not likely. A certain amount of work costs a certain amount of money. If they have less money (and you *can*) do less work and still take the job. But make sure they understand that you are doing less work if you take less money that you originally estimated. Give fewer comps, simplify, let them go elsewhere for services (like films) etc.
10 "We are having financial problems. Give us the work, we'll make some money and we'll pay you. Simple."
Yeah, except when the money comes, you can expect that you will be pretty low on the list to be paid. If someone reaches the point where they admit that the company is in trouble, then they are probably much worse off than they are admitting to. Even then, are you a bank? Are you qualified to check out their financials? If the company is strapped to the point where credit is a problem through credit agencies, banks etc. what business would you have extending credit to them. You have exactly ZERO pull once they have the work. Noble intentions or not, this is probably a losing bet. But if you are going to roll the dice, AT LEAST you should be getting additional money for waiting. The bank gets interest and so should you. That is probably why the person is approaching you; to get six months worth of free interest instead of paying bank rates for credit and then paying you with that money. Don't give away money.
Now, this list wasn't meant to make anyone crazy or paranoid, but is designed to inject some reality into the fantasy.
You are GOING to be dealing with people who are unlike yourself. Their motivations are their own and their attitudes are probably different than yours. There are going to be demands, problems, issues and all the hassles that go with practically ANY work/job/money situation. Too many times I see the sad example of someone walking in to a situation with noble intentions and then getting royally screwed, because what they see as an opportunity and a labor of love, the other party sees as something else entirely, not at all romantic or idealized, but raw and simple.
How can you deal with this stuff and still do good creative work? Good question. THIS is why an education is important. You learn, out of the line of fire, how to deal with the art at it's own level and also how to deal with the crap that surrounds it. You may have tough teachers and think that it can't be worse, but wait until a business person has a hundred grand riding on your art! Then you will know what "demanding" means. You will then thank all those tough teachers for building up the calluses that enable you to enjoy the job rather than just feeling like it is all a big waste of time!
In the end, working commercially, being a terrific artist is about 25% of the task. If that is the only part of the task that you are interested in, do yourself a favor. Don't turn "pro."
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