23 Dec 2020, 05:46

As an end-of-year topic, I thought I'd posit this question: "What's good about being an Illustrator?" because I'm really truly honestly curious about what drives us to become illustrators and what things we love about what we're trying to do. I rarely see videos or blogs or discussions about the good aspects of being an illustrator.

Over the last couple years I've developed quite a laundry list of things to be careful about, to look out for, to avoid, to work on... I see videos all the time about things one has to do that I haven't, things that need attention, new mediums and platforms to invest in, and the latest technology to spend money on, the amount of time that needs to be spent... The correct demeanor and mindset to have, how to be a professional, how to be a student, how to be or do something I haven't done and need to do...

I hear horror stories about bad working relationships, misunderstandings, stolen art, unpaid invoices, exorbitant fees, terrible interviews, horrible work environments... All these cautionary tales and literal fields of red flags...

It all adds up. For example, on a personal note, I've heard so much bad stuff about the state of the gaming industry and the horrific abuses that happen within it that no amount of good could ever swing me over to even considering it as a potential career field as an illustrator. But there are wonderful things about it, too, right?

And I sometimes wonder--where is all the good stuff? Where are the success stories, the great working relationships stories, the teams that were magic, the pieces one's especially proud of, the examples of things that just went right and everything seemed to click? The people we like to work with? The people who have given us great advice in the moment when we needed it most? The seemingly insurmountable challenges we feel we conquered?

I know as an educator it's important to look back and evaluate what went wrong and contemplate how to improve. But it's also incredibly important to articulate what's going right, what's good, what's successful. Because you want to keep all those good qualities as well as work on the ones that need improvement.

And I wonder if, right now, maybe we need a little celebrating? Because life is hard right now, and I wonder if we need to remember the things that are going well for us? The things we love about what we're doing? The things that get us excited? The things that rev us up and make our work a joy?

Is anyone interested in sharing what drives them to pursue the life of a visual storyteller?