Getting an Agent was bad for me.

Enni Heikura

@MarcRobinson Marc, I’m sorry about your experience. I think if you get an agency, it would also be desirable to get work projects from them. It’s strange that they haven’t found a suitable project for you since you’re so talented! I don’t have experience with agencies myself (which is why I posted about it on the forum). But a couple of times, someone has emailed me asking if I would illustrate for their book, and I’ve declined because I know I wouldn’t be the best fit (for example, if the subject is strongly related to a culture that is completely unfamiliar to me).

If you feel that it doesn’t feel right to do the work and you might succeed with your own projects, then definitely go for it! And if your own projects have been successful before, I don’t see why they wouldn’t continue to be in the future. At least I encourage you to give it a try

Zachary Schrage

@MarcRobinson I actually have another friend who is repd by them too. And hasn't gotten anything. Also said they're rude.

MarcRobinson

@TY-Graphics-LLC Thanks for the kind words, mate. I appreciate it. I'm glad you noticed the concepts in my work as I like to make sure I spend quite a lot of time on that aspect first. Yeah hopefully I can make something out of my own projects again. I would love to do the Self Publish Pro course, but at the moment I can't really afford it due to family reasons. It does look amazing though. Maybe next year.

MarcRobinson

@Enni-Heikura Thank you, the encouragement means a lot to me. Yeah I think now is the time to start leaning into my own stuff. I saw your post about agents, and your work is definitely heading into the right direction for getting a good rep.

NessIllustration

@MarcRobinson I think you're right, you should make your own projects! You don't need anyone's validation to create!

MarcRobinson

@Zachary-Schrage Man, that's no good. My experience is not so much rude, but that they are so busy with all their artists that the communication is very dry and impersonal. And that you get the impression that you work for them and it's not a partnership. But hey ho.

MarcRobinson

@NessIllustration Thanks Vanessa, I hope I can make something of it. It does seem to get harder to squeeze these things in as I get older, but a little bit every day should work.

@MarcRobinson I could not afford it either, so I borrowed the money. One of the most game-changing things in this world is the concept of "Now." There is something powerful in believing in what can not be seen at present but knowing it will manifest through your risk and commitment.

You seem to be a humble man who allows the quality of his work to speak for itself. You must believe the battle is already won and step out in faith. I'm confident in your ability that if I had the money, I would bet on your success.

Mimi Simon

@MarcRobinson I don't think you need to give up on getting a better agent unless you want to. If you don't feel comfortable doing standard children's book stuff you should eradicate that from your portfolio and only have stuff thats the kind of thing you want to do. You could also try pitching your own projects in order to get an agent. If your comfortable writing your own stories, then you could both more easily get an agent (they love people who can do both) and the agent would be coming to you for your concept not because they were attracted to some of your portfolio pieces that you are no longer interested in.

MarcRobinson

@Mimi-Simon That's some really good advice, thank you. Like Will has said on the podcast before, I'm thinking the stuff I like to make might be out of the wheelhouse of a lot of agents and publishers, so going solo might be my only real avenue.

Kristen Lango

@MarcRobinson Thank you so much for being willing to share this with us Marc.

To answer your question in bold, yes, all the time yes.

I totally relate to everything you said. There was a "bigger" gig that came along for me that didn't end up working out and I was actually so happy it didn't because of the confinement I felt almost immediately.

I struggle with this literally all of the time: wanting to get paid for my illustration work but feeling boxed in when an opportunity arises.

Really I don't know if this problem ever goes away, even when you feel like you've "made it" as an illustrator... also when is that? Is it when you've made $20 from your art or $20,000? Clearly it's this subjective thing that lives in our minds about what it is to be a "real illustrator" like you said.

This is going to seem quite random, but the works of Martin Salisbury (books about illustration) actually helped me to get past these notions a little bit, particularly his latest, Illustrator's Sketchbooks.

Anyway, thanks again for sharing, I deeply resonated with this entire post of yours.

willicreate

@MarcRobinson said in Getting an Agent was bad for me.:

do you ever think you've been trying to “fit in” to a genre of illustration that maybe you are not meant to be in?

There was a moment in history where all businesses wanted to break into social media, hiring any young person to create rando content for the likes. I did that for a while. Made a few thoughtful pieces but mostly thoughtless content. The job could have grown into a career, but I couldn’t continue. I disappointed a few people, including my mentor at the time, but like you I wanted to be true to myself.

Sorry to hear the agency wasn’t of help to you. In 2023 MOCCA Fest, I sat in this lecture on indie/alternative graphic novel publishing:
Professional Development: Publishing BooksToday The link is timestamped to the part the 4 editors shared their opinion of agents. It wasn’t positive. Can’t say if their sentiment is shared by the children’s book publishing houses.

I like your anthropomorphic crocodile fantasy piece. Not sure if that is the kind of “weird stuff” you want to do, but I see a market for it in indie video games, board games, and is align with European graphic novels. Keep exploring different industries, networking, and please continue to share your work.

MarcRobinson

@Kristen-Lango Thanks Kristen I'm glad you found parts of it relatable. It's definitely a weird thing trying to fit in. I guess I've just been a bit afraid to be myself and it not having the appeal.

MarcRobinson

@willicreate Thank you for the link, I'm gonna check it out. It's funny you should mention social media because last year I really pushed my Instagram everyday, and one post went kind of viral. I jumped up from 800 followers to about 16K in a few weeks, but it was SO shallow. No real engagement and I'm sure half the people were bots!

I do like my alligator illustration and it is more in the vein of what I mean by weird. But I guess I really just mean stuff that doesn't easily fit into the mainstream. The comics I've done in the past have always had dark humour and adult themes.

menalkhan

I'm sorry you're going through this, Marc. I recently submitted my illustration portfolio to [redacted] Agency and actually received the opposite feedback. They told me that my style was too vague and to reach out again once I revised. I had heard some poor reviews from others so I decided not to pursue further.

Trust your instincts & lean into the work that genuinely excites you. There are so many ways to be a "real illustrator." The most important thing is finding the path that makes you feel fulfilled.
Wishing you all the best in rediscovering your artistic journey!

tombarrettillo

@MarcRobinson I think a lot of artists have a limited view of what is actually possible these days. There is no use boxing yourself in to a niche that you have no heart for. You won't produce quality work. If your comics did great, lean into that for a year and see what happens. And you are already a real illustrator, simply by the fact that you create illustrations. You're also a comics artist.

While commercial publishing I know has its merits as the guys have mentioned, the world of self publishing is so full of opportunities. I don't say that from experience, but as a hopeful illustrator working on his first ever book that I am super excited about and believe there is an audience for. And I have many other ideas I believe will do well.

It is going to take a lot of work, but if your heart is in it, you won't even notice.

Michael Angelo Go

@MarcRobinson

Hey Marc, I have been having this question about myself as well. Do I really want to be an illustrator for silly children's books? Or do I want to draw art for stories that actual resonate with me?

Like YA Novels, superheroes, comics, etc.

I think you're experiencing an issue that I never got the chance to address years ago when I first came here to the forums at SVS (since I finally got a day job).

We're trying to break into a market that is probably already oversaturated and dominated by well-known and well-established artists, that has also been shrinking down with the economy, not to mention clients being taken away from AI.

I know someone who has been contracted with an agent for 1.5 years and they still haven't gotten clients. Perhaps children's books aren't hot right now, or maybe the agent isn't very competent.

Either way, I would recommend drawing for yourself and try to create or invest in projects that resonate with you, before trying to market yourself.

Jason Crowley

Thanks for sharing. You know what's funny? I had noticed that you and a lot of other really talented people were agented but not getting work and it made me realise that if you folks aren't getting bites then there's no hope for me!

Like you, I realised that I wanted to do darker, more edgy work, that targets an older audience; the stories and ideas I've been having are much better suited to screenplays than a 32 page picture book.

Another few factors that contributed:

My local SCBWI chapter all complained about being on minimum wage as picture book illustrators after being in the industry for many years, they also had to get second jobs to make up the difference
I attended the SCBWI conference and instead of inspiring me it weirdly put me off the industry

I really think your work would be suited to indie video games, your art style puts me in mind of Monster Boy, I really loved that visual style when I played it. Ever thought about making games? It's an industry that's much easier to reach your target demographic and run focus groups and testing (people will test you game for free!). Picture books, in contrast, don't allow you to reach (or test) the actual demographic to prove that a story or style is good (except for friends and family's kids for self-publishing), instead various gatekeepers dictate what makes it through, and what is deemed 'appropriate' or 'on trend.'

Larue

All I can say is that everything you've ever posted on SVS has been awesome and inspiring for me. I find it so hard to believe that artists of your caliber aren't getting work.
I've taken on few projects that I really wasn't "in to" emotionally and in the end didn't like the end product, it's only those project/pieces that interested me that I was proud of. I know we all have dreams of actually making a living on our art but I'm afraid it's like wanting to be a successful actor, few and far between. But...we can find fulfillment in creating what brings us joy!

MarcRobinson

@menalkhan thank you. It's crazy to me because your work is absolutely beautiful and I'm glad you decided to try elsewhere.
I appreciate the support so much thank you.