Module 4 / Lesson 4.1: Work hard
Work hard
I have spent so much time telling you to do what you love and follow your wildest dreams that I almost forgot to tell you one of the most important ingredients to success: you’ve got to work hard. Like, really hard. But the thing is, because you’re working on things you deeply love and are excited about, it shouldn’t feel like work all of the time…but still, you will know when you’ve worked hard. You will feel it and you will see the results quickly. Being a freelance illustrator is amazing and rewarding but it’s also hard. Successfully making a living as an illustrator will demand a lot from you (physically and mentally). Let’s dive in to see what you can do to go above and beyond when you work with your dream clients.
You can listen to the lesson…(give it a second to load)
Or you can read it!
Do the best job you can
Once you’ve landed that dream job of yours, you have to focus all your energy on doing your best work for it. You need to allow yourself plenty of time to work on that project, also making sure you have enough time to step away from it and then look at it again with fresh eyes…this will ensure that you’re always fully on board with what you’re creating. I’m telling you this because sometimes, clients will give you feedback that might take your dream project in a different direction but I still want you to be able to adapt and love what you’re doing. You do have to stay open-minded and remain creative no matter what. When you work on a dream project, you’ll have to learn to master a balance between realising the client’s vision and creating something you love and that you believe is right for the project. It’s tricky but it’s doable. The key is to be confident in your ideas when you present them to your client and master your delivery. If you feel like things aren’t going down the right way, there’s no harm in talking about it with your client. The more you have an open-discussion with your client, the better the work will get. Most clients will, of course, want you to be happy with the result. They will appreciate that you’re fully invested and want the best for the project.
Communicate well
On another note, it is essential that you learn to communicate well with your clients. It will define the way you work with them and make the whole experience nicer for everyone. It’s not just about good grammar and writing polite emails (that is obvious, right?), it’s also about the way you deliver your ideas to the clients. Don’t just email screenshots of your sketches or illustrations without any explanation. You need to be able to send them a beautiful presentation template which you can fill with sketches, illustrations and comments about your work. Tell the clients what you’ve done, tell them the story and the ideas behind the sketches and illustrations you’re presenting to them. You could even tell them which ones are your favourites and why! You basically are in charge when it comes to showing your illustrations and you can definitely influence the way they will be perceived. Remember that you can sell almost anything with a great story.
Stay tidy & organised
It’s not a myth: a tidy and organised workspace will make you happier and more productive. It’s important to have a clear space to have a clear mind. Some people might thrive in a messy environment but as a freelance illustrator, you’re also a business owner, which means you can’t really afford to be messy and un-organised. Of course, when you’re creating, painting or drawing, you might make a bit of a mess on your desk and around you. That’s totally fine and dandy. What’s important is that you learn to clean your workspace at the end of each day, so you can start each working day in a fresh and clean environment.
Now that you can keep things tidy, let’s see what you can do to remain organised. My favourite way to stay on top of things as a freelancer is to write to-do lists. I LOVE to-do lists. I like to write them in the morning, before I do anything else. I used to only write vague and big ideas like “answer emails” or “work on online course” but I’ve recently switched to being more specific so I can tick things off the list quicker and be more productive. It’s that whole idea of cutting the work in little pieces so it feels less daunting.
Build different income streams
Apart from the amazing jobs you’re going to get as an illustrator, you can also develop your own brand and build different income streams to support your activity. Being able to make a little bit of money by selling your own products (physical or digital) can be very helpful and it will make things less stressful when client work isn’t rushing in. You have got a lot of awesome skills and you shouldn’t wait for clients to discover them… The key is to build your own customer base (your fanbase!) that will buy from you and support what you do. You will achieve this by using social media smartly (see Module 2) and being patient and dedicated. Nothing happens overnight!
Here are a few ideas of income streams you could develop, depending on what you feel most comfortable with:
Sell stationery with your own work (greeting cards, prints, postcards, stickers…)
Create an online course
Create downloadable e-books and PDFs
Do custom illustrations for customers
Create a magazine or write a book
Teach your skills via platforms like Skillshare
Create a Youtube Channel for behind the scenes and process videos
How to go the extra mile with client work
•Always present your work beautifully
•Explain your ideas eloquently
•Answer to clients promptly
•Always present more options than expected
•Use mock-ups to make your ideas come to life (My favourite place to find them is Creative Market)
•Send a little card every new year to your favourite clients to thank them for the opportunities.