What is Your Biggest Challenge as an Illustrator?
Hello everyone!
For this week’s Weekend Forum, I thought I’d invite you all to try and answer this question:
What is your biggest challenge as an Illustrator, and how do you plan on overcoming it?
We all face obstacles and challenges in our lives, and in our creative professions. One of the benefits of this is that it gives us the opportunity to grow by learning a new skill or reaching out of our comfort zone.
So what is the biggest thing standing between you and where you want to be as an artist, and what steps are you taking to improve your situation? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.
I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts. I hope this inspires us all to see obstacles as a temporary thing and to try and be better at what we do.
While you’re here, be sure to take a look at this week’s topic in the Illustration Friday Challenge!
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I think my biggest challenge is to live from my art and keep working without getting frustrated because is so hard.
My husband is a great support for me, I would fade without his strength and his believe in me.
Thanks for getting things started, Laura. Staying motivated and inspired is definitely one of the challenges that seems to come back every once in a while. I’m glad you have a support person to keep you on track.
Welcome!
Yes, for me this is one of the most hard parts of being an illustrator, or even an artist. You have to stay focused in your path and believe in you!
I completely agree. Without my wife’s support, I don’t think I would be nearly as driven as I am. Her faith, trust, and support for me is beyond words.
I have many obstacles to overcome! But rather than taking them all down at the same time I’m focusing on a few and working on them, and in the meanwhile trying to work with the other but not so strongly. For example, I have been working at improving composition, anatomy and values through last year, and doing less so with perspective. I still try to get my perspective down right! :) But I am not specifically working with that purpose in mind.
This year will be the year of better backgrounds and color compositions (still putting perspective in the back burner! ;) )
One of my biggest challenges right now is to make the time for all the things I want to accomplish. It’s so easy to find new tasks to take on, but not always simple to manage your time and keep a balance between work and family life. Thankfully, having a lady who loves me and two beautiful 7-month-old twin girls serves to bring me back to everyday life, otherwise I might become one with my work, which can be unhealthy.
One of the ways that I try to overcome this challenge is to make lists and prioritize my time so that I can see myself moving towards my goals, rather than floundering around trying to do everything at once.
Time management is a BIG issue for me, as is the daunting competition out there. I feel like I’m dancing as fast as I can, and I’m still not dancing fast enough. There’s never enough money to update my technology, and whilst it’s NOT about the tools, it helps if you have a decent digital camera or a printer that actually works. I also suffer from indecision; should I specialize in ONE thing and corner that market, or try to get good at many things to be as marketable to a large audience as possible? *siiiiiigh* Add to that the fact I run a household with three sons, one cat and a husband, and my so-called career often falls by the wayside. Good times.
Hey Christine. I can relate to the problem of juggling your work with your family life. All we can do is push on and try to create boundaries that allow us to have the time we need to devote to ourselves and our passions.
Getting work.
I find there are a lot of challanges to be an illustrator but the biggest one for me is believing in myself. I haven’ t really developed my own illustration style yet and seeing all the great work out there often makes me doubt myself and my abilities. I try to work daily on learning to draw better etc. and it boosts me that at least I’m working hard and fighting for it, but in the end I have a hard time persuading myself that I’ll ever measure up and be good enough.
That’s a common obstacle Aimee. Have you considered NOT looking at other artists’ work for a while. I know this can be difficult, but it’s really self-defeating to compare yourself to other Illustrators. I have had this issue myself, as I’m sure other artists have as well. I hope this helps.
I agree with Thomas. I was stuck looking at other artist’s work, and comparing myself to near artistic paralysis. Now, my self-motivation is to DRAW AND CREATE LIKE I KNOW HOW. That has been quite helpful. I always strive to push myself in different directions, but still keep that same “style” that has gotten me thus far.
Best wishes, and keep working. Believe in yourself, and that will take you places you’ve always dreamed of!
That’s true, sometimes I think the other illustrations are getting the work, not me, because I am not good enough. But I like to think that everyone is different, not better or worst, so each of us have our place and our public. It’s just a matter of finding it!
I agree too! I think I heard one of the guys on Big Illustration Party Time throw out the chant “Compare and despair!” Don’t look at other stuff for a while, unless you need ref for something. Ask yourself…..what do you REALLY love? What could you spend all your time doing? (I should take my own advice…)
I always look at other people’s work and worry that I am not as good, it’s a natural part of being a creative person I think…
I do that, too! It totally crushes me. I try to take a step back and learn something from that artist.
I like how Steven Silver put it. “Don’t be intimidated, be inspired!” the only thing standing between any of us and the artist that we would like to be is time spent behind the pencil. Work, Practice, Patience, we will get there, and it still surprises me to hear even the greats out there who are our idols as it were say the same thing we’ve been saying!
One thing to keep in mind: Everyone is in his/her own path and process. You may see someone’s work and think is amazing, but what you don’t know is all the ups and downs that might have taken place for that person to get there. There is always a story behind each of us and behind our work.
I think of it as a world of stairways. Each illustrator in his/her own stairway. I might be in step 3, someone else in step 245. We are not in the same stairway, so it doesn’t matter! The paths are endless. No need to compare, no need to compete, so we better keep on moving up!
Wow, and here I was thinking that it was just me. I’m actually glad to find out that it’s quite common and that I should just stop comparing myself to others. Sometimes the selfdoubt takes all the fun out of illustrating and it even occurs that I just stop drawing because I feel too bad to continue. But it’s true that the only way to reach your goals is by practising. That’s why tomorrow I start my first life drawing lessons. And I’m also putting myself out there on Twitter so I can learn from people and get constructive critisism on the way. I like the stairway theory. I have my own stairway and I just need to keep climbing it and not focus on others’. Thanks for all the comments as it’s really made me feel a lot better about this. And it’s good to have a place to talk about things like this with likeminded people so thanks EFII. <3
I find that my biggest challenge right now is in staying motivated to create illustrations, even though I haven’t found any work doing it. Although I’ve been drawing for most of my life, I’ve only recently decided to pursue children’s illustration.
I understand, for me is the same. I quit graphic design works in big companies to start pursuing children’s illustration, editorial, painting. It’s difficult but if you have your goals and you fight for them it’s possible.
What helped me a lot is to start (in December) making Illustration Friday and some other weekly illustrations to have a stronger portfolio. When you have a word to start with is much easier!
My biggest challenge at the moment is keeping my hand/wrist safe from pain. Drawing all the time makes my joints hurt….but I never want to stop! Regular breaks and stretching helps.
Oh yea…. keeping yourself physically in the best condition is really important as a illustrator. Take care Reneemkurilla:)
To me is contacting people and potential clients. The time I have in my hands I prefer to devote it to creating new work, experimenting, and growing as an artist, hence I’m looking for an agent.
Another big thing is “allocating” resources towards my professional development. For instance, I want to become a member of the SCBWI, but there is always something else that needs to be taken care of first. And there it goes my SCBWI membership. I stay positive, I’ve learned to be patience. One step at a time, things are coming together.
Staying true to my style. I have had to adapt my natural style of illustration to make it more commercial, so I have to keep producing personal work alongside to make sure I don’t lose what I really love doing.
The biggest challenge is to keep your work fresh and on top. You are only as good as your last work!
:)
All above challenges are certainly on my to-juggle list, too. Perhaps my biggest challenge, in this current climate, is pricing my work in a way that’s both fair to me as well as accommodating to clients’ budgets in a difficult economy. As illustrators, we all have to earn a living and keep prices fair, however, I’m finding the budgets aren’t always as solid as they were just a few years ago.
Promoting myself. I really don’t like talking about myself or tooting my own horn in regards to what I do, so promotion always feels a) braggy and conceited or b) like I’m forcing myself on people when I have no right to their time or attention. But I’m learning that it’s very definitely a necessary part of the business, and that no one will ever notice you until you put yourself out there.
I still don’t like it, though.
Time management is hard for me personally. Currently I’m trying military time.
The biggest problem I keep running into is potential clients/employers that are either (A) Completely oblivious to what good design and illustration is worth, or (B) Completely aware of how tough the market is and expect you to undercut your peers in order to keep the job. Either way it always ends up with people hoping to pay me in peanuts!
It’s terrible, because taking these jobs adds to the problem by letting them think its ok. But in not taking them I know that there is someone else out there less conscious of how it affects the market that is willing to take the job.
Aimee mentioned that one obstacle can be a lack of self belief. I agree. As illustrators sometimes we tend to take our skills for granted. We often have the half glass full view and focus too much on what is lacking in our art rather than recognising what we have achieved. This is often compounded by comparing our work with others and sighing heavily. But remember many people cannot do what we do.
On the flip side you must have a realistic view on your progress.
The art and story guys and Merlin Mann mentioned this recently. You are probably going to suck at something before you get better at it. If you have done a drawing and not happy with it, you just have to say to yourself “this is the best i can do at this time”. Then move on.
By the way i heard an interview on a podcast with an young architect. Two years ago he lost his sight after an operation. Six months after this traumatic event he was back at his desk retraining himself to work as a blind architect. Talk about obstacles!
As a 9-to-5er, (commute to dayjob, etc), time is be my biggest obstacle right now. I’m making strides in little baby steps as a beginner, but I’m getting there. This community, and my online artist friends have been invaluable in helping me forge on.
I’m sure most of us count time as an obstacle, even for full-time illustrators and freelancing artists, but in my case, its a battle to speed up the pace.
There will be more obstacles along the way… learning curves, and lack of some resources (thank go to everyone that’s encouraged me… you don’t know how much it counts!).
I look forward to sharing my journey with all of you.
You are the best!
Time is definitely the big obstacle for me. I have a day job with sometimes flucuating hours and health problems that have been creeping in to steal away the time I have left over to work on freelance jobs. It’s been a serious reality check the past couple of months when I’ve been getting a lot of work coming in…can you really be in this business if you can’t handle pulling all-nighters?
Time is a big one. Also for me, getting started is sometimes a hard obstacle. I have all these great ideas and I don’t know which ones I should expand on. OR, I don’t have any ideas and I’m totally blocked with this looming deadline.
Well my biggest challenge is getting my first illustration job! I have not broken the seal! I have done freelance design and shows around the Great Toronto Area, but I have been, I must admitt, scared and paralyzed as to how to approach art directors, or even, who to approach. Another challenge I face is my low income from my full time or part-time jobs and the very little value my past employers actually give to creative talent. This really troubles me.
I plan on overcomming this in going full out, whatever idea I can think of or person I can talk to in regards to my art, just go full out and do it. I don’t think I am going to get anywhere playing it safe. You know, we all carry that ghost that tells us to quit and that whatever we are doing is stupid…. just don’t listen to it.
Go full out, with all your heart.. and yes I promise to take my own advice as well.
Hello Ale. I agree that deciding to be bold and take action is one of the best ways to break into the field. Nobody is going to do it for you, so it’s up to you to make things happen.
I would like to share my biggest challenge in Hong Kong here.
The market in Hong Kong are so into cartoonish characters and kiddy illustration. Many illustrators tend to create their own character and draw like a kid….
My point is… i want to establish and make my living with my own style which is not cartoony at all. However, whichever is not cartoony, will not be very welcome by the general public, so sometime i have to force myself to do some characters just to pay for my living. This is something that i really dont want to do. I think this is very unhealthy to a market where most of the people are doing same kind of creation and this is sometime that we can control….
For now, what i can do is seeking some projects internationally, keep working on my own illustration and doing exhibition in Hong Kong, telling people that cartoon drawing is not the only choice. Also making sure i dont get lost myself!
It’s the same here in Denmark only everyone is making the minimslistic style or street style. It’s always the same and people don’t recognize your work as being good unless it looks like the same stuff all the others are doing. I’m also trying to find international freelance work but a lot of companies prefer to hire in their own country.
THATS TRUE, but we still have to think positive and keep trying!
Worse for me than the challenge of getting work is the constant struggle against discouragement due to limited success thus far in getting work. I alternate between (happily!) believing that it’s just a matter of time, that there is work for every style, I will find my place, etc. and despairing that my work just isn’t what is ‘in style’ right now, that I’m just not ‘doing it’ (‘it’ being promoting myself/approaching clients) right, or enough…
Oh, and part two of the question- what do I plan to do about it-
Well, luckily, I feel generally positive about the future most of the time. The times of discouragement are hard but I never really consider giving up- making art is something that I’ve always done and will always do, whether payment is involved or not. I always have my own projects to work on, which will improve my portfolio. Also, while I am undoubtedly correct in my assessment that I have to do more, better, faster in the area of self-promotion, I AM learning, slowly. It isn’t all obvious! I am just impatient; I want it all now and also think that I SHOULD be able to do it all now (even at the same time I know that that is unrealistic and unlikely). So, I’m hard on myself but I try to be a little easier, I don’t/won’t give up.
Wow what great comments from everyone! Mine are the same so ditto, ditto, ditto, but one thing I find challenging personally is the gulf between technology and my own limited knowledge and experience. I mean what the heck is HTML anyway? Yea, I know, what rock have you been hiding under, but making the transition from analog artist to tech savvy
savant is a difficult one. Sloooowly thing are being picked up as I trudge forward like a bull through a china shop.
Eventually I’ll pick it up one pixel at a time.
Time, I seem to be echoing many of the reponses so far. I have a more than full time job at a Museum. I am please by how much work I do get done within the slates of time I do have. I do pretty well in producing the working I want to and have to…
My biggest challenge currently is how to deal with a pretty fragmented client and reader base. Since I’ve been publishing cartoons for many years through many different outlets, my readers are all over the place and there’s no good way to pull them all together. Now I find that I’d really like to promote new work and ideas more efficiently, but don’t have one source to work from. I’m not sure how to proceed… and have all those various groups feel like they are getting something of value. Still trying to sort out where to start.
It’s sunday afternoon, I had all week to finish the project I’m on and now I have to work all day and night to finish it. My biggest challenge is to administrate my time better. When ever the job gets to tedious, I start procrastinating to no end.
How to overcome it? Grow up already!!! If I’m actually making a living as an illustrator, I shouldn’t be trying to sabotage myself, by risking it all.
I really appreciate hearing others’ thoughts on the challenges in this line of work. I can relate to what a lot of you are saying. However, my biggest challenge by far is that I struggle with Lyme disease. Though this disease attacks in different ways, for me it’s been in the form of constant, deep pain and fatigue.
I am incredibly thankful that I’ve been able to get an Art teaching job. That way I can talk about Art all day long without having to worry if my fine motor skills will hold out. My wife knows well that my mouth has not been impaired by my disease. :)
Those of you who have your health, EMBRACE IT! Oh how I wish I could go back and relive my years of good health and use that time better.
Hello this is my first post on the EFII community, I just discovered the podcast a week ago. Anyway, the toughest challenge is not feeling guilty when I take some time off or when I am less inspired. Also, I sometimes face periods where I don’t feel confident anymore in my work and want to trhough everything out, at the same time it’s a great way to always try to get better, but it’s frustrating…
I relate to the time problems fer sure, and my wife (without whom I couldn’t be here writing this instead of being in a 8-5-er) always comes up with something that has to be done today, instead of being at my work. But that’s minor.
I got started, back before computers were ever used in the biz and photography was taking over as illustrative media, as a layout artist and then an art director at ad agencies in Anchorage, AK. My entire career has been stuck for over 38 years in advertising, while all the while I dreamt of being an illustrator. Now I are one ;-D, but it’s very difficult to free myself from the tight, dry, straight-arrow style that’s required in the field of advertising (Think Norman Rockwell). Right now I’m illustrating a children’s book in which I can’t use any really artistic style either, due to the subject matter.
But after that’s done, I really hope to break these chains!
Not officially illustrator yet – I’m working on it :) – my main challenge is to keep believing in my capacity as being recognized as an illustrator at some point even if I never worked on a commission yet. I try to start at least a personal project once a week and try to set deadlines to myself in order to act professionally
Also, I’m still working on my own style and I agree with previous comments about “doing things the way you know how”. There is an infinity of tools, styles, media to play with so I think it’s great to choose your “magic recipe” quite soon and carry on working on it in order to develop something unique (which is something everybody can do as we’re all unique!). I don’t say it’s not good to try different things – of course it is – but it’s only a step in defining a style.
Great subject by the way, as usual :)
This is the greatest site EVER! My biggest challenge is isolation and my second biggest challenge is the lack of time like a lot of the rest of you. I have a full time job as a designer/project manager at home. I’ve been working at home, salaried for seven years. And on the one hand it has been the best gift since I am a single mother. But on the other hand my social life has taken some hits. The company I work for is 1000s of miles away so I lack the camaraderie an out of the house job can provide. And since I work for someone else, my own art has to wait until night and weekends. Which I’m sure all of you know is hard to keep the energizer bunny going like that. BUT, even though these challenges can be tough, I am driven by challenges and it just makes me try harder, any success won after them is so much sweeter. Everyone keep trying hard! Gotta go, oven timer is ringing…
I would say as others have, the two biggest for me are: 1) staying positive and inspired and 2) figuring out how to market myself and get work. Both of these issues at times have sort of paralyzed me. Right now I feel like I’m in a funk…just don’t know which direction to head, it’s hard to keep positive…I’m glad I’m not the only one!
My biggest obstacle is getting the lizard brain to shut up and just get pen to paper. I need to tell my self that it does not need to be perfect. Its a struggle. I try to create and maintain a schedule. Illustration Friday is a good start :)
Right now my biggest challenge is just juggling life and work. My wife and I had twins in August and once my wife went back to work, even though she’s working shortened hours it’s really hard to find time to market and do any illustration or design.
I also made the mistake of agreeing to teach 4 classes at a local college. I’ve taught this many before and still had time for work but now with the twins it’s crushing me. The classes are all on the topic of graphic arts and illustration but it’s not as satisfying as actually doing work, matter of fact sometimes talking about it all day and then not being able to DO it is torture.
I know this isn’t a permanent problem because the semester is going to end in May and I do love and appreciate my time with my two boys but I find myself staying up really late at night drawing because it’s the only time I have available.
Honestly I don’t have a solution but just wait it out for now.
To those that need help being inspired and motivation I have two suggestions that have really helped me.
One of the things that helps keep me inspired is a network of other creatives that I can talk about and show what I’m working on to. Also teaching or taking classes can help get you inspired.
As far as motivation I set a goal last summer to fill a whole sketchbook with non-work related drawings. Drawing just for fun and the enjoyment that I had felt I’d lost. This totally changed me for the better. After doing this all I wanted to do was draw and find new challenges.
I’ve also filled about 3 sketchbooks since then and I can see an improvement in my work.
Thanks
The challenge for me is finding where my style ‘fits’. With my main character line being that of Mice fairies in bright whimsical colors, it’s hard to know who to market to…fantasy..animal…juvenile. Without finding my actual niche, it’s hard for me and for potential licensees to see where these illustrations might fit into a market.