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Do you have what it takes to make it as an illustrator?  | Episode Transcript

Intro

Welcome to the Self-taught Illustrator podcast. My name is Natasha Polozenko, and I am here to prove that you do not need formal training or a background in art to make it as an illustrator. So listen up and get ready to be inspired, encouraged, and uplifted in your illustration journey.

Let’s do this!

Hello, hello, and welcome back to another episode. Today I want to talk to you about a question that plagues a lot of illustrators. Especially self-taught illustrators, and that is, “Do I have what it takes to make it as an illustrator?”. I am going to walk you through the two main components that I believe an illustrator must balance to be successful. But, before I dive into that, first let’s take a step back to understand what it really means to quote, unquote “make” it as an illustrator.

What does it mean to make it as an illustrator?

When it comes down to it… this idea of “making it as an illustrator” is really what you make it. It is really built around your own ideas or notions of success. For one person that may be getting hired by their dream client. For another, it may be making a living from selling their art or illustrations. Getting commissioned to create murals. Or getting a whole bunch of followers on social media. Everyone’s definition of success when it comes to illustration is different. So it’s really up to you to decide what “making it” means and looks like to you.

That being said, when I talk about “making it as an illustrator”, at least within the context of this podcast episode. I am generally referring to creating a sustainable illustration practice or career- something that you are recognized, appreciated, and maybe even compensated for. Whether it’s from fans, followers, or the illustration industry.

We all start somewhere

I talk to a lot of illustrators who are just starting, and there is a lot of this worry and anxiety over whether or not they have what it takes to make it in the illustration industry. They worry about whether or not they’ll receive the recognition for their illustration or be able to turn it into their full-time careers. They are at the beginning of their illustration journeys and really want to understand and know whether or not it is worth it to put in the time and energy into illustration. Does this describe you at all? As creatives, it can be super hard to narrow down our interests and funnel them into one form of creativity. So it’s only natural that you may have some of these doubts and questions when you’re early on in your journey.

Skill and mindset

That being said, we all start somewhere. As we really ease in and start working in a new art form, we will inevitably improve and grow. And this all finally leads me to the main point of this episode. When it comes to making it as an illustrator, you really need to balance 2 things. The first being skill and the second being mindset. Now, I’m going to deep-dive into each of these to explain exactly what I mean. But I really want to emphasize the word balance, because this is what a lot of people overlook. People who rely too heavily on skill, or too heavily on mindset may find it hard to level up and see a lot of success. It’s those creatives that expertly balance both that see growth and success in their practice.

Skill

So, let me first and foremost dive into skill, and the best way that I can think to fully explain this is to give a detailed example of what a “skill” mindset looks like in a person. So a person who has a “skill” mindset believes that their success comes from either their talent or their skills that they have developed. They are hard workers, and often strive to be better and do better when it comes to illustration.

They are always looking to level up, and learn new techniques. People with a skill-based mindset often look up to and compare themselves with other creatives who have more experience and are more technically skilled than them. They may feel like they are not good enough, and that they need to learn more, do more, and have the ability to illustrate at the same level as their idols to make it in the industry. Bottom line, people with a skill-based mindset believe that to succeed their skill needs to be at a certain level.

Mindset

On the other hand, let’s look at a person who operates more from a place of pure midset. This is someone who believes that confidence in themselves and their art is the main factor that determines their success. They are super driven but thinks less about the technical aspects of their art, and more about the mission and goal of the art. They think about what the art is trying to say, and who it’s trying to say it to. Use social media strategically as a way to get their art seen and appreciated by the right group of people. They feel as though their art is a direct extension of themselves. And they believe that with a positive mindset, confidence, and drive, they can get to where they want to be in their illustration practice and career.

Striking a balance

Perhaps you recognize yourself in one of these or both. Now, let me talk about how important it is to balance these two approaches in your practice. Have you ever seen someone on Instagram or any other platform, and they are super talented and technically skilled, but they just don’t have a whole lot of engagement or recognition? At the same time, you may see someone whose work isn’t that technically brilliant, but they’re consistent, show up for their community, and let their personality shine through their work, and they can gain traction in their illustration practice? It is super important that we keep a positive mindset, and approach our illustration practices in a meaningful and human way.

This is not to discount the need for skill at all. Surprising and delighting the people that view your art or illustrations is a huge part of being successful. All I’m trying to say is that it shouldn’t be the sole focus. Balancing Skill and mindset is key when it comes to success as an illustrator.

So, do you have what it takes? 

Ok, so now that you understand those two big factors, Let’s step back and ask ourselves “do we have what it takes to make it in illustration?”. Your answer to this question may be, “absolutely, I have a good solid skill base, I have the mindset, I’m good”. In that case, you can rest assured that you have what it takes to make it as an illustrator.

If you feel like you have only the skills, or only the mindset, or even neither of these, this absolutely does not mean that you don’t have what it takes. But, it all depends on whether or not you are willing to dedicate the time and energy to improving and growing in these areas. So, if you feel like you need to level up in your skills, taking the time to learn and try new techniques. Taking some online classes, places like Skillshare and Youtube are gold for illustrators.

If you feel like you need to work on the mindset side of things. Finding resources and people that speak about topics like confidence, perseverance, mindset. Even social media marketing tactics can help teach you how to best communicate your message to the right people. Everyone’s needs and the resources they should seek out to level up are different, so it’s hard for me to pinpoint specific resources, it should be up to you to really do the work in these areas to help you level up and grow. Just by simply being willing to do the work in these areas means that you have what it takes to be an illustrator.

Outro

Alrighty, So that’s it, for now! Thank you for tuning into the Self-taught Illustrator Podcast. Where we prove that you do not need formal training or background in art to make it as an illustrator. 

I hope This episode was helpful to you. I hope that it convinced you that you have what it takes to make it as an illustrator. Drop me a DM @nataszko, that’s nataszko on TikTok or Instagram to let me know! I look forward to bringing you more illustration tips tricks and nuggets of wisdom. So, until next time. Bye for now.