Tips on navigating a freelance career in illustration, from Michael Driver
For aspiring freelance illustrators, navigating the current creative industry landscape is undoubtedly tough. The market is presenting some new and uncharted challenges, from the rise of AI to navigating social media algorithms. How do you stand out – and stand together, as illustrators – amidst these new elements? Michael Driver, an experienced illustrator with clients including Disney, American Express and Penguin, has heard these concerns from the many people who message him for career advice. Recently taking to YouTube to offer his wisdom, he draws on a decade of industry insights to share his top tips for success in a freelance illustration career, which has been summarised here.
Michael’s tips on breaking into the world of freelance illustration
✍️ Draw, and make lots of work
My first tip is to simply draw and make as much work as you physically can. Illustration is a skill that gets better over time; the more time you spend creating, the better your work will be.
In a more practical sense, if you’re at university, the more time you spend doing work whilst there, the bigger your portfolio will be. Having a full portfolio will make it easier to join the industry when you leave. I think drawing and making work in volume is imperative for a successful career.
💪 Find your style
That leads me to my second tip, which is to find your style. For me, style is an amalgamation of a few of the following things:
Your own technical ability
How you draw
What you choose to draw
What inspires you
The colours you use
The ideas you have
These are all then blended together with your own personal experiences.
Miles Davis once said: “It takes a long time to sound like yourself,” so take that advice and don’t force it. It helps to be aware of what’s going on in the industry, but try not to look at it too much. Finding inspiration from outside the world of illustration is the best way to become a well-rounded practitioner.
📱Make a website and social media channels
So, you’ve made a bunch of work. Now its time to show the world what you’re made of! Tip three is to make a website and social media channels. Although you might feel pressure to make it look elaborate, websites do not need crazy splash pages, cursors, animation, or crazy anything, actually. They just need to be tidy, clean and display your work well.
Designers and art directors looking at your portfolio are often short on time and working on multiple projects at once. Having a clean and tidy website that’s easy to navigate will go a long way.
When it comes to socials, try to post regularly and be professional, but also not get bogged down by it all. Social media is good for getting your work out there and documenting what you’ve been up to, so try and have fun with it.
🥰 Build a community
Build a creative community. The internet is filled with artists in the same boat as you, so try and find some!
If you like someone’s work, reach out to them to express your support, and maybe they’ll react similarly. A rising tide lifts all. If you’re in university, you’re in a classroom full of other people all in the same situation as you, so you’re in a great position to try this out.
Although I’m ten years out of university, I’m still friends with people I met there. Being an illustrator can be a really lonely profession, so it’s important to have creative friends who understand dry spells and rough parts, and can be a shoulder to lean on when things are going wrong.
🔎 Actively look for clients
LinkedIn is the new Yellow Pages. If you’re wondering who works at Nike as an art director, with LinkedIn all you need to do is go to the LinkedIn search bar and search “Nike art director”.
You could also consider sending a connection request or follow them on Instagram. If they follow you back, when you update your Instagram, they’ll see your work. The more they see it, the more likely they are to commission you.
📣 Email people
Just giving someone a follow isn’t always enough, however, and talent alone will not get you work. Which leads me to my next tip: reach out to potential clients via email and start a dialogue with them. Most companies have a pre-set way of how their emails work. If you can figure out one person’s email in the business, you can technically email anyone you want to reach out to from that company.
When emailing clients, pay them a compliment; tell them if they’ve commissioned something in the past that you really like; tell them about yourself and your process, and include a link to your work. Maybe even ask them to keep you in mind for a potential project in the future!
💌 Send physical mail-outs to clients
Finally, don’t underestimate the power of a physical mail-out. Unlike the e-version, most people open their physical mail. It’s also much easier to delete an email than to throw away a physical object. Say you do decide to make a lovely object that is really hard to bin – if an art director spends days looking at it, you’d be more likely to be commissioned.
I’ve seen some great mail-outs in the past, from calendars and diaries to huge prints. You can go as big as you want, but be mindful of the cost. A mail-out could simply be a postcard with a nice handwritten note.
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Follow Michael Driver on Instagram, YouTube, or visit his portfolio website.
Written by Michael Driver