Bee Illustrates
Bee Illustrates on how to land clients before you even graduate
“I never intended to become an artist,” says Bee, more commonly known as Bee Illustrates. Drawing came to them as a recovery tool during a struggle with mental health as a teenager. They haven’t stopped drawing since. Today, Bee has worked with the likes of Lucy & Yak, The Hayward Gallery, Hinge and Refinery29, growing a huge audience online with their heartfelt art, which spotlights mental health and the queer community. But while Instagram has been vital for them, separating their work and value from metrics has been a process of unlearning. Below, Bee shares how her career suddenly snowballed at University – and how they maintained that momentum.
What I do
My creative practice
I’m an award-winning queer visual artist based in East London. I’m primarily an illustrator, but over the past few years my practice has branched out into traditional printmaking, painting and drawing, as well as facilitating creative workshops and mentoring emerging creatives. I make artwork centred around living with mental illness and figuring out my place in the world, but mainly I just like making art that makes you feel things.
My training
I have an Extended Diploma in Fine Art from Exeter School of Art and a BA in Illustration from the University of Edinburgh. In late 2025, I also completed a 3-month Drawing Intensive at the Royal Drawing School in London to shake things up a bit and get myself out of a creative slump.
Favourite recent project
It’s got to be my recent limited edition collection with Lucy & Yak. I’d literally had working with them on my ‘dream career milestones’ list for almost a decade. It was top secret and in the works for an entire year before it was released, so it’s super surreal that it’s finally out in the world.
The project feels extra special as each piece in the collection is inspired by different artworks of mine, and 100% of the profits are being donated to Not A Phase – the trans+ led, nationwide charity committed to uplifting and improving the lives of trans+ adults.
A day in the life
Despite being someone who thrives on routine, the nature of being a freelancer means my schedule can vary wildly. Usually in the morning I go to the gym: I’ve realised as I’m getting older how important taking care of myself is, especially as someone who relies so much on using my hands to make things for my job. I try to future-proof my wrists, arms, shoulders and back, as they tend to suffer the most when I’m working on projects.
Then I arrive at the studio; usually I have a to-do list, but sometimes a last-minute project will come in. I tend to do my admin work in the first half of the day and creative work in the afternoon/evening. When I have time, I try to set aside full days to experiment and try out ideas I’ve had brewing for a while.
How I got here
Starting my creative journey
I never intended to become an artist. To be honest, I hadn’t even considered a creative career. I’d always loved drawing and would often get told off at school for filling up my workbooks with doodles, but I had no idea that there was an *actual proper job* centred around drawing.
I ended up dropping out of education when I was a teenager due to struggling with mental health issues, and I began drawing and doodling as part of my recovery process. It was during this time I realised it was something I’d like to pursue, and I haven’t stopped drawing since. I spent the next period devoting all of my energy to being well enough to get back into education, getting a place on a fine art course, and later going on to study illustration at university.
Landing my first few jobs, clients and/or commissions
Throughout university, I actively sought out external illustration projects wherever and however I could to cultivate industry experience. This snowballed to a level I couldn’t have anticipated; I found myself falling behind on university work and pulling frequent all-nighters to complete projects for clients such as Spotify, Vans, Tangle Teezer, STAEDTLER and Refinery29. Having these first few big projects in my portfolio before I’d even finished my studies meant I was able to hit the ground running post-graduation.
When it came to getting my foot in the door in the world of commercial illustration, it was very much a case of sink or swim. I’d been working in a restaurant throughout university and had saved up enough money to cover my first month’s rent after graduation. I told myself that if I hadn’t made the whole ‘art thing’ work by Christmas, I’d go back to waiting tables. That was six years ago.
Approaching it this way was definitely more stressful, but it gave me no other option than to commit fully to making it work. I was very aware that there was no safety net, so I had to be resourceful, put myself out there and figure things out as I went along. I didn’t have the option to entertain self-doubt, to dwell on projects that never went anywhere or to worry about where to start. I just started. It built my confidence and resilience as a creative and forced me to treat my practice seriously from the very beginning.
Biggest challenges along the way
Coming from a background where there wasn’t necessarily an established network or family connections within the creative world, I had to figure a lot of things out independently.
Burnout has definitely been one of the biggest hurdles for me, and I often struggle to keep a sensible work-life balance. When your passion is also your job, it can be difficult to switch off and remember that being constantly productive isn’t the only measure of success.
My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
Especially as a creative, it’s so easy to compare yourself to others and get caught up in vanity metrics. Social media likes and followers can begin to feel like a reflection of your worth or the quality of your work, and unlearning that mindset has been really tricky (I’m definitely still in the process).
It’s important to remind yourself that social media can be fickle, trends come and go and going viral is not necessarily a good thing. The only way to have real longevity (and an enjoyable and sustainable career) is to not pay too much attention to what other people are doing and to stay true to yourself and your creative voice.
Three things I've found useful in my career:
- Visiting galleries and exhibitions: It’s definitely easy to fall into the trap of never leaving the studio and then wondering why I’m lacking inspiration for my work. I make sure to schedule in gallery days to see art in person and gather inspiration away from my desk.
- Instagram: Sharing my work on social media has allowed so many people to see my art who never would have otherwise. As well as being a place to share my drawings, it’s also where I go to discover work by other artists, find inspiration and connect with other creatives.
- Making things regularly: The simplest but most important thing. Juggling so many aspects of being a freelancer means that occasionally, weeks can go by where I haven’t so much as picked up a pencil. Being very intentional about carving out time to draw, create, experiment and follow ideas (even the strange ones) has been vital and helped me not to stagnate.
Courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards I've found helpful
Association of Illustrators: They have so many brilliant resources for learning about the business side of illustration. There’s lots of advice around pricing, contracts, licensing and professional practice.
My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative:
Making a living as a creative is a lot less romantic than people sometimes imagine. The artwork itself is only one part of it – making sure you know how to price your work, communicate with clients, manage finances, invoice properly and understand the business side of things is crucial when it comes to supporting yourself through your creative practice. Building a sustainable creative career doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long process and there will be many ups and downs along the way, but persevering and figuring out what works for you will be worth it in the end.
It's important to remember that there is no shame in having another job alongside your art. So many artists take on supplementary work to ensure there is some stability while building up their freelance practice. Having that support actually gives you more freedom to make better work, rather than putting all the pressure on your art to immediately pay the bills.
Finally, know your worth as an artist - it’s always more than you think. Making sure you understand the value of your work, usage and licensing, and how to stand up for yourself when you need to is vital. It’s easy, especially early on, to undervalue yourself because you’re just grateful for the opportunity. You have to remember that creative work is still work and you deserve to be treated fairly.
My advice
My most useful career tips
- Always try to act at the level of the client you want to attract. (Basically, fake it 'til you make it). The way you present yourself, communicate and approach your work all send a message about the kind of opportunities you’re ready for.
- If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Putting yourself out there is scary, but it’s worth it – most of the opportunities that have come my way have been from consistently sharing my work, talking to people and letting others know what I’m doing.
- No one is coming to save you. In my experience, there’s not one magic moment or ‘big break’ where someone suddenly discovers your work and everything falls into place. You have to put the work in, create opportunities for yourself and keep moving even when things feel uncertain.
- Don’t compare your timeline to anyone else’s. Everyone’s journey as a creative is different and a lot of what you see from the outside doesn’t show the full picture. Focus on building a creative practice that feels authentic to you, that you can sustain long-term.
What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
Start before you feel ready. Make work, experiment and allow yourself to be bad at things. Share your work, meet people, go to exhibitions, apply for opportunities and immerse yourself in the world you want to be part of. You’ll improve and learn as you go.
