Luke Marsh
Illustrator and graphic artist Luke Marsh on building a creative world embedded in queer culture
With a creative practice embedded in queer culture and the spirit of subculture, illustrator and graphic artist Luke Marsh has landed work for icons including Elton John, David Bowie and Trixie Mattel. While balancing client work with his personal practice has been trying at times, creating and sharing an authentic body of work has led him to these dream projects. Here, Luke shares how finding your niche – and letting it evolve over time – can pay off, alongside tips for staying sane amid the mayhem of freelancing.
About my work
My creative practice
I’m an illustrator and graphic artist. I draw things, print things, animate things and occasionally make them move in 3D if I’m feeling brave. My work is rooted in the queer experience, especially the idea of finding joy, humour and connection while navigating a world that doesn’t always accept us. Day to day, I mostly work digitally, creating illustrations for merchandise, posters and motion graphics for clients.
Work for Ministry of Sound
Influences and inspiration
My biggest artistic influence is Tom of Finland. I’m really drawn to how underground and taboo his work was at the time - he was openly celebrating queer desire when that kind of visibility was genuinely risky, sharing work through subcultures and letting it circulate hand to hand. There’s something incredibly powerful about making unapologetic work even when it isn’t “allowed,” and that spirit definitely seeps into how I'd like to think about my own practice.
Beyond that, artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Paul Goude have shaped the way I think about boldness and graphic impact. A lot of my inspiration also comes from queer nightlife, rave culture, club posters and the DIY energy of underground scenes. That mix of fun, community and chaos is where I feel most at home visually.
My training
I do think having an art school background really helped me, especially in building strong fundamentals and learning how to think critically about my work. A fine art course is self-led to some degree – you explore your practice and bring it back later to get politely dismantled in crits. Being allowed time to take risks and seeing what sticks is invaluable. That said, a lot of what I do now comes from experimentation, self-teaching and just making work consistently. I think being curious, adaptable and willing to keep evolving can be just as important as formal training.
Favourite recent project
One of my favourite projects was creating merch for Trixie Mattel’s ‘Solid Pink Disco’, which honestly felt like a dream brief. Disco visuals, camp energy and total alignment with my style. Alongside that, returning to my personal work after having a solo show last year helped re-jig the direction I want to take things in next, which felt like a tough process initially, but feels really energising now that the panic has subsided and the creative juices are flowing again.
My normal day usually looks like…
My days are usually a mix of sketching and conceptualising, for both personal and client work, a bit of procrastination, waiting hours for things to render, then slowly nudging things towards being finished. I’ll bounce between projects, with admin and emails sneaking in throughout the day. Some days are super focused and studio-based, others feel a bit chaotic. I rely on a good podcast or film soundtrack to get me through. There’s usually 30+ tabs open in several browser windows, silly amounts of coffee and occasionally a little scream of frustration.
“What worked best long-term was focusing on my own world-building and creating a style/body of work that felt genuinely true to me.”
My starter pack includes:
- Sugary little snacks to convince my brain to work - currently very into a Maltesers reindeer.
- Procreate, where all good ideas, and crap ones, begin. Super user-friendly, endlessly customisable and dangerously easy to get lost in.
- Art podcasts hosted by fellow artists going through the exact same struggles - equal parts comfort and validation. (Fail Like An Artist by Julie Battisti and Phoebe Gander is a good ole faithful.)
- I’m a bit neurospicy so my favourite new album on loop until it either unlocks genius or rots a hole in my brain.
- A chaotic Pinterest board that starts as actual inspiration and slowly turns into a collection of unrelated things I think are pretty.
- The “daddy, chill” meme - an inspirational motto for our generation and something I actively reference when I need to calm myself down mid-project (to the point I’ve even made a piece inspired by it).
How I got here
Starting my creative journey
I’ve been making work since leaving uni, but for a long time, I wasn’t able to fully support myself through it, so I was working in hospitality alongside creating. Eventually, I got a job as an in-house designer within hospitality, which gave me some stability and confidence. Making the jump into freelancing felt both exciting and mildly unhinged. Early on, a lot of my income came from working on merch for queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race and selling pop and horror culture-inspired prints that people seemed to love, helping me build a bit of a following. It definitely took time to feel settled in going freelance, but once I started trusting what was working and leaning into it, it felt like things finally started clicking together.
My first few jobs mostly came from putting work out there consistently and letting it be seen. The Instagram algo is a beast of its own and it was much easier back then to get reach, so clients could find me through social media. I’d also spend days sending out hundreds of emails and reaching out to people myself. I think what worked best long-term was focusing on my own world-building and creating a style/body of work that felt genuinely true to me. The right people seemed to get it and connect with it more naturally, which made collaborations feel more aligned.
Work for David Bowie
Biggest challenges along the way
Freelancing, full stop. The looming uncertainty, never really knowing what each month is going to look like, and the joy of being your own agent, accountant, marketer and debt collector. Balancing personal work with paid work is something I’m still figuring out, especially when it comes to protecting my energy and trying to keep calm and collected. And like most creatives, learning to trust my own voice and not spiral into comparison in such a busy online space.
My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
Unfortunately, I do think it’s become a necessary part of being a creative and getting exposure for your work, especially if you’re not at a stage of showing in physical spaces like galleries. A lot of focus goes on trying to keep up with shifting algorithms, trends and the pressure to be constantly visible, which can be pretty exhausting. In an ideal world, I’d love to just have the work speak for itself, but for now it’s about finding a balance: showing up online, sharing the work and then logging off before I start measuring my self-worth in likes.
“Freelancing has no off switch, so having a place where work happens (and then stops) has been huge for my routine and sanity.”
Three things I've found useful in my career:
- Some kind of studio space - Freelancing has no off switch, so having a place where work happens (and then stops) has been huge for my routine and sanity.
- Exhibiting at shows, cons and markets – If social media does you no favours in helping you get your work seen, getting out there and doing it yourself eliminates the pesky algo and allows you to connect with people in person.
- Queer art accounts on Instagram - Not just as a source of inspiration, but to be aware of what others are making, to see how other artists are building their own visual worlds and to feel connected to a wider community.
Courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards I've found helpful
I wouldn’t say there’s one specific course or initiative, but job boards and open calls have been really useful for me. Curating my Instagram algo has also helped a lot - once I started engaging more intentionally with art and design content, I began regularly seeing job posts, open calls and opportunities shared by other artists and organisations. ArtsJobs has been a long-time staple for me – I’ve used it since uni and even found one of my current teaching roles through it.
“Being flexible about income has been essential for staying in it long-term”
My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that having a part-time or supplementary job alongside your creative practice doesn’t mean you’re failing - it’s often what makes the work possible in the first place. Earlier on, I supported myself through hospitality while figuring things out. Don’t get me wrong, I bloody hated it, but it gave me stability and space to develop my practice. Right now, I’m lucky to be able to support myself through my work, and I’m really grateful for that, but I’m also realistic. Freelancing fluctuates, so I wouldn’t be precious about taking on other work again if I needed to – being flexible about income has been essential for staying in it long-term.
Luke's artwork
My advice
My most useful career tips
The best advice I’ve taken on is to stop waiting for permission. You don’t need to be fully “ready” or have everything figured out before putting work out into the world. Making the work and letting it evolve publicly is often how clarity comes, not the other way around.
I once heard Madonna say in an interview, “Never give up, ever,” and it has just stuck with me ever since. She basically lives rent-free in my head whenever I’m on the verge of packing it all in. It’s obviously such a simple answer, but coming from such an inspiring artist who’s been through so many of their own challenges and has still achieved so much, I think it's great advice.
Work for Madonna
What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
Find your niche and make work that feels specific. Trying to please everyone is impossible and exhausting. Apply for things even if you don’t feel ready and get comfortable reaching out - emails, open calls, markets, shows.
Most importantly, talk to other creatives. Sharing information, rates and experiences makes everything feel far less scary.