Art & Illustration life. It’s a funny old world. Up and down like a yo-yo. If you read last week’s Illustration Life #29 post, you’ll see it wasn’t so great. However, this week was on the up.
My advice to anyone starting the game of making a creative living, is to develop artful balls of steel.
Pretty pictures sometimes mask the turmoil I feel. The utter frustrations when the inbox goes quiet. The bank balance blues. Time not spent with children because I’m too preoccupied with worry.
But also the absolute elation I experience when things are working out well. The inbox fills up again. Sales are made. Inquiries turn into commissions. A fantastic review or testimonial lands in my inbox or my shop.
It’s an uncertain lifestyle. I’m standing by it though, because quite frankly I’m loving it.
Now, on to this weeks roundup:
Wins This Week
Interview on Made By Mrs M
I was very lucky to be interviewed by a creative I really admire, Kate Marsden. In the post ‘2 minutes with…Georgie St Clair’ I’m sharing my inspirations and plans for the future. This was the hardest part because there are so many!
Creative Promotion
My monthly newsletter for July went out to my lovely subscribers. It still makes me jump with joy when people sign up to my newsletter. Then download the free print I give away every month.
I’m finding that as my Instagram growth and engagement has pretty much come to a halt, I’m having to work harder at promoting my work and message. After a chat with a few other creatives, Pinterest has been mentioned rather a lot. I’ll be concentrating more effort over there, to my loyal newsletter subscribers via my newsletter and here on my blog. And YouTube, I’m coming to get ya! (read on, to find out about my first efforts #FAIL).
Top Illustration Blog – Me?!
I’ve been featured as one of the top illustration blogs at #33 out of 100. Not bad! I’ve only returned to blogging recently so I’m pretty chuffed about this. Especially to be among other illustration blog names such as Lisa Congden, Spoon Graphics, Oana Befort and Chloe Fleury.
Notebooks Launched
After the popularity of my personalised floral monogram phone covers, I’ve now launched personalised notebooks in the same English garden design. They can be purchased as a gift set too. I’m aiming to promote them as gifts for students about to embark on new adventures at college or university. Of course, personalised notebook will also make lovely birthday gifts and eventually Christmas gifts. It’s all new territory for me, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
Blogging Love
I’ve fallen in love with blogging again! Ideas for blogs are popping into my head and my drafts folder is over-flowing. Mainly it is full of posts I want to write about creative lifestyle, tutorials and how-to’s, to help other creatives on a similar journey. I’d love to teach again (I used to teach Photoshop) so perhaps an e-course in store one day.
What can I teach you? What would you like me to blog about? Let me know in the comments below
Frustrations This Week
Vlogged & #Failed
I vlogged and failed! I wrote a post a few weeks ago about the how you can use the rule of thirds to create eye catching imagery. Via screen capture. The first time I tried, I talked for 20 minutes but forgot to press the record button. #FAIL
The second, third and fourth time I got in a muddle and started again. #FAIL #FAIL #FAIL
The sixth time was a success – yippee! But I nearly sent myself to sleep listening back to it, it was so bloody boring. #FAIL
Suffice to say I’m still working on my vlogs…
Samples…again
Samples again. I mentioned this last week, but getting samples for products is such a pain when they don’t work out. I’m not sure there is a right or wrong to this process. It’s just trial and error. Instead, I have decided to take a break from getting new samples now and concentrate on the products I’m currently happy with and promote them
A head full of problems
Migraines – ouch. They are still irritating me. However I have found that laying off dairy and alcohol is helping. A morning routine of simple yoga stretches and walking is helping my mood as headaches can be quite debilitating. I’m staying away from the gym because this seems to set them off or leave me ridiculously tired for the rest of the day.
And finally…
I leave you with this quote from one of my favourite female voices, Ella Fitzgerald:
Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.
Have an inspired day
Georgie x
The post Illustration Life #30: Artful Balls of Steel appeared first on Georgie St Clair.