#Working on my portfolio to get a decent job

[archrj]

Whoa T//umblr looks different

[silhouette-saloon]

maybe i really could be a tattoo artist..

[turndecassette2]

Hi! I really love your work and way of making comics. I know this isn’t something universal, but since I’m about to graduate with a design and illustration degree, I wanted to ask if you have some advice on how to get started as a ✨professional ✨comic artist and illustrator. Aka one with clients and paid projects :,)) I’m kind of second guessing my education as I wrap it up because I won’t really be able to just work at a design agency because of my focus on illustration and so on. . Thanks! Have a nice day 🎀

god I'm the wrong person to ask. PEOW approached me about making a comic, I did, I dropped out of college, didn't make all that much money, I lived as a weird hermit with/near my parents between 2016 – end of covid, did odd jobs for people who'd seen my book and liked it. didn't start making proper money off of this until the frog book happened, which in large part was down to luck & the frogs blowing up on IG. if you want to be normal & serious abt this stuff you should find a person with a real portfolio and check with them. I think for editorial illustration etc there are agents & agencies that deal with that? in which case, check with someone that has one of those, or check with them directly.

(don't mean to sound too confrontational. I'm genuinely just not good at self-promotion or job-seeking)

edit: for comics specifically: I think doing shorter things & getting them out there and seen kinda helps? won't make much money at first but doing a small zine is a smaller investment of time & if it 'flops' it's a smaller loss vs say having spent two years on a GN that you can't find a publisher for. so maybe 'smaller project for a smaller pub' would be the actionable advice for comics specifically. 50 – 80 pages can still be 'a book', if they look nice &/or tell a decent story.

[eggdrawsthings]

Hi! I wanted to ask a question and I wasn’t sure if it was too personal or not so just ignore this is you’d rather not answer, but I was wondering if you went to art school or got a degree in it? I really want to start learning and maybe one day start a career in animation and wasn’t sure whether I should spend time and resources getting a degree. I know it’s going to be different for everybody and nothings a guarantee for this field but since I love your style and technical skill I was curious whether you had done that and what were your thoughts on it or if you are self-taught.

Hey anon! No worries it's all good!

Ig I should quickly go through my art journey so you can have an overall look of why I went to art school lol.

So I'm from Vietnam. I think back in 2013 I went to a small art school in Singapore (they were the only one that gave me a scholarship). My major was 3D modeling actually, but during my final year, I realized I only wanted to draw characters for animation. I could already draw decently, so I just read The Silver Way book and built a character design portfolio on my own during this time. I was lucky I got a job as a concept artist at a small animation studio there so I learned a lot from the job. I also did a lot of self-learning and took Woulter Tulp's Expressive Character class on Schoolism.

Then after 3-ish years of working, I got sick of the tiny and dying animation industry in Singapore. I wanna do sth more than just preschool shows and I was severely underpaid lmao. So I quit my job and took the MA VisDev program at AAU. It's a little more affordable cuz u can do 1 year online and the second year on-site. The reason I went to this school even tho i could just take a VisDev class online was cuz i need the visa so i can try to break into the industry in the US.

Now back to your question. Is art school a must? No. Should you still take it? Maybe, depends on your situation. If you can afford it then hell yeah by all means. Art school is great cuz you have professors and peers to help guide you along the way so you won't get lost while trying to figure out your shit. And to have a few years just experimenting and focusing on art is a great experience. Plus you can make a lot of meaningful connections in school and it will help you a long way after you grad. But if you have to go into debt to go to art school, then don't. There are places like Schoolism, CGMA, and Warrior Art Camp where you can pick what class and from whom you wanna learn. If you are not from the US and wanna break into the industry here like me however, then yeah getting a degree is a better bet cuz you can use the student visa and OPT to hopefully get a job here (it's still very very hard tho ngl im struggling rn as we speak lmao). Also, you need a BA to work overseas so there's that too. The hard truth is studios prefer to hire locally than some rando from somewhere else and have to wait for them to relocate and shit, (unless you are exceptionally good and they'd do anything to have you, but that is super rare lol).

Even though I did go to art school, I have to say most of my skills are from self-study. It requires a lot of self-discipline but I'm pretty much obsessed with drawing and I draw everyday so it's not a problem for me. But my friend is not good at that, so she found art school/classes helped her better cuz there are deadlines and instructors to help guide her to reach her goal. So it depends on your learning style tbh.

There is this chart that can help you consider your options. Im sorry it's a very long answer, cuz yes everyone's experience is different. Feel free to drop me another ask if you still have anymore questions tho ^^

Edit: I must also add, though there are online classes and ways to self-learn animation,I do think it only truly benefit you if you know exactly what you wanna do in this industry (for example I already knew i wanna become a character designer for 2d/3D animation specifically so any books/classes i took I tailored it to fit my goal). If you are unsure what you wanna do, then maybe even a cheap animation course will do better, and then you can take extra online classes on the side.

[itsmebytch001]

Dad! Aaron Davis X Daughter! Reader.

(Headconnons)

Is super chill about most things, including you smoking weed, under the conditions of it only ever being in the house, never more than twice a week and always from his guy, so he knew it was clean.

Would even support you dropping school for your creative indevours, as long as you had a plan that is, he would even help you with building your portfolio, taking you to secretive spots of the underground where he knew there where blank walls.

The only thing he's not chill about boys, Can't have then over, Can't be dating round, can't go on dates, and if your gay, he would be so supportive, not only beascuse he's a decent person, but beacuse he dosen't have to worry about men anymore, infact he would brag about it to Jeff as a 'I don't have to worry about teen pregnancy, or dating bad men beacuse my daughters gay and your son inst HAHA'

Jeff: "And You're letting her drop out of colluge!?"

Aaron: "Listen man, school was never her thing and she's got real potentail in fashion...I think I don't know know shit about clothes"

Jeff: "Your her father, not her friend and your treating her like a friend! She need's someone to hold her down in education"

Aaron: "It Isn't working for her!"

Jeff: "You aren't pushing her enough!"

Aaron: "Listen Jeff, I'm going to support her fashion, and art or whatever she wants. baecuse she's a good kid, and she's good at what she dose, and besides she's pulling her weight, She's got a job"

Jeff: "...Listen I'm just worried she's gonna fuck it up"

Aaron: "So am I, but I think she could do great if I let her"

3. Pulls you out of burnout before it becomes all consuming. He comes home to find you embryoidng something at 1am, on your 6th coffee of the night, shaking a bit due to the energy, sourounded by the fabric and sparkles.

Aaron: "Ay, you okay?"

Y/n: "Yeah Yeah, I'm fine"

He looks round your room, consumed in mess and materials. He places a hand on your shoulder pulling you back a bit.

Aaron: "Okay, I think It's time you took a break yeah?"

Y/n: "No, I really need to finish this, if I don't now I never will"

Aaron: "How many coffee's have you had?"

Y/n: "I don't know, like 4 or 5"

He looked around and saw some cans aswell.

Aaron: "You have some energy drinks too?"

Y/n: "Maybe"

Aaron:"M'kay" He said as he removed your needle from your hand, pulling you up from your shoulder.

Aaron: "Lets get some food, yeah?"

Y/n: "...yeah"

4. Whenever Jeff and Aaron where having problems, you and Miles became the line of communication between the two sides of the family, and though you really didn't like it, becasue Jeff and Aaron were two grown men you would tolerate it, for your Dad, And for Miles who also agreed this whole thing was Mad, who grown men so petty they communicated through their children.

Now of course you two never liked this, and tried to express this to your Dad's, they never understood how straining it was for you and Miles to be messenger pigeons.

But Aaron loved you, and though he found it strange to express that to you verbally, he did, but he mainly showed you through buying you stuff, sometimes when he was gone for days at a time, he would just buy you loads of stuff, or taking you on shopping sprees in order to make it up to you, buying you makeup, clothing, fabric or art supplies, and though you liked the stuff, you needed a Father, and eventually he got the idea that him being present was more important the just lots of stuff.

And honestly, you were the only reason he left the Prolwer life behind, he was terrified if someone found out who he was, they would then come after you, so he abanonded the life, and actually stared a enginnering career, and it also only beacuse of you that Jeff and Aaron mildy reconnected, When Jeff found out your Mom was pregnant, only a few months behind Rio, he thought it would be good for the family to come back together for you two, thought that never really happened, it certianley helped, Jeff and Aaron would occesianlly chat, use thier children as messganger birds to insult each other, and would buy each other insulting gifts on christmas, for exsample last year, your Dad brought your Uncle Jeff a scale.

You and Miles where always close though, you were kinda like estranged siblings, and even when your Dad's where agruing, you wto would still text, call sometimes to give small upates on life, and would occesiannly see each other when ever Miles came round the house, were you'd find him just casullay sitting in your room waiting for you.

Actually, you and Miles didn't meet until you were 6, Rio had enough on waiting for Aaron to reach out, so one day she just turnded up at his door with Miles, she was furious he wasn't teaching you Spanish and you didn't even know who they were, you refused to let Miles play with your dolls beacuse he was a stranger, who was this kid? Just coming in your house, touching your stuff?

It took awhile for you to accept and understand the idea of cousin and Auntie, you thought she was just your Dad's friend with her son, but eventually when you stared going to Middle school together, you two actaully bonded.

And though you and Rio were close, you and Jeff never really clikced though you got on, You didn't like being in thier house, you flet like a ghost, and Uncle Jeff was always pestering you about school, and how you were doing even though he knew you had left to persue other things, he was trying to scare you back in, and you knew it was for good reason, he was worried you end up like Aaron, pre you and mess up your life, but you two were so distant, it felt like an intrusion.

Pt 2?

[pigeon-gryphon]

A kinda long vent about a few different things

The appeal of art styles is subjective. If you regularly practice the skills you want, you will improve. It’s the curse of nearly all creatives to never be fully satisfied with their own work, but you can still shoot for the moon and land among the stars, and so on

I know all this and yet I cannot fully believe it about my own work. Before I went to college for graphic design, I did art a lot more frequently. At first I just drew various dolphin species, obsessively, for the hell of it. But then I was in art RP groups for a few years, in which you and your character need to be charismatic to get to do much in depth RP. And unfortunately, I was socially inept and allergic to making my characters conventionally attractive. Though, in all the RP groups, my characters and I were initially welcomed enthusiastically, but then over time, people got increasingly cold toward me and some others, and I'd be left trying to guess what exactly went wrong. I'd spend a year trying to impress the fellow RPers with my art and stories, and trying to be encouraging about their works, hoping to charm them into playing dolls with me. Then I'd give up, rinse and repeat with another RP group for a year.

But anyways- I was at least able to apply fundamentals of what I’d learned from hobby work, to college work. And I can still enjoy the process of actually doing these things, I mainly get discouraged by the end results. And probably 'cause of that discouragement, I have a hard time motivating myself to get going with either hobby stuff, or new portfolio pieces anymore. I feel like none of my preexisting college work is good enough to get a job, ‘cause no one will respond at all, just radio silence. I get paranoid that all my past, present and future visual works, whether formal or hobby, are objectively mediocre, even though that’s nonsense, and I wouldn’t think such a cruel, irrational thing about anyone else’s work.

I’ve been heavily considering going to college for programming. I find programming fascinating, I think it could pair well with graphic design, and I’d like to try being a solo indie game dev someday. But if you want to get a job in either graphic design or programming, you gotta really stand out. I’ve had many art accounts, and I’ve never been able to stand out, even back while I was more active. I hate competitions of any kind. Everyone should have an equal chance of surviving, we shouldn’t have to compete in any way just for a chance at basic life necessities.

Maybe I shouldn’t have gone into graphic design. But now that I have the degree, it feels like it would be a waste of time and money not to do something with it. Even if I find motive to hone my skills, what if it kills my chances of learning to just humbly enjoying making hobby art. Getting the feeling that everything I do should be “extraordinary”. But honestly, the art RP groups already damaged me.

What if going into programming is also a mistake? Although it’s just two more years in college (as opposed to three years for graphic design), it could be a waste of yet more time and money if I fail to do something with this, too. But I don’t know what else to do, I’ve researched all kinds of jobs and it’s so hard to know what I might be capable of doing decently, while also having at least a slight chance of getting a job. So many fields have low chances of getting work.

I know that there’s technically no time limit on many things in life. But I’m sick of having no income of my own. So many things in life require money. Thanks to gst cheques, I can at least afford care for a few small pets, and getting the occasional already-cheap indie game on heavy discount. But not much else.

One of the biggest things I long for is the chance to finally start dating. But it feels like a really bad idea to try to get into a serious relationship without an income. Either people will keep looking for someone who can help earn money, or you end up dangerously dependent. Also, I’m not as androgynous as I’d like to be yet. I could save up to get things to help with that, like a binder, but I’m too scared while I’m stuck living with my queerphobic parents. Last year, I got my hair cut shorter, and a side shave that can be covered at times when it’s best not to look too alt. And my mom initially said it looked nice, but then later (according to my sibling) called me a dyke behind my back. Which I wouldn’t have minded if it wasn’t said by someone so allocishet, in a negative context. And I’d like to try cutting it even shorter someday, but although they probably wouldn’t kick me out for being too openly queer, I’m a cowardly crybaby afraid of confrontation, so I don’t want to go too far until I finally get to live elsewhere. Plus, I want to date queer people, and I wouldn’t want to risk my parents being shitty to them.

But after years of longing to be held by some person my age, I get impatient and frustrated sometimes. I wish I didn’t have to jump through so many hoops to finally get an income first. I wish I could just hold someone’s hands and we can forage for free food in the wilderness that doesn’t belong to anyone. And then I doodle crap, and I don’t lose the joy of creating after it’s done, ‘cause I’d finally be free of any want or need for external validation. If only.

As things are, I can only try to crumble into complete, incapacitating mental illness. Therapy might be worth a try if it wasn't yet another expensive thing. Plus, my dad's a therapist, so if I got therapy while living with my family, I'd have to be very discreet about it, especially if it was a local therapist. 'Cause I know my parents would be offended that I won't just talk to them, and might even accuse me of sabotaging my dad's business. But I've tried free helplines, but they're either mediocre, or make me afraid of being forcibly institutionalized. I could get some kind of medication, 'cause any potential side effects couldn't be worse than what I already go through. But if my family found out, they'd be really judgy, 'cause they're biased against psychiatric drugs. I need to figure out how I should try changing my life soon, though, 'cause I can't stand the lonely rotting anymore.

[seraphbliss]

mar. 10

it's monday, so there's that. made it to another week! i have a lot to process. i haven't caught up with myself in that sense. the latter half of february got so weird, so fast. i've been embracing being a newgen, though, which is great. i love listening to emo songs everyone knows and realizing yeah these guys were onto something! i got to listen to tastemaker by bby goyard, which was decent. definitely a different direction than what i was expecting from him, but i can appreciate the attempt to try. i'll do a seraphtunes write up about it.

i've started drawing again. i've been doing graphic design since forever. it's one of my favorite hobbies. i realized, when applying to colleges back in september and october, that my portfolio is pretty lackluster. colleges expect diverse portfolios: sketches, studies, forms. i had, like, two complete pieces and hella graphics. i was worried that since a lot of my design works were for the same thing, that it would fall flat. but it didn't, and i got into my top school. it sucks that i couldn't really celebrate, because i know i can't accept the offer. it just isn't ideal to stay in america right now. i'm a superminority, i fear. they gon' get me... but of course, it's not like i can't come back. if things are fine a few years down the line, i can reapply. that school has a doctorate in design, and i'd like to teach the major eventually, so having a phd would be sick.

i just lost a close friend. irl moots i know you're SICK of me talking about this. get well soon i'm still grieving and therefore will still be talking about it. there's a seraphblogs post from the beginning of february that almost makes me think i'm naive. but i know now that i truly have every reason to be enraged. i lost a friend because their partner is an obsessive coward that can't get over the fact that i didn't want them. i'm realizing the true extent of how far people will go to hurt others. there is an evil in their partner that cannot be fixed. i do not ever want to know what it takes to be that dark hearted. i chose the high road last night, deciding against embarrassing them on every public platform i have. i hate being angry because i feel like it relinquishes my control.

my daily affirmation is: get over yourself. i have to remind myself of this throughout the day and into the night. i spent my latest check on clothes. most anticipating the i'llstopstabbingwhenyoustopscreaming chiodos zip up. i'm cool and pseudo-intellectual with all my weird outfits and accessories but i genuinely be going insane internally. my outfits are high effort but i rarely feel like putting in that effort. i do it for myself, but i'm just burnt out by everything. i just can't be bothered 6 days out of the week. truly the consequences of taking shit on the chin. i'm good at it because it's all i do but one day i'm gonna stop being the bigger person and i fear literally everyone will hate me. i'm really into curating my appearance and vibe on the internet. i'm starting to pass really well, seems like. guess it really is a mindset thing. i also basically got integrated into the black scene scene (lol) that exists on instagram. i don't know why i keep ending up in scene spaces i don't go here guys. love those freaks though.

i'm looking for another job. i love my coworkers, at least the ones that remain after everyone started to leave. finding out that one of my coworkers is nonbinary was so funny. i should've known—cis people don't listen to ecco2k AND sniper2004. they know the evilgiane lore. i found out from them that the reason our store manager left is because he highkey wasn't doing his job. apparently all of us are missing money bcs he wasn't putting in our hrs, and we also failed two inventories (technically not his fault people just steal like crazy). i liked my store manager a lot, but fucking with my money is cray. however, him leaving the store was basically a self sacrifice. if he hadn't, especially since the district manager is coming in the summer, district can come in at any time and fire all of us. it gets wild.

today, i look forward to watching a film with @/miotxro after classes on tuesday. i'll cook something nice if i feel up for it, or take it on the chin and have pork (my family ordered the most tanzphobic pizza. wdym pepperoni and bacon i Cannot Eat That) even though i don't want it. i'm going to draw and maybe clean when i get home. honestly, i just want to eat and take a 6hr nap. i feel uneasy about the week ahead.

[brightowldarkpigeon]

James Somerton Apology 2.0

Someone on Reddit asked what a genuine apology from Somerton would look like, and I outlined it there. I thought I'd share my post here in case it helps any others who are trying to understand what a sincere apology looks like!

(To be clear, I think that in general matters that are not as severe as James's, hoping to recover your career or asking for forgiveness are perfectly fine. For James, his betrayal was strong and defrauded so many people financially, that there is no way to make restitution without a years-long break from making content).

If he wanted to make a genuine apology, it would have to be done without any expectation of the recovery of his career. It would have to be very much the last thing he'd say on the matter, the only video on his channel, and demonetized. He would need to make the apology, then leave for at least a year, if not longer.

Then he would need to follow the standard five steps of apology:

1. Expression of regret

He'd have to say, "I am genuinely sorry for plagiarizing the work of others and taking great pains to obfuscate that fact." He would say, "I'm sorry that I told lies in my videos and did the bare minimum to create as much content and wealth as possible in as short a time as possible." He would also say, "I am sorry for the misogyny and anti-trans bias that I perpetuated both with my words on this channel and my actions toward other creators."

2. Acknowledgment of responsibility

This is essentially to say how it hurt the other person. "I am aware of the enormous harm that I caused to both the queer creators that I stole from and the viewers I deceived. My misogyny and transphobia have harmed not only the women and nonbinary people I offended, but also all other white cis gay men who do not want to carry on this legacy of upholding patriarchal sexism." I'd like him to make this the longest portion of the video, showing how plagiarism, deception, and misogyny cause real, tangible harm, and how his actions were wrong.

(It would be extra nice if he could take real responsibility and say, "I did all these things because I was greedy and lazy, and because I have not done the work to dismantle my own biases against women and trans people.)

3. Making Restitution

Here's where he says he's going to

a) PAY BACK HIS PATRONS. Seriously. That would be such a start. I understand that he needs money to survive, and it might take a long time to get back to that level of income, but he deceived both his patreon patrons and the backers of his Talos project.

b) Publish the names and works of every author he stole from.

c) Create a queer youtuber fund or something like that.

4. Genuinely promising change

He will need to GET. OFF. YOUTUBE. STOP. MAKING. CONTENT. It's time for him to find a new job, even with his fucking epilepsy, he's a decent video editor with a large portfolio and he absolutely could get work doing video editing from the bazillion people who have never heard of him. (They do exist!)

Or get literally any other WFH job. Do customer service if you have to. Take a break from being a star.

And of course say, "I do not think I will ever make original content again since I've lost the trust of this community, but if in a few years, I do try again, I will devote my time to properly crediting and uplifting other queer creators.

5. Requesting forgiveness

No. Don't do this. It's beyond forgiveness right now. Once james has SHOWN he's changed by educating himself and taking some time away from youtube, and DOING ALL THE RESTITUTION HE PROMISED, then he can ask for forgiveness.

Hope that helps.

[heilos]

Hello! My name is Moriah and I am a junior in high school. I was wondering if I might be able to get your insight on a few questions I have?

I am in my final years of high school and am starting to think about college but I have no idea what I want to pursue. I know I love art, so for a long time I have been thinking about getting an art major or going to an art school.

I’m reaching out because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR ART and I think you are a very talented artist! I have been in love with your art for so long and I am curious and wondering how you are able to fit drawing into your life?

1.) If you went to college for art, what was it like? Do you think going to school for art or having an art major is worth it?

2.) how can I fit art into my everyday life? I’m sure you have work and other things to do in your life so how do you balance it out? (I just want to know how you can draw as much as you do!)

3.) do you do art as a full-time career or part-time career? is it an alright source of income? If it is a part-time career, how do you balance work, personal life, and art?

Thank you so much! And sorry if these questions might seem personal. I just want to know how other artist manage to draw and create their work and still have an adult life. Thanks again, and thank you for being a huge inspiration in my life to create the art I love! Your art means so much to me!❤️❤️ ❤️

Hi Moriah! Thank you so much for your patience since it took me a bit to answer this. I'll do my best to be as honest as possible. 1) I think going to college can be beneficial even if I wish i'd done things differently. In hindsight I would have definitely taken more time to really look through all available options instead of gunning straight for the most "prestigious" looking colleges since the idea of having a big name school on your resume was pretty prevalent when I was growing up. I went to Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD for short and while I don't regret the friends I made there, I do regret not understanding just how much an institution like that ended up costing in loans compared to what I got out of it education wise. It always hurts my heart to see other kids get chained to huge amounts of student loan debt that could have been avoided. And even then you don't necessarily need a college degree for every type of art job. Your portfolio is what really matters more to prospective work places if you're looking at a career related to art. I would also keep in mind that the field is very competitive depending on what your goals are. Do you want to get into animation? game design? illustration? comics? prop design, character design or environment design? ect ect. Always try and give yourself the best advantage you can with researched knowledge of what you might be getting yourself into. Also there is no rush to go immediately into college even if you're dead set on wanting to attend one. Please give yourself as much time as you need to really make that decision and, if you have the option, don't feel pressured into thinking you HAVE to make that choice immediately out of high school. 2) I do get quite a bit of production art done on my days off mostly since I'm very experienced in working on group projects like Mystery Skulls Animated. When you're doing art and production work with other people, there's a different mindset in that others are relying on you to keep decently productive so that you're not holding up the pipeline if you're dedicated to seeing a project through to completion. Now when it comes to purely fun art on the side, I've actually only recently started balancing my time out better with work to sketch since the draw back of working on a group project like this for so long is a certain level of burn out. I had about a 2-3 year period where I couldn't get myself to draw much of anything even if I was excited about something like a new game or animated series and it's taken awhile to come to terms with the time lost since my body and head needed that time to recover and that's something i'm much more ok with now. I'm not the absolute best on advice for time management unfortunately, but seeking out projects that might interest you and lets you collaborate with other artists is definitely one way to keep yourself excited and engaged when wanting to make art. Just know and/or learn your limits and you'll be better about not getting too burned out when trying to find that decent balance of art time and other life activities. 3) I actually don't do art full time even if that was originally the plan back in college. I personally found out that I didn't want to turn it into a job the closer graduation came, but that varies completely from person to person and plenty of up and coming artists have found fulfillment in having art be their job too. I used to make prints for conventions so that was a partial income source for a little bit, but again for me it got tiring and I ended up getting a different more physical job to supplement my income while still being able to have enough time to stick around with my friend group on our music video projects. And again there's no shame in taking some time in trying to figure out if you want to make art your job and coming to a different conclusion. Sometimes the things we plan when we're younger take a wildly different turn out of left field and education or job aspirations are very much included in that.

[fairycosmos]

how did you start getting work as a freelancer without previous experience or a related degree? nobody wants to give me a chance, chloe 😭

i built up a portfolio of pieces literally just on google docs that basically exemplified that i could write decently well for any brand/tone and that i was able to conduct in-depth research, and i just kept applying to all these freelance agencies and sending my work across to them and doing test articles for them. usually i wouldn't get any paid work esp at first but sometimes they would have me for an interview and then send me a few projects. but the thing that really helped with me getting freelance work was the internship (of sorts) i did at a web design company before this current job i have - when my contract at that office ran out, it was easier to get freelance work because i had some genuine experience i could put on my cv, no matter how little. it's definitely a lot of effort for very little payoff for a long time, and you have to keep pushing forward with it (which i know is super hard bc it's the most disheartening experience ever to keep getting pushed back like i was incredibly burnt out throughout all of this.) and i have to say i got very very lucky with my current job irt them hiring me without a degree. but yeah if there's any copywriting (or digital marketing or anything related) courses or internships going on around you that you're able to check out, i'd definitely recommend that bc thats what really helped me get work x

[ann-chovi]

Help where can I quickly build a halfway decent portfolio of my work online.

Just ran across an intriguing graphic design job that I KNOW I'm qualified for and is very local but I haven't kept a portfolio in YEARS because I kinda gave up on ever getting a job in the field.

[wuhuha]

Thoughts on Cara

Note: I am rambling/taking my thoughts on this on a walk cause no one irl to me care or know about this.

Like, this is like the dozenth time I've seen artists say that they're 'migrating' from one platform to another, aaand ultimately it everyone returns to Instagram and Twitter.

"The artist needs to go where the people are"

Beyond the AI protecting, I feel like Cara will end up failing because the general audience aren't there. And to grow as an artist you kinda need that audience.

Honestly from the bottom of my fandom heart I hope any new platform can capture the essence of 'old Deviantart'. It was artist focused but it also had a decent amount of non artists. Let's not forgot about our fanfic/fic writers too. Can we hang together somewhere?

Yet another portfolio site…?

As a hobbyist with no strong interest in selling anything, this situation kinda sucks.

I just want to post art in an art-focused community and meet people with the same interests/fandoms. Back in the day in fandom it was just fun. Now it’s all about growing, getting jobs and making money, which is fine honestly, but for casual artists who already have jobs, but want community it stings too.

I know AI scaping is a problem for artist and that twitter and Instagram ain't ideal, but remeber those aren't art sites. Despite Insta once allegedly was for Photography, not bathroom selfies.

While Cara is a site for and by artists, I guess I just really wonder what it's going to turn into once the first migration storm has passed. Like what's the culture gonna be like? Yes, It's too early to decide if Cara could be a good replacement for Deviantart or even Artstation, and to grow your non-artist audience.

Closing brain (thoughts) farts

I know some think you should join Cara if you’re anti-AI in any capacity. I think it’s meaningful and important that many artists have switched to Cara, it sends a message to the social media giants that we won’t stand for AI scrapping of our work.

But it feel like It’s a movement, rather than an ernest attempt at creating a space for artist, all artist not just the algorithm's favorite child.

Personally I tend to search for art of charater/fandoms I like by activly searching for them and browsing the popular and newst tab. Not what the for you/dashboard spits at me.

*sigh*

I want it to succeed for being a middel finger to AI, but Cara is prohibits the posting of AI-generated artwork, but AI groups are can currently scrap and de-glaze art on Cara as we speak, but it might be nice to be able to connect with actual artists...

[cheddar-baby]

when i was in my last year of grad school i applied to 48 jobs. i kept applying even more than that afterwards. i got a job finally but holy shit. they sometimes don't even send a rejection letter lmao they wanted like 4 written essays, resume, portfolio, and more. these jobs are harrowing to apply to!!!

I couldn't even get a reply for jobs working for crappy smoothie stores in the mall that every review said "its a decent intro job for high schoolers". I think i applied for like 75+ before finally getting the one i got now. I think i got maybe 5 rejection letters and they all came at least 4 months after applying

[petr1kov]

personal post but ever since i was a teenager i have wanted to work as a video editor (not surprising to those who follow me since the old days, probably lol), but my plan was to go to film school and study editing on a more professional capacity which, for a number of (mostly monetary) reasons, i never could do. so i kinda gave up on it and tried to move on to other things.

but tbh, those jobs have obviously not been working at all, either, and i also just. don't like them. so now i'm really thinking like, fuck it. i might as well just get back into doing what i actually like and become a freelance video editor. i have used premiere for years, and i could build a decent portfolio with new material. but the main problem is that i just don't know where to advertise it... freelance websites like fiverr suck so bad. so idk, if anyone knows of a decent place for that, please let me know :3

[cherivinca]

Since the year is almost over, I wanted to make a small 2023 introspection (as well as talk about 2024 plans...)!

First of all, I hope everyone had a decent year! Mine was... okay. Better than 2022, and I've been feeling better in the latter half, I think, keeping myself busy and studying languages, writing, etc. But basically since graduating back in 2020 I've felt pretty lost (not helped by the pandemic, and the subsequent cost of living...)

In the past year I haven't been posting as much. There's a lot of art I kept to myself this year, and others I've posted on my (very small) personal tumblr blog. It's been harder to feel like it's "worth" posting here, though I hope I can change that

The art industry has felt tremendously shaky this year, and it feels even more bleak for someone who hasn't managed to break in <:( I've been working on my portfolio, and there's still more work to do, but I'm applying for schools this fall; if nothing job-wise comes up, then I will probably go back >< I'm already at a slight disadvantage since I don't live in the provinces that have studios, but I can't afford to move unless I have a job... haha (pain). I don't want to call it giving up, but gaining new skills might be helpful regardless. Even if it becomes a hobby, it might make me feel better 🥲 I never planned to be commission-dependent for so long

Anyway, I booked my first international trip (to Europe!!) this coming March, because I told myself I'd finally do it after getting my passport back in 2019 (expecting to travel after uni.....lol) so I'll be taking on comms primarily to help fund that in the next few months. I need enrichment in my enclosure, badly

I've been writing this year too. I don't know when/if I'll share my story stuff here (maybe related art...?) or not, but we'll see if I ever do anything with it. (It's wlw/fantasy hehe). In general, I hope to feel better about posting here, and maybe start making a small amount of merch!! I've always wanted to try :) And stream more, if I can!

Thank you to everyone who has supported my art this year, whether it's been through likes, rbs, following me, or commissioning me. :* Especially in this past year. I can tell that a lot of people have less disposable income, but I really appreciate people who have commissioned me regardless (which is another reason I worry for the future...)

Here's to more art & cool things in 2024!! And hopefully better times!!

[blorbopolis]

hello! im sorry if you get asked this a lot, but I was curious how you got into doing art ttrpg? and what should an interested artist have in their portfolio? thank you 💖

hi! so i wrote out a big "how to" before re-reading your message and considering you maybe just... asked how it happened for *me*, not necessarily how someone else should do it LOL. so, how it happened for me: i've been actively courting freelance art work since ~2009, and fantasy ttrpg is a natural extension of my interests - my portfolio was already full of world of warcraft fanart by the time ttrpgs & D&D really started having their modern moment. TTRPG is a good low-to-mid level place to find leads, as well, because the barrier for entry is super low for creators, which means a lot MORE projects to go around. (If you want to make a board game, your artist has to know a LOT about packaging, printing, manufacturing, graphic design, etc. if you wrote a D&D module and just want to publish it on itch.io? your artist only needs to know how to send you a decent sized .jpg.) as far as portfolio goes, when i started getting consistent replies to my cold emails, my portfolio had mostly covers and half-pages (ie, narrative illustrations), portraits, and animals. If you want to be more well-rounded you could also include pieces focusing on environments, items, and creatures. Don't include anything unless it's GOOD though. (i am so serious about this - bad work in your portfolio makes the good stuff look like a fluke.) now. if you wanted a "how to" answer, here is 600 words lol. I'm gonna start with the base assumption that your work is already hirable so we can focus on just like, specialization + client acquisition tips. getting a folio up to snuff is a whole other can of beans short version goes like this:

this whole thing only works if you have the ability to honestly self-assess. new work & skills: you should have fresh stuff that's a snapshot of what you can do *right now.* this doesn't mean old work can't stay in your folio if it's still good, but a small, current folio that really hits is WAY better than a bloated old one with irrelevant studies or student work. new artistic peers: as you continue to evolve as a professional, you should have an idea of which other working artists your work is most similar to, in terms of skill/tone/specialties/other relevant skills (3D/graphic design/etc) in order to see how you stack up to your """competition""" for lack of a better word. Additionally those artistic peers have hangout zones (discords or FB groups, etc) where you can talk shop & pass around job leads. research peers' clients: research who those peers are contracting with. See if your work would be a fit for them; if so, find their contact info and put it on your list. Those clients are probably also promoting other similar projects or publishers on their feeds; twitter has a handy "you might also want to follow" list that has other similar accounts you can explore. You can also work backwards from the product to the creator (see any cool battle maps, CCGs, board games, etc? find out who made it and whether they're the ones doing the art hiring.) Additionally, those discords & fb groups I mentioned will have leads (of varying quality) shared around that you should be assessing as they come in. reach out to new batch of clients: cold email. be realistic about who's worth contacting, but don't self-disqualify. that part is a balance. art directors are people with problems to solve, and you need to be able to A. anticipate the problems they need solving, and B. confidently (and honestly) let them know exactly what you can do for them. Attach A FEW, SMALL, RELEVANT jpgs that they can easily download and keep for reference. do not send massive high res attachments, their inboxes are full enough as it is. If you're responding to a specific call, attach relevant pieces or curate a page on your portfolio site specifically for work that would fit the project. If reaching out to clients doesn't result in a lead - *or*, if it takes them 3 months to get back to you, you should spend that time doing your own stuff and bolstering your skills. eventually your portfolio will be good enough that it kicks down doors for you.

you'll notice i never included "be active on social media! post your new work! feed instagram's ad revenue by giving it more content!" in this strategy because it doesn't matter. i'm not professionally active on any social media. we were getting hired before twitter existed and we'll still get hired after it dies. just do make sure you have an online portfolio (your own website >> artstation >>> other free folio builders >>>>>>>>>>>> an instagram feed.) the more times you do this cycle the easier it gets; both because you'll just get good at every step of the process, and because more people will know you and have known you for *longer* so you seem like a safer bet. I'll be honest: it's a ton of rejection lmao. I would get a rejection in my inbox at least once a week - even more than that i'd just get radio silence. But eventually you'll get a yes, and if you're lucky that yes will result in high quality new work you're proud of and can put into your folio (taking you back to step 1 lol.)

the freelance life is (INSHALLAH!!!) behind me since i now have a full time job doing marketing/supporting art for video games. But my portfolio never would've gotten there if i didn't have the experience of going through the freelance meat grinder first. it really taught me how to be an actualized *creative* (who can stand up for her own expertise, think like a project manager, and take creative ownership of / responsibility for my assignments) and not just a hired hand. my team likes that. i think