#when you're expected to start working a fulltime job and stay in that line for the rest of your life??

[lieutenantselnia]

Actually I think it's a bit unfair that I can't be an astrophysicist and a historian and a game developer and a marine biologist and an archaeologist and an author and a seamstress at the same time

[iraprince]

hello! ive been a really big fan of your work for a little over a year now and seeing you pursue art is very inspiring! if you don’t mind sharing, i would love to know how you were able to push yourself into freelancing?

well, first off, to be absolutely transparent: a huge, huge part of it was that i was able to crash with my family for 7-8 months when i was first getting off the ground, so i had a safety net as i figured things out. i'm not trying to say it's impossible without that but it would be really irresponsible for me to answer this like "i worked really hard and did my best :)" and not mention that in the beginning i was able to start off with that kind of security.

if i hadn't been able to do that i still would have been pushing to be able to go fulltime on my own, but it probably would have taken a lot longer -- not just bc of the technical limitations of how quickly i'd be able to save up money but also bc of (reasonable, justifiable) fear. it's significantly more difficult to try stuff out if you have "if this doesn't work, i'm not gonna be able to pay rent this month" hanging over your head. so i would say a huge part of my advice on this is even if u don't have the opportunity to lean on a support system as u figure things out, make sure you're secure in SOME way before trying to start, bc it's not healthy or viable to fling yourself into it with "either this takes off or i'm FUCKED" as the framework. even now, family support is part of it, bc i'm married and my wife's work is steady -- if i have a rough month or something comes up and i don't hit the numbers i wanted to we're still okay. i'm very lucky that i have that cushion and i appreciate when other creatives are candid about how unsteady this work can be so i wanna offer that kind of frankness as well.

i started my patreon way before i was actually thinking of going fulltime independent, when i still had a (low paying, but stable) day job, and initially i just thought of it as like, "it would be nice if this could bring in a little extra to make things less stressful." i wasn't at all expecting the response i got when i first opened my patreon and that was what kind of rekindled my interest and made me think, like, "hey, maybe this CAN be a job, maybe people WILL actually care abt the stuff i'm passionate about." i am also not bringing this up to try to say it's impossible if u don't have a successful patreon! my point is that u can ease into it as a side thing first and that can give u some footing and confidence, and "security" can just mean that not all your eggs are in one basket.

and in line with that, a big reason i was able to push and start seeing hope and possibility in making a living with my own work was bc i started committing myself to producing only what i was excited about and what i cared about. that sounds corny but i really really mean it. when i used to be preoccupied with what would Get Engagement or Be Popular it just straight up didn't work. when i said "fuck it, i'm just going to draw vampires and catboys all day because it's fun," suddenly people started paying attention, in a real and lasting and supportive way, bc ppl respond to honesty and joy. i think it's rly important to make a name for urself doing What You Actually Care About, bc then u cultivate an audience who Actually Cares About What You Actually Care About. as an example, i do care abt my mental health work (otherwise i wouldn't do it), but it's not what i want to be KNOWN for as an artist and it's not what i choose to center in my patreon etc. any time one of my mental health comics goes viral i get a huge burst of followers, then a lot of them slowly trickle off as they realize i'm not just Relatable Depression Guy. but the ppl who follow me for vampires and catboys stay and stay and stay. i get commissioned by people who want me to draw vampires and catboys and shitty sexy villains. my repeat clients are the ones who love the way i draw ocs. the vast majority of my longterm patrons are the ones who are invested in my original work. if u chase stuff u don't actually care abt for shortterm returns, i think ur potential clients will also be shortterm -- and that's not meant to be a dig at ppl who move on if an artist stops doing what they're interested in, bc that's natural, but i mean u won't be able to sustain work that u don't care about and so naturally whatever following and clientbase u've built on a foundation u don't care about can't be sustained either. don't assume u can force yourself to do art u aren't excited abt the same way u can w other jobs -- i could force myself out of bed and into the store even if i felt like shit when i worked grocery and make my way through the shift like a zombie, but somehow it’s not the same for art, even though it’s my favorite thing to do in the world.

so, tldr: i was able to ease my way into it slowly and safely (and ppl should do that however they can, at whatever pace is realistic, bc u cannot make art if ur fucking starving); i tried it out a bit at a time while i still had steady employment to gain confidence and figure out what worked; and i focused on only putting out what i feel excited about doing, to make sure that what i build my living on is sustainable and fun for me, and to make sure the people who support me care abt the same kind of art that i do. i think this, along with working really hard on building and maintaining a healthy relationship w art and the concept of "productivity" (something that is really, really difficult and that i still work on every day) have been the most important foundational things for me.