Is it a good idea to quit your day job and become an illustrator? (Written by a full-time illustrator)

Prompt I - Invisible

First! Can we just take a minute to look at some of the drawings people are making for this series. It’s such a treat! If you haven’t started yet, know you can jump in anytime! (Today’s prompt is below if you want to skip ahead.)

M - Mirkwood by

Jules

Q - Quest by

Virginia Neely

P - Precious by

Yumiko Kitazono

M - Mirkwood by

Jen Gubicza

See more in the gallery

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In a few days, we’ll pause this series for a few days, this will give you time to catch up if you’ve missed a few days or jump in if you want to finally give it a go!

Every Month, I dive into a deeper topic for five days, in what I call a Creative Sprint. This month’s topic is a vulnerable one, we’re going to be talking about Financial Sovereignty as an illustrator.

It’s a common dream to ‘quit a day job’ and become an illustrator.

In the Sprint, I’m going to talk a little bit about what that looks like and some mindset shifts I’m having as I go into my fourth year as a full time freelance illustrator.

As a teaser here’s some of the old mindsets that I’m seeking to change:

1. Depending on publishers as my main source of income.

2. Trying to squeeze the seasonal rhythms of publishing into the monthly cycles of bills.

3. Taking jobs that might not be the right fit, in fear that it might be the only job available.

4. Doing work that people want rather that what I feel is right creatively.

All 4 of these mindsets around money were things that I chose going into publishing, maybe they were what I needed at the time, but having tried it, I feel now is a time for some modifications or outright changes.

If you’re a Creative Sprinter (Paid Subsciber) or Studio Founder (Founding member) you will get the Creative Sprint in your inbox over 5 days starting from April 25th.

For everyone else you will get a short break to catch up on your prompts from this month!

Before you go, let me answer the question in the title.

Is it a good idea to quit your day job and become an illustrator? Well if you value a stable monthly income then… nope. Maybe do it on the side.

However if you’re up for a little bit of entrepreneurship, selling your services, even creating a product or two, if you’re up for big paydays some months and quieter paydays for months at a time, and with all of that some freedom in how you spend your time then yes. But still do it on the side first.

That’s what I think, but what do you think? Is it a good idea to quit a day job to become an illustrator, share your experiences and aspirations!

Now here are the prompts, one for today, and one for yesterday:

TEN MINUTE ARTIST PROMPTS

R - Ring: "It was a beautiful golden ring, and it shone and glittered in the firelight."

I - Invisible: "Bilbo had slipped on his ring before he started and passed Gollum unseen."

Some of you are already ahead of me and thinking, can I squeeze both into a single illustration, which makes for an excellent teaching moment.

When working on a single illustration the more you can squeeze more into it the better. This is true for both portfolio pieces as well as client work. Add more of you, more of what’s in the text and subtext, and context from the fandom, easter eggs, add a wink and an insider nod.

Know that this doesn’t make the illustration easier, it makes it harder, but it also makes it more dense.

So, either do these as two prompts, or one.

But do it with generosity. Share them here.

Watch a video of me drawing these prompts here

PS: If you like fine stationery, and a curated online shopping experience you can get yourself something nice at my mom’s stationery shop!