I'm Late
A brand new ⭑Art Vlog⭑ is up on YouTube!
Sorry guys, it’s been a while. I feel I’m always ‘late’ with my publications. This week I’m sharing something cool news. I get often asked how I work, how my workspace looks like, how’s my life in Amsterdam and routines as an illustrator. So I decided to change a bit the format and release my first ever real vlog.
The Menu for This Week
🌳 My very first Art Vlog
🌳 Becoming your Art mentor 🤓
🌳 How much Artists hate doing numbers and taxes
Life as an Illustrator ⭑Artist Vlog⭑
Finding a way to show and share my days as a full-time freelancing artist and illustrator hasn’t been the most straightforward task, but I’ve been having so much fun choosing bits and pieces of behind-the-scenes moments!
Just yesterday, I came across a tweet (should we call it X-post now?) from a fellow artist that very accurately stated we’re the most active and talkative whenever we can allow ourselves a breather and some extra time to mingle on social media, film, document, and share our work. When we’re flooded with projects and surfing the busy freelance wave, we enter full-on MIA mode, and you won’t see much of us.
This very typical flow has recently been guiding all my social media activity, and this rhythm of things probably won’t ever change. That’s why I’m still learning to embrace it and make the most of it. That’s what you can see in my video: busy days interlaced with moments of peace, which I carve out for myself whenever possible.
If you’re interested in online project presentations, that’s something I explore in my latest YouTube video.
A few months ago, I was commissioned by National Geographic magazine to create illustrations for an article on biodiversity loss in Borneo. Over the past century, the region has faced a significant decline in its rich wildlife, mostly caused by humans. I created two illustrations (one for the article cover and one as a spot illustration) to visually represent the article titled "A Hundred Years of Borneo" and to bring to life the challenges and hopes of conservation in this unique and threatened ecosystem.
I must admit that filming myself at work doesn’t come naturally (yet). I’m so focused on my idea-creation process and in such a strong flow that filming the progress isn’t something that even occurs to me! It’s something I’m trying to incorporate more of, in a way that’s interesting for you but also comfortable and non-invasive for me. I’ll let you in on a secret: all the shots of me working on client and personal projects so far have been filmed with me holding the camera in my left hand while the right one does all the work.
A big part of the video shows behind-the-scenes footage of my photoshoot for this particular client project as well as my personal one, which I truly loved working on. Only recently, I added these to my portfolio, where you can see the final results of the photo session.
The Creative Draft Coaching
1:1 Coaching calls with me - are open again!
I’m happy to announce that I’m opening a few more spots for my Creative Draft Coaching program, and with this, I’m officially launching the next group of artists for the second cohort! 🎉
Why did I decide to start offering coaching and mentorship to illustrators?
For the same reason I started my YouTube channel. Starting out in the illustration field isn’t easy. Even though many years have passed, I still vividly remember how lost I felt at the beginning. I quit my day job, left my former profession behind, and switched to illustration, figuring everything out as I took my first steps.
What’s more, freelance professions can often be quite solitary, with ours being the best example. While many of us, myself included, enjoy working on our own, it also means we don’t have a direct community or co-workers to support us or share their experiences and expertise.
As much as I try to share everything I know on my free YouTube channel and in publicly available videos, there are always those personal struggles we all have. These can range from common impostor syndrome, not feeling good enough, lack of confidence or experience, or needing clearer direction when it comes to your art abilities, portfolio, client outreach, first projects, contracts, billing, negotiations, etc.
In the meetings, I want to help with any doubts or issues you might have, whether you’re at the beginning of your career or midway, feeling lost and stuck.
You can choose and buy the meeting packages as you need. It was important to me to make the plans accessible to as many of you as possible.
You decide whether to opt for a one-time call to address your specific doubts and questions or start regular coaching calls. In these sessions, we either review your portfolio or create it from scratch.
We work on both the creative and business aspects of being a professional illustrator, and I always adapt the program to what each of you needs.
I’ve enjoyed so much working with artists in the first cohort and seeing your progress and being able to help, makes me so happy and proud!
To those of you who have applied and haven’t heard back from me yet—please don’t worry. I see and read all your applications, and I will respond to each of you, whether you were selected or not.
Please remember that the spots I offer are very limited. Why?
Because my full-time job is commercial illustration, and I carefully organize my schedule to make sure I give all my time and attention to the artists I meet.
I want to provide the guidance and support you need, which is why I keep the groups I coach small.
This ensures I have enough time for everyone while staying fully committed to my work as an illustrator.
If you have any questions about coaching with me, just leave a comment or apply directly!
I hate doing numbers and taxes
The one thing we all procrastinate on.
Finances. Taxes. Excel. All the four Qs. Spreadsheets. Feeling dizzy already? Because I do!
As an artist with dyscalculia and a profound dislike for numbers and finance matters, each end of the quarter is quite an overwhelming experience for me. I don’t want to sound negative, but I truly hate it. And there’s a lot I want to automate.
The small role I play in it makes me feel like I need a vacation—the hammock-between-two-palm-trees kind of vacation.
So, I wanted to ask you: if there were an app or tool to help you handle your taxes and finances as a creative freelancer, what features would it need to have?
In other words, when managing your numbers and dealing with taxes and finances as a freelancer or small business owner, what key feature would make you choose an app to help you with these tasks? If you could ask for anything, what would it be?
Let me know in the comments below :)
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