Art & Business

04 Sep

Posted at 02:45h in Art & Business
Last week I attended the second annual Creative Freelancer Conference in San Diego. The goal of the conference is to help creative freelancers (i.e. illustrators, designers, writers, photographers, etc.) to improve their business skills, get better clients, and increase their income. We artsy types aren't exactly known for our business saavy. One thing you definitely won't learn in art school is how to market yourself. Or write a proposal. Or network, talk to clients about money, etc. This conference fills a huge need. Each time I've attended I've walked away inspired and ready to take my career to the next level. It was also great just to spend a few days with other people who get what it is that I do for a living. Who have the same experiences, the same problems, and we can talk shop without the other person's eyes glazing over. Freelancing can be lonely at times so I really relish any chance I get to hobnob with my fellow freelancers.

25 Aug

Posted at 00:01h in Art & Business

Wed.-Fri. of this week (Aug. 26-28) I'll be in San Diego attending the second annual Creative Freelancer Conference. The conference organizers are encouraging attendees to tweet live from the conference using the hashtag #CFConf. I plan to do a bit of tweeting but mostly I'll be furiously taking notes during the presentations. I'm sure other attendees will be tweeting as...

22 Aug

Posted at 22:30h in Art & Business

I'll be in San Diego Wed.-Fri. (Aug. 26-28) for the second annual Creative Freelancer Conference (sponsored by HOW Magazine and Marketing Mentor). I attended last year's conference and got a lot out of it. Even though I've been freelancing for well over a decade I picked up quite a few tips and tricks for how to run my business better,...

15 Jul

Posted at 23:04h in Art & Business

Things are really hopping here at the studio. I've recently finished up a packaging illustration and a toy design. I'm currently working on another toy design, three packaging illustrations (each for a different client), character designs for an animated feature film, and soon I may also be designing characters for an episode of another animated series. I've also been invited...

09 Jul

Posted at 05:28h in Art & Business

Illustrator Dani Jones has posted a great litlte tutorial with instructions on how to optimize your portfolio website for the iPhone. Her article really got me thinking. As more and more people are surfing the web with their smart phones, it seems innevitable that sooner or later a potential client is going to try viewing my website on a tiny...

02 Jul

Posted at 09:53h in Art & Business

When it rains it pours! For the last couple of weeks I've been juggling several client projects at various stages of completion. I've recently finished a marker comp, an illustration for a print ad, and some storyboards for a TV commercial pitch. I'm currently working on a toy design, packaging illustrations for three different clients, and character designs for two...