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Howdy, art friend!

Do you dream of a big, fat, successful art career ASAP?

Wanna drown in commissions, print sales, and incessant calls from the Louvre NOW?!

So you’ve been drawing like crazy, hours every day, trying to get good IMMEDIATELY??! BUT now all the fun is dying and…

And you’re sitting there, wrist throbbing, convinced you’ll never “make it”?

Y’know… art and creativity cost a lot of energy. I used to work labor jobs doing 10 hour graveyard shifts, but I’ve actually experienced worse burnout on big illustration contracts - go figure, right?

As someone who has gone “pro”, here’s some pointers to not grind yourself into dust before you ever make it.

You don’t need a fancy diploma to have a career in art.

Nobody hires an artist because of the piece of paper hanging on their wall. The only thing that matters is your portfolio.

Clients (and studios) care whether you can deliver the assets they need. If your art speaks for itself, it don’t matter whether you learned in a classroom for 4 years or on YouTube at 2 AM in your underwear.

In fact, I’d say don’t waste the money on school. I didn’t go to art school, and I’ve made literally tens of thousands of dollars from my art over the years. EVERYTHING you need is online for a fraction of the price.

You also don’t need a giant portfolio to get jobs.

When I was first starting I would often worry and obsess about my portfolio. Is it big enough? Does it look professional enough? Is it actually garbage, and I don’t realize it?

As a defense mechanism I would try to spit out piles and piles of art to make my portfolio look at robust as possible. That was unnecessary, and resulted in a lot of long days doing lots of pieces.

What do you actually need? Just 3-5 pieces of your best stuff for the genre of art you’re working in. That’s plenty for at least 90% of potential clients.

Being good at art is important, but only part of the equation to success.

But you need to start viewing yourself as a business. You are an artist that provides art services. Being good at art is great, but you can’t get hired if no one likes you or no one knows you exist.

Work on your social skills, learn basic marketing, make friends in your niche, stop being afraid to “sell out”, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

Cold hard truth? The mid artist who’s good at marketing and networking will ALWAYS BEAT the good artist who is mid at marketing and networking. Which group would you rather be in?

Marketing and networking skills will also make the whole journey a lot easier, cuz you won’t have to struggle as hard to grow your career.

Don’t lose yourself in mastering your craft. Remember to come up for air sometimes.

I see a lot artists grind away, convinced they have to suffer to improve. But the reality is overworking kills passion faster than anything else.

Burnout is a sneaky bitch, and by the time you realize what’s happening, your love for art has become a tormenting demon whipping you into submission. So allow yourself to take breaks when you need them.

Your skills won’t magically disappear if you take a day or two off. No one has ever woken up the next day and thought, “Oh no, I forgot how to draw hands!” Burnout does WAY more damage than stepping away for a little while.

If you’re forcing yourself to draw and hating every second of it, stop k? Step back. Do something else. You’re not a machine. You’re a human being, dang nabbit! You don’t need to churn out art 24/7 to prove your worth to any man, god, or beast!

A big part of discipline is making yourself to rest when you need to.

Remember, it’s not a race - art, and an art career, is a lifelong journey. And burnout is a very very very real thing that will always be lurking around the corner.

If you’re mindful, consistent, and practical then your success is inevitable. I’ve been drawing and doodling since I was a little kid, but I didn’t get serious until my early 20s - and it took me somewhere between 1 to 2 years of serious trying before anyone would call it a decent income source.

I know you wanna make it right now, but don’t let the pressure get to you.

You’ve got lots of time to go pro.

Peace and Love,
Brosatsu