A brief post about the pressures of putting your best foot forward, all the time…
Read MoreCreative Bursts vs Burst Bubbles
In sport you have players that are called ‘streaky’. That doesn’t mean they’re tall, it means they go on short-to-medium periods of extreme proficiency. If they start scoring, they’ll keep doing it for a few weeks and then go fallow. I’d imagine there have been doctorates written in sport psychology about those people versus the more consistent variety.
The same kind of psychology applies in a creative career.
Read MoreCredit Where It's Due
The subject of artist credit seems to be coming up more frequently, and it’s an important one. So I thought it was time for a blog post about it, so I can enter the debate.
Read MoreStarting Out in Illustration: A Rough Guide Part I
I was trying to think of a useful post for the last couple of weeks. One idea that persistently held its hand up for attention was some kind of guide to the first few years of an illustration career, from someone who went through them not all that long ago. I’m in my 11th year now, but the memories of the struggle are still fresh. So I hope this might be of some help to someone out there who has either taken the plunge, or plans to.
Read MoreRandom Musings III
It’s taken 24 days of 2019 to write my first blog post, but only because I have been busy finishing off the jobs that started just before Christmas.
Read MoreBlank Slates & Burn-Out
January for me is like the first page on a new sketchbook. A fresh new year is so full of possibilities, and Im a big fan of a blank slate - I’m a total dreamer, and I enjoy wondering what the year will bring. In early Jan I’m always full of energy and plans (to be made, then ignored of course) and hope. Around December time, I am tired.
Read MoreMental Health in Illustration
Yesterday I was writing a contribution to an article about mental health in my line of work. And instead of writing a couple of sentences, I wrote a bit of an essay. So I thought I’d share it here, and I hope that it both sheds light on the subject, and maybe offers a little help to people who might be suffering from the stress the freelance artist life can hurl at you. At least they might know they’re not alone… So, here goes:
Read MoreMy 10 Year Anniversary
September 2018 marks ten years since I decided to leave my career in the media in London and move home to Ireland to pursue my dream of being a freelance illustrator.
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