“Make your work as easy to find as possible”

This week’s question:

“I moved from India to Dublin three years back, and it has been nearly impossible to get any paid work as a freelancer. I work a day job, but I don’t know how to get work without an agent in the UKIE.

Is there any other way for an illustrator to get work other than agents? I post regularly on Instagram, but the reach is so bad. I apply to whatever I can find but it is so hard to create a client base.”

Katie Cadwell, co-founder of branding studio Lucky Dip and The NDA Podcast:

Hustling for three years is hard, especially holding down a full-time job. I’m glad you’re still passionate about becoming an illustrator.

Agents absolutely have their place, but I agree you can build traction without them. It’s about investing your energy in the right places.

Let’s start with Instagram. In my experience, art directors are not scrolling for talent there. Behance and Dribble are much better sites to have your portfolio. Take time to create your projects there. One of the hardest parts of pitching illustrators to clients is finding someone with the right examples. I’m more likely to search for ‘2D vector illustrator working with pet brands’ than ‘illustrator’. Make your work as easy to find as possible. Show your availability, your rates.

Let’s start with Instagram. In my experience, art directors are not scrolling for talent there. Behance and Dribble are much better sites to have your portfolio. Take time to create your projects there. One of the hardest parts of pitching illustrators to clients is finding someone with the right examples. I’m more likely to search for “2D vector illustrator working with pet brands” than “Illustrator.” Make your work as easy to find as possible. Show your availability, your rates. 

Secondly, you do have to do outreach. Cold-outreach is a horrible beast. It can feel like shouting into the void – so make each email intentional. Look for local people you’d love to work with. Find publishers in Dublin. Creative agencies or brands nearby. Then tailor the projects you’re sending to them based on their portfolios. Invest your energy in the right people.

Finally, find your community. Dublin has a brilliant creative scene. Get along to meetups – those casual conversations often turn into collaborations. You’ll meet people who can empathise with how you’re feeling, and hopefully turn some of those relationships into opportunities. For a bigger network, the Association of Illustrators (AOI) is brilliant. They have resources on how to find clients and promote yourself, written by agents. So you get their expertise without joining an agency. 

There are a lot of illustrators vying for attention – so finding your niche and helping people discover you has never been more important. Here’s hoping this is the year you take off.

In answering your creative career conundrums we realise that some issues need expert support, so we’ve collated a list of additional resources that can support you across things that might arise at work.

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