October 30th, 2014

An initial sketch for 'ninja dog'

So the past few weeks have been really busy! I completed quite a complicated satirical illustration for an American company, but due to privacy agreements I cant show you that. I'm currently doing some ninja character designs for a pet themed gift company which has been pretty fun so far! 



I've been doing a lot of thinking about my career and what the next steps are that I need to take to nurture it. At 25 and on my second career choice (paramedic didn't quite work out ;0 ) I feel a certain amount of pressure, even if it is self inflicted, to push hard to make this dream a reality. So far going  freelance has been quite successful, picking up plenty of work. I never really anticipated the amount of strange requests and hilarious budget proposals I would receive. Or the happy American people that call in the middle of the night asking if I'd like to have half a page advert in their journal for a mere $2000!! I never expected the isolation or the utter joy that can be gained from working from home, or that the 'skill' I should have practised most thoroughly was self-motivation.  

Business, as it were, is in the blood for me it seems. My Grandma was a very successful woman with multiple businesses. Like me I think she probably relished dealing directly with customers and the rewards that can be reaped from being the boss. Another distant family member who was renowned for being the driving force behind her acting career was my great Aunt Bette Davis. She died the year I was born but from what I'm told she was known for working so hard at her craft that she found it difficult to detach from her on screen characters. Even my Dad was a travelling sales rep and delights in passing on his wealth of knowledge gained  from his experience. More than skill, or talent or hard work I've found the most useful 'tool' I possess is my attitude. Wanting to get the best results for clients, being helpful , friendly 
and approachable can often open doors that lead to work. 

Hopefully with enough hard work and a bit of luck I can follow in their footsteps

This has been more of a 'catch up' , but hopefully I'll have some more illustrations to show you in the next blog entry :)


Charlie

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