Have I "made it" yet?

Back in my 20s, when I was starting as an illustrator, I saw a short documentary about an established artist. I'm actually not sure which artist was the subject of the film. In my defense, It was two decades ago. I watched it on a VHS tape that I borrowed from the library.

It might have been about Eric Carle, the children's book author and illustrator who would paint loose textures on paper, then cut those paintings up and collage them into things like hungry caterpillars. Again, I'm not sure it was him, but I remember one particular sequence. The artist was just sitting in his studio, slowly making art. He said he would do this for hours every day.

That moment in the film stuck with me.

I assumed at the time that this was the life of a successful illustrator. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and "play" with art supplies in your beautiful studio (somewhere in New England, maybe?) Eventually, something unique would emerge, and you'd show the new masterpiece in a small gallery or publish it. The next morning, you'd do it all again.  Maybe I also pictured sitting in the evenings with my elbows on the arms of an Eames lounge chair, purchased second-hand while on a road trip through the Carolinas, reading a weathered copy of…wait, I'm getting sidetracked here. 

Here's the thing: that never happened to me. I mean the part about just spending my days playing in my studio.

I did eventually make a living as an illustrator. I've been incredibly fortunate to work on many books for kids (like these) and other fun stuff. I ended up with a studio space, and though it's not in New England, I do get to share it with someone I really like. 

But rarely do I spend days in a row only making art.

In addition to the "making art" part, becoming an Artist meant dealing with all the side tasks of running a small business: answering emails, sending invoices, following up on payments, resetting the wireless router, responding to more emails, etc. 

It also meant adjusting my idea of "success."

Here are three things that I learned over the years about success.

1. Don't compare yourself to other artists. 

This is such an easy trap to fall into! It's so easy to look at Instagram and feel like you need to be more successful. I do it, too. Other people seem to be endlessly creating gorgeous work for incredible clients. The fix? Take a break. Quit mindlessly scrolling and go make something. I'm not the first person to say this. This isn't groundbreaking advice, but I must remind myself of it often.

2. Broaden your goals. 

This tip is about not putting all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak. Don't connect success to one particular goal, like publishing a children's book, working with one specific client, or filling up an entire sketchbook in a limited amount of time. 

3. Make lists!

I'm a big list-maker. I make lists of future goals, project ideas, and movies I want to watch with the kids. Lists are an excellent way for me to keep track of things and organize them so that goals feel more accomplishable.

Wait, here's another one.

4. Ditch the old idea of success.

"Success" sounds so definitive. You have it, or you don't. But that's not at all how it works. It's more of a work-in-progress thing. Figure out what makes you happy, and work toward including more of those things in your life. So, if I initially had "make more money" on my list of goals, I would ask myself, "What is that money for?" Then, I could add the answer to that question to my list. I want more money to travel, so let's add "Travel" to the list instead of "Money."

My idea of success

After a few years of working as an artist, I sat and thought about what makes me happy. This list became my new definition of success. I realized that a sunrise-to-sunset day of making art in my studio would be nice…but it would also be a little lonely. 

My idea of success still includes big future project goals, but now it also includes more important things like having a good work-life balance. And that could include making time to play with art supplies and cutting paper into little caterpillars.

Drawing from old books

I recently discovered this great site collecting scans of illustrations from old books.

Your assignment: Scroll through until you find something that stands out, and then draw it in your sketchbook in your own style. 

FROMOLDBOOKS.ORG

BONUS! Did you know I've been drawing RANDOM ILLUSTRATED FACTS for more than ten years?

Here's one now!