It’s always pretty hard to find the motivation you need to start a project, even when you have the world’s cutest teeny tiny tortoise by your side…
Life after Graduating
I have been freelancing part-time since graduating from Falmouth University in 2016 with a BA degree in Illustration.
As many graduates will know, life after university, particularly after completing a creative degree, can be an adjustment. You spend 3 years of your life studying, living and breathing a subject you adore and have worked towards for your whole School career and are left with, yes, a great understanding and skillset but also, utter confusion.
It’s like you’ve been driving towards a destination on a map and when you finally get there, it turns out you’ve driven over a cliff edge.
Many creative art students find themselves in barista, retail or office jobs after graduating. THIS DOES NOT MAKE YOU A FAILURE. You need to pay dem bills, honey!
Yes… I tell this to myself a lot.
Over the last three years, I have had three admin office jobs, freelancing in my spare time.
My first office job was tough. I managed to get a job very quickly after graduating, but struggled to come to terms with 9-6 working life in a professional workplace with no creativity and decided I needed a real break. After spending a month in Canada, hiking, eating a lot of poutine and finding my feet again, I managed to secure my second job. Although the admin role didn’t quite explore my illustrative degree, I really enjoyed it. I worked with an incredible bunch of people for a great company and really…what more could you ask for?
I found a rhythm and freelanced alongside my job, releasing more Jellybeanj greeting cards and completing commissions from requests online from sites such as Upwork and through my Social Media which I kept up to date.
I found my third and current job role in a much more creative company mid 2017. After moving on from admin and exploring more analytical roles, I have actually found myself using my design skills by creating dashboards used to relay data to different teams within the business.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to“
Sure… graduating is far from dangerous (not quite Bilbo Baggins style) but it is still terrifying nonetheless. And you never really know where your heading until you wake up one day and realise… “I’m pretty damn happy, actually”
Motivation comes in waves. Every now and again, the lightbulb in my head flashes and I just have to draw or paint something.
I make an effort to keep my website and social media up to date, releasing new products and content my customers love.
But I believe, even if i’m drawing purely for myself. That’s a win.
GJ Illustrates 