Monthly Bonus: Is being an illustrator lonely?
Ways to combat isolation as an artist
I’m a member of the international group of picture book illustrators called Illoguild. Each month, we each answer a question here on Substack. For May, that question is: “Is being an illustrator lonely?”
My answer: Yes and no. There are many ways to get more of either the isolation or company you crave. Here are a few solutions I’ve found over the years.
I’ve been an artist since forever. I was always drawing as a kid, spent a lot of time in the art room in high school, went to art college (MICA) and have worked professionally as a designer, creative director, toy and faux taxidermy maker and now illustrator since I was 17 years old. One of the things I really enjoy about being an artist is working long hours by myself, getting lost in the work.
When I worked for a graphic design firm, I would collaborate with other creative people to get the work done and make stronger, more powerful art: web sites, ad campaigns, magazines and style guides. Things that can only be done by a team. But, as a creative director, I was often on the phone with clients, writing emails or reviewing the work of other designers. As I moved up, creativity moved out. I frequently stayed late into the night, holed up in my cozy office cave surrounded by art and toys. I craved those hours alone, in the dark with just my screen and the warm glow of a vintage lamp. Those were the only times I could really get into a creative flow and feel like an artist again.
If you’re looking for more alone time, are there certain hours in the day that you could carve out just for your creativity? Late at night or early in the morning when the world and the rest of your house is still quiet? Even an hour or two a few times a week can really help to recharge.
One of my favorite design projects from those days - VIZ media corporate logo and Naruto US Style Guide. I remember doing a lot of this creative work late at night in a quiet office.
When I left my full time job to start my own handmade toy business in 2008, I had all of the alone time I could ever want. But that also meant that I needed a group of people to bounce ideas off of. Creating in a vacuum can be stifling and stunt growth. When I started this new venture, part of the reason it appealed to me was that it involved a move from Boston to Brooklyn and I would be sharing the top floor of a Civil War era warehouse with 12 other artists, each of us doing our own thing from photography to fashion to music to toy making to woodworking. We had created our own incubator.
If you’re looking for connection in your artistic journey, is there a possibility for you to join a local maker space? Do you know a couple of people who would want to share a larger studio space? Is there a bigger creative project you’d like to work on that you could collaborate with friends on instead of working alone?
Some of that group of friends and studio mates in Red Hook, Brooklyn 2008.
Our Brooklyn Incubator was only a two year commitment, and in 2010 my husband and I moved back to the Boston area. Our small business making our own art and selling it online and at craft fairs was paying our bills. Not much more than that, but it hadn’t failed yet, and that felt like a miracle. When we first moved back, we found an apartment with a large extra room - perfect for a studio. But, the alone time started to become too much. I would stay inside and work, and having a husband who is an artist helped a lot, but when a “big outing” becomes a trip to the grocery store or the post office, that’s… not great. I’m a workaholic, and left to my own devices I will stay in my cave alone all day.
If you’ve got too much of a good thing in terms of time alone, is there a way to start or join a weekly craft meet up group? One of my friends that I met through doing craft markets started a weekly meet up with other creative small business owners. We still meet every Monday over Zoom, but it started as an in person weekly brunch. We share resources, talk about the ups and downs of the creative work we do, and offer advice and camaraderie. If you’re new to all of this, perhaps try Creative Mornings. There might just be a meetup group you can join in your area!
These days, I have a huge studio space outside of where we live, and I have a friend who comes in as needed to help with my faux taxidermy business, which makes for wonderful company. Sometimes we even go to a local pub or cidery and have a sketch session. I make sure to set time aside every week to play D&D or have a meal with friends, so I get a lot more socializing done than when we first moved back. But I also make sure to set aside plenty of time alone so I can get lots of work done. Being intentional about planning your day(s) with work/life balance in mind is important.
A recent sketch session with illustrator Ivy Fowler and dinner with creative friends Yeiou Paper Objects
Once Zoom came out as a tool, and the pandemic forced us all to stay indoors, a number of creative friends that I’ve had over the years who now live far away have started online meetup groups. I have groups for creative small business advice, puppetry, writing, and of course my critique group for illustration, Illoguild.
Is there an online community or class you can join? A place to ask questions in a non public forum, where you can get and give advice? What do you want to learn next? I take at least one new class every year, and I find that’s a great way to meet people who share similar interests. Having a group (or ten) that “gets you” will help combat any loneliness that you may feel as an artist.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful! Share your ideas for combating loneliness in the chat. And if you haven’t read Petra yet, I highly recommend this picture book for the theme of the week. “I’m not any ordinary egg. I am an egg of the world, in a world of possibility.”
Take care friends, and keep on being extraordinary eggs of the world in a world of possibility.