This post is for you if you consider yourself at the stage in your creative work where you are ‘ready for hire’. You have a solid portfolio, strong projects and case studies to share online. You want your work to be seen by Senior creatives in the Design Industry who are looking to commission artists and illustrators for brand driven work. You want to know where you should focus your energies for sharing your work online, so that it actually gets seen by the right people. If this is you, read on. If you’re not quite there yet, this may still be useful. Note: instagram ranks low!
Really interesting read, I've bee using Pinterest for a while now for work and have been really enjoying it, so great to know it's definitely a place commissioners look too! I've been wondering about applying for 'Illustrators for hire' but it's a paid platform so perhaps I'll prioritise Behance before then...
Illustrators for Hire seems useful for sure. I’m not personally familiar with it, and haven’t used it, I’d be interested to know how its worked for people. Its always good to make sure you’re solid on those ‘free’ platforms, and have the foundations set before paying for additional online folio sites. But once you have, then it could be good to explore these other options for sure! Do you know anyone that has used and recommends it?
I've re-read this three times now! Thank you so much for sharing your insights. My plan for June is to start pinning my illustrations... and to stop feeling guilty for failing at Instagram 😂
Oh I'm SO glad! Honestly, I just really want people to know that Instagram is only ONE of the many ways we can be seen online. Somehow, IG has become this holy grail, the marker of success, and sucks all the energy out of us as we try desperately to be seen on there - when SO MUCH of what happens on that platform is totally out of our control! You can put in 10% of that energy in other platforms and get 300% more benefit back, even though it may not be as easily trackable as likes and reach on IG. Pinterest pins are EVERGREEN, so once you have done the work of pinning, your work WON'T get lost to a scroll hole, or algorithm, because it si searchable. Same with Behance - its searchable. LinkedIn : Direct to the right audience, without wading through the creepy guys from accounts who still watches your stories...
...and SEO on a website is pure gold. (Don't ask me how though...hahah...still need to figure that out!)
I really hope this makes you feel better about your work online and takes the pressure OFF Ig to do it all. You're not failing at IG - it's just a toxic place that wants you to be addicted to it, and give very very little back.
(Caveat: If you're trying to sell stuff straight to consumers, then IG probably plays a bigger role, but I'm writing this from the perspective of getting industry people to see your work.)
Thanks a lot for all the information you shared 🫶 I’ve just moved out of IG. I was giving it another chance, but it’s too much and no traction at all plus too much time in there. I need to level up with Pinterest as I use it for inspiration but I don’t share my own. Let’s go 💪 and thanks a lot again 🔥❤️
Hi Marta! Good plan! I think too many of us expect too much from Instagram, hoping it to be the place where we are discovered. Its really exhausting to put energy there when you have all your eggs in one basket. As soon as you feel like you have a stronger presence in other places, you can go back to IG with more lightness and fun, and use it to engage fans of your work, but its no longer sucking you dry of life! Good luck with it!
Interesting and sensible advice. I appreciate the point of view of the busy design exec needing quick inspiration for client presentations but at what benefit to the artist. Is there a fee you pay creatives for inclusion in your inspiration and client mood boards or is this just another case of artists being asked to work for free?
The goal is a more than quick inspiration for client presentations. At it’s best, this allows us to convince the clients to hire artists and illustrators. Think of it as us acting as agents for you in the client presentation. The goal is to get artists who want this type of work paid — real client money for the right job.
In case this was not clear, moodboards are not pieces of work that get published. If they were, artists would absolutely get paid for inclusion. They are tools used internally for selling in the right ideas and creative work. Once an artist / illustrator has been approved, we go ahead and commission various stages of work for the project. This is the paid stage.
I've written this whole post with the intention to benefit artists and illustrators. I want them to get paid properly for their work. I want to do more of this work myself, and I am sharing what the reality of Design Agency life looks like from the perspective of collaborating with artists. It won't be right for all artists and that's ok. It's aimed at artists and illustrators who are specifically looking to work more with Design Agencies and Brands. I hope that all makes sense! 😊 Thanks for taking the time to read.
Thank you for your clarification - I was writing from the perspective of a former illustrator and design project manager- I was always paid for “spec” work and client presentations - the devaluation of our work is one of the reasons I left the profession. I appreciate what goes into selling a concept and convincing a client to make room in a budget for commissioning artwork and I appreciate your effort to guide artists to the best places to be found. I just wanted to be sure you weren’t suggesting that the practice of using artists work to sell your work was being handled in their true best interests. Creative Commons, Ask First, full creative credit so as not to infringe on copyright would be the very least fair thing. Much of the work that travels from board to board on Pinterest loses Artist credit so we need care taken here as well.
Ha, yeah sorry about that! I would say that my suggestions may not apply the same way for picture book illustrators. It may be that Instagram is much higher up the list of importance for searching for talent in this space. I’m very much coming from the perspective of a Designer for Brands - and those sorts of projects have a very different process of working compared to other disciplines.
You are doing great Beth! Your website looks amazing and is so clear: I would say Pinterest is mega valuable to everyone though, regardless of area of work.
Thanks so much for this article 🙏 Such a great overview for the marketing and sales things that are so important. Not there yet, but I saved it for later 🤓
Raj, thank you so much for this, it’s absolute gold! I re-started my defunct Behance earlier this year and when I mentioned it to someone they said ‘oh, does Behance still exist?’ It was so deflating! So good to hear it’s a go to!
Thanks for sharing actionable steps, it’s so helpful! I need to up my Pinterest game!
Yeah Behance is a weird one, its a proper Dinosaur but I think Adobe has acquired it and it seems to have improved its functionality a lot. It works much better for search than it used to!
That was so incredibly helpful, thank you! It’s so easy to get distracted by ‘shiny object syndrome’ and forget the basics.
So glad it was helpful!
Really interesting read, I've bee using Pinterest for a while now for work and have been really enjoying it, so great to know it's definitely a place commissioners look too! I've been wondering about applying for 'Illustrators for hire' but it's a paid platform so perhaps I'll prioritise Behance before then...
Illustrators for Hire seems useful for sure. I’m not personally familiar with it, and haven’t used it, I’d be interested to know how its worked for people. Its always good to make sure you’re solid on those ‘free’ platforms, and have the foundations set before paying for additional online folio sites. But once you have, then it could be good to explore these other options for sure! Do you know anyone that has used and recommends it?
These posts are invaluable, thank you so much for taking the time to write and share them 🩵
Its my total pleasure Orla! I’m so glad they are useful!
I've re-read this three times now! Thank you so much for sharing your insights. My plan for June is to start pinning my illustrations... and to stop feeling guilty for failing at Instagram 😂
Oh I'm SO glad! Honestly, I just really want people to know that Instagram is only ONE of the many ways we can be seen online. Somehow, IG has become this holy grail, the marker of success, and sucks all the energy out of us as we try desperately to be seen on there - when SO MUCH of what happens on that platform is totally out of our control! You can put in 10% of that energy in other platforms and get 300% more benefit back, even though it may not be as easily trackable as likes and reach on IG. Pinterest pins are EVERGREEN, so once you have done the work of pinning, your work WON'T get lost to a scroll hole, or algorithm, because it si searchable. Same with Behance - its searchable. LinkedIn : Direct to the right audience, without wading through the creepy guys from accounts who still watches your stories...
...and SEO on a website is pure gold. (Don't ask me how though...hahah...still need to figure that out!)
I really hope this makes you feel better about your work online and takes the pressure OFF Ig to do it all. You're not failing at IG - it's just a toxic place that wants you to be addicted to it, and give very very little back.
(Caveat: If you're trying to sell stuff straight to consumers, then IG probably plays a bigger role, but I'm writing this from the perspective of getting industry people to see your work.)
Great reading Raj, though I am in it for the hobby, not for work, but I am enjoying learning about this. Thank you !
Hi Julie! Thanks so much for reading!
Coach Raj with another inspiring pre-game pep talk! 🤗💖✨
Hahah thanks Melissa!
Thanks a lot for all the information you shared 🫶 I’ve just moved out of IG. I was giving it another chance, but it’s too much and no traction at all plus too much time in there. I need to level up with Pinterest as I use it for inspiration but I don’t share my own. Let’s go 💪 and thanks a lot again 🔥❤️
Hi Marta! Good plan! I think too many of us expect too much from Instagram, hoping it to be the place where we are discovered. Its really exhausting to put energy there when you have all your eggs in one basket. As soon as you feel like you have a stronger presence in other places, you can go back to IG with more lightness and fun, and use it to engage fans of your work, but its no longer sucking you dry of life! Good luck with it!
This is really good advice, and your descriptions of how it feels to post on each platform are spot on, especially the Instagram Wild West!
Thanks Louise, I'm glad it resonated! Every time I post to IG I imagine just throwing a page of my sketchbook to the wind - haha
Interesting and sensible advice. I appreciate the point of view of the busy design exec needing quick inspiration for client presentations but at what benefit to the artist. Is there a fee you pay creatives for inclusion in your inspiration and client mood boards or is this just another case of artists being asked to work for free?
The goal is a more than quick inspiration for client presentations. At it’s best, this allows us to convince the clients to hire artists and illustrators. Think of it as us acting as agents for you in the client presentation. The goal is to get artists who want this type of work paid — real client money for the right job.
In case this was not clear, moodboards are not pieces of work that get published. If they were, artists would absolutely get paid for inclusion. They are tools used internally for selling in the right ideas and creative work. Once an artist / illustrator has been approved, we go ahead and commission various stages of work for the project. This is the paid stage.
I've written this whole post with the intention to benefit artists and illustrators. I want them to get paid properly for their work. I want to do more of this work myself, and I am sharing what the reality of Design Agency life looks like from the perspective of collaborating with artists. It won't be right for all artists and that's ok. It's aimed at artists and illustrators who are specifically looking to work more with Design Agencies and Brands. I hope that all makes sense! 😊 Thanks for taking the time to read.
Thank you for your clarification - I was writing from the perspective of a former illustrator and design project manager- I was always paid for “spec” work and client presentations - the devaluation of our work is one of the reasons I left the profession. I appreciate what goes into selling a concept and convincing a client to make room in a budget for commissioning artwork and I appreciate your effort to guide artists to the best places to be found. I just wanted to be sure you weren’t suggesting that the practice of using artists work to sell your work was being handled in their true best interests. Creative Commons, Ask First, full creative credit so as not to infringe on copyright would be the very least fair thing. Much of the work that travels from board to board on Pinterest loses Artist credit so we need care taken here as well.
That bit of tough love at the end gave me chills! Thank you for all of this! 💞
Ha, yeah sorry about that! I would say that my suggestions may not apply the same way for picture book illustrators. It may be that Instagram is much higher up the list of importance for searching for talent in this space. I’m very much coming from the perspective of a Designer for Brands - and those sorts of projects have a very different process of working compared to other disciplines.
You are doing great Beth! Your website looks amazing and is so clear: I would say Pinterest is mega valuable to everyone though, regardless of area of work.
Thank you! I'm always telling people to check their screen time and get off their phones so that last part made me very happy! 😆
So good! Thank you 🙏🏻
My pleasure!
Great tips Raj! The forest analogy made me laugh 🤣
Thanks Dina - it’s true isn’t it?!
Thanks so much for this article 🙏 Such a great overview for the marketing and sales things that are so important. Not there yet, but I saved it for later 🤓
I'm not there yet either 🤣. I'll be taking my own advice maybe next year!
Keep fingers crossed for both of us 🤞🏼😘
Raj, thank you so much for this, it’s absolute gold! I re-started my defunct Behance earlier this year and when I mentioned it to someone they said ‘oh, does Behance still exist?’ It was so deflating! So good to hear it’s a go to!
Thanks for sharing actionable steps, it’s so helpful! I need to up my Pinterest game!
Yeah Behance is a weird one, its a proper Dinosaur but I think Adobe has acquired it and it seems to have improved its functionality a lot. It works much better for search than it used to!
So good to know! Thanks Raj!