Can you be an illustrator with children and a job?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Good Ship Illustration – "Can You Be an Illustrator with Children and a Job?"

Release Date: January 24, 2025
Episode Title: Can You Be an Illustrator with Children and a Job?

Introduction

In this insightful episode of The Good Ship Illustration, hosts Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell, and Tania Willis delve into a pressing concern voiced by Chelsea: “Would love some advice goal-wise for those of us still holding part-time jobs and two small kids under five trying to transition to an illustration career. Is it even possible? I'm feeling impatient and a bit trapped.” [00:30]

The discussion offers practical strategies and empathetic support for illustrators juggling parenting and part-time employment, aiming to empower listeners to pursue their creative ambitions without overwhelming stress.

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1. Acknowledging the Challenges of Balancing Roles
[00:30 – 01:10]

Chelsea's question sets the stage, highlighting the emotional strain of managing part-time work, parenting two young children, and aspiring to become a full-time illustrator. Tania empathizes with her predicament, recognizing the difficulty of maintaining daily routines alongside creative pursuits.

• Tania: “Oh, that sounds like a tricky time of life to be trying to achieve anything, even helping the children survive or get dressed or brush your hair.” [00:46]

Katie reinforces the exhaustion Chelsea feels, contrasting it with the relief many adults find in traditional full-time employment.

• Katie: “Most people go to work and say thank God for that. This is much less exhausting than parenting at home.” [01:05]

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2. Adopting a Low-Pressure Approach
[01:00 – 03:26]

The hosts collectively emphasize the importance of setting realistic, low-pressure goals. Tania suggests starting with minimal commitments to avoid adding stress.

• Tania: “If you're going to try it, you should do it in a very low pressure way.” [01:00]

Katie advises focusing on small, manageable tasks that can gradually build a portfolio over time.

• Katie: “Maybe it's starting to just produce little bits of work for yourself and allow that to build up over a year...” [01:39]

Tania echoes the sentiment, recommending carving out specific hours each week dedicated to illustration.

• Tania: “...Maybe you could set your goals very low. Like instead of I am starting this career, maybe it is, I will carve out two hours per week to make some work.” [01:39]

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3. Integrating Illustration into Everyday Life
[03:26 – 07:33]

Chelsea discusses the common feeling of being trapped and the necessity of self-kindness. She points out the difficulty in finding "me time" amidst caregiving responsibilities.

• Chelsea: “Being really kind to yourself...You need to zone out...” [02:49]

Tania underscores the fleeting nature of childhood stages, encouraging illustrators to seize the opportunity while it lasts.

• Tania: “Little kids are not that. I know it feels like they're going to be little for a long time...” [02:49]

Katie suggests finding part-time jobs that are conducive to sketchbooking, such as roles with minimal mental demands or downtime.

• Katie: “...like this is random. Working at a petrol station or something...that's the ideal job for somebody sketchbooking.” [04:28]

Chelsea and Tania share experiences of balancing work and creativity, illustrating how tailored job choices can support rather than hinder artistic endeavors.

• Chelsea: “Receptionist ideal. What do they do? Nothing.” [04:36]
• Tania: “...I had to fit my work into very neat little sections of time.” [08:17]

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4. Embracing Short-Term Motivation and Structured Time Management
[07:33 – 10:57]

The conversation shifts to utilizing short bursts of intense motivation to achieve creative goals. Chelsea recounts her experience of waking up early to work on a business course, illustrating how time constraints can sometimes boost productivity.

• Chelsea: “I was really, I was buzzing to do it and it felt like that was like stealing back my pre-baby life a bit...” [07:33]

Katie introduces the concept that projects tend to expand to fill the available time, advocating for setting clear, limited time frames to enhance efficiency and prevent burnout.

• Katie: “Projects expand to fill the time you've got... I'm only going to do three days on this. You start to work that way...” [09:28]

Tania supports this by highlighting the importance of doing one’s best within the given constraints, emphasizing that perfection is not the goal.

• Tania: “Do what you can. The time you've got, with the skills you've got. That's it.” [10:11]

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5. Drawing Inspiration from Established Illustrators
[10:19 – 10:44]

The hosts reference Polly Dunbar, a celebrated illustrator known for integrating her personal life into her creative work. Polly serves as an inspirational example of balancing motherhood and illustration.

• Katie: “Look at Polly Dunbar's work. And her little drawings of her son on her Instagram are just beautiful.” [10:27]

Tania and Chelsea commend Polly’s ability to weave her experiences into her art, demonstrating that personal narratives can enrich an illustrator’s portfolio.

• Tanya: “They're brilliant.” [10:41]

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6. Final Encouragement and Practical Steps
[10:44 – End]

The episode concludes with heartfelt encouragement for Chelsea and listeners facing similar challenges. The hosts suggest starting with small projects available on their website, allowing illustrators to progress at their own pace without overwhelming pressure.

• Katie: “...there's something for all different kinds of illustrators and lots of little projects that all kind of link together and just take as long as you want on them.” [07:16]

Tania and Chelsea reiterate their support, urging illustrators to pursue their passions without sacrificing self-care.

• Chelsea: “You can do it. Unless you don't want too much because you don't have to.” [10:50]
• Katie: “Maybe don't get up at 5.” [10:54]

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Conclusion

This episode of The Good Ship Illustration offers compassionate and practical advice for illustrators navigating the complexities of parenting and part-time employment. By advocating for low-pressure goals, strategic time management, and drawing inspiration from personal life, Helen, Katie, and Tania provide a roadmap for creative individuals to steadily transition into a fulfilling illustration career without compromising their well-being or family life.

Listeners are encouraged to explore the hosts’ website for tailored projects and to join the supportive online community, ensuring they are not alone in their creative journeys.

Transcript

[Tanya]

Sa Hello.

[Katie]

Hi.

[Chelsea]

Another good question. This is from Chelsea who asks or says would love some advice goal wise for those of us still holding part time jobs and two small kids under five trying to transition to an illustration career. Is it even possible? I'm feeling impatient and a bit trapped.

[Tanya]

Oh, that sounds like a tricky time of life to be trying to achieve anything, even helping the children survive or get dressed or brush your hair. So I think if you're going to try it, you should do it in a very low pressure way.

[Chelsea]

Little children are like more than a full time job.

[Tanya]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Yeah. Most people go to work and say thank God for that. This is much less exhausting than parenting at home.

[Tanya]

So she has a part time job and two children. So the part time job, when you get home from that, imagine you come in the house, there's two children, they've been looked after by somebody else, the house is a bit of a mess, food might be needed. You definitely can't start working then maybe you'd be able to carve out a couple of hours in a week. Maybe you could set your goals very low. Like instead of I am starting this career, maybe it is, I will carve out two hours per week to make some work.

[Katie]

That's what I'm thinking. Goal wise. Maybe it's starting to just produce little bits of work for yourself and and allow that to build up over a year and see if there's a few pieces in there at the end of the year that you think roughly constitutes a portfolio or something I'd put on a website, but just maybe play for fun, relate it to your life. I know that you probably won't escape from all of those things but even if it is drawing the kids or listening to what they talk about and responding to that in illustration, that might be fun. Rather than thinking I'll set myself a brief or I'll take lots of courses.

[Chelsea]

Yeah, being really kind to yourself as well. Because I think it's. So when you said you feel a bit trapped, I think that's really common and people are scared to say it, aren't they? Because having small children, it's such a big full time 24 7. You've always got to be their thing. You start to be a bit like I just want to do my own thing again. So being really kind to yourself. And yeah, like Tanya said, like carving out time. The annoying thing with that is carving out time is wake up earlier, what with the small child or stay up later like oh no sacrifice, doom scrolling or Netflix time. Like you need that?

[Tanya]

Yeah, sometimes I think you do need that. Just zone out. You've been in your part time job, you've put some food on the table, you do need to zone out and you have to accept those are not times where you're going to feel like working and that's fine. Also, little kids are not that. I know it feels like they're going to be little. Your life has completely changed. They're going to be little for a long time. It's amazing how quick, yeah, things move on. Before you know it, they're going to be at school and then you've got those hours during the day while they're at school. So yeah, if I was you, I'd just do it in a very low pressure way. Don't set your goals too high. Be realistic about it. Don't give up on it though. It's definitely a plan.

[Katie]

And don't beat yourself up for not doing enough. That's the worst thing. If you, if you ask too much of yourself then you'll think, oh, this isn't working and I'm never going to be an illustrator. But if you, you know, it's a small bit of work, Maybe you work 20 minutes every day and no more than that either on individual pieces or on a piece that you build up, but perhaps just, yeah, keeping your drawing going at first, I mean that's the most important thing is sketchbooking and drawing so you build a more confident way of visualizing and drawing. You get a voice for yourself that you feel more at ease with.

[Tanya]

Yeah.

[Chelsea]

And Chelsea in the question didn't mention what a part time job is, but that's a potential tweak that she could make if she, if the job she has doesn't allow for any sketchbooking. You could try and find a part time job that is either, you know, sitting around waiting, like I'm imagining, like this is random. Working at a petrol station or something. They always seem to be just sitting on their phones. I'm like, that's the ideal job for somebody sketchbooking. Like you could be drawing everything around you or like a job where you don't use any brain cells and you're just kind of on standby mode.

[Katie]

Yeah. There's a lot to be said for those kind of jobs that don't sound very exciting but they give you yourself back rather than doing a big, worthwhile, exhausting job.

[Chelsea]

Receptionist ideal. What do they do? Nothing.

[Tanya]

We're gonna get so many emails. Katie, you can answer all these emails from receptionists and petrol Stations, hashtag not allreceptionists. I also remember, I don't. It sounds like we're all kind of saying, set your goals very low. This is going to be really hard. But I do remember when PI was born. It was one of the most creative times of my life. I remember just being so inspired by all the stuff she did and said that it completely transformed my picture books. Instead of being an illustrator who just thought about only the pictures and making the pictures as nice as possible and not worrying about the story. After reading to her, I realized, I know this sounds so silly. I've made so many books and it's a bit embarrassing to admit it, but after she was born and I'd read her lots of books, I thought a book has to work on all levels. Who'd have thought the story and the picture have. Those pictures have to work together and be amazing. And I found it really, really inspiring. It was hard to get a lot of work done, but it really, really fed my brain and I came out the other side of it a better illustrator because of it.

[Katie]

So you got a PhD in picture book research, basically, and that's valid, isn't it?

[Tanya]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Call the reading of the storybooks at night, that's research.

[Tanya]

Yeah.

[Katie]

But then I wonder whether the person who's asked the question when they're talking about a career as an illustrator, I wonder what career they want.

[Tanya]

Maybe they said picture book or they might have said editorial.

[Chelsea]

Yes, that rings a bell.

[Tanya]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Or did we imagine that.

[Tanya]

Have a look, let's see.

[Chelsea]

No, just an illustration career.

[Tanya]

Oh, okay.

[Chelsea]

So that could be anything really.

[Katie]

I'd say with two small children, a part time job, avoid editorial. Yeah, anything with short term deadlines and.

[Tanya]

Quick turnarounds and low fees. They're not great fees in editorial. I think so.

[Katie]

I think it's like what is building your career as an illustrator? Presumably this is the building your skills as an illustrator before you build your career. Because if you. Unless you've got a portfolio that you're ready to show and look for work, I wonder which stage she's at. Because it would be easier to be building up your work, wouldn't it? Spend a little time, you know, you could do one week, say, where all you do is look at color and you create color palettes every night. Just nice, low pressure, easy things. But it's super valuable on our website.

[Tanya]

Because then we're just leading her by the hand to do these small projects that don't take very long but keep.

[Katie]

Her hands a good idea.

[Chelsea]

Yeah, up level Your color palettes, lay.

[Katie]

Out a picture book, do a character workshop.

[Chelsea]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Go on the freebie page on our website. And there's something for all different kinds of illustrators and lots of little projects that all kind of link together and just take as long as you want on them. Maybe you just do half of a project one evening and the second half that another evening.

[Chelsea]

It could also be that thing, you know when, when you are squashed for time and you've got loads of pressure on you, sometimes you get really motivated and that's when you do your best work. So I remember. So my child trying to say her name is Two and a half now. But we did the business course. That was what should be one and a half. The only way for me to have time to like make the course or get anything done was to get up at 5 in the morning and go into the studio. But I was really, I was buzzing to do it and it was, it felt like that was like stealing back my pre baby life a bit and being like, yeah, go, go, go. And then just like talking about business and then going back to. Back home for breakfast with everyone. Which is now saying out loud. And that's mad.

[Tanya]

I think. So when you've got a goal like that and you're really, really motivated to do it and you know that this is short term, this isn't going to go on beyond like three months or something. When you really focus, those kind of goals can be really achievable. If you carried on trying to do that forever, you would have a nervous breakdown. But when it's a short, motivated period of time, I think that's good. Also when PI was born, before PI was born, when I had all the time in the world to illustrate, I took all the time in the world to illustrate. Yeah, A book would take me forever. The whole flat was basically a studio. Every bit of the flat was. There were bits of paper on the floor. I would stand on little bits of paper I'd cut out, get into bed and the bed would be full of bits of paper. Like my whole life and everything was just work. But then after she was born that was not possible and I had to fit my work into very neat little sections of time. I had a friend who had a baby at the same time. She'd come to my flat, take PI out for a couple of hours. I would do the same for her. And we knew we had those couple of hours to swap where we could work. And I worked so hard and never did as much work in those couple of hours than I did before PI was born. So it can be useful.

[Katie]

Yeah, because I think projects expand to fill the time you've got. I noticed when I was doing. When I was a regular contributor to a magazine and I did this map every month, I would finish the map at 6 o'clock on a Friday. It would just naturally finish. And I think I started to learn my capacity to do things in a given time. And after a few times. Yeah, I'm only going to do three days on this. You start to work that way and you don't give it any more time because you haven't got that. And that's a much better way of working. So I think this could be better. I'll give it another day. I could improve it. It could be better than this. It's kind of the worst mindset, isn't it? You need less time and do what you can with what you've got.

[Tanya]

Yeah, that's really good advice. Do what you can. The time you've got, with the skills you've got. That's it. That's all you can do. That's doing your best.

[Chelsea]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Who's the. The lovely illustrator who draws stories about her little boy? And she's on our picture book course.

[Chelsea]

Is it Polly Dunbar?

[Katie]

Yes, Polly Dunbar.

[Chelsea]

Love her stuff. Yeah.

[Katie]

That's a really good example of trying to combining your life, the life that's around you, and your desire to draw and to tell stories. Yeah. Look at Polly Dunbar's work. And her little drawings of her son on her Instagram are just beautiful.

[Tanya]

They're brilliant.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Tanya]

Okay, well, good luck. Maybe. Maybe you could let us know how this goes.

[Chelsea]

Keep us pushed again.

[Tanya]

We want to know what happens.

[Chelsea]

You can do it. Unless you don't want too much because you don't have to.

[Katie]

Maybe don't get up at 5.

[Tanya]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Okay, bye.

[Tanya]

Okay, bye. It.