Contacting Emma Sayor - Leeds collage or art alumni

Hi Emma!

I’m currently in my last year at Leeds collage of art studying Illustration, i came across your profile on LinkedIn and see that you said your work is driven by social change - something I too feel drives my own practice.

I would be most grateful if you could share your first steps after graduating and if you had advice for a soon to be graduate on how to tackle the creative industry a? I strive to create work with a purpose that could benefit society by raising awareness to social issue.  The projects you have taken part in and the companies you have/are working for look really interesting that I would have loved to be involved in!

Best wishes,

Rebecca.

Reply: 

Hi Rebecca,

I don't really feel qualified to give advice on tackling the creative industry! But I can give you an idea of my experience and what I'd change if could go back.

I volunteered a lot at uni and it was the best thing I did in terms of finding out about myself and broadening my opportunities. I would definitely recommend it and if you're interested in social change then look for charities which use visual communication to do that. Most charities need promotional material and it's a good way to explore the 3rd sector and find out about how different organisations work in your area. The voluntary work I did was the reason I could get a job working for a charity and then, teaching art in a day centre.

Being driven by social change has both helped and hindered me. It means I was never bothered about doing commercial illustration or graphic design, which is where the jobs are. So if I had the chance to be in your shoes again I would really consider doing some work together that would fit into a commercial portfolio if I needed it. I had a pretty horrific interview at a printing place right after I finished where the employer just ranted at me for 20 minutes about how no graduates can do what he wanted. Of course most graduates could do what he wanted (making small publications, menus, flyers), what he meant was that non of them were showing him what he wanted. He wasn't accommodating for the fact that making a pizza flyer wont get you a 2.1. 

I don't think that means you should stop doing the work you love though. Think about ways to show it, but also think of how you would like to support yourself so you can continue doing it. That might be having a slightly different job for now, eg, doing working in commercial design, or working for organisations involved in social change, or teaching. I decided to work with people in the day and continue semi-ish freelance work at night. Me and my friend have kept in touch and do art stalls together which has been good for developing my work further and keeping up skills. I do like working with people, but it does take away my energy from creativity sometimes and I am at a point where I would like to use my creative skills a bit more at work. I do teach art with East Street Arts now though and I am currently waiting to hear if an organisation can fund me as a designer so I feel like I might be moving in the right direction but for me tackling the creative industry is a working progress! 

If you want to be employed rather than freelance employers getting your foot in the door doing anything for an organisation you like seems like one of the best ways to start. It's cliche, but it seems to work. Employers have reviews and appraisals and if they value you they will take an interest in what you want to do and how you want to progress there. I think it also helps to be flexible if you can be. Some organisations, like the one I work for, have design teams but in other areas of the country so that's something to consider. 

I hope that helps. What do you want to do when you leave? I think your illustrations would work well as editorial illustrations.

All the best,

Notes from email; 

• don't restrict myself to just focusing on charity illustration work - show diversity/commercial use in portfolio ('this is where the jobs lie')
• working with people can take your energy from creativity sometimes - i will need to consider this if i plan to work with Kendal windows on Arts working with the elderly people and children. 
• she is connected to east streets art! - keep in contact incase i want to be involved with them in the future. 
• be flexible 
• the company she works for has companies in other area of the counrty so i could consider them.... drop Emma's name in a email/letter if i plan to get in touch with them. 

kwoa pride of place blog

i arranged with Nicki - Programme coordinator of Kwoa to meet up again at one of the programmes she runs - VIP (visually Impaired older people), bringing the elderly VIP together over craft, tea ...and cake obviously!

again this was a great opportunity for me to talk and find out about the lives of these elderly people for my Fmp project but was also good for me to see the work Nicki does.

though this is her job, i could see it was something she enjoyed doing, seeing older people happy around company, making a difference whilst being creative.

though the crafts are nothing like my practice, it is still creative and i can see myself really enjoying being part of a project like this that helps the community and helps tackle social issues (looniness in elderly people), along side my practice which would be freelance.

i spoke to Nicki and she said she would definitley be happy to look into funding for me to be involved on these projects which would mean i would get £25 a hour (£50 a morning) which would be great for earning and would still allow me time to focus on my freelance practice and look for other opportunities.

i would hope being involved int these community projects will inspire my practice and give me subjects to focus on that i could put forward to other companies/clients for awareness work.

featuring in the Pride of place video that was shown on tv boarder news!

The Pride of Place intergenerational project encourages older people to get to know their younger neighbours better through sharing stories, memories and interests across the generations.

Supported by Awards for All, local arts charity Kendal Windows on Art (KWoA) has been working with older people, children and young families based in Milnthorpe. The project has provided accessible local activities that have given more opportunities to "get out and about", encouraging walking in the local area and enjoyment in being active. The older participants have greatly inspired local children, developing creative activities together from the stories that they shared. Many of the older people's memories were from their childhoods during or just after WW2 which the children found fascinating. 

looking over ppp blog for reminders! - advice from victo ngai

how does your day work:
as sturctured as possible
when you dont have boss its easy to slack off
keep a time scale
try and answer important emails etc as soon as you get it or it becomes a nagging feeling

^

this is something i am starting to understand! although not emailing many people, when the emails are long and require a longer/more personalised and thought out response, i find it very hard to urge myself to reply... making the email become a looming (nagging thing) in my head i know i need to do. 

i think this is because of my self dout. i always worry im not replying the right thing or im missing saying things i should - this makes me worry especially when somethings clients/people may not keep up a back and forward reply systems and therefore i want get all the answers i need. 

because i want a reply i worry that my emails are not good enough - therefore put pressure on myself as i feel they are really important and could be the change for me to progress in my career/networking pathway. 

i think my self dout does sometimes come down the the fact im dyslexic so i automatically think i cant do things aswell as others. - (when it comes to writing etc) 

i wanted to see if could find a type i liked better than the one i was using (bottom one above) i felt this one is quite blunt which doesn't represent the delicacy i like to show in my work.
out of the type above, i really like the 1st one or the 2nd-to-last. however when adding them to my business card designs and other social media platforms, i find the type i am already using works better! 9 1st design below) 

i printed the designs out to get a better idea of what they will look like in real life... also... this way i can see what the design would look like if i cut a section out of the business card to make it more creative and draw attention to the shape of the pencils. 

i really like this!

however i think just cutting around the bottom left pencils works best. 

the only problem with this is... will it be really tricky and time consuming to make mass business cards in this way? 

developing new headed to appear on all social media platforms!

  

Aggie pointed me to this website where it gives you useful advice about what to include on your invoice: http://businessofillustration.com/go-illustration-invoice/

Your name. Clients need to know who did the work.
Your contact info. So clients know where to send those sweet, sweet payments and contact you if there are any problems.
An invoice number. Something you and your clients can reference.
The client’s PO number (only if applicable). Some clients will give you purchase order numbers. For ones that do, you should include them on your invoices.
An invoice date. So your clients and you know when the invoices were submitted and when they need to be paid.
The client’s information. Who the clients are and who commissioned the work.
A description of the work done. So your clients know what they’re actually being billed for.
A tax ID number. For government purposes. Because you don’t want every client you work with to have your social security number (invoices go through a lot of hands), I’d recommend getting an EIN number which can be used instead.
The total fee due. So your clients know how much to write on your checks.
Payment terms. So your clients know when payment is expected to be received by and what happens if those payments are late. Standard is 30 days upon receipt.

ive played around with having a image thumb box in the corner of the sheet - from discussions with Ben, he said this is good to remind the client what they are paying for, 

i decided to change the colour to a pale blue, i felt by using grey on a lot of my promo material, my practice came across boring and dull. 

as well as a invoice, ive created a acceptance of commission. this information was handed out to us in the AOI lecture which we were advised to use and give to future clients. so i have added my brand to the information and will be using it with future clients to make my practice more professional and legit and also make me feel more confident that i will be taken seriously. 

come along with questions i want answering
blog up-to-date
tuesday back after easter - peer review of where i am up 2


ppp 602 briefing

BLOG:
minimum of 10 people i have contacted who have some impact on my futher

open days
looking at different oppotunities regarding jobs
AOI lecture
visiting proffesionals

ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING FUTHER

creative presence - 
branding
buisness cards
promo pack


COP- speaking to people reference across

FINAL PRESENTATION 
15 mins
dicussing myself as a proffesional
what i am going to do now
'speculative'
what have i got out of the programme
mixture of concrete experience and plans and ambitions
refining blog in presentation in proffesional manner
brand proffessionally
specific case studies


SUBMISSION INFOMATION
2nd thursday after easter
BEFORE 10am thursday 14th upload presentation on computer before presentations MUST

5 x A3 presentation boards outlining your professional creative print based and online presence. (this should include your portfolio, online presence, personal branding pack and any other material related to your self promotion)- whats my brand
-who do i intent to send out to
-who are my target audience

300 work sumrative position statement - what my practice is. my clients. this is what i want. this is what i am going to do.

summative evaluation - (maybe just reformatting what i have talked about it presentation)

issuu based version of boards, presentation, professional portfolio of work.


EASTER- SORT OUT WHAT WILL GO IN PORTFOLIO (this point in time)
10-15 pieces
sections? to certain audiences? 2 portfolios depending on who is looking at it?

Advice from fred when i am traveling

look at people i could contract whilst traveling
'i will be in ......... on the ....... if i could pop in with my portfolio.'
could open oppotunities up for me in these place.

contact places like colours may vary - 'im travelining in .... ..... for ...... month and will be illustrating my experience if you are intersting it exhibiting my work i create'

by experiencing other cultures I hope it will inspire my practice, and make me more interesting to others.

however So I don’t loose touch with my practice, i will take freds advice and Get in touch with art houses before i go such as  Colours May Vary

and Propose projects for exhibition or a publication that Ill create from the experiences ive had on my travels which they could possible feature.

the agency Rachael Goodyear is represented by

http://www.houldsworth.co.uk/exhibitions.php

rachael Goodyear

http://www.rachelgoodyear.com/

Fred showed me rachael goodyears work today as a example of an illustrator who's process is driven my pencil work.

this would be a good person to contact to see how she is tackling the creative industry with a similar process to mine and if she has anyone i could contact.

taking advantage of opportunities presented -Amnesty international Brief

the Amnesty international brief has been mentioned for me to take a look at a few times in group tutorials or individual tutorials when i have mentioned that working on charity based illustrations is something i think my practice suits.
though i haven't been necessary instructed to take part by peers or tutors, it occurred to me ... why am i not giving it ago if it is a opportunity for my work to be seen by a charity who are looking for a creative campaign.

after weighing up the pro's and cons of starting a brief so late on-

****
cons -
-i wont have enough time to construct a well researched and well executed idea/piece
-i have other work i can be getting on with.
-the start date for the project was from November, everyone else entry will be far developed and indepth
****

i decided to bite the bullet and go for it.
(was i crazy giving myself more to do!) i just couldn't help thinking i would regret not, thinking about 'what if' - if i did get recognition it could be a step into the industry i feel my practice fits into.
if i dont get anywhere in the competition, atleast it is a piece to put in my portfolio to show i can work to competition guildline briefs, and it shows i can produce work with a charity/social awareness issue.

AOI-
if your not getting briefs how will it help?

15mins presentation

opportunities to progress

studios

big heads

summaries all of things i have been doing this year to set me up for next year

apprenterships?

any people that work with awareness campaigns?

email Dutch uncle?

send pack!
-central illustration agency
-heart agency

Emailing Lucinda Rogers - an admired illustrator!

Hi Lucinda, 

My names Rebecca, I’m currently studying illustration at Leeds Collage of Art.

I have always admired your detailed craft and the way you turn an everyday, often unnoticed scene into a captivating illustration, creating focal points you just can't achieve with a photograph. (like the newspapers and sales man in this piece!) 

Your work and success as an artist has remained one of my inspirations throughout my art education, especially when I have doubted my own illustrative approach in the past. (School sketchbooks filled with printed versions of your illustrations for contextual reference!)

After meeting with Ben Jones, he suggested getting in contact with you as he felt my practice also fits into reportage illustration. Though we have different working techniques, if you had any advice for the direction of my work or what areas of the creative industry I should be looking into I would be very grateful!

Would you suggest an agent? I’m finding it hard to know who or where to go to get my work seen or commissioned by the right clients. Your impressive client list is very encouraging as it reassures me there is an outlet for reportage illustration and that people still appreciate hand rendered craft. 

I’m currently working on a project focusing on elderly people, bringing awareness to them as individuals to help tackle the issue of potential loneliness within their generation. My aim is to communicate stories they have told me about their lives and illustrate this in their portraits – such as places the have lived.

I’ve attempted to layer illustrations to add context to my own work in previous illustrations below, but feel I need to develop on this technique in order to communicate several things about the elderly persons life.

(more examples: rebeccawilliamsonillustration.com) 

Any suggestions of how to tackle this would be much appreciated! Do you know of anyone who I could contact that works on awareness based projects I could potentially show this project to?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes

Emailing Pat Perry

i decided to email Pat Perry as i have realised every time we have had to show contextual reference work to show our inspiration his work has always been there! 

So i thought asking his advice on my own work would be really beneficial to my practice. also inquiring about his practice and success will hopefully show me a possible direction with my career. 

Reply:

:(    ... however this give me another excuse to email him again if he doesn't get back to me after the 7th march. 

a list of agencies and organisation which will come in useful!

Presentation and Promotion
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Jobseekers/Helpapplyingforajob/DG_173655 - CV Writing Guide.
http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?aid=185 - Essentials for a Press Kit
http://cliffordthurlow.com/making-short-films/press-kit/ - Clifford Thurlow, Making a Press Kit
http://www.withoutabox.com/ - Withoutabox
http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/new_media/stunning_showreels - Computer Arts, Stunning Showreels

Agencies

www.heartagency.com
www.bigactive.comwww.ycnonline.com
www.agencyrush.com
www.wiccaartists.co.uk
www.centralillustration.com
www.pocko.com
www.handsomefrank.com
www.dutchuncle.co.uk
www.lemonadeillustration.com

Organisations

www.theaoi.com
www.dandad.org
www.ycn.org
www.designcouncil.org.uk
www.nesta.org.uk
www.varoom-mag.com

AOI lecture

aoi

protects illustrators rights

email adress on front page of wesite

blog - show how you create work (but nothing worse then a blog that hasn’t been posted on for months or looks unproffesional.)

keep personal work to show your interest and diversity - keep creativity going

tourist based illustration for each country i visit?

twitter:

if you dont do it well dont do it.

open up dialogue with art directors

miss led

alice pattullo 

peepshow collective

ben the illustrator 

derek brazell 

behance:

project based

THE DOTS

physical Mailers 

a6/a5

directed at individual 

introduction to yourself

reference a piece of their work - 

why i fit it to company 

why i want to work for them

ie on pack of postcard/buisness card, personailse hand written note? 

follow up a week later with EMAIL a pdf of work 

research exactly who you want to work for - it will come across in you contact. 

burnstile 

ACCOUNTS

register for income tax with 3 moths of starting -1’s a year 

keep invoices PRINTED OUT. 

keep up to date

retain all claimable recipts -

cultural expenditure 

:cinema, adobe suits etc

copyright

its better to create own visuals then use someones reference you dont know 

or collabrate - contract

reference fee

copyright can be assigned to you to a client - strongly advise against doing this

if you do this it the cost of your copyright should be extremely high

must cover all possible future usages 

this means it can be used wherever or whenever without your permission 

won’t be able to use in portfolio 

online rights 

low res files 72dpi and name file 

use © symbol on every page of social media

contracts 

make an agreement binding 

give clarity and certainty 

illustrators have reluctancy to displease etc 

HAVE CONFIDENCE - you have every right to ask questions of the contract 

a verbal arrangment is key - keep informal 

then give a formal contract - acceptance of commission form 

if you are receiving money for a job- a business agreement, needs a contract 

who is doing what 

by when 

by who

 who its for 

how much 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS - basic, cancelation fee’s - legally should still be getting paid. 

LOOK AT SHEET 

delivery dates {roughs] ….. [artwork]…..

Used to avoid arguments 

if you don't show professionalism you are likely to fall in to trouble later in line. especially if client isn’t used to working with a illustrator or doesn't value your work. 

before you start anymore sign the acceptance of commission form

PRICING

DO NOT WORK FOR FREE EVER 

have confidence and value yourself

just cos your young don’t accept a lower price 

quote accurately 

accurate pricing and licensing is mutually beneficial to both client and illustrator

ask them about the client if they are being vague 

uk based?

worldwide?

how many brands/companies they have

Louise gardiner 

vic lee

a licence is separate to selling an original artwork or a print, no rights transfer and no licence is granted for such transaction 

LICENCING

to accurately price need to know:

client profile: multination or local shop 

usage: postcard for small business? nationwide campaign? re-uses can ne negotiated later if necessary?

territory of usage

duration of licence -three months for an editorial illustration, or for ‘the period of copyright’ for a children book?

budget- does client have a budget in mind?

if you incorrectly sell yourself at the beginning when clients come back to you its hard to change it. 

pricing - advertising

above the line advertising - publicity material appearing within paid space advertising

print

magazines. newspapers, poster, bilboards

digital

banner ads, promoted social media posts, digital mags

editorial -

quite fixed prices

free newspaper, single use £350-400 per illustration. 

pricing packaging 

usage: food drink etc 

territory: regional/national/worldwide 

duration: limited addition - 1, 3 or 5 years

eg large uk supermarket 

rage of 12 printed package only  £400.450 per illustration (spot coverage. 

large drinks brands 

worldwide licence 1 year for all package 

£2000-

publishing 

royalities - quarterly paid 

even if they dont sell anything should still be receiving statements (which say so) 

AOI 

dedicated support 

access to members only sections 

interviews advice

varoom subscription