Holly walks you through how she made the leap into freelance illustration as well as how others made the move themselves. She talks about making her career change work with being a new mother. Several of the other artists she interviews also balance freelancing with motherhood, a challenge I'm a bit nervous about myself. Reading about their experiences helped to calm my nerves and make such a big career move seem not so intimidating.
Holly helps fill the hole that my art education left: the business hole. At the time I was in college, they weren't offering business for artists classes. I was lucky to fall into creative jobs that taught me parts along the way, but a lot of stuff has been sort of cloudy. Holly discusses marketing, branding, contracts, and how to gracefully wrap an artistic mind around it all. Even if she can't take the time to explain every detail, she tells you where to find the details.
The back of the book has lots of great resources and artist info, much of which I was already familiar with but haven't managed to get in one spot. By the time I finished the book I had plenty of dog-ears, and taken my pencil to the pages and made lots of notes. I'll certainly be referring to it time and time again.
IN THE END: Breaking into Freelance Illustration is an easy read and has been especially helpful to me. After all, before I went to Mexico I was only thinking about working for myself. Now I have a blog, a Facebook fan page, and the makings of a business plan. Thanks for the help, Holly!
Breaking into Freelance Illustration on Amazon
Link to podcast interview on Escape from Illustration Island
HollyDeWolf.com
Holly's Blog
