(Don't) Show Your Work

How do you share when all your projects are super secret?

“Share your work!”

That’s rule No. 1, right? Art is a relationship between the creator and the viewer. Does it count as art if no one sees it? Are you even an artist if you don’t post?!

Seems simple enough (apart from the general drudgery of whatever the heck social media has become), but what happens when you can’t share?

Hermit Mode

When I first got agented, I was fortunate enough to live close to a few of the agency’s artists. So I went on a lunch date with one, and picked her brain about how things worked. Something she said really surprised me. “I’m in a down period,” she said, “I just finished up a bunch of client work, but I can’t show anyone. And I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been able to share new work or really promote myself for months, so now that this is done, I have nothing coming in.”

I wasn’t expecting that. I was still pretty naive and thought that once you got an agent, that was it. The work would just keep coming. Forever. After all, it’s now someone else’s job to promote you, right? All you have to do is sit back and make art.

While agencies differ, even the best ones are going to have a harder time promoting you when there’s nothing new to share. Some projects can tie you up for months, and once you’re done, the art you make may not be shareable for a year or more.

Since that conversation I’ve been in that working-hard-with-nothing-to-show-for-it cycle a few times, and I’m in it again. I’ve spent the summer working on a few projects I’m really proud of, but I won’t be able to share any of them until next year at the earliest. And that means crickets for my instagram feed.

I know some of you are good about sharing anyway. Maybe you show the sneakiest sneak peek, or resurface older work, or show a photo of yourself with a note to say why you’re not sharing art right now. And some of you have the coveted daily sketch practice (which I’m working on, I promise!).

But me? I tend to drop the ball altogether until I have some space and then rush to make a bunch of new, shareable, hopefully portfolio-quality pieces, usually for an art challenge or a competition. Then I’ll post more frequently for a bit, until another Big Project comes along and I drop the ball again.

A Balancing Act

These days I’m trying to ease into a more balanced approach. I still have client work, but I’m officially scheduling in personal work, too, with deadlines and everything. I’m really excited, partly because I feel like I’ve leveled up this summer and I can’t wait to see how that is reflected in my self-directed work, and partly because I think it’s good for the soul to prioritize your own work. When you know your goals, and know how your work aligns with those goals, you get to give it care and meaning, and that’s a little like giving yourself more care, too.

So as I step out of one phase of work and into another, I’m feeling pretty energized. I’m excited to have new work to share soon, but I’m also excited to practice sharing simple, unfinished, and unpolished pieces. And perhaps I’ll hold some stuff back to share during the next Big Project. I’ve never been good at that, because I’m always worried the old work will be “off brand” aka style, but maybe this is my year!

How about you? How do you manage to share around client work? Or do you slip into hermit mode, too? Any advice? I’m all ears!

On My Desk This Month

Speaking of things I can’t show, I’ve been steadily working on a book dummy. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a dummy is a mockup of a book with the text and rough images placed in, so an editor can see how it reads. This is pretty much required for any author-illustrator unless you’ve been working with an editor long enough that you can get away with pitching your idea alone.

I wrote this particular manuscript over a year ago, but I shelved it while working on other projects. This spring I decided to really make time for it, and I’m thrilled to say it’s just about done! I can’t wait to start sending it out!

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I got some good news this month. A piece I created for last fall’s Folktale Week was longlisted and then shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards in Children’s Publishing. Here’s the piece:

I’m happy to see a few familiar names on the list, and at least one other Folktale Week piece, too!

Also this month, Wicked Marigold by

Caroline Carlson

came out and it was selected as one of PEOPLE Magazine’s Most-Anticipated Summer Books. I was hired to illustrate the cover last year, so I got an advance copy of the manuscript, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

I highly recommend this book for the young readers on your list. It’s such a fun ride with just enough magic and hijinks to keep the kiddos (and me!) fully engaged. You can order it at Bookshop.org or anywhere good books are sold!

I already want a sequel, so hopefully Caroline and Candlewick will give us one!