Kill The Algorithm
Art by Ayla VaLiyeva
How do I expand my creative bank account? Is the illustration market changing? How can I reach a wider audience? Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry provide their perspectives in this episode.
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SHOW LINKS
Shawn Blanc
Rewilding Your Imagination
ArtStation
DeviantArt
Behance
Flickr
Tumblr
David Hohn
Go the F**k to Sleep
Image Comics
Walking Dead
Saga
Webtoons
comiXology
KEY TAKEAWAY
Deliberately expand your creative bank account. Seek out new inspiration and never stop learning. The more sources and life experiences you have to pull from, the better storyteller you’ll become.
QUESTIONS
In this episode, listener Krish submitted three questions specific to Jake’s, Lee’s, and Will’s experience and specialties.
For Jake: “What have you added to your creative bank account in the last year that has impacted your work the most?”
Jake discovered that the algorithm, which feeds you what it thinks you want to see, was limiting his exposure to other artists and creators that would expand his creative bank account. He unfollowed everyone on Instagram but kept a list of the artists he was interested in, and now he looks up those specific people from time to time, rather than relying on the algorithm to direct him there. He also spent more time visiting websites like Flickr, Behance, and DeviantArt to expose himself to new things he didn’t know he liked.
For Lee: “What’s an experience in your career that made you realize you could reach multiple audiences with different types of work?”
After graduating from art school, Lee discovered that certain illustration images could double as gallery art. He has developed his style to work both in storytelling settings and as stand-alone images for prints, gallery art, etc. Lee recommends making the work you want to make, then evaluating how you could best take it to the world. Would it make a great card? A print? A book cover? Be open to new ways of sharing your work.
For Will: “What’s the most significant change you’ve seen in the demand for illustration?”
Markets are always expanding or dying, and with every market that disappears, new growth develops. With the rise of the internet, Will has seen the death of editorial jobs, and the increased ability of individuals to produce products and reach their own audiences. Crowdfunding companies and print-on-demand services have enabled artists to do things previously impossible for the average person. Now there is no excuse not to create the work you dream of making.
LINKS
Jake Parker: mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44
Will Terry: willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt
Lee White: leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo
Daniel Tu: danieltu.co.
Lily Howell: lilycamille.com
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