Advice for Creatives from Kelly Thompson, a New Zealand-born illustrator and photographer now based in Melbourne…
– Try to say yes to people as often as you can.
– An important part of being a creative is figuring out what the hell the client is asking in the brief. When you get a brief from the client, start out by establishing ‘what do they mean?’
– Tell the client how many revisions of the illustration they get for the price quoted. For instance, two revisions in pencil, two in revised pencil stages, not a hundred revisions for $600 total fee!
– Establish key dates.
– Ask what is the intended usage? For instance, the Nike tick ended up becoming their international logo.
– Be very aware of other artists’ copyright. You can’t just lift things you like off the Internet.
– Document your sources. Print out reference material used. Use a grid system to copy and enlarge it and build up colours on Photoshop in multiple layers (perhaps in 25 layers.)
– Ask yourself, what extra things can you bring? What can you do for your client other than your work? She ended up being a brand ambassador for Nintendo and featured in Meet the Style Makers.
– Obviously social media isn’t going to save your life or earn you money but engaging with your audience opens new doors.
Read the full feature on Highlights of Semi-Permanent Auckland 2013 on Thread.co.nz.
Megan Robinson,
3 June 2013
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