Top Tips for Starting an Illustration Biz in the New Year

If you’re entering into 2022 wondering how to become a freelancer or how to become a successful illustrator, I have a few tips for you! While the journey of creating a successful small biz is no easy task, it can be done, and you can get there!

Don’t try to be everything to everyone.

There are so many things you could do with your business, but that doesn’t mean you should do them all. One of the most important steps you can take with your business is to niche down, narrow your target audience, and decide what people you want to serve and what type of audience you would like to attract. This is a mistake I made early on with my business, so if you’d decide to take my advice, just remember you can never be too specific! If you want to start your own small business in 2022, lay the ground work here first. You’ll never be able to please everyone, so be authentic, be yourself, and remember you can’t be all things to all people. The right audience will find you!

Just because it’s working for somebody else doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you.

While the illustration/freelance/artistic industry can feel overly saturated at times on social media, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still room to grow. I firmly believe there is a seat for EVERYONE at the table, but what works for everyone else isn’t necessarily going to work for you. Learn what you can from others, observe what’s working and what’s not, but remember that every path to building a successful business as a freelance illustrator looks different.

Don’t let looking for inspiration hinder you from finding your own personal style

One of the easiest traps to fall into as an artist is an unhealthy dependency on Pinterest. While it may feel like you’re just looking for inspiration, this can lead down a difficult road of falling into copying/plagiarism territory or even hindering yourself from developing your OWN unique style. How do I know this? Because I’ve done it! While I love Pinterest, for a while I started each illustration by looking at Pinterest FIRST to see what others were doing and how I could create something similar. I had to nip that habit in the bud FAST because it was keeping me from being able to find my own style. I was seeing things I liked, but I couldn’t hone in on what was really me if I was spending all my time focused on what others were creating.

Get organized!

I truly cannot emphasize this enough, but if you are going to start a biz, you have got to stay organized! Take it from me, if you aren’t organized on tax day, it’ll be a nightmare. And you HAVE to do your taxes my friends! Even if you are a college student, starting an art biz out of your dorm (like I did), tax day is coming (bum bum BUMMMM) and we all have to pay up. Get organized, set up an LLC, track all of your business expenses, revenue, and any numbers or transactions relating to your business. Keep a record of the specifics on what those expenses are. Looking for some help with taxes? Check out Turbo Tax! It’ll be your new best friend come Apri.

Take your biz seriously.

If there’s one thing I would say to myself if I could go back in time, it would be this. Starting a small business or becoming a freelance illustrator sure isn’t easy, but it is possible. I started working towards becoming an illustrator when I was in college. I was selling custom portraits of multiple people for like $20 a piece…~cringe~. But even after raising my prices and making thousands of dollars with my business in a single month as a college student, I still wasn’t taking it seriously! I honestly wish I had done more groundwork with my business when I was in college and had some spare time over the summers. If I would’ve taken my business seriously from the start, if I would have truly seen it for all it could be, I might have been able to get here a little quicker! So, get the business cards, start networking just like how you would for a full time job, put yourself out there, and get busy!

You need to have something to say!

Don’t just create art to make something to get posted on Instagram. Share your art because it’s real and authentic, because you have something to say, and because it’s important to you. It will be hard to captivate an audience with all artwork and no passion. Be vulnerable and authentic with what you create! People online can sniff out authenticity or canned messaging. While you want to create content that your audience will want to engage with, it’s important to still maintain a level of passion and connection to the work you’re creating, even if it won’t always perform well.

Care for your community, no matter the size.

If you are just starting out or currently dealing with a small follower count, remember this is not all about the numbers. You don’t have to have a giant K next to your follower count in order to be successful, build relationships, or make money. Be intentional with the audience you do have, these people are not just numbers! They are real people that for one reason or another have decided to follow you and support your journey, don’t take a single one of them for granted! Engage with your supporters and make do with what you’ve got, you’d be surprised what you can do with an intimate and highly engaged audience.

Start an Email List

Even if you don’t know what to do with it yet, just start one! Begin gathering subscribers, reel in emails by offering a free download or helpful resource when they sign up for your mailing list. As a business owner, you’ll want to take advantage of every avenue possible to connect with your audience, not just Instagram alone!

Invest in your business

Expect the first year of your business at least to be about breaking even. When you’re first starting out as a business owner, or more specifically a freelance artist/illustrator, there’s certain equipment you’ll need to invest in to keep growing your business. That could include an iPad, laptop, camera equipment, printers, you name it, the startup costs will come! Don’t be discouraged if you’re spending most of your profit on supplies. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money!

Whether you’re looking to have a supplementary income, live out a long time dream, or start a new career path, becoming an entrepreneur comes with lots of ups and downs. The freelance life is fun, but it often comes with late nights and a demanding schedule if you’re balancing it alongside a full time job, HOWEVER, you CAN be successful! Find what works for you, do it consistently, and you’d be surprised what could happen. 

I hope these tips have been helpful to you! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below and I will respond! What roadblocks are you facing with starting your business?