Duck, Duck, Goose

flickr.com is such a fantastic place to hunt down cool artists and gain a moutain full of inspiration. I love this simple and cute illustration from Sam Houser.

As you probably guessed by now - I really love bright colours but I think I was more drawn to the simple drawings of birds and ducks this time! I love the way the birds are saying things like, 'goose' and 'duck' to explain what they are... it is pretty obvious and witty to include these and it really adds a new dimension to it.. a bit of humour! The best ideas are often the most simple!

Giving up the day job...

I've finally done it...

I've given up the day job to become a full-time illustrator, graphic designer, writer, photographer, artist and whatever else takes my fancy! I've tried deciding on just one of these but the thing is - I like them all! And apparently, this is a good thing, according to Daniel Pink - author of the cool must-read, 'a whole new mind'... he points out how boundary crossing, when it comes to work and play is a skill that will be in high demand! (lets hope so..)

...becoming a 'freelancer'

Still, it's a scary thing - being a so-called, 'free-lancer'. I find myself feeling guilty for writing articles like this and spending my days doodling because... it's just TOO enjoyable! Somehow, my mind has been programmed to associate work with being boring and that all the things I find 'fun' to be non-work! I'm trying to shake this off because there's really nothing wrong with enjoying ones job!

But it's not all fun and games.. I recently wrote a 'to-do' list which more than exceeded the amount of tasks I had to do in my office based nine to fiver... and it can be tempting to just laze around when you work from home! But I will stay focused... I need to succeed before the lure of a regular wage comes calling at my mental door!

Though, I must admit that I am on the look-out for a bit of part-time work in order to keep my not-so-glamorous social life awake!

Projects in the pipeline!

Anyway, back to illustration and design.. it's all really exciting. I'm going to begin a 'starting out course' for artists next week which is being run by 'Yorkshire artspace'. I also plan to create a range of greeting cards, more t-shirt designs for the 'coo shop' and develop my photography work! I also need to befriend my sewing machine... flowery curtains = no, cute recycled toys = yes!

Equally exciting is that I'm going to be the illustrator for 'your voice magazine'... which is an online and printed magazine for users of mental health services across my city - sheffield! It's having a huge creative makeover form the new editor Natasha and I'm delighted that I'm going to be able to inject my funky illo's in there too! I'll keep you updated once I've done the doodles!

Any freelancing tips are welcome...

So there you go! I'm off on the road to creative freedom with only a few pennies in my purse but a huge smile on my face... I'll keep you updated on the journey... and I'd would love to hear about any other similar journeys out there...