"How to get an illustration agent – and how to keep one" - Key advice article

Link: http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/creative-business/how-get-illustration-agent-how-keep-one/

Four agencies provide expert advice on how to choose an agent, how to get an agent to notice you, and how to maintain a good relationship with your agent.

A really interesting article answering a lot of the questions I have about pursuing an illustration agency and wether it is the right path for me.

The article - highlighted:

Key points and advice to take forward:

• Ask myself what I want from an agent. Each agency has different strengths, therefore determining what I want from the relationship will help aid and focus my search as well as increase the risk of getting what I want.
• The more successful you are the more help an agency can give you.
• An agency can help with invoicing, contract negotiations, amends, timing, brief/response structure, marketing, portfolio development, portfolio viewings, social media, artists reputation
• An agency is there to help focus your practice
• An agency should offer a blend of skills that lie outside the artist's own skillset
• Investigate how an agency works before signing with them
• No agency can guarantee they will get you more work, they will however do all tey can in the background to help fill your diary
• Don't wait to be sought out. Use social media, email and mail-outs/samples to get your work n front of as many good agents as possible.
• Follow up with new work, so agents can keep track of your progress and development as a creative
• Look for and target agents that represent the kind of artists I like and admire - check their online portfolio collection
• What stands out to agencies? - A unique outlook, conceptually or style-wise
• Physical post, mail-outs and samples of work such as postcards help to get you noticed, however this can get expensive.
• Alternatively - a simple, well written email and intro about yourself accompanied by a link to my website or a PDF of 10 low res jpg images from my portfolio is a great starting point.
• Send new work to an agent
• Make sure an agent suits your needs and that you feel positive about the possibility of being on their books
• Agencies are consistently looking for something they haven't already got on their books. Be original
• The quality of work is the main thing agencies are after
• Agencies want someone personable, enjoyable and easy to work with. Try to put across elements of my personalty where possible and in correspondence opportunities
• The better an agent knows you and your thought processes, the better they are at discussing your work on your behalf and getting you those all important clients.
• Have professionalism, passion and determination
• Communication is key to a good relationship between artist, agency and client (even when work is due to be late or deadlines are going to be missed)
• Agencies like to see artists who continue to work on personal projects, even when not being commissioned
• When part of an agency, be available for creative calls. Art directors prefer speaking with the artist directly and makes for a smoother job
• Work together with an agency to drive new ideas forward
• If unsuccessful at being signed to an agency, be patient, take on board the advice you receive and go back to them once you have explored and put to work their thoughts. 

Further thoughts:
Approaching a creative illustration/design agency has always seemed like the right thing to do post uni - like a natural process and key way to becoming successful at what I do. The more I read about agencies however, the more daunted I feel and worry that I am just not going to be any where near good enough to be signed. Everyone from family members, friends to tutors have all told me this would be a great avenue for me - however I am still not so clear as to how it all works. I was *for some reason* under the impression that becoming part of an agency is where my career steams ahead and how I am to get the majority of my clients, commissions and work. That the agency would do a lot of the hard work in promoting my portfolio and contacting relevant clients with appropriate briefs in order to get my foot through the door and making work for a lot of clients. But I am starting to think me being part of an agency may be more personally lead than I was aware - and if so...is the benefit of having an agent so that they can be your buddy in the background helping you with invoicing, contracts and a bit of promo? If so...what does being part of an agency have over being freelance?
I think it may be beneficial for me to have a career coach meeting with Ingrid Bale in student support and get some answers. 

Summer Sketchbook & Megacrit

Summer Sketchbook
Initially I was really nervous about showing my sketchbook during this megacrit having not been completely happy with my progress or creativity attempts over the summer. I have a long way to go in terms of getting to where I want to be with my practice, but I also have a lot of confidence building to do if I am ever going to get over this terrified "run for the hills" feeling I get every time I have to show my work. I never feel good enough yet I bit the bullet and left my un-named sketchbook out for people to see and to my surprise got several really lovely comments from friends and tutors about how much they liked the work. Pleasantly shocked that people were able to distinguish my work let alone like it is a huge understatement and taking a risk (as small as it may seem to others) doesn't always have as scary an outcome as it may be in my head. My mantra of "just do it" for this year put into practice - and it paid off :)

Selected Work
I was amazed at some of the work people have been doing over the summer, both people I know and people whose work, style and aesthetic I am new too. There are so many of us on illustration now and I look forward to working amongst such talent in the studio this year. Time to lap up the inspiration!

Plans & Aims for 3rd Year + the Future of my Practice

Spending time over the summer reflecting about my practice and how I want to approach this next year on the course has been valuable but also a very scary wake up call. I have lost a lot of confidence in myself and my ability as a creative / illustrator and can't help but compare myself with practitioners I aspire to be like. I am at the point where I am so critical of myself and scared of producing work, I have begun to turn down (*massive disheartened sigh*) commissions. Having an identity 'crisis' is not ideal and not where I expected to be when going into my 3rd year at uni. Can i do this? Do i have what it takes? Am i good enough? How do i get to where I want to be?

I recognise in myself that I have a lot of growing to do personally and as a creative, therefore understand the importance of building my confidence, putting myself out there and having a strong plan of action to help me tackle the year ahead. Having faith in myself and my ability is only going to improve by DOING. I intend to stop piling on the pressure and worrying about where I think i should be and instead be realistic, go with the flow, focus on what I like - not what i think is successful and make this my practice, enjoy what comes my way and live by the rule - "if you want something in life - you have to go and get it." I think its time to 'MAN UP'.

Lets get REAL

What has always worried me is my lack of 'style' and direction. Everything inspires me. I seem to have no limits to what it is that I really would like to do, get involved with, improve upon, where I would like to aim myself and this is really hindering my ability to approach new work, briefs, commissions and getting myself out there. Every time I am creative I am approaching it in a brand new way (new media, approaches, styles, concepts etc) which scares me and I end up going through this lost "how the hell do i do that"// "its not good enough" phase each time. Its exhausting and seems to be feeding my lack in confidence more than improving it. 

To tackle this, the best way for me to try and figure out what it is that I really want to achieve in the future as a creative practitioner is to ask myself just that...What do i want for myself?

• I want to be confident
Confidence is everything to me but something that I really lack now more than ever in my life. Having confidence would mean being a strong individual, able to promote my work, believe in myself and my ability as a creative, step out of comfort zones and stop hiding, network, chase & open up new opportunities, take risks, try new things, contact agencies and practitioners, work collaboratively and having the belief in myself that I can do this and make my passion into a career.

• I want to be desirable
I want to do well in this final year of uni. I want to make myself, my tutors and my family proud after a very difficult 2 years and I want to prove to myself that I can do this. I want a first class degree and I want to come away with a skill set, portfolio and presence (both online and in the creative community) which will be desirable to agencies, creative companies, studios, clients and customers. I want to be 'shit hot' hopefully leading to a successful and rewarding future and career.

• I want to be successful
What do i consider successful? 
How do I get there?

• I want to make a difference 

• I want to improve my practice

• I want to be good at what I do

• I want to have my own tone of voice, be innovative and inspire others
This will come the more work I do and the more involved I become within the creative community. I want to be individual in my style and approach when developing my individual practice and this can be achieved by making lots of work - good and bad and undergoing the journey of discovering who I am creatively

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Plans & Aims
Now that I have identified my goals and what I want to achieve, I can start thinking more clearly about how I can get there.

Aims for personal life:
My personal life has taken a huge hit these past 2 years since I have begun struggling with my mental and physical health and this unfortunately seeps into to all aspects of my life including my creative practice. I have such strong motivation and drive to change my life for the better this year and below are a few things I am implementing and areas I am working on to better myself:

• have routine and structure in and out of uni
• be healthy, eat well, work out
• be sociable and make time for myself, friends and family
• be mindful and reflective
• do what makes me happy
• stop worrying, stressing, piling on the pressure - work with what i've got, be positive about myself, my practice and build my confidence

Aims for developing my practice in my spare time:
• create personal zines: to help me create artwork at a faster rate, in a more natural, fluid and time conscious way
• Start up website (blog about website ideas / layouts / providers ... dad?)
• Start up my own shop - big cartel // etsy
• sell work - contact galleries and appear in exhibitions
• push self promotion and online presence
• draw draw draw
• teach myself digital - new wacom given to me by my dad
• street-art / public art (a personal interest and creative path i would love to get involved with)
• undergo self-initiated projects in my own time (see ideas)
• be curious - keep up-to-date with current trends, creative news and local opportunities (Leeds & Cambridge)
• make the most of opportunities - get commissions and challenge myself
• make time for myself
• be confident
• be reflective and true to what makes me 'tick' creatively.

Aims for developing my practice throughout the uni year:
• work hard, be organised and stick to the working day: IN STUDIO 8:30am - 5:30pm Mon - Fri
• time management: use time effectively, don't miss uni sessions, have studio presence, do work as soon as it is given, don't fall behind 
• blog consistently: spend dedicated time to updating my blog daily. Don't "over-blog" - keep it necessary, relevant, concise and informative
• keep contacting relevant practitioners, agencies, companies, festivals and institutes
• make a "post uni" POA
• improve analogue printing skills (screen, lino, mono)
• work and improve skills with paper cut again
• life drawing classes - work on figure, face skills + observational drawing skills
• make use of new digital skills - incorporate into module work
• re-work self-promotion and face of online presence
• get involved - get myself out there - find opportunities 
• make use of uni facilities from the library to being inducted in and making use of different departments
• find my own personal tone of voice 
• be confident
• be professional
• create work fit for my future portfolio - create a strong and effective portfolio I can be proud of

To Masters or Not To Masters? - Research

Continuing higher education is not something I have given a lot of thought to in the past simply because I have been so focused on finishing this degree first and also, due to my age, I am thinking that the best route for me would be to get my career moving, enter the industry and get my foot in the door as soon as I'm finished at LCA.

Not wanting to rule out any possibilities however, this summer I thought I would have a quick look into post-graduate courses available here in and around Leeds and see if any appeal to me. I plan on staying in Leeds after finishing my degree at least for another year as this city holds a lot more creative prospects than other cities including my home town of Cambridge, so an MA or continued studies could be a positive way to move my practice forward. The last 2 years on the course have been tough and in all honesty have not gone to plan, therefore spending another year or so dedicating my time to honing my skills and area of specialisation within the illustration creative industry and discovering my creative identity sounds appealing and hugely beneficial at this stage.

Whats out there?

• Leeds College of Art
Link: http://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-programmes/ma-creative-practice/
Course: Creative Practice MA
About: Our Master of Arts in Creative Practice has been devised for creative practitioners; recent graduates and professionals who wish to examine, strengthen and deepen their practice within their own particular context. This postgraduate course offers a bespoke learning experience that is tailored to each person’s practice, such as fashion, fine art, textiles, moving image and film, photography, graphic design, social practice and visual communication.
This unique programme encourages you to pursue an individual practice-based research proposal for the duration of the course of study which will allow you to examine and strengthen your own practice and place it at the centre of your studies. It addresses the needs of graduates in art and design, who want to continue to develop their practice and develop their identities in the context of the creative and cultural industries. Students will maintain contact with other creative practitioners and develop freelance or other career paths in the context of a portfolio career. This programme will prepare those who wish to develop ideas for application to a practice-based PhD.

Thoughts & Notes:
What I like most about the possibility of practicing an MA at LCA is how personalised it is and dedicated to improving my own personal skills and visual identity. It feels like a hub of creativity and excellence, inspiration everywhere as well as like minded people. I have experience studying here, the facilitates are the best I have seen at any uni and being a part of an art specialist institute environment has many benefits over being part of a larger uni but smaller "art department" within - restricting my experience and opportunities. If I am to seriously consider doing a masters, LCA would be my first and most cleaver choice without a doubt - in terms of wanting to move forward within my practice, progress, develop and excel in the hope of become a successful illustrator.

Other universities 

offering relevant MA's in the area:

• Leeds University

Link: http://courses.leeds.ac.uk/24699/MA_Advertising_and_Design

Course: Advertising and Design MA

About: This innovative programme fuses design with the concepts and principles of advertising, allowing you to develop a range of skills to thrive in a fast-paced and competitive industry.

Taught by the School of Design and Leeds University Business School – one of the world’s top 100 business schools – you’ll take a creative approach to solving communication problems in advertising and branding. You’ll develop your own practice, collaborate with other designers and gain a deeper awareness of how design can convey a brand message, using a range of software and techniques.

At the same time, you’ll study ideas, research and theories in advertising to explore the strategic backdrop of brand communications from the blurring of markets to the ways in which digital technology, such as social media and mobile, have changed the relationship between brands and consumers.

You’ll mix creativity and innovation with advertising strategy to gain a valuable range of knowledge and skills.

Thoughts & Notes:

A bit of a slightly different direction, this course focuses on the placement of design within industry, in particular the advertising industry. What I like about this MA is how it clearly guides students along an already quite specific path. I am not sure if it would be right for me in terms of the direction I want to take my practice, but I can see the benefits of what the course is trying to do and how aimed it is at getting students into a job within the relevant industry and giving them all the tools for a successful, yet competitive career. If I am to consider this course, I will have needed to make some pretty large decisions about my practice and what I see myself doing career-wise. Advertising when linked with design lends itself really well to illustration, and working within a design department or underneath an art/design director within an advertising company does sound exciting and challenging. 

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• Leeds University
Link: http://courses.leeds.ac.uk/24730/MA_Design
Course: Design MA

About: Great design ideas can change the world. With human and user-centred design at the heart of this internationally regarded Masters programme, you’ll develop research and practice-based design solutions to respond to a demanding industry and rapidly changing society. Whether your background is in design or in another discipline, you’ll develop, test and evaluate innovative design solutions in real-life scenarios. You’ll gain first-hand experience of current needs and trends across a range of sectors, and focus on a large-scale design project within one of the specialisms offered. Taught by diverse staff with internationally recognised profiles in research and practice, you’ll build an interdisciplinary approach to design in a stimulating environment, while being exposed to and involved in cutting-edge research. You’ll gain practical and research skills to prepare you for a wide range of careers.

Thoughts & Notes:

A bit more 'graphic design' focused, this course is aimed at the designer and why it appeals to me personally is I have a lot of creative design based ideas and this course seems to be aimed at taking these ideas and design solutions and guiding you forward to make them happen. Areas within the course structure and skills touched upon that I feel would be beneficial to me as a postgrad are: Branding design, Digital and Interactive design, Visual Communication and Typographic Design. If I am to consider this course I need to become a lot more confident in using digital products and creative software. This would depend on how well I get on with self-initiated digital tuition (plan for my spare time this year) and if digital could be at the forefront of my practice.

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• Leeds Beckett

Link: https://courses.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/artdesign_ma/
Course: Art & Design MA
About: Study alongside like-minded students in a creative environment on a dynamic course that explores the theories and new ideas in contemporary art, graphic design and curating. You can choose to specialise in one of the three areas, with your previous experience, study interests and career aspirations determining your choice.

We will build your awareness of contemporary ideas in art, graphic design and curating, and we will develop your working relationships by giving you the opportunity to take part in projects and events in the region and beyond. You can also take part in studio production and a final exhibition where you will showcase your work.
You will be involved in a programme of weekly seminars and workshops, as well as project work alongside your peers, encouraging you to debate contemporary practice. Previous students have taken part in events and collaborations at Leeds Art Gallery, The Photographers' Gallery in London, the European Exchange Academy in Germany and Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Look who I found:

Thoughts & Notes:

Wanting to push my work as a freelancer and gaining the confidence to produce a collection of contemporary pieces ready for exhibitions and life after uni, this course seems a great possibility. Specific to practice development and collaborating with other creative students, businesses, galleries and institutes, this structured course could provide me with the time to develop my practice, teach me new skills and open up key opportunities for my future career in the creative industry.

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• Sheffield Hallam University
Link: https://www.shu.ac.uk/study-here/find-a-course/mamfa-design-illustration
Course: Design (Illustration) MA
Duration: 12 months no summer break/16 months with break (full time 2017), 36 months (part time)
About: Study illustration at an advanced level and develop your talent for designing solutions that respond to the needs of our rapidly changing society. You're challenged to think differently about design and creatively push boundaries, while developing the skills needed to become an imaginative and versatile designer. Your projects are supported by lecturers who are design specialists, researchers and practitioners.

Develop your existing knowledge and experience as a designer, exploiting our significant research expertise to enhance your own design and research skills to a new level.
We place emphasis on personal research, giving you the chance to develop your own interests and ideas in a challenging and supportive environment. Our aim is to help you to become a creative, imaginative and versatile designer who can operate independently or as a member of a design team.
You can work alongside our in-house design consultancy, Design Futures, and with researchers from other design areas. We also have contacts with leading design agencies and design organisations and encourage you to work collaboratively with them.
You attend residential study trips at home and abroad, complemented by opportunities to visit design conferences and debates.

Thoughts & Notes:

Specific to illustration, this MA looks promising and seems to focus a lot on developing the skills I will have as a postgrad and pushing me forward through building on my ideas as a designer and varied approaches to personal research. Good course structure, facilities, help and advice from industry leading professionals. Inspiring stuff.

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• Sheffield Hallam University

Link: https://www.shu.ac.uk/study-here/find-a-course/mamfa-design-packaging
Course: Design (Packaging) MA
About: Study packaging design at an advanced level and develop your talent for designing solutions that respond to the needs of our rapidly changing society. You're challenged to think differently about design and creatively push boundaries, while developing the skills needed to become an imaginative and versatile designer. Your projects are supported by lecturers who are design specialists, researchers and practitioners.

As a Postgraduate Design student you join an established network of creative people that encourage and support you to drive your studies to the next level. Our Postgraduate framework of design courses has been specially designed to allow students from different disciplines, backgrounds and cultures to come together, share teaching and learning experiences and explore their creative identities through dialogue and practice. Your studies will be project-led and developed through researching, designing, producing and communicating through presentations and exhibitions of your work.

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• Sheffield Hallam University

Link: https://www.shu.ac.uk/study-here/find-a-course/mamfa-design-jewellery-and-metalwork
Course: Design (Jewellery & Metalwork) MA

About: Study jewellery and metalwork at an advanced level and develop your talents for designing and making. You're challenged to think differently about design and creatively push boundaries, while developing the skills needed to become an imaginative and versatile designer. Your studies are project led and develop through researching, designing, producing and exhibiting your work.

If you are a highly motivated individual this course prepares you for a career working at the forefront of jewellery and metalwork. You build upon existing craft traditions, extending them in response to the needs of our rapidly changing society both in terms of function and style. Your work on the course is project led and studio based. You develop and apply advanced skills using traditional and new technologies in the field. You also carry out research through practical and theoretical investigation. Your individual project work includes research and creative work which explores your study topic. This is supported by lectures and seminars dealing with professional practice issues and reviewing progress. You also take part in regular group and individual tutorials. This culminates with your final project that demonstrates you can deal with difficult contemporary questions and take a leading role in your profession as a designer. There are also residential study trips at home and abroad, complemented by opportunities to visit design conferences and debates.

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• Sheffield Hallam University
Link: https://www.shu.ac.uk/study-here/find-a-course/mamfa-design-product
Course: Design (Product) MA
About: Study product design at an advanced level and develop your talent for designing solutions that respond to the needs of our rapidly changing society. You're challenged to think differently about design and creatively push boundaries, while developing the skills needed to become an imaginative and versatile designer. Your projects are supported by lecturers who are design specialists in areas as diverse as medical products, materials development, design thinking, furniture and sustainability.

Product design covers a wide and diverse field, so our aim is to help you to become a creative, imaginative and versatile designer who can operate independently or as a member of a design team.This course develops your existing knowledge and experience as a designer, and exploits our significant research expertise to enhance your own design and research skills to a new level.

You use your creative, practical and theoretical skills to investigate and propose new solutions in response to problems such as economic and environmental issues. In this way, you learn to design products and environments that respond to the needs of our rapidly changing society. You can pursue a wide area of investigation when developing your new products and systems. You attend residential study trips at home and abroad, complemented by opportunities to visit design conferences and debates.