Starting your own business as an illustrator

Disclaimer: this is my own story and interpretation of running a creative business as an illustrator. The taxes and regulations are those of the Netherlands, so some things may not apply to you.

You are studying at an art academy, or have been working as a autodidact in the creative scene for some time and are looking for some tips on how to start your own business.

This fairly long post is a rewritten version of the presentation that I gave on 14 February 2019 to fourth-year students of the St.Joost art academy (in the Netherlands). It’s about the things I wished I knew on beforehand, what it means to be a creative professional. What went wrong when I started my own company, and some practical tips for when you are on that point yourself.

Roughly, my story is structured in three parts:
1. What do you mean I have to be an entrepreneur? My own company? What you can expect if you run a business;
2. Jobs and commissions;
3. Finding your own way + personal tips.

1. Starting a business

It can be pretty crazy for a student at the art academy to imagine running a company: do you consider yourself an entrepreneur? You’re studying for a profession as an illustrator, animator, designer, you don’t study Business Engineering, or Business Development. If someone in high school had told me that I would start a business, I would have laughed at them. Quite loudly.

But: being an entrepeneur means getting out there, developing your own business. You are here because you are a creator. You have the imagination to see in front of you what is not yet there. You feel like creating, building something. You can use that approach, mindset, drive and courage for your own company.

Doing business often means daring to try things. Also dare to recognize what you can and cannot do. It is also totally OK to find out that the business part is not really something fit for you. If that’s the case, you’d rather look for a job at a studio or organisation. Quite a lot of time goes into building your own business: the more time and attention you put into your company, the faster it can grow. You are the driving force behind it.

It can be difficult to get this started part-time. I get mixed results when I look at my former classmates from the art academy. For example, there are a few people who can make really good illustrations, but who do not necessarily have a business attitude, or who find it difficult to get assignments. Are you thinking about getting a part-time or full-time job after graduation, outside the creative field? Be aware that it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to build your own practice in your “free time”. Imagine that one big, fantastic job inquiry comes along, but you are fully booked. That opportunity will pass you by. But I can imagine that you would first want to build up a financial buffer before you make the switch.

I myself started part-time during my graduation year. Did some first few jobs for the animation studio I had had an internship at and got some first clients of my own. Starting my business meant that I graduated in August instead of June. Not because my projects were not good, but I just didn’t finish them on time as I was already working for clients. After graduation, I expanded my business activities and slowly got more and more jobs so I choose to go full-time. That way I could put in as much time and attention as possible and jump in on many opportunities.

Doing business means seeing those opportunities and taking them. That sometimes means taking risks and daring to invest in your company and in yourself. Dare to outsource if that means you can grow. Because I chose full-time, there was also the need to be able to live from my work. So that required me to negotiate decent rates. I think that has given me a realistic view of how many hours I can spend on something, and it defines my mindset when I start a conversation with a potential customer.

What do you need to have/do to be an official company? (Again, the disclaimer here is that I’m from the Netherlands)

a) If you want to be an official company, you need a Chamber of Commerce number. Fill in a form online in advance and go through all the steps during an appointment. For the Chamber of Commerce it is important to see that you are serious about this and are working on it. You already do a course in the field/have experience in the field in which you want to start a business, and you often already have a portfolio (website). That’s more than a lot of people have when they turn to the Chamber of Commerce. But also let your ambitions know. Estimate a realistic but ambitious turnover. One of my classmates had been rejected the first time: she had estimated an amount that was far too low, so the employee did not think she meant it seriously.

b) You will receive a VAT number from the Tax Authorities (IRS / Belastingdienst). For people who still have doubts about whether they want to register: being registered as a company can get you more jobs. Many companies and organisations will want to receive an official invoice. Bookkeepers are not very happy with receipts or unofficial documents.

You must keep records of and pay taxes on what you earn. The main point is: keep everything up-to-date and organised. In short, there are two types of taxes that you must submit:

Turnover tax, your VAT return: this is generally easy to do yourself (at least, in the Netherlands). You can deduct VAT on your costs from the VAT that you have to pay. I know it’s different in America, but in the Netherlands and the rest of the EU there’s usually VAT included in the prices of products and services. You need to charge a certain percentage. If you are located in an EU country, and deliver to a company in another EU based company, you can register it as intra-community supply.

For most self-employed people (at least in the Netherlands), you do these taxes after every quarter. Even if you did not earn anything that quarter, you’ll need to fill in the form and declare that your turnover is zero, otherwise the Tax Authorities will make an estimate for you. Once, they visited a former classmate to find out why he didn’t submit anything. If you are late in paying, a fine will follow. Keep in mind that transferring money from one bank to another might take a day or more and the deadline by the Tax Authorities is quite strict.

For the Dutchies: if you are just starting out or if your turnover is not that big, there is also the KOR (Kleine Ondernemingsregeling), a regulation for small businesses. You have less administrative tasks and you don’t charge VAT.

The percentages of VAT you have to charge can differ. As a Dutch illustrator I mainly have to deal with two VAT percentages: the high (21%) and the lower (9%). The first applies to business services and products. For example a design for a flyer that will be printed, or if you make illustrations for a website. The second rate applies to art (and books): imagine you make an original painting and someone sees it and wants to buy it. Then you can charge the lower percentage. There is also a grey area in between: for example, hand-printed bags. In general, the rule of thumb is that if it is a low print run (so not something meant for gigantic reproduction but max. 250 bags), the low rate applies. And education is exempt from VAT, if that is for young people under 21. Suppose you give drawing lessons. You can only reclaim the VAT on the materials and rent of a classroom. I don’t really teach myself so that doesn’t really apply to me.

Income tax, which you do once a year. Doing those as an entrepreneur is a little different than when you are employed. You can subtract your business costs excl. VAT from your sales/turnover. Then you have a profit. You’ll need to register the amount of stock, hardware etc. you have in your company. You may also deduct a few things from the profit and you pay a percentage on what remains after those deductions. The first year I did income tax as an entrepreneur, the amount I had to pay was very low.

If this is not your thing: outsource it. Really. I know enough people who get severe headaches from doing taxes and I don’t even understand everything myself. You do not want to mess with your taxes and if you do not fully understand it can cause you hassle. I personally get help with the income tax. In addition, a good accountant knows how it can be done more efficiently for you, which saves money. As a left-wing union girl, I also like to pay taxes: with that money, I help improve roads, schools and care. And: the more you have to pay, the more business you did (unless you’re like Amazon and you are occupied with evading taxes).

Another thing about your admin: keep track of your hours. First of all, this is nice for yourself, as you realise how long you are taking on a certain type of project and can communicate this with potential clients. The authorities would also like to see that you are seriously working on your business, putting in enough hours. In the Netherlands, you must be able to indicate that you meet the hour criterion (1225 hours on an annual basis) in order to qualify for a few deductions.

There are various apps for keeping track of your hours and administration. For tracking my time, for example, I use Toggl. There is also a free version of that, and you can export all kinds of beautiful graphs of the projects you are working on. Or maybe consider Moneybird for your administration, for example. Your customer can digitally sign your quote and you have an automatic overview of the open invoices. You can send out a reminder automatically. Here in the Netherlands, I use Mollie to make it easy for my clients to pay the invoices with a direct link (iDeal). I also know people that use Klippa or Camscanner to photograph and process their receipts. For sending large files I use WeTransfer or I give them access to a folder in my online storage. SumUp is a handy and affordable mobile pin device that you can use via an app on your phone to let people pin at, for example a market stall where you sell goods with your illustrations on them. By the way, I also like to use the Framelapse app for making timelapse videos, but that is a bit more creative purpose than for accounting, haha. Try out some apps and see what works for you!

So there is some paperwork involved in having your own business. I will adress finding your own way in the field in a bit, but you can make the paperwork a bit less “dry”, and more “you” as well. You will have to send an invoice, well, why not one with an image? For example, I use my illustrations for quotes, invoices and on my website to indicate how I work and what people can expect. I also have general conditions with a sort of easter egg in it. Look for ways to put your own spin on your business, in all possible ways. Also: explore different types of revenue streams, see what works for you and your type of client.

Many parts of my offers/quotes can be reused. I always rewrite documents on the type of job, so that the client has an offer fit for them, but often I can already extract pieces about, for example, copyright and conditions from another proposal. It saves time if you file everything in a decent system! Create templates for your quotes and invoices, that’s not only nice for yourself but also efficient and consistent to your clients.

Insurances
Another sexy subject. You can think “urgh, yeah, why would I spend money on that?” Believe me, it can offer a lot of peace of mind. If I work on location and accidentally knock over something of value, then I am very happy with my business liability insurance. Consider, for example, a home insurance policy, suppose a fire breaks out in the room where your computer is located. In addition, I am a member of a few organisations where I can get legal support and legal aid. Okay, you don’t want to insure everything, but what you insure depends on how you work and what you make. The only thing I still want but don’t have yet is a disability insurance policy (AOV in Dutch). Suppose I get into an accident and can’t work anymore…

Two more points about ‘being a company’:

• You (need to) grow discipline yourself. It is best to just set an alarm clock every morning, and also take the occasional weekend. You are only human. At first I always slept in and worked until late at night. That does not work. I am now trying to maintain a bit more rhythm. That is how I can actually see my boyfriend and I sleep better. Nobody tells you when you should do something, so you really have to go after it yourself.
• Not everyone is a good entrepreneur at the start. It can take a while before you can do something well. That is the case with everything. Also for example with negotiating, writing a good offer or coming up with a new product, setting up an innovation process. You can learn that by practicing a lot or by taking a course in it.

2. Jobs and commissions

I mainly provide services. That means that I mainly work for businesses and organisations, B2B, business to business. There’s also B2C, business to consumer. For example, selling products with your illustrations, or making a portrait of a family. I do things like that very rarely. Consider the type of services or products that you offer and your communication with that type of customer or client.

Most of the jobs I do last between two hours and two weeks. Sometimes I work on a longer job, for example an animation series, or I set up my own project. I usually send the invoice afterwards, which is quite normal with business services. Unless it is a large project (for example one or two partial invoices in the meantime) and sometimes I work with an advance. For example if it is a new customer from abroad or if a lot of costs have to be covered from my side, to even start the project.

In terms of the type of work that I do, think of editorial illustrations or courtroom sketches for media. Or for example an infographic or an explanimation (animation) for an organisation that has existed for twenty years and wants to share what they have achieved. These days I also work live more often. Then I work for a half, a full day or multiple days on location at a convention, at a meeting, at a fair, at a festival. These types of clients suit me very well. I like to contribute to society. Make images that have an impact. For example, stimulating public discussions or providing insight into complex information. The larger the organisation or company I work for, the greater that impact often is. That doesn’t have to be your thing at all, but it fits me.

A note about style(s): I draw in many different ways myself. I am not so happy about creating the same lines and shapes all year round, day in, day out. The advantage of this is that I can serve many different types of customers: I think along about what fits the target group or message. I also have a lot of variety in the type of work. A disadvantage of this: my portfolio is not one-sidedly one style, not visually recognizable as a brand (but the ideas behind it do match). Having such an unambiguous style can certainly work to your advantage, but you can also help fewer different types of customers.

I don’t have one way to get jobs, but I am always sowing, investing in my relations for the long term. Thinking along with people, letting them know what I have made, talking about the field. Informal meetings are my thing. Look at what suits you in terms of marketing, instead of just doing what others do and feel annoyed about it. Aren’t you a great face-to-face talker? Maybe you can start a blog about your work and indicate what your customers have benefited from your projects. Maybe you make nice newsletters such as Ineke Goes, she has illustrated them as a newspaper.

For more examples and information about how I’ve landed jobs as an illustrator, please visit my elaborate Medium post on this.

How does that work, a commission/job? Often the first step is an exploratory e-mail or phone call. Whether I would like to and could do something like that? Can I fit in into my schedule? Sometimes people already have a budget in mind. Or people call and ask if I can immediately mention a price, what it would cost. Sometimes that is possible, but much more often it is better to say: “I will come back to this later today, then I can send you a fitting proposal”. You want to take a customer seriously and usually an inquiry requires some calculations.

Know what you’re worth. Often that is more than you initially dare to ask, I’ve felt that myself. Time to do something about those anxieties, fellow creatives! I will mention a number of things that can help you calculate your rates. First of all: you must be able to pay your fixed costs. There is also nothing wrong with earning a profit: you cannot live without profit (from sales/turnover alone). A little room for maneuver provides the necessary time and money that you can invest in new equipment or knowledge. You are also responsible for a buffer yourself. Consider, for example, being able to bridge three months if there is a hassle with a payment from a customer or if you have to be able to take care of family and such.

For pricing, I often use a combination of my hours and a license. This is very reasonable to do: as a result, you focus the price on what your work can be used for, but also how much work you are going to put into it. A portrait as a gift for a private individual is different from when that same portrait is used as a company logo and also as merchandise for bags and other products. See what your customer really wants and needs. Sometimes they immediately mention that they want all of the rights, but then that means a buyout of 200 or 300%. That can become very pricey. Often a license is more appropriate and then you do not run the risk of seeing your images being cut in a strange way or your client doing other ugly things with it. I know flat fees are more common in America, but still, consider the way your work is used.

My colleague Marloes de Vries has written an elaborate blog on how she calculates licenses (it’s in Dutch though but Google Translate is your friend).

When I draw live on location I look at licensing differently. The amount of hours are clear. In my proposal, I mention a few things can be done with the end results. Additional agreements are also always possible. My rates for live work are public, if you are curious you can look them up here. I prefer to work with a fixed project price rather than with hourly rates. One amount for a certain job and then it’s okay if I work a little more or a little less on it.

Sometimes I give some discount, but only if it’s by my own choice, and only for projects with a good purpose (about society, the environment etc.). Sometimes you notice that the people who you are talking to want negotiate, then the first price I name is a little higher than what I’d normally charge. Afterwards, you can always lower your price, but raising it after your first offer never really is possible. You can play this game if you wish. You can practice it. I prefer to make a suitable proposal for what people ask. If people indicate: this and this is the budget, then I can calculate what I can offer for that price. If I can do less with that than what they need, I indicate that too. Or sometimes people immediately ask for a quote, but they have actually not sent enough information to really give an appropriate indication. Then I mention something like “this will be between 600 and 1100 excl. VAT, but if you can explain this to me and this, I will gladly write down a proposal”. So a wide range to test the water. If people don’t have an actual budget, or are just being cheap, you’ll know.

If people ask whether it’s possible to do it for less: no, then you’ll have to give up some of the quality. If you do see a possibility, ok — but remember that in the end you are probably still going to put in the time that you want to put in, since you want to delive great work. At least, I have made that mistake before. So I got less money, was worse off, but still did the required amount of work before I was satisfied with the results. And think: if you are willing to drop the price right away, what does that say about your proposal? You have put it together with care. You can also negotiate about things other than price: that a certain organisation (your client) publishes an interview with you about your work on their website, or that the deadline may be delayed a little, so that you can work on it on your own time.

Attributions/credits are something you usually get and agree on. But it is important to mention it in your proposal, how you want to be named. And you might need to request a proof copy (free of charge ofcourse, included in your proposal): if you have made illustrations for a book/product, you also want to include it in your physical portfolio. So nice to see your work printed and to have it in your hands! Sometimes it is not appropriate for your name to appear in the image itself, for example if your art is in an advertising campaign. Or if it is something very personal for the customer. Then I would take a look at what other options are, and negotiation about that, for example credits with your name in a colophon.

Important notice: WORKING FOR EXPOSURE IS BULLSHIT. Getting credits is not payment itself. Online competitions and spec work sites are often crap. I know of countless examples of malpractice and abuse. Please take yourself seriously and think carefully about your own conditions and your own value before you take part in something like that. Always act professionally and keep it together. If you don’t take yourself seriously, why would a potential client do that? Sidenote: yes, there are legit awards from the field, those are different than a client basicly requiring you to work for free for a chance to get paid or a chance to get mentioned — somewhere.

On the same topic: being able to say no is very nice. If it’s a nice job, but I simply don’t have the time, I can link a colleague to the client. That way, everyone can benefit from it and I have been able to help a bit. If the stated budget is really too low and no negotiation is possible, you just have to say no. Nothing wrong with declining professionally.

I am now going to tell about a personal record that I am not really proud of, but which was the result of wanting to tackle too much at the same time: 35 hours. That is the longest time that I worked in one go, without sleep in between, to meet a set of deadlines. I accepted to many commissions for not enough money so I could not hire someone else to support me. I didn’t pay enough attention to my calendar, so all deadlines were in the same week. That’s not good for yourself and your health, but certainly not for your customer and the quality of what you deliver. Realistically dealing with how much time there is in a day, that is sometimes still a pitfall of myself. But it is good to acknowledge your own mistakes and do something about them.

About saying no: also dare to say no if a suggestion by your client in your opinion really worsens the end product. Or at least dare to think along and indicate if a certain choice of your client does not have the desired effect. In the end, the customer is always right, but you are the expert and you are more than just your hands that draw.

Have you thought about your terms and conditions? Putting things on paper provides clarity for your customer and certainty for you. But nobody wants to read ten pages before you can get someone to do a small job. That is why my quotations/proposals are structured in such a way that they are a maximum of three pages. The first page is a sort of summary of my offer, including the option to sign the document. I explain my method on the second and sometimes on the third page. For larger projects I also send my general terms and conditions, and my privacy statement.

Of course you always do the best you can, want to deliver works of high quality. Also try to really listen to your customer and focus your end result on what they need. If possible, deliver just a little more than you actually promised. It’s always nice to be able to exceed expectations!

Tips for proposals, what can you include?

a) Terms of validity. When does the quotation expire? I often mention 14 days in it as my standard amount of time. Sometimes people come with last minute requests and then I want to know a few days in advance if something is actually going to happen or not. It is a bit annoying to have to wait for one customer, not knowing if you can say yes to another, so that you miss both opportunities. In any case, your quote is only valid for that offer, since prices and situations always change over time.

b) Does your customer only work with confirmed suppliers? Or, for example, do they have their own admin system that requires you to fill out a certain form or do they require you to mention a project number on the invoice? Then you will need to receive those numbers no later than the day of delivery. Make sure you can send your invoice directly after the project is completed and don’t have to wait for their system. I once had a client (an organisation) that I had to contact for weeks after delivering my services to them. They needed to send me a number to include on my invoice but I did not receive anything, even though I had contacted them multiple times over the course of two months. And then the payment also took another 30 days. You don’t want that. You did the work, now it’s time to get payment.

c) How you would like to be credited, and whether you can receive a physical proof, as already mentioned above.

d) The way your work is going to be used, the license. Where is your work published? How long, for what? Is it exclusive or non-exclusive (so that you could still sell the work to third parties)? Also always mention the status of copyright and that you are allowed to include the work in your portfolio.

e) VAT: state whether the price is exclusive or inclusive VAT, so that there are no uncertainties about this. In general, for companies you name a price without VAT, and for individuals you include the VAT.

f) Planning /deadline— also include a suggestion for this. For example, they know when they can expect your sketches and when the end results will be delivered. Sometimes people need a little longer to collect feedback, then your planning shifts as well. If a certain deadline must be met, clearly state on which day you need the required information and feedback. The job is only planned if they agree with your proposal.

g) Feedback rounds: you also mention them in the planning. For example, one after the sketching phase and one after the rendering (before the last final touches). Some customers want to be able to give (much) feedback much more often, want to work with you for a longer project. That is also possible, but think about working on the basis of an hourly rate then. Of course you always do your best to meet the wishes of the customer, but limiting the number of rounds is good for the feasibility of the planning. It also requires your customer to be able to provide specific feedback. After each phase your client needs to agree with the work so far before you continue (to prevent relevant feedback on the composition, storyline etc. from being given at the end of your process, and you doing all of the work twice).

h) Mirror the wishes. Repeat a few things about the content that you discussed in a conversation or email. For example, the date of the event, the title of the project. This so that people can identify with the quotation and so that there is no uncertainty about which project is mentioned. For example, how much work it involves — five illustrations, two animations and the like.

i) Sometimes there is a desire on the part of the client to supply reference material. It is not possible for you to find out the origin of all images and texts, but it is good to consider that photos, film material, texts and the like also have copyright. It is always nicer to shoot unique reference material yourself, for example by entering into a collaboration with a photographer. If that is not possible, include in your proposal that you are not responsible for claims by third parties, and that you assume that you may use the supplied visual material.

j) Payment terms. I usually work with an invoice afterwards, and then with a period of fourteen days. Some companies work with 30 days, that is possible as well. Sometimes people evenpay immediately within a day: nice too. But I would closely monitor this, and if the period has expired but the invoice is still open, inform immediately afterwards. If you have to hand over a physical work, for example, a painting, it is better to send it/hand it over after payment.

3. Finding your own way + personal tips

You can manage what you make and how you work. It is not nice to hop from commission to commission and to have the idea that you do not really have any influence on what you do every day. As an entrepreneur you can design that yourself, take hold of the steering wheel.

Before I continue, I want to briefly mention what I sometimes observe with fellow creatives. There is often a gap between knowing who you are as a creator and understanding what your client is looking for. Of course you can and must stay close to yourself in what kind of work you make and how you do it. But your client is the customer. Discuss what they actually need, and how you can implement it. But if you work for customers, you provide a service. That does not involve being stubborn and sitting in a corner with your arms crossed and grumbling “I only want to make my own work and have complete freedom in it.”

A number of ways to steer:
a) Mainly show projects that go in the direction that you want. On my website those projects are at the top and those are the things that I talk about the most. Like the court sketches: I want to expand my activities in that field. How you organise your portfolio says a lot about your choices. Focus your way of communication also on the type of customers you would like to work for. For example, I have a page on which I mention a number of services, in which I give concrete examples and for which my images can be used. Which tone of voice do you use? Do you want to explain your work or should everyone be able to read from your images how you work?

b) Express your wishes and dreams. If nobody knows what you would like or what you want to do, nobody can help you with that. This is how I was able to make my first courtroom sketches: I had made a number of portfolio works and explicitly stated in a blog that I wanted to do that. That was picked up by a journalist. Talking about your dreams always results in fun conversations!

c) Set up your own personal projects in which you have all the creative freedom. That can be a concept, an exhibition, a foundation, an online course, physical products etcetera. For example, I designed playing cards about women in Dutch politics. I was my own client. I do, however, request feedback from people who are an expert in that specific field or who are my target group. My tip is to chop a larger project into manageable chunks. For example, make sure you can do a little bit every week or every day.

Make those projects interesting for people: see opportunities in the media to talk about this. What you create from a passion affects people. Dare to choose a road to take. An example is Robin Keijzer, a befriended colleague. He has a great illustration style and a few years ago he launched Gang-up, his own card game with gangsters, together with a friend. The crowdfunding and their hard work led to a lot of attention in relevant media. Afterwards people came to him who liked his style. Projects can thus lead to commissions that are like those projects/style. Personal projects speak for you!

d) Join groups or organisations whose visions, passions or interests are in line with yours. Meet people with whom you can talk about points that are important to you. For me that is the Dutch Labour Party. I am interested in developments that influence and have an impact on society, and for example in themes such as sustainability and inclusion. This is not a sales pitch but something that is sincerely close to my heart and that I enjoy working on. By highlighting that, expressing my ideals, many organisations that also have such a mission connect with me sooner than they would with any other illustrator. In addition, I am also aware of developments and current events in that area, so I understand, for example, what is a sensitive subject and what is not.

Your interest doesn’t have to be political. Try to connect with what your teachers might call fascinations. It can be nice to stay in your own artistic circle. But the advantage of moving outside the bubble is that you are often the only creative person (or one of only few). You must be the first one that somebody thinks about for your dream project: be top of mind. Of course you can help each other and work together, but if you only deal with other creatives you always “fish” in each other’s “pond”.

Find something that suits you and broaden your network. That could be a political party like my case. But it can also be your sports club. Maybe you can figure out what kind of football-related cartoons you can make for magazines, or, for example, customize footballs into limited edition art works. Or who knows, you may be spiritually inclined and you can help small entrepreneurs with the same vision of life with illustrations for their websites. Or maybe you love everything that has to do with traveling and you can connect with travel agencies, travel guides, blogs, big fairs etc.

Extra tips
1. Don’t say “I think” but “in my experience”, … “such a job takes about as this much time”.

2. This might be weird to hear from someone who calls herself an entrepreneur: you are not each other’s competitor, but each other’s colleague. Pass on jobs that fit other people(’s schedule, work, ideas) better.

3. Join an organisation. For example the BNO (the Dutch Association of Designers) or the internatioal AOI (Association of Illustrator). I’m also a member of the Dutch organisation for Journalists, the NVJ. You often have all kinds of benefits such as legal advice, but they also negotiate collectively for you in politics. They also organise interesting events and workshops. I am also registered at Pictoright (check whether there is such an organisation in your country). Every time a work of mine is published in magazines, the newspaper or on television, for example, there are extra rights attached to it. I personally cannot collect the money from this, but Pictoright has agreements with most media about this. All you have to do is keep a list of your publications and pass them on to Pictoright. It is money that you don’t get otherwise. You can also submit work from up to five years ago if you join!

4. If you are Dutch and travel a lot with public transportation: take an NS Business Card. You will receive a clear invoice afterwards. That works very well. The only disadvantage is in its marketing: if you shorten it, this is the NSB card. Anyway. There might be opportunities for such a business card in your country as well!

5. Read and look at all kinds of information about businesses and the creative field. For example, I always learn from the videos by The Futur on Youtube, and I like The Profit with Marcus Lemonis.

Don’t forget to check my post about how I’ve landed illustration jobs in the past, with concrete examples.