There are two pieces of advice every illustrator has heard, but should never heed: “Do what you love, and the money will follow” and “Only accept projects if you connect with the text”.
They’re both cut from the same cloth: let your emotions inform your decisions. For some illustrators, this is possible to do while still maintaining a successful career. Good on them for putting in the time and effort to be in that position. But for the other 99% of us, it isn’t always the case—especially when we’re starting out. It’s to that illustrator that I’m (mostly) directing this post.
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