Success doesn't happen overnight

When people tell you that the first two years after graduation are going to be challenging, you simply smile and think to yourself: how bad can it be? But one year after graduation, I'm getting a better picture of what they were talking about. It seems hard to find that perfect niche.

So here it is, one week into my new job and I'm already looking for other ways to pursue what I really want to do with my life: and that's to make illustrations/art for a living. Unfortunately illustration work (as opposed to graphic design work) requires another job to finance expenses. I'm hoping that I can at least work on building my client base. The last thing I want is to be trapped in a minimum wage job and lose sight of the bigger picture. I want to ensure that I am moving forward toward my goal. I guess the one good thing about this job is that it has forced me to get serious about my true passion. I'm hoping that sitting down and talking over coffee with some professionals in the business will help give me some perspective, and hopefully some pointers, on how to climb the professional ladder.

On a side note, I'm happy to announce that my illustration was chosen for Winsor & Newton's new limited edition ink packaging! If you want to see more of my recent projects, be sure to like my facebook page: Vivian Gerber

What's trending in the creative world

Finding creative outlets anywhere and everywhere

Hey guys! Welcome back! It's been a while since my last post... since then I've interned at Max Advertising Inc, took on a couple more freelance jobs, and seriously started on my children's book illustrations. So a lot of new and exciting creative changes... unfortunately the bank account doesn't reflect this just quite yet, but I'm hoping that following my dream will pay off... I'm fairly confident it will, I'm just in the "struggling artist phase." Nearly everyone goes through this stage. Take a look at actors, musicians and the like... they always have such great stories about how they lived off of canned soup for a year in a crappy little apartment (so I'm well on my way *wink*). A great example of this?
Facebook's graffiti artist, David Choe.
He went from homeless to a millionaire.


I'm constantly looking for new opportunities to showcase my creative talent (or as some relatives have referred to it, my artistic curse). I came across DENYdesigns — quite by accident. My sister and I were searching for a well–designed duvet cover to transform our mother's bedroom, and we came upon this site. What I love about DENYdesigns is that local artists are showcased, and finally bedding, shower curtains etc. have caught up to our contemporary tastes! Worth the click, check it out.

Incorporating your interests

 As an artist, it's hard to know what will sell. It's always a good idea to have one ear to the ground: listening to what your audience wants. Although I am a freelance illustrator and fine artist, I've always had an eye for interior design. So it's no surprise that I try to harmonize these interests sometimes. I want to create artwork that will suit your everyday life, and something I would hang on my own wall. Here are some examples of how you can incorporate artwork into your home.

Trying to get back into the swing of things...

I thought I would share with you a picture of my workspace (notice the tall mug of coffee... looks like I need a refill). You can see one of my b&w prelim sketches  (along with some inspiration reference). These sketches will eventually be applied to in-flight packaging for a northern airline... I'm hoping to get these scanned this weekend so I can start working with colour and vector images.