An adventurous spirit

As I was kayaking beside my uncle along the shoreline of Sylvan Lake on a recent trip to Alberta, he turned to me and said "sounds like you have an adventurous spirit." I wonder where I got that from? :)

As far back as I can remember, I've loved the water and anything that has to do with it. Snorkeling with sting rays?! Sign me up! Set sail for a summer of cruising?! I'm there! Despite my timid first few years of life, I've managed to follow the calling of the ocean air with little resistance. So I suppose it's no surprise that I've managed to accomplish quite a lot in life while pursuing my love of water (despite being a 'starving artist'). One of my fans even wrote to tell me that she could see my love of water in every one of my brush strokes.... talk about a compliment!

So keep living the dream! Following your heart — and following your artistic nature can have its challenges, but don't forget to look back and see how far you've come (and how far you will go) keep living with a hunger for adventure!

Freshly squeezed optimism coming right up!

Hello fellow bloggers and followers! Well spring has arrived here on the West Coast :) Which means that a week of sunshine and heat is followed by a week of rain and cold. But no worries. Don't let the weather bring you down, cause you know that summer is right around the corner, right? And summer just happens to be my most favorite season – so I'm in good spirits right about now (and I hope you are too).

This past week I journeyed out of illustration hibernation into the real world to do some retail therapy on a cold and rainy Victoria day (long weekend).  I, of course, found myself drawn to Bath&Body Works. I don't know if it's just the smell of summer that draws me in, but I love their store layout, product packaging, and everything that seems to be geared towards a beach-bum-at-heart type like myself. If you haven't been in for a while, I'd recommend it highly. The candle scents bring me back to summers spent on the boardwalks in California. Good memories; good times = great marketing! What also makes me in such a great mood this week is that I received a cheque in the mail from the big illustration gig I landed. I love it when clients actually follow the "net 30 days" on their invoices :) Makes me love what I do even more (if that's possible).

I love to see this kind of stuff come in the mail

What the average person considers junk mail we in the industry have learned to call direct mail pieces. See how that term managed to get rid of the negative connotations? But how could you think that this direct mail from the Union Gospel Mission is anything but positive?! I enjoy getting mail as long as it's not a bill (I think I'm not alone on that one, am I right?) so it was a pleasant surprise to find a fully illustrated envelope in the mailbox this past week. I think more mail should come in cheerful packaging, don't you think? Maybe those credit card companies should try that – ha!
It's always great to see companies/foundations like this using the talents of illustrators. I especially like the added touch of the little colouring book! So cute! Absolutely love it! If any companies would like to hire me for similar work – I'm your girl!

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

Finding that perfect fit

It's hard to believe that a whole year has already passed by since I graduated from the IDEA (Illustration and Design: Elements & Applications) program at Capilano University. At first glance, it may seem that I didn't accomplish much in the last 12 months; but looking back at past posts, I can see that I have done a lot of growing. I managed to squeeze in nearly 3 months of "working vacation" in the Mediterranean after my grad show. I then endeavored to take on as many freelance projects as I could find, including web design, business card designs, fine art paintings, children's book illustrations, and (recently) corporate illustration work. I also tried an experimental internship as a graphic designer – which reaffirmed my conviction that I am built for a more hands–on approach to art and illustration.  

So here I sit, a year later, about to embark on another adventure. I was recently hired for an art instructor position. I'll be trained on all aspects of the studio curriculum, studio set up, art history training, and eventually leading up to curator training. 

So how has all of my schooling prepared me for this job? In some ways, I feel like this job is a culmination of all of my past experiences: my BA of Arts, my semester in the PDP program, and 3 years at IDEA. Not to mention the 7 years of working in the hospitality industry as a seasonal youth counselor for the cruise line company.  Now I feel I am finally ready to be out in the real world and not simply settling for sitting behind a desk... because let's face it,  I never thought I was the 9-5 office type anyways. I'd rather be out there, living and breathing art and getting my hands dirty! I can't wait to have splatter parties and teach kids about Jackson Pollock!

Some of the other perks? 

• I get to wear jeans and sneakers to work every day! 
• I don't have to worry about getting paint splattered all over me – cause that's actually part of the look!
• I will be able to perfect my canvas stretching skills, refresh my pottery abilities, and teach kids 2-100 about art, artists, and artist grade materials.
• I don't have to turn my back on all of my learning, and I can still do freelance work on the side!

I think I am in for one exciting ride!

They warned you about the big bad wolf, but...

This past week I've had the unfortunate pleasure of coming up–close–and–personal with the reality that there are smucks out there looking to exploit our creative talents. Sure, it's something we were warned about in fairy tale books... you know, the one with the big bad wolf — coming to huff and puff and blow our house down... only this time he's coming to blow away our dreams and our source of income. No one warned us that these wolves would be so sneaky and go incognito. Sadly this is a theme I see all too often... and actually have fallen prey to. So I'm here to share my tale with you (take from it what you will).

Take a look at craigslist and you'll find a lot of opportunities to display your artwork. Pretty amazing stuff! But don't be fooled, if it looks too good to be true make sure you read the fine print. Many establishments will gladly provide you with the wall space and in exchange they can "rent" your work for free. Wait a minute... that doesn't sound right... but okay, in the name of getting your name out there (ha!) and reaching a larger audience, you'll take what you can get right? Sure, nothing wrong there. This is where red flags should go up (even if your friend/classmate/fellow artist recommends it): they want to charge you for a one time hanging fee of $$$, and yet when you go to pick up the artwork at the end of the show, there are mysterious extra fees that also pop up. Now this is just a huge red flag waving just inches... INCHES from your face. So, if like me, you've managed to find yourself in this sort of predicament, hold your ground. You can't let people walk all over you just because you are the talent. But after a few weeks of slow business, you may be tempted to walk back into this realm where artists seem to get short changed. Just don't forget to pack your ruby red slippers (you never know when you'll need to drop a house on someone... metaphorically of course!). So happy hunting out there :)

Now for something a little different....
When I feel I'm in a bit of a freelance slump, it's always good to get my brain working just for the sake of working — and to get those creative juices flowing on a more consistent basis. So here is a fun little ink illustration I did today for a Winsor & Newton Ink Competition. If it doesn't amount to much more than this post, at least I had fun! And hey—sometimes that's what it's all about!

"Inked" by Vivian Gerber. 2012. Pen&Ink with digital colour.

Now this — I like....

It's always nice to wake up to some sunshine a nice rejection letter. Ummm.... What?!
Yeah—you heard me right (or rather, read me right).... the key word being nice. Take a look at what I awoke to in my inbox this morning:

Wow wow- amazing work…just not right for our market, I wish! Keep showing it around I'm sure there is great things in the pipeline for you –

I would love to be kept updated though- and to help you with your search try <insert secret link.... what? You thought I was going to share it with you?> a full listings of all other UK based illustration agencies.

Thank you for your time and consideration, we wish you all the best for the future. Keep illustrating your point! Oh and please link up with us, you never know things may change. We also have an active internship program here, lots of our artists and almost all our staff came from interns. You get our market when you have been here for a while.

Deriving inspiration today from UK illustrator, Heidi Burton. Find her work on etsy and flickr.