Three Things I Learned As An Author and Illustrator In 2020 that I will Carry With Me Into 2021.

As we all know, 2020 was a YEAR: a pandemic, presidential elections, and quite a bit of change.  Now that 2020 is officially over, I can now see how much I learned. Being forced out of my comfort zone allowed me to focus on more creative ways to interact with people and my art. Some of these changes worked well, but a lot did not.  There was more room for trial and error. I tried new ways to reach new audiences and resonate with old followers. Below is a list of my three main takeaways from 2020.

Community is stronger than self-promotion. 

One of the biggest hurdles for all illustrators this past year was how to promote themselves. My biggest hurdle this year was promoting my illustrations. I learned that having a healthy community on social media was a considerable advantage.  Promoting each other’s work was invaluable - we met new followers and found new artists to support. Our community showed solidarity and collaboration instead of competitiveness. It was about “our work,” not “my work.”

Online events and conferences were another surprisingly successful way to build community. The digital SCBWI Summer Conference was a fantastic opportunity to discover artists and authors. I made many new friends and contacts through hashtags and Twitter discussions. It was so helpful to collaborate to figure out the industry’s ever-changing landscape during COVID-19.

Whenever COVID-19 finally ends, my new audience will hopefully help me continue growing and engaging with even more people.

People want to hear your unique point of view. 

One of my biggest successes was my #drawthecurtains project in San Francisco. I drew a new image every day to display in our front window. I wanted to surprise our neighbors while in quarantine⁠. 

I didn’t expect the overwhelming amount of support from neighbors, friends, and the press.  By showing who I was, I was able to get to know my neighbors and build strong local relationships and followers. I even had an interview with the local news outlet that was picked up by blogs. By choosing to make people smile, I made deep connections in my own backyard that extended into the digital landscape.

Self-awareness makes you nimble and adaptive.

One of the biggest struggles as an artist is knowing when to stay put and react to a situation.  With the lockdown, many people didn’t know what to do, so they didn’t do anything at all. Which is okay! As long as it’s a deliberate decision. 

Being self-aware allows you to make more confident decisions about your art and direction. Companies like Peloton and Zoom thrived immediately because their products stood for home convenience. Their products could shine under the circumstances. Movie theaters struggled to pivot early and continue to suffer. 

I knew who I was and what I stood for before the pandemic: a dog-obsessed children’s book author/illustrator. I use surprising and kooky textures in my illustration to build depth, character, and emotion. This worked in my favor. I gained a whole new group of followers - those who got pandemic pets! I didn’t have to change my content; I just made sure to reach new pet parents through hashtags, stories, and more. My content remained genuine and on-brand, but I was able to appeal to a whole new group of people looking for community.

If you are struggling with self-awareness as an illustrator, I highly recommend using the Venn-diagram tool seen in my blog post here, Finding Your Niche as an Illustrator.