This agent feedback shook me a bit
About the importance of taking constructive criticism on board.
This summer, I took a bit of a social media/website break, and in particular on Instagram, I got a bit lost in action. Thinking about what? You might ask :) My style!
I remember that the question of style has been a reoccurring one. So in this post I wanted to share some real struggles of mine as well :) I might look like I have everything “figured out”, but the reality of the real publishing and licensing market can hit you hard 👀
Let me tell you one thing - you might be one of those people who feel confident about your style. You might be from the other group, an artist who is lost and isn’t sure which direction to take regarding their style. I thought I belonged to the first group, but last month I had a really insightful talk with my agent. And yeah, I got ✨feedback✨, for which I’m forever grateful :)
Are you creating “for yourself”?
If you wish to create art that someone else will buy - as a license or perhaps a book project, you need to stop creating for yourself and you need to start thinking about:
1. Your target audience
2. The reality of the industry
What is the reality of the industry? Oftentimes, publishers will NOT risk printing out something too… experimental… I heard many times in the last few months that my style is:
Too flat
Too textured
Too unreadable
With an unrealistic color palette
With no depth
With too much chaos
Some of this feedback contradicted the other one 🤭 I was asked a few times if I can do more of a “painterly” style, just to be asked next month if I could switch to something more minimalistic.
You can handle constructive feedback!
This might sound discouraging hmmm. How can this blog post help YOU? I have a few words of advice:
Keep going and develop a style of drawing that gives you JOY.
Then prepare to be crushed by someone :) an editor, a publisher, an agent, a potential client.
Be mature, take this feedback. It’s by no means a personal blow to you. Don’t take it personally. And most importantly - if it comes from an agent or a publisher - definitely take it on board, they have more experience than you. Be humble, be polite, but at the same time, be real and stay true to your “core” style. However, if your color palette needs tweaking, or if you need to test out using lines or linework in general, then take this criticism as a CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and take it on board. This is how you grow, this is how you improve.
Just wanted to let you know that I struggle as well 🥴 Make sure to leave a comments to tell you how you feel!
If you are looking for constructive feedback from your fellow artists, I am running 2 active Facebook groups where you can show us your art or ask any questions:
Cheers,
Wera
Hi! I’m Weronika Salach, a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books, toy design and surface pattern design. Internationally I’m represented by Advocate Art. Over 35,000 happy students have taken my digital illustration courses and watched my YouTube videos. Let’s connect :)
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