I have an agent!
-
@Annabishop @Braden-Hallett I think you've hit the nail on the head! Small agencies may work closely with you from the start to find great projects tailored for you. Big agencies do that with their mainstays, but not usually with the new hires. They may not want to spend the time on artists that haven't proven themselves yet, or maybe they're worried about the artist's ability to finish projects and want to see how they handle jobs first. Also, they have a lot of quick, low paying jobs coming in from their clients. Although those don't pay great, agents work by commission so it's in their favor to assign those gigs instead of letting them go. Having some new artists they can send those jobs to for a quick low effort buck, as well as star artists that they can spend the bulk of their time representing, is what seems to be the perfect balance for these big agencies.
It may seem discouraging but agencies are businesses and that's the game! It is possible to move up in a few months time if you play the game, prove yourself and show your interest in staying in the agency and becoming a star artist eventually. The first few months I accepted a few low-paying jobs from them, did my very best work, and then slowly I received better offers, until Feb 2020 I scored my first 10k job. After that I talked to my agent, thanked them for this great opportunity and let them know my desire to move up to that kind of job regularly. Your work also has something to do with it. My vector style is a little bit commercial and young, so I've started to notice a cap in the kind of jobs I can get. I can't really picture my work fitting well with big publishers like Simon & Schuster or Penguin. So I've talked to my agent lately about experimenting with my style and incorporating a more hand-drawn, textured look. We had a great talk and they're supporting me all the way for modifying my art, and offered many great suggestions.
Working with an agent is a journey in itself, but moving up is possible and we can't get discouraged by the hard first few months!!
-
That's so exciting @Annabishop Can't wait to see where this takes you!
-
@NessIllustration as much as I dislike the whole hierarchical system in general. I do agree with your description, really spot on. But maybe the key is to really figure out where your art fits well and point to your agent the directions you want to go and ask for help. Not too long after I signed with my current agency, I had a meeting with my agent once and I told her my dream publishers (Chronicle books, Enchanted lions) and the kind of books I am interested in making a couple of years down on the road. After that, I stopped getting educational book inquires :-).
I think it is hard for my agent to know my intent, my dreams, my goals without me telling her. Schedule time to chat about long term goal is a good one in my experience.
I am currently very happy where I am. I feel the communication with my agent is really good, and I am busy with projects. I feel I can ask all kinds of questions, and be open with my thoughts. This was not the case in the first 2 months or so - it took a bit of time to get to know each other, and learn how each other works.
@Braden-Hallett I would love to chat about different types of agencies with you someday. It is a fascinating topic.
-
@xin-li I totally agree, communication is key!!
-
@KajsaH Thank you! I totally understand the fear, I put off applying to agents for way too long. Your work looks so professional, I reckon you should just go for it! You've got nothing to lose!
-
@Braden-Hallett Don't apologise, please Hijack away! I'm glad this has started an interesting conversation about agencies.
-
@djlambson Thank you!
-
@Annabishop thank you so much!
Congrats again! -
Brilliant - congratulations 🥳
-
@Rachel-Horne Thank you!
-
Congratulations, that is AWESOME to hear!
Carrie Copa
https://carriecopadraws.com/ -
Congratulations! I hope many exciting projects come your way soon
-
@carriecopadraws @Jacy13 Thank you both!
-
Congratulations! It seems we also have a few other advocate-art artists here on SVS
The company is definitely growing.
