Need to vent a bit!
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@Braden-Hallett that last bit had me crying
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@cianamacaroni I'm really glad you found this discussion useful! @NessIllustration and @Braden-Hallett are full of pearls of wisdom! I felt a little bit embarrassed posting about this to be honest but then I realised it's good to have these conversations out in the open where it can (hopefully) benefit others. It seems like there is a huge amount of resources focused on how to get an agent but not so much about the next stage.
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@Annabishop There's also not too many really visible discussions about how, really, having an agent is not the end all be all. Like, I SUCK at marketing and networking, and so paying an agent a percentage juuuuuuuuuuuuust edges out being on my own. This stage, likewise, takes lots and lots of work, lol.
I'm actually planning on doing a self-marketing blast (several of them) and then track what jobs come from where to see how effective the agency actually is.
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@Braden-Hallett
I just got a job offer I'm planning to decline (low pay) so I may use a variation on this template - thanks! I'm feeling a little bit conflicted on the 'no explanation, no justification' thing though. Personally, I agree with you that we shouldn't have to justify our reasons if we don't want to. However when I spoke to my agent about declining jobs she said this: 'taking on projects is totally up to you, as long as you explain to the agent the reason why you can't take it on we're understanding'. I'm wondering if it's helpful for them to know the reason especially when it concerns low pay or tight deadlines. Perhaps they might feed this back to their clients if enough illustrators mention it. It could create some positive change? That might be me being overly naive and optimistic though. -
@Annabishop You can absolutely say "the budget isn't quite right for me" or "I wouldn't be able to make that deadline work".
Be open and communicative with your agent! As much as they want that sweet sweet moolah at the end of the day they're supposed to be on your team!
It's just this last time for me I didn't feel the need to
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@Braden-Hallett I SUCK at marketing and networking too! I've been building a mailing list (extremely slowly) but have yet to really go for it with a self-marketing blast. Your plan for tracking where the jobs come from is definitely a good idea!
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@Braden-Hallett said in Need to vent a bit!:
@Annabishop You can absolutely say "the budget isn't quite right for me" or "I wouldn't be able to make that deadline work".
Be open and communicative with your agent! As much as they want that sweet sweet moolah at the end of the day they're supposed to be on your team!
It's just this last time for me I didn't feel the need to
I hear ya, thank you
I'm definitely overthinking this haha. -
@Annabishop Marketing like anything else requires learning and practicing
Artists are really good at learning art, but we rarely put the same dedication into learning how to sell our services... which is a shame, because that's where most of us fail 
We can't be good at something if we've never learned it, that's only natural. I feel like saying things such as "I suck at marketing" isn't helpful and mentally, it can affect how we see ourselves. "I'm someone who's just not good at marketing" as if it's part of who we are, and there's nothing about that we can change. Thinking of it instead as "I haven't learned marketing yet" is more helpful because it's not self-depreciative, it's not related to your identity... it simply states you haven't yet developed your skills in this area and pushes you to think about your next steps. What can you do to learn marketing? vanessastoilova.com
instagram.com/vanessa.stoilova/Check out my Youtube channel for tips on how to start your career in illustration! www.youtube.com/c/ArtBusinesswithNess
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@NessIllustration or even what I tell my students..."I'm still learning marketing". Mindset definitely helps!
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@NessIllustration I couldn't agree more Ness! I phrased it like that in response to Braden's comment. I suppose what I really mean is - 'historically I haven't marketed myself effectively' I don't really believe that means I'm always doomed to 'suck' at it. Even compared to this time last year I know 100x more about marketing thanks to doing some more research and taking online classes. Your youtube channel is also a great resource
