The world needs more visuals!

Have you ever said this to yourself?

"There is far too much competition and no room for more illustrators!"

You must be thinking if there is more room, more work and any need for another illustrator/doodler? Don't worry. I thought this too when I started my career.

The simple answer is YES!!! There is a lot of work and not enough designers to do it... The demand for VISUALS is the highest it has ever been.

With the world becoming more and more digital, the need for visuals is increasing. The Vector art found in abundance has been over used. The PPT graphs scream "BORING" and stock photos look like, well, stock photos! Everyone around the world is looking to do something unique, something that cannot be found on the internet, something they are willing to pay for.

When I started out, I really believed that there were just two ways to survive as an illustrator:

Make comics and cute illustrations like Alicia Souza, build an audience and then make merchandise.
Make couple portraits, wedding illustrations, caricatures and custom gifts for a B2C (business to customer) audience.

And while I tried to do that for sometime, my heart was elsewhere. The work started to feel monotonous and I craved to do something more exciting and rewarding.

In the last 3 years, I've worked with brands, helping them visualise the brand stories and ideas. I charged Rs 150 for my first illustration, done for a social media campaign and today, I start my pricing at Rs 3,500 for a single panel creative. The lesson I learn is that the clients are willing to pay for something that makes them stand out.

How do you create stuff that helps them stand out?

I say, looking at the problem, the content from a different angle! When most people out there are doing similar things, you need to find creative ways to stand out. Trust me, it doesn’t simply boil down to your drawing style!

Here’s a glimpse of projects from 3 yrs:

The first creative is the first creative I made for a client as a B2C project: I charged Rs 180 for it.
The second creative is a sketch-note made for social media for another client: I charged Rs 1,800 for it.
The third creative is a long form sketch-note made as an educational material a doctor wanted to share with his students: I charged Rs 5,000 for it.

One thing I see across these creatives, and the other work that I am the most proud of is that the clients wouldn’t mind getting similar work in a different drawing style. They did not hire me for how my brush strokes looked, they hired me for what I could do with their content.

This journey begins with formulating a thinking process that sets you aside. Someone will hire you only when your work is unique and promising. Creating work like everyone else just isn't going to do that. How you understand a clients problem, how you formulate a solution and how you present that solution is your style!

This journey isn't going to be an easy one. You will have to be patient, do a lot of work to build your style and then some credibility in the industry. But when it starts to happen, you will soon be swimming in interesting projects that challenge you. You will grow, as an artist and so will your prices. ;D

This journey doesn't have to be a long one for you. Allow me to help you speed it up. I am sharing 3 years worth of learning. Lessons that grew into a 7 figure business and lot's of credible work to show.

Join the Draw your Thoughts Cohort.

10 spots only.

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The skills you will learn, the perspective shifts you will experience and the processes you will build will help you add value to your personal and professional lives in many tangible ways and it doesn’t just have to be limited to creating a new revenue stream.

If you give lot’s of presentations, use your skills to better communicate the ideas. If you read and write a lot, make visual summaries & remember them better. If you are an artist, learn how to make good money out of your skills. There’s something in here for everyone :)

Drawing Data

I’m doing a 1hr session on how to make quick visuals for your blogs and presentations. Just this one time, I am giving away a Rs 1,200 session for just Rs 350. Som do not miss this!

Sign me up!

Recordings of this sessions will be available for 48hrs post the event. This session is free for people who have enrolled in the Draw your Thoughts Cohort!

If you have any doubts, questions or suggestions reply to this mail :)

Before I end this mail, I want you all to know that this space will not just be about my course! I still have other things I want to talk about, but the course has simply taken over at the moment. It took 3 years to reach here and it’s extremely important to me. So, stay with me even if you’re not interested in the course. The conversations will resume soon. I promise.

Having said that, I finally visited IKEA yesterday! It took 12 hours, 8,000 steps, lot’s of giggles, cookies, cheesecakes and the unlimited coffee to make it a day of retail therapy day.