Formland Up/Graded
With all the drawing assignments we get at Design School Kolding, it is obvious to use the drawings for other purposes, if you have some that are good.
Last year I made some fashion illustrations of people with animals heads. And as it turns out, there is a market for illustrations. It has become quite popular to have illustrations on the walls, and there are quite a few established and upcoming illustrators out there, trying to make a living of it. So I thought I would too.
For some time, I sold my work at markets like Finders Keepers and the Christmas Bazar at school. Didn't make enough money to quit my job as a waiter, but it was nice to see people take my work home, and enjoy it!
After Finders Keepers, I received an email from a woman working at Messecenter Herning, which is hosting a fair, Formland Up/Graded, twice a year for things like interior design, food, garden and so on.
She asked me if I wanted to exhibit at Formland. This is a good opportunity to meet the industry, both other illustrators and manufacturers, the owners of shops and the buyers. And off course, a great place to network!
So for four days I was at Formland, talking to a lot of different people. Some just wanted to talk, some were interested in buying my illustrations for their stores and webshops, and some would say "We can produce and mail for you" or "I know a store that might like your work", or "let me call this company for you, I'll see what I can do". So a lot of networking, and a lot of very nice people who wanted to help me get started!
It was all about talking to people, getting their telephone numbers and finding out how we might use each other's knowledge or network. Not something I'm very good at, but I guess I have to learn, if I want to make a small business out of it. And I do. Imagine being able to work with illustrations or another kind of school related projects, instead of serving steaks! I would love that. So I'm taking a chance, involving a lot of work, spending a lot of money in the beginning and doing a lot of things I haven't done before, but also giving me great pleasure when people like what I do!