Birds of a feather
Networking as an illustrator
My recent visit to Bologna children’s book fair has shown once again how important it is for an illustrator to be a part of that kid lit “flock”, to congregate with people from the industry, meet fellow illustrators and create connections with publishers. I’ve already written about finding your illustrator community here and today we’ll look at some other ways of networking.
For most of us (kids in the back row of the classroom, quietly doodling in the margins of our textbook) networking means something we dread: reaching out of our creative bubble, talking about ourselves and promoting our work.
What we often forget is that networking doesn’t mean explaining what we do for a living to random strangers at a housewarming party ( “Ooh, you draw picture books … ehm … how … interesting …” ), but inserting ourselves in situations where we are most likely to meet industry professionals and/or future clients and consumers of our art.
The most obvious place for networking are international fairs and conferences but there are many ways to start building your networking confidence more slowly and more locally :
join an art class, workshop or some other creative group in your local community and participate in their exhibitions and craft shows that attract art lovers and potential comissioning clients.
once you meet some local fellow artists, suggest a sketchbook outing where you regularly meet for coffee and drawing in a public setting. It’s a good way to practice creating art in public while spending quality time with creative friends, getting inspired and motivated.
check your local library’s and bookstore’s events calendar to see if they are organizing any readings or signings with authors and illustrators.
sign up for newsletters and Substack reeds from your favourite illustrators, check their social media for scheduled live sessions and chats where you get to ask them questions.
sign up for online classes where you can chat with other attendees, share your work and get valuable feedback.
there are also individual lectures and workshops available either for free or for a small fee at SCBWI, Orange Beak Studio and similar - at the end of each session there is always opportunity to ask questions.
post your art and contacts with KidLitArtPostcard hashtag every first Thursday of the month on Instagram and X, many editors and agents are looking out for it on that day.
Let me know if you have any more advice for the networking shy, I’d love to read it!
And don’t forget to include (and update) your contacts in all your websites and other online presentations, even those you haven’t used in quite a while - you never know where someone might find your illustration and want to get in touch!