Why be an illustrator?

Personal reasons.

Reasons I’m an illustrator.

1. It’s my thing. Of all the things I can do drawing is the thing I’m best at. It’s a think I can do that no one else can do in exactly the same way making it the most valuable thing I can produce, just by nature of scarcity.

2. It allows me to design my lifestyle. I choose my hours, I choose my clients, I choose the kind of work I want to do. I get to spend time doing the things I value with the people I value.

3. It’s a Job. (It’s actually more like a business, but for this point humour me). I have to do a job anyway, and it turns out, if you figure some things out, Illustration can pay you what a good job pays you.

4. Compound Returns. Many jobs have diminishing returns, as old skills become redundant and you have to learn new skills. As an illustrator/artist, skills stack on top of each other and become more valuable over time. Programming or design for skills for example actually diminish in value over time as new software and practices become required frequently it becomes a race to keep up.

5. The kids. I draw for kids mostly, and you think of a better job than to make kids smile and laugh and show them a way of seeing the world that is hopeful and beautiful? PS: I draw for grown-up kids too

What do you do, and why do you do it?