ART IN THE AGE OF ALGORITHMS
Thoughts on making it as an illustrator.
I never wanted to be a fine artist showing in galleries. That world feels closer to high fashion—full of smug socialites and trust fund kids.
I wanted to be an illustrator. It’s a world full of the socially awkward. My people.
I’m one of the lucky few who’s made a living drawing. But when I was starting out, there wasn’t a clear path. Most illustrators, regardless of talent, were broke.
I once heard Michael Emerson, the bad guy from LOST, was an illustrator. He couldn’t find work—so he became an actor. Imagine that: acting as the safer career path.
Many illustrators end up teaching. That’s not about effort—it’s about market fit. There just aren’t that many jobs.
Pre-internet, you needed an agent. Maybe you'd get hot, maybe not. But it wasn’t sustainable.
By 2007, you needed design skills. You had to wedge your art into icons, branding, blogs—those were a new canvas.
Today, there’s more talent and more tools than ever. But most illustrators still struggle.
Illustrators today NEED to be unabashedly self-promoting. Especially in the age of AI.
Learn to market. Learn email. Learn video. Paid social. Pick two and go hard.
People buy art from people.
Be a person.