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“You just have to kinda think about it like a life or death situation. You have to say to yourself: ‘If I do not get this done, then I’m going to be stuck at my day job forever!’”
~ Liz Gera
Wondering how to balance your career with your creativity?
Like many artists, illustrator, Liz Gera, has to work a regular day job and make art in her spare time.
Yet, despite having a youngster to look after too, she’s been working on getting her portfolio updated and selling her art at conventions in the USA during the past few years.
So how on Earth does Liz manage to fit all this into her busy schedule?
You’ll find the answer to this question and many more in this week’s podcast interview…
How to Balance Your Career With Your Creativity – Liz Gera’s Solution
Most of us lead insanely busy lives, and Liz Gera is no exception. So, if you’ve been wondering how to balance your career with your creativity, you might just find the solution you’ve been looking for by hearing her story.
Because, for artists just starting out, it can take some time until you’re at the stage where you can quit your day job and pursue your real passion.
So what motivates her to sit down after a long day at work and pick up her pencils?
She laughs: “I just don’t have a whole lot of free time! After I’ve picked my son up from school, fed him, bathed him and put him to bed, I’m just like straight up work.
“So I think it’s like free time, but I’m actually working on the stuff I need to get done for my portfolio and for conventions. It can be kinda detrimental to your social life, but dang it – I get things done!”
But how does she organize her busy schedule so she actually has time to make any art?
Liz says: “It’s really just determination. You’ve gotta have some kind of system to push yourself.
“There are some great apps you can use to set deadlines for yourself, but for me it’s making lists – I love making lists and if I can tick off everything on these, then I’m good!”
In the past, Liz has worked on all kinds of illustration projects, but she’s now focussed on making movie posters for one of her other passions – horror and B-movies.
She wants to take people back to the days when the artwork for movie posters really grabbed your attention.
Liz uses traditional media (gouache) and often works on several pieces at the same time which have similar color palettes.
Her dream is to become a full-time artist and she’s constantly reaching out to prospective clients and networking at conventions and conferences.
And, if she continues to pursue her dream of becoming a full-time artist with as much dedication as she’s already showing, we’re pretty sure she’s going to get there!
Listen to this week’s show and learn:
- How to set aside time for your art
- How to set deadlines and goals as an artist
- Why your boring day job can actually be your motivation for making art
- Why networking with other artists and reaching out to potential clients is so important
So, if you’ve been wondering how to balance your career with your creativity, we hope you’ll find plenty of inspiration in our podcast interview with Liz Gera.
Have you got any good tips for organizing your time and setting goals for yourself? We’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below 🙂
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Thanks for listening to our show! We’ll be back next Wednesday morning 8AM EST.
Cheers,
Mitch
PS, there is also Pencil Kings content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
I thought it was really cool to have a member of Pencil Kings on the podcast. I’ve exchanged a few posts with Liz during the time I’ve been a member. She’s really nice and always willing to help out. I’ve enjoyed her art on the site, and it was so cool to learn she’s a fan of the B-feature horror, straight to video movies.