Thread by @RianSygh

I know I make this thread every six months but here we go again: If you're an artist on the internet and you want to be hired for work you have got to be accessible to Art Directors and Talent Coordinators in a professional capacity (1)

In 2019, this means you need to have some kind of social media profile that you can safely and reliably link your Portfolio Website and Work Email- esp if you live outside of hub cities like LA (LA for animation work specifically but this applies to most creative industry) (2)

Today, every single job I have ever received has been thru traffic generated from either Tumblr (back in the day) or Twitter. That includes nearly every single comic and graphic novel gig and my current Animation job. This is extremely typical for this industry right now (3)

I receive several inquiries a month that I need to refer to other artists because I dont have time to take them, a LOT of working artists do. You know where those referrals go? It goes to who is the most accessible, not necessarily the most suited for the job. (4)

What do I mean by accessible? It means that if I follow you on twitter and go "ah, X person is well suited for this graphic novel gig" but realise there is no way to contact you on your profile then I'm gonna go "okay well I guess Y would work too" instead. (5)

People in positions to hire artists do not and will not spend more than a few clicks to find your information. There are a LOT of extremely talented artists out there and we don't have time to be playing internet detective to try and find you. (6)

The #1 response to this thread I get every time I write it is that people dont want to get harassed if their email is availible. I understand that this is a very real fear for some marginalised creators, but you also have tools at your disposal that can mitigate that fear (7)

you can set up a work email to filtre out spam and keep your personal email private. I highly suggest a visible alternate email over a website Contact form as a lot of the time referral documents are sent in lists/spreadsheets with names, emails, & sites attributed (8)

another suggestion- if you're actively looking for work on Twitter, make sure your main twitter looks somewhat professional. I have personally not referred people for jobs because their twitter TLs are just atrociously unprofessional. They WILL check before offering you a job (9)

This doesnt mean you cant be yourself and joke around with your pals. It just means that things like Fandom Hot Takes, shitposting, twitter feuds, excessive memes- they all start to detract from your appearance as a professional when they overshadow your art and personality (10)

Almost every professional artist I know with a heavy Twitter presence has a private alt account where they dump their excess nonsense. Please just be mindful of the image youre presenting of yourself if you're looking to appear more professional. (11)

another comment I get on these threads is about the inaccessibility of a personal website, well, good news! There are a BUNCH of cheap and easy-to-use templates and hosts for an online portfolio. I use squarespace and its $90 a year for my website AND online store (12)

There are even cheaper options too, my previous website was $6/month, and before that I used a free gallery online (be mindful if you go the free route, some are more professional than others) You may have to spend a few bucks to ensure you have somewhere to recieve jobs (13)

I think the hardest part about the switch from being a Teen Who Draws to a Young Adult Who Is An Artist was realising that there is no separation between who you are online and who you are IRL. Online is IRL, especially in the creative fields. (14)

and that extends to how accessible we are as Professionals. You wouldnt walk into a job interview and refuse to give the interviewer your contact information- how would you know if you got the job if they couldnt tell you? Sometimes, social media is like that too (15)

You know why bad artists get hired? It's because they know how to play the game. They know how to market themselves, they are accessible, they network, and they are reliable in some fashion; be it simply hitting their deadlines or picking up slack in the pipeline. (16)

the thing about Art as a Career, literally anyone can do it if they develop the know-how. Some people get successful without drawing a single line themselves because they know how to look like a Professional and get work off their "soft skills" (17)

Soft Skills are a different thread entirely but they include what ive been talking about re: Online Presence/Social Media. But also things like Audience retention, Networking, Interview Skills, Communication, Negotiation- They are the backbone of a long lasting career (18)

Anyway, I hope this has thoroughly convinced you, young artists, to please make a portfolio website and a work email so one day maybe someone can give your name to an Art Director and you can be the Next Big Thing. You cant be discovered if no one can find you! (fin)