Thread by @TiffanyTurrill

hey I'm 34 today and have now been working professionally as an artist for 11 years. here's some things gramma Tiff has learned:

getting high profile studio jobs is largely the product of many coincidences that you won't be able to control

being adaptable with a team will go further than being tube best/fastest/most rockstar type person

working at a studio job gives structure but if you want to develop outside of that you'll need a loooot of energy

if you want to work in a studio, you will have to learn how to socialize. it sucks but quiet workers fall through the cracks

careers are made though legitimate friendships. prima donnas and grandstanders are no fun for anyone

making work frequently and of consistent quality is the best way to build an online audience

however, online success rarely translates to financial stability. likes aren't dollars

it takes 5-6 interactions with any given art director/designer before they'll remember you and associate you with your work

conventions are exhausting and expensive but can connect you with audiences not normally available

workshops are exhausting and expensive but can refuel you in ways you won't be able to articulate

finish your shit ON TIME. if you can't, send an email. chances are the AD will be cool if you communicate

its possible to change your career but it takes years and requires much screaming into the void as to what you're about

if you can manage it, your work will improve markedly once you remove toxic people from your life

if you're bad at money, connect with people who aren't. it sucks but is necessary to learn

rendering style is less important than tone as relevance to a certain media demographic

the self care thing is worthwhile. pressure to push content can be paralyzing, make time for yourself. being mildly bored is good for you

insecurities and circumstances aside, we're all wired the same way. be kind, support your peers where you can <3

I'm bad at ending threads but i hoped this has been a tiny help for some of y'all. I'm gonna go have lunch and cry at some fish. be well <3~

and* dangit, lol

dude, so as a person who often feels like a pressure-cooked diamond of pure Imposter Syndrome, ty for the responses to this <3 x.x

I've received several questions along these lines, so i wanted to add that by no means is my lil ~34~ label meant to indicate irrelevance-

It's purely provided for transparency's sake. <3

A much better artist than i said that a life doing this job is chess, not checkers. You're going to be better at it tomorrw than u were 2day

lol I'm tired so i dunno quite where I'm going with this but that perspective has really stuck with me, hope it can be of use <3