A wiggly career journey - data analyst to live illustrator
Hello, welcome! In this post I'm excited to share my career journey from a data analyst to a live illustrator, and I hope you’ll get to know me better, feel inspired to reflect on your own career, and maybe even make a few leaps of your own.
Drawing, and thinking about crisps
Bad teacher
I looooved drawing as a teenager, and have plenty of My Chemical Romance drawings to prove it. But, unfortunately, if you don’t like your teacher, it can really ruin a subject at school! My favourite teacher was Maths, and my least favourite was Art. Urgh, he was proper creepy. Anyway, I pursued maths, eventually ending up with a Master's. I worked as a data analyst in both the civil service and a startup for a good few years, but lost my passion for it and got really put off when the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke. I wanted to get involved with individual stories, rather than trying to summarise them through data.
Art = therapy
Like a lot of millennials, I struggled with anxiety for most of my 20s. Seeking relief, I took up evening classes in drawing and painting. I then got super addicted to illustration vloggers on YouTube, and started to see a new career option unfolding before me. So, in a mildly loopy leap of faith, I packed up my job and went off to Camberwell College of Arts as a “mature student” (27, lol).
No final show in 2020 - but we did do a little Spring market before March kicked in
The career journey to Illustration is HARD
Anyone else graduate in 2020? NOT GREAT! Finishing off my degree during lockdown definitely zapped me of some of my creative beans. We also struggled financially and ended up moving in with my in-laws, which was very very generous of them. Thankfully, this also gave me some financial breathing room to focus on my creativity and business without too much panic. For years though, I couldn’t quite find my place in the illustration industry. Then, I came across a few opportunities through Instagram and the Leeds creative network, and got my few live illustration gigs. All of a sudden something switched: I felt like I could use my ol’ analytical brain but combine it with my love for drawing. And, it got me out of the house which was a definite plus.
Nerding out
Live illustration has been a perfect combo of my two careers. I get to learn about loads of interesting stuff, from neurodiversity to the NHS's use of technology, keeping the work exciting. It’s reminiscent of my data career, where I hopped about and worked on education, justice and marketing. I absolutely love doing it, and the time flies when I’m working at an event! The best part is 100% the “oohs” and “aahs” when people see it up on the screen at the end of the day.
Live illustration from a networking event
More live illustration, please
That concludes my wiggly career journey… so far. I’m always keen to learn about something new, meet new people and add pizzazz to an event through live illustration. If you’re interested, please do reach out for a chat.
