Rambling Esoterically

"Do you bury me when I'm gone?, Do you teach me while I'm here?, Just as soon as I belong then it's time I disappear." - Metallica

I contacted one of my idols in the illustration world yesterday, Drew Struzan, which was somewhat amusing. I went seeking advice, and I guess you could say I left with more doubt than anything else. Mr. Struzan is quite the accomplished illustrator, having had a lot of success in the film industry particularly with regards to box and poster art for feature films. In college, I emulated his style quite a bit and as such he became a big influence of mine. However, as I have grown older, my style of work has gravitated further and further away from his style of work. Anyway, mindless rambling aside, I thought he may provide me with keen insight on how one gets into the business of illustration as he had to do it himself. While he was very nice and accommodating, he left me with something of a "doom and gloom" approach to the illustration market describing it as "ever shrinking".

Illustration as a whole is a tricky thing to get into really, having more to do with the used car business than fine art. It's all about making connections, who you know (and in turn, who they know), and so on and so forth. One of the biggest challenges that faces illustrators today as well is creating a style that is uniquely theirs. Christian Slater once mused in the film "Pump Up The Volume" that "all the good themes have been used up and turned into theme parks." I don't know if I buy that so much as it seems like a convenient cop-out, but I do think the way the world is today it is forcing us to try harder. The opportunities right outside our doors no longer stay there...they must be hunted down and taken back like trophy kills.

I do know some things though, and for that I feel grateful. I am an artist, I have something to say, and I have a plethora of ways in which to say it. Come what may, I shall always have that. The rest is making money and details.