The question that no one has asked me, but that you’ve probably thought in passing at least once: how can I be a good copywriter and a good illustrator?
I get it. You might not have encountered someone who does both before, you might assume doing both would mean not devoting enough time to either to be any good as a copywriter or an illustrator.
We’re taught that to live a successful and happy life, we must pick a career path at 16. Find a job in that field after we finish uni at 22. Do that work for the next 43 years, maybe eventually climbing the corporate ladder and moving into management, before retiring and finally having the time to enjoy the other things we love.
That’s the dream, right? Thankfully, because that sounds incredibly unrealistic and unfulfilling, it’s not many people’s dream anymore.
The reality is that we are all multi-passionate human beings. You can love being a parent, and also love to go on solo rock climbing trips. You can love your corporate job, and also have your own pottery business on the side. You likely have countless hobbies; water skiing, jazz music, 1970’s movies, and goldfish, to name a few. (Okay, maybe those aren’t your hobbies, but you get the point.)
So, how can I write incredible copy in your brand’s idiolect, that resonates with your potential and existing customers, and create artwork fit for galleries, billboards, logos, and books?
Because I just can.
It’s hard for me to answer because society has always told me that I could only be good at one thing, only have one “true calling”. Statistically speaking, that’s just not true. In the U.S., the average person will have 5-7 different careers in their working life, but somehow we’re conditioned to see it as a failure if we don’t fit the mould of working in the same role for all of our career, which simply isn’t true.
Throughout my schooling, I was confused about the direction I wanted to go in. I loved languages and art, I was good at biology, and I wanted to keep my options open, so I took algebra too, just in case. Everything felt like a possibility, and instead of listening to what I wanted, I followed someone else’s passion, and I went on to study chemistry.
Writing and art have been huge parts of my life that I have loved and nurtured for as long as I can remember. When I was considering leaving my career in science, I asked myself what would bring me joy every day. Once I let go of the expectation that it had to be one thing, the answer was really obvious.
Although this change of direction was a surprise to me, my friends and family met the news of my career change, with exclamations like, “Of course!”, “At last!”, and “Well, obviously. Took you long enough.” because my profession finally suited what they could always see were my passions and my strengths.
I guess what it all boils down to is; why can’t I be good at copywriting and illustration? I love art, I love the written word, and I love seeing businesses utilising effective copywriting and eye-catching artwork to thrive.
The proof is in the pudding though, right? I’d love to show you what I can do, and help you build your business with wonderful wording and/or pretty pictures.
Artwork from a recent project where I worked as a copywriter and illustrator.