7.03.2014

Advice to a Class from Real World Freelance- Part 4

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Laura C. who is a first year Media and Animation student at The Art Institute of Orange County. For her report, she was required to interview someone in the Animation Industry to get an idea for the field and the types of jobs that are available.

In the next series of posts, I will share with you the questions she asked me and my responses based on my journey and perspective as a Freelance Artist. Please feel free to comment below with any questions you may have for me, and I would be happy to answer them for you. 

Interview with Michael Voogd - Freelance Artist
Animator – Illustrator – Caricature – Comic Strips – Instructor

How long did it take to get your business up and running?
I realized the first thing I needed was a website to promote myself, and some business cards for my face-to-face meetings. After launching my website I started scanning in my old drawings just for visual stimulation to give viewers a taste of my style. Then I searched sites like craigslist.org for people that needed artist to hire. I was professional in my email responses to their ads, and always included my new website for them to view my work. I knew that if I could get them to reply to my emails, and begin a conversation with them, that I had a chance. And sure enough, within the first week I started receiving personal replies and offers. In fact, two of my current clients I found on craigslist, and I am still working with them 3 years later!

Remember, it’s all about presenting a strong portfolio, and NOT necessarily about having a degree! People don’t care that I have an Associates in Art Degree. What they care about is what they see in my portfolio and what they will expect their projects to look like.

Were there any setbacks?
A-B-C… Always Be Closing. Or put another way, “Always Be Creating”. One thing I learned from my former sales jobs is to keep your “pipeline” full. Which means to always have projects that you are working on, while continuing to pursue new clients. If you just settle on working with your existing clients, you neglect your next paycheck, which you will eventually need. With this mentality, I have been able to avoid potential setbacks.

Is it ever hard to find new clients?
Not when you follow my previous advise. There is ALWAYS a need for ART. Some people have the vision, but it’s the artist that brings the vision to life. I do believe that you should have a specialty, or the art that you prefer to create. BUT, that is when you need to decide how you want to market yourself. In the beginning, I marketed myself (and still do to some extent) in the following areas: Animator, Illustrator, Caricature and Comic Strip Artist. I also am an instructor and teach drawing classes in the local home schooling community to fulfill a need for parents that want their children exposed to art, but don’t know how to draw. Versatility is important. There will be times that caricatures aren’t in demand, or illustrations; in which case you’ll need to market comic strips, or logo design, or tutoring. READ:

READ: Advice to a Class from Real World Freelance Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

7.02.2014

Advice to a Class from Real World Freelance- Part 3

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Laura C. who is a first year Media and Animation student at The Art Institute of Orange County. For her report, she was required to interview someone in the Animation Industry to get an idea for the field and the types of jobs that are available.

In the next series of posts, I will share with you the questions she asked me and my responses based on my journey and perspective as a Freelance Artist. Please feel free to comment below with any questions you may have for me, and I would be happy to answer them for you. 

Interview with Michael Voogd - Freelance Artist
Animator – Illustrator – Caricature – Comic Strips – Instructor

Owning your own business sounds like the dream. What made you want to open your own company rather than taking your talents to a studio?


'Whether you think you can, or think you can't- you're right.'
–Henry Ford 

Back in the late 90’s studios began changing how animators were contracted. Rather than hiring them for a period of years, they hired them per animated picture. When the film was completed, many of these animators got laid off and had to reapply to get onto the next film. In a scramble for these out-of-work artists to make a living, it became very difficult for new talent to get hired by studios when all the veterans were completing for the same jobs. At the time it was still a very young Internet and portfolios still needed to me printed and mailed. It was very discouraging and so I lost interest in my pursuit.

Between 2000 and 2009 I pretty much stopped drawing. I would doodle a little here and there, but nothing serious or consistent. These moments however, reminded me how much I loved to draw and that I was good at it. And it was during these 10 years that the Internet came into it’s own and websites were popping up left and right.

Our habits change when our thinking changes, and this “change” usually happens when you are fed up with a circumstance in your life that you want to improve. This pivotal moment occurred to me in the quiet hours of working a graveyard shift at a company that had me doing unfulfilling and monotonous work. In these hours of frustration, an idea began to take shape. “What is my PASSION and PURPOSE in life? What are the gifts and talents that God has blessed me with? How can I use these gifts to live a happy and rewarding life, while adding value and filling a need in society? I want to draw. I want to CREATE! But how can I earn a living doing what I love.”

So I began thinking this idea through on how to practically make it happen. I realized, “I can draw the images, but what niche do I want to focus on? I know how to create a website to display my artwork, but how will I attract customers? How can I advertise my services on a very limited budget?” You probably already guessed the answer... SOCIAL MEDIA!

With Social Media I could have unlimited viewers! My friends and family would be happy to promote my services to their circles of followers, and best of all…IT’S FREE! My vision was coming together, but more importantly, I BELIEVED I could do it. And with that conviction, I grabbed a composition book and began writing down every idea that came into my head as to how I would make money with my art. Nothing was left off the table. I became a jack-of-all-trades so to speak.

READ: Advice to a Class from Real World Freelance Part 1 and Part 2

7.01.2014

Advice to a Class from Real World Freelance- Part 2

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Laura C. who is a first year Media and Animation student at The Art Institute of Orange County. For her report, she was required to interview someone in the Animation Industry to get an idea for the field and the types of jobs that are available.

In the next series of posts, I will share with you the questions she asked me and my responses based on my journey and perspective as a Freelance Artist. Please feel free to comment below with any questions you may have for me, and I would be happy to answer them for you. 

Interview with Michael Voogd - Freelance Artist
Animator – Illustrator – Caricature – Comic Strips – Instructor

What sparked your interest in animation? What main type of art/animation do you do?

It was the summer of 1988, when my family embarked on a road trip around the United States. At 13 years old I already had a fondness of hand-drawn animation, but it was when we visited the newly constructed Disney MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida that I knew what I wanted to do.

The attraction was called ‘The Magic of Disney Animation’. At the time you were able to watch real Disney Animators at work from behind a glass curtain after viewing a short movie on the process of creating an animated movie. Once I stepped in, it was a slice of heaven for this young artist with a love for cartoons.

I enjoy creating 2-D hand-drawn animation, but also enjoy the visual beauty of what is now being created with CG animation. What these talented animators are able to create with computers is truly amazing. Yet, you must always remember that the software is just a tool. The computer DOES NOT animate a scene on it’s own, just like a pencil doesn’t draw a picture on it’s own. It’s the vision of the artist that uses these tools to create the illusion of life that viewers see on screen.

Read: Advice to a Class from Real World Freelance- Part 1