Artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon is always working on about ten things at once!
It’s hard to imagine how she musters up so much creative inspiration. Whether it’s illustrating one of her own books (or someone else’s), doing client illustration work, creating her own products and projects, or teaching a Skillshare class on how to execute a professional illustration assignment, Lisa remains committed to engaging in work that is personally fulfilling — making her excited to get out of bed in the morning and pumped to hit the studio. We’re with you on that, Lisa!
Investing in Personal Projects
For the duration of 2016 she’s been making at least one painting or drawing a week that heavily features the color blue. She documents all of these blue creations on Instagram as well as her blog. The project, called Experiments in Blue, has led to loads of other endeavors for Lisa, including a gorgeous 2017 Limited Edition Calendar which features many of the paintings and drawings for the project (you can find it on Etsy), a contract with stationery and gift company Madison Park Greetings, who will license much of the work as stationery and other products, and two fine art exhibits in the next two years, one in New York and one in Los Angeles.
“Personal projects are the pathway to revenue generation for artists,” Lisa says. “Working on personal stuff (as opposed to client stuff) in whatever free time you have, and making the work YOU want to make will eventually grab the attention of people who want to pay for it.”
Most of Lisa’s books stem from personal interests, including her most recent book The Joy of Swimming and her upcoming book, A Glorious Freedom: On Being a Woman, Growing Older and Living an Extraordinary Life, out in 2017.
So what are some personal, creative projects that would get you inspired? Jump into Lisa’s class or check out 10,000 others to find some creative inspiration. (Join Lisa’s class in the next 2 weeks for a chance to win a copy of her book Art Inc.)
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