Creator Career Idea Board

Write a brief description, introducing yourself and/or your craft:

Hello! My name is Susannah Livengood. I'm a 24 year-old artist currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. I've been drawing since I was very young. I'm mostly self-taught with some professional teaching in traditional foundations during my elementary years. From there, I learned I really loved digital art. By the time I was around thirteen, I knew I wanted to focus in the commercial arts.

The hardest struggle is my health condition--I teeter on a weird line between being almost disabled, but I still want to make a living and to get my art out. I want to inspire others, share stories, and just draw. It's hard to push through some days, but I'm learning.

I'm primarily a concept artist--illustration, game art, character design, the like. I love vibrant colours, interesting characters, and scenery that tells a story.

I also have two webcomics in the works--one is a fan-comic simply to learn how to create sequential works, so to speak. The other is a fully original work set in a cyberpunk/sci-fi world--it's my ultimate goal to get that story told, but I need to gain a bit more skill!

Describe where you are now in the process of building your career:

I feel as if I'm somewhere in the middle of everything, trying to find a balance and struggling to maintain it due to my health. I have a decent amount of income on Patreon and it's my main source--but it barely pays the bills (actually--it doesn't, which is bad!). While I'm extremely thankful for the support of a few generous patrons, I still need to gain a bit more revenue and a larger following to secure myself.

There's A LOT I need to be working. Some things are clear cut: draw more, get more fans, right? But there is so much I have to achieve and this skillshare class made me realize it. Should I begin to merchandise more? Are conventions a viable option for me? What tools should I be using? What about networking? What about properly filing my taxes (shudders)?

It's a very serious part of my career. Too many wrong steps and I've lost. Though one learns from mistakes, and it's often the journey that counts...I have to work hard to get what I want. But it's not all about myself. It's also giving back to the community, encouraging others, and making this world see how vital and wonderful our imaginations can be.

Share your next steps in prepping your creative business for monetization:

1. Post more often! Every other day is good--every day is ideal.
2. Get my website set up finally and connect a shop to it for selling items such as prints, merchandise, and more.
3. Be more involved in my community--reach out to fans more. Contests? Giveaways? Gift-art? Often giving is a great start to gaining monetization.
4. Work on my branding--find a way to help me stand out in the crowd; not just with art, but also personality too.
5. Find what makes me happy--is it working for others (companies, contracts, etc) or freelancing and self-publishing? Maybe a mix of both?

- MY PATREON -

- Portfolio -

Thank you so much for reading! I would really appreciate feedback, suggestions, and advice!