{"id":49295,"date":"2021-08-26T15:54:26","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T07:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=49295"},"modified":"2024-02-02T13:59:08","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T05:59:08","slug":"making-living-art-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/making-living-art-interview","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Three Malaysians Share How They Make A Living Out Of Art And Illustration"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Charis

Charis Loke, Farid Nad and Syarifah Nadhirah<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s a myth that you can\u2019t turn creative work into a full-time career. This is especially prevalent in some Asian communities, where, as the joke goes, you can\u2019t pick a profession beyond the parent-approved trifecta of doctor, lawyer or engineer – lest you want to incur the wrath of your ancestors.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, that isn\u2019t true. It\u2019s possible to build a full-time career – and a thriving one, at that – out of creative work like visual art. But you don\u2019t have to take our word for it. We asked Charis Loke, Farid Nad and Syarifah Nadhirah to share their experiences on how they\u2019ve made a living out of art and illustration.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Charis Loke<\/span><\/h2>\n

Illustrator and comics editor<\/em><\/p>\n

Charis Loke<\/a> is an illustrator and comics editor based in Penang. She describes her work as being rooted in Southeast Asian cultures and influenced by traditions of speculative fiction.<\/p>\n

Before going into illustration full-time, she built up a financial buffer working as a public school teacher and at an arts education nonprofit. During this time, she also worked on freelance jobs while taking online illustration workshops and mentorships to learn about the business side of freelancing. \u201cOnce I was reasonably certain of being able to have a somewhat steady income, I went into freelancing full-time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Mural

Mural illustration for Netflix\u2019s The Ghost Bride<\/p><\/div>\n

Most of Charis\u2019 work is done on a freelance basis for clients, specifically in book and editorial illustration – this includes magazines and other periodicals. She earns income from the artwork fees and its subsequent licensing (for instance, when maps for a book are reused in other language editions of the book).<\/p>\n

Other sources of income include support from subscribers on Patreon<\/a>. She also holds a part-time role as a comics and illustrations editor at New Naratif<\/a>, an online journalism platform that publishes stories on Southeast Asian current affairs and experiences.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Turning Tides: map for \u2018The Bone Shard Daughter\u2019 by Andrea Stewart; print available<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

When pricing her work, Charis looks at the context and scope of the work and the market that it is catering to, who the client is, and what usage rights they require. \u201cThe bigger the client, or the more places they would like to use the work in, or the more complex the work is, the higher the fees,\u201d she said. She also looks up online databases like Litebox, which list how much clients have paid for similar jobs. For particularly niche jobs, she consults other artists who may have done such work before.<\/p>\n

But she notes that the market for book and editorial illustration is not very developed in Malaysia, and that there\u2019s a lack of understanding of copyright and usage rights.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration

Illustration for \u2018Road: A Fairytale\u2019 on Strange Horizons; print available<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe rates are far from competitive with those of the US or UK markets,\u201d she said. For example, a book cover for a small to large US publisher could be anywhere from US$1,000 (RM4,200) to US$3,500 (RM14,700). \u201cI\u2019ve never been offered more than RM2,000 for a book cover locally, and I know of Malaysian publishers who offer around the same amount for a fully-illustrated thirty-page picture book.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unfortunate that Malaysian publishers tend to underprice the work of illustrators – not least because it\u2019s a highly skilled craft – but also because producing and practising it can incur a lot of expenses. Charis has compiled a list of her business income and expenses<\/a> during her first year of freelancing, which notes one-off costs like printers, and recurring costs like web hosting.<\/p>\n

The biggest misconception that people have about what she does for a living? That she just draws. \u201cI also spend time keeping up with what other illustrators are doing, what publishers are putting out into the world, researching topics and gathering reference materials for my illustrations, reading widely, learning from what artists and researchers in different fields are doing, handling administrative work like invoices and receipts…\u201d she said, \u201c…and living.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charis\u2019 tips for pursuing illustration full-time:<\/strong><\/p>\n