What do you do?
Published by Matt Glover July 14th, 2007 in Misc
There are only a few folk that read this blog that can classify themselves as full time cartoonists.
Most of us, whether by choice or necessity have another job that gives us the money to fuel our cartooning habits.
We have a common interest in drawing, but when it comes to the ‘day job’ we have a wide variety of jobs and careers.
So I thought it was worth asking - what’s your day job?
I’m a part time in my cartooning by choice. In my other life, I’m a minister at a baptist church in Melbourne - most think I’m a better cartoonist that I am minister though!
I”m a training manager who is seriously considering a career change. Tis a shame I am not disciplined enough to draw regularly and give this cartooning thing a go! Maybe now is as good a time as any.
I am a graphic designer for a Christian publishing house in Indiana. I chose to be a designer because it complemented my cartooning work and illustration.
I’m a teacher in secondary school. Cartooning and composing a school song was my hobbies and partime job.
I’m an auditor turned marketeer. After 7 years of work, with ”forced” huge career changes either due to closure, restructuring, family commitments, I was so lost that I prayed and then God (I think!) pointed me to being the clay. But I’m still clueless, that’s why my blog is CluelessClay. And I’m researching cartoon blogs cos after 1.5 year of blogging (with about 50% cartoons), I’m quite clueless how to proceed.
p.s. sorry for the long answer to your short question, I’m just so glad that I’ve found a Christian cartoon blogger.
I own a small commercial art studio in central Illinois. Aside from the graphic design, photography and printing that we do, I also do caricatures at events and cartoons on the side. I’ve been at it for over 15 years!
When I am not drawing my own cartoons,I work at my church in Newcastle Australia, designing and producing their media, and I also work as a freelance illustrator, and I also work as an usher at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. I enjoy making my own t-shirt designs also, but haven’t figured out the best way to go about selling them yet.
I am a software engineer, which is crying out to be cartoonist. I am wandering around find a style for my cartooning. I am a father to a wonderful special need child; I work with other special needs children
I work as a support worker for disabled people.
For all that have responded so far - would you go full time into cartooning if the opportunity arose?
I would go full time in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity - and the money was right! As father to four and one on the way…well…you get the picture.
I am a full time graphic designer who has done a little cartooning on the side. My prayer is to become a full time illustrator with an emphasis on cartooning.
Yes, I would go fulltime; if I had the opportunity. I would do it in less then a heartbeat.. humm.. is there such a thing as less then heartbeat… I guess you get the point…
Matt, I’m a fulltime commercial artist who got a foot in the profession’s door via editorial cartooning way back in the ’80s. Pleased to say that cartoon-style illustration has remained a popular choice for many clients over my almost 20 years’ of service.
So there is a demand out there for good cartoonists, but it’s not in the “traditional” areas of publication (ie: newsprint and internet media), and from my experience, it isn’t enough to be able to render the artwork. You need to be savvy with a variety of reproduction processes, so that your artwork can be designed to suit more than one or two types of media. This is the knowledge that provides unforeseen opportunities, as the client-base can expand accordingly.
Would I be a fulltime cartoonist? No, too restricting an artform for me. Probably something I would take on as a part-time job during retirement, to keep my hand keen, so to speak.
Matt,
I would go part time if the opportunity arose. No second thoughts whatsoever. I don’t think I have the discipline yet to go full time, so by going part time would be the logical ‘first step’ for me.
However, if the right offer came along…….
I’m a retired high school math teacher/football coach(American FB). I got into cartooning by writing (and selling) gags to the late, great Bob Thaves creator of “Frank and Ernest’”
I would sketch his Frank and Ernest characters in the proper setting with the gag and fax him my ideas. Bob was very good to work for and he encouraged me to start out on my own.. I’m not setting the world on fire…. but I play golf every day, and draw a weekly editorial cartoon that runs in 5 or 6 area weekly papers. It’s fun, and it keeps me off the streets.
I’m a Computer Scientist working in the computer security industry. I’m only doing this until I can figure out how to make money in cartooning (and preferably how to make enough money to live on in cartooning). I’d go full time so fast it would make my current employer’s head spin.
As long as I could earn at least a similar amount, that my regular job pays - I’d jump at the chance.
I am a web designer. No, I would never want to do cartooning full time. Work is for money cartooning is for pleasure. I would hate if I had to come up with clever ideas everyday. Cartooning would be less fun if I had to worry about deadlines, or if my ideas would be good enough to generate x amount of dollars, or will this piss off some group of people(women, animal rights, christians, republicans etc). I simply draw cartoons because it gets me off the computer and allows me to think outside of my normal life. My fantasy world.
I’m a full-time dispatcher for the cable company.
Would I be a full-time cartoonist? YOU BET! In a pico-second! I’m getting a few jobs here and there now, but have yet to take the ‘big step’.
This site has helped immensely!
I’m a freelance Management Consultant, that’s what pays the bills. When anyone asks though, I’m a Cartoonist! The plan is to eventually phase out the consultancy and rely on the scribbling.
In addition to cartoon illustration work, I also do freelance graphic design and currently do part-time contract work as a production artist/design at one of the big alternative weekly magazines/papers in the area.
My own work has steadily increased enough that I am aiming to go on my own in the very near future.
Like Matt, I am also a full-time pastor, but that only pays part of the bills, so I am Channel Editor for the Arts and Design channel over at b5media.
Cartooning is becoming more and more of a prominent area that I am evolving in out of my other artwork, and hope to someday make that leap into having a little freelancing cartooning work going on at some point.