Jill Rosenwald sent me the following that I want to share with Boston-area folks:

hello design salonistas!
welcome to licensing 101!
on october 14th we are having our salon night focusing on the crazy world of licensing.

our panel that night includes LILLA ROGERS ( www.lillarogers.com) who owns an agency that places artists and their work at some of america’s biggest companies, LISA DE JOHN the painter/illustrator of the famed IKEA print (check out her site..www.lisadejohn.com) you may recognize the work), and petite moi..your friend jill rosenwald..(www.jillrosenwald.com) a licensed designer for the past 4 years..my work is today placed at anthropologie, starbucks, pottery barn, and crate and barrel among others.

we will be talking that night about our experiences but we would like YOUR help.

please submit your questions to us via mcrae2@aol.com and we will structure our talk around what you want to know!

thanks for your help on this one..and oh we will be having the event at kate maloney’s fabulous design space in cambridge at 875 main street..details to follow.
But we do need an rsvp here..as kate’s space only has room for 25 peeps..so let me know.

tata fa na
xo
jill

We’re excited to present Lilla Rogers Studio Cardshop where you can get the art you love on the cards you need!

…and here are two delightful Lisa products that are shown inside the catalog.

Amazing, lovely piece on Trust.

A map of Minneapolis.

Dear Readers,

This thoughtful comment came in yesterday to my blog on the economy. BTW,we got our biggest response to any blog item. I want to share Robin’s comments first and then I’ll respond below.
———-
ROBIN DESILVIO writes:
Thanks Lilla. That was an upbeat look at our economy.

But honestly, do any of these artists make their living purely from illustration assignments? I find that most FT artists do so-so, but often have spouses or second careers that help offset living expenses. (ie. Stay at home moms or people who don’t really need the income) Even a successful illustrator ends up paying a rep between 35-50% of their earnings.

I would be curious to know if it is truly possible to survive as an illustrator–especially in this economy. True about talent, but how much can a talented artist truly expect to make? A single artist…not a two income household. Illustrators are hit with self employment taxes, their own health insurance, business expenses, etc. Your candor would be so appreciated.
———
Lilla responds:

Dear Robin,

Nice to meet you. I appreciate your candid concerns. I love your questions and many years ago I wondered these same things.

I have a wonderful vantage point as an agent in that I have seen artists’ careers intimately for many years. How much they make, how long a career lasts, and so forth. Here are some observations in brief:

1. Really strong artists with great promotion make $30K – $80K as a general ballpark in this economy. I have had artists make more on occasion: 100K. Don’t forget, this is not 40 hours a week (it’s less), so it’s really good money for the hours. It is definitely erratic, however, and I feel that everyone who has a less-stable job like illustration should have a partner who has a stable job especially for health insurance. That’s just the reality. Don’t shoot the messenger. Sound radical? Aren’t we all supposed to be independent and support ourselves? Yes, ideally. Conversely, everyone with a stable job should have a partner with an exciting, creative job! So there. (-:
As an agent, I have a broader base of income. But if you are an individual, you need to expand your base. I’ll talk about that more another time.

2. Freelance illustration is great for an at-home parent. Freedom, great work, shorter hours, flexibility.

3. Being an artist/illustrator is great for folks that are entrepreneurial. That means you continue to find venues for your work and you don’t crumble over small setbacks.

4. I supported myself entirely as a freelance illustrator for 10 years before I became an agent, so yes, you can do it. A large percentage of my artists make good livings from illustration alone.

There is no cut-and-dried answer. Each person is a different case. We do live in a culture that encourages people to go for it. In reality, freelance is not for everybody. I did it because I wanted it more than anything in the world and was willing to do whatever it took to make a living entirely as an artist.

I hope you find that helpful.

Lilla

I thought you’d like to see these fab things from a recent visit to Anthropologie, where I get most of my clothing.