Contacting Professionals

I made a LinkedIn account but really don't like using it. I also don't really think it's even very useful for illustrators as far as I can tell. It's not something anybody in the industry or other practitioners who have spoken at uni have ever mentioned using. Nor did anyone at Hanbury.

I've sent several emails out to people who were at the Hanbury event, as well as others who I just think are relevant to my practice and where it might sit in the future. I do find it kind of weird sending emails and tend to end up obsessing over stuff that probably doesn't matter all that much, I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. I mainly just did a sort of hello, spoke about being at Hanbury briefly if the person I emailed was there, and included a link to my website. There were a few exceptions however.


Email correspondence with a graphics student from London who was working on a collaborative brief with Amnesty international, making a poster to represent missing human rights defenders:













I never actually heard about how it all went or got any pictures back of the final poster. I've sent a follow up email recently but haven't heard anything yet so maybe it fell through.

Email sent to Sam Summerskill from B&A reps:



Email sent to Ben Cox from CIA:



Email sent to Chloe from Plum Pudding:



Email sent to Ruby Boddington from Its Nice That:



Email sent to Sam from Nobrow:


I attached some jpegs of images from a project I want to publish as a book to the email to Sam 'cause that seemed to make sense. I might be able to get some more specific feedback.


Email sent to Sophie Stericker from Hachettte:



Email to Ziggy from Cicada Books:



Attached some jpegs from my book project to this as well.


Email to Soyoung magazine:



I came sixth in a competition they run at this magazine so mentioned that in the hopes it might trigger them remembering me.


Email to The Skinny:



Email sent to Gerry Brakus of the NewStatesman:



I'd actually made some editorial illustrations for a couple of NewStatesman articles so attached those to the email I sent to Gerry. I thought this would be a really good way of showing how I would actually be responding to the work I would be commissioned by a publication such as the newstatesman and demonstrating I could do it. It also makes the email much more specifically targeted and shows I care and am not just doing this for the sake of it.


This last email chain is between me and a woman who was writing a children's book and put out an add for illustrations. I emailed about it for the hell of it and she did actually get back to me and then I quickly realised that it wasn't really suited to my work. I said I would send her some work and then just didn't so that really wasn't handled very well at all. She never chased me up about it though and I got the impression she had a fair few choices so hopefully it didn't mess her around. She never chased me up so I'm sure it didn't.