The starving artist myth is a load of shite
squinting closer
Let's see here...
You're an illustrator who has ploughed hours and years (maybe even decades) into becoming the best illustrator you can be.
You *know* you're good enough. And YET. You're umming and ahh-ing over your pricing, self-promo makes you want to be sick in your mouth, Instagram's doing your head in, clients are eerily quiet and you keep tweaking your website hoping that'll help 'em find you.
Excellent. I've been there! And I've helped lots and lots of illustrators shuffle out of indecision and into their LETS FECKIN' GO energy. We're going to have sooo much fun.
I don't want your portfolio collecting internet-dust when it could be out there FLABBERGASTING your dream clients
A talented illustrator like you deserves to get the right eyeballs on your work. We're not here to become content creators, nope. We're here to sort our marketing and positioning so that we can create a creative career that fits nicely alongside your real life (and brain).
I believe with my entire body that it's NOT a crazy thing to wish for. A creative career that pays the bills and leaves space for being a human? Yes.
Proper magic happens when you stop waiting to be picked, and create your own luck and opportunities. 😎
Make your own luck!
Meet Katie
Have you seen that meme floating around that says "I will succeed because I am insane"? That's me.
After wading through the grief of losing my first baby at age 23, I was infused with a special kind of power that makes you want to make sure NOBODY else has to go through the financial panic that I experienced. I had no idea how to charge for my creative work, and 'self-promo'? When you've been brought up to know that showing off is absolutely NOT ALLOWED!?
One huge pivotal moment: An early client (an angel in corporate clothing) returned my illustration invoice to me with the kindly advice "please add a zero to that." I realised that budgets existed. Money was out there! And I finally saw how small I'd been playing.
Why had the money stuff all been so top secret in college? There was an unspoken air of "urgh, you don't want to make MONEY, do you? How uncouth."
Nowadays I'm not scared to talk about money.
If you're here to have a lovely unpaid creative hobby and you don't want anyone to see you trying or charging then I love that for you...
BUT if you're raring to go and excited to figure out how to get well paid for your illustration and nail the marketing and visibility stuff? OMG, I CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR YOUR PLANS.
TMI edition
How did I end up here??
2012
Graduated, got a graphic design job. Hated it. Got fired and lost a baby in the same month. Not a Great Time™
2013
Resigned myself to being a nanny forever. OH WELL. Lived in Italy, Germany.
2015
Drew every single day. Went budget backpacking with my nanny-money.
2016
Got an MA in Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art thanks to an inheritance and started this weird thing called Live Illustration
2018
Started working as a part-time illustration lecturer 3 hours from home, while also nannying 🤪
2019
My live illustration career TOOK OFF. Had to quit my nanny job.
2020
Quit my lecturer job. (Yay!)
2020
Co-founded The Good Ship Illustration with my pals Helen Stephens and Tania Willis
2020
Covid = all my live illustration work was cancelled overnight (Aaagh).
2021
Pivoted to online live illustration and it went BONKERS! I couldn't keep up with demand. At one point I was illustrating at 5 online events per day. Also got married in between the insane work schedule.
2022
Had my daughter 🥰 navigated biz with a tiny human attached to me
2023
Scaled my live illustration business up to 3 salaried employees, and 24 illustrators
2024
☠️☠️☠️ frazzled AF - realised running a team wasn't for me.
2025
Right-sized my live illustration business and went back to being just me and my assistant.
2025
Started the Illustrator Jobs Board to share my crazy overflow of work. (£340,000 of illustration work over 18 months)
2025
Started doing 1:1 mentoring and LOVED IT so much.
2026
Paused the Illustrator Jobs Board to regroup and hang out with my family.
Now
Helping brilliant illustrators smash their marketing, and sailing the Good Ship Illustration 🚢 🚢 🚢
Let's be pals
...in case you're as nosy as I am
Biggest career lesson:
No such thing as mistakes, just big 'ol lessons. And I am compelled to SHARE THEM to save you figuring stuff out the hard way. Can't stop, won't stop.
Nap or early night?
Err... can I do both please?
The last thing I Googled:
'Weather Berwick upon Tweed' (...it's always windy and/or raining 😆)
Favourite sketchbook:
I am partial to a lovely Pith one.
Dream travel destination:
Japan is top of my list!
Secret talent:
I'm fluent in backwards mirror writing.
Bath or shower?
BATH BATH BATH
Procreate brush I use most:
Studio brush pen (so basic, so versatile 🤪)
Well that's me
What about you?
I help illustrators put their strategic business hat on, think bigger, get their work in front of the right eyeballs, and create their own "luck" so that they can earn a very decent income from their creativity.
1:1 spots are super limited so that I can give you my best brain energy. (Only 4 spaces per quarter)