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1/ Seen this floating around and it’s a solid question. A bit hard to answer as everyone has different stories and backgrounds but I can share how it was for me when I got started.
Spoiler alert: support networks, sacrifice and saying yes to anything https://twitter.com/litebox_info/status/1319012658146910212">https://twitter.com/litebox_i...
Spoiler alert: support networks, sacrifice and saying yes to anything https://twitter.com/litebox_info/status/1319012658146910212">https://twitter.com/litebox_i...
2/ I got a head start on art since I ended up going to a really good public art high-school in Puerto Rico. I was doing cast & anatomy studies before I was 15. I also knew I wanted to be in the arts. My family was lower middle class, so we had zero resources for college
3/ So I got in bed with the devil and got student loans (that I’m still paying off) to attend a ...questionable art university (good teachers, horrible school). The student loan covered most of my necessities but I still needed cash. So I decided to get a job at a cute bakery
4/ However, I was so clueless that I got fired on my second day of training lol freaked out I called my dad and he jokingly said “ then you better start working on art jobs because you may not have other options 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😆" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit geöffnetem Mund und fest verschlossenen Augen" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit geöffnetem Mund und fest verschlossenen Augen"> “ but he was right. It was ride or die for me!
5/ I began to look for any art related jobs. I did Body painting for parties, caricatures for people, book covers for independent authors, worked briefly as a colorist for an indie comic book, did figurines, worked on ad placement at a local news paper, story boards for a small
6/ ad agency, and concept work for two small game companies in Florida and so on all while in college. With the extra cash I could help pay my bills and part of the rent ( my parents tried to pay half if they could. My rent was mega cheap at $200 as I had crazy no. of roommates )
7/ I did become homeless for a bit in Florida , and me and my group of friends would jump from friends house to friends house. I never told my folks because I didn’t want to worry them.
The big jump came when I wanted to go attend the Safehouse Atelier in SF. They didn’t-
The big jump came when I wanted to go attend the Safehouse Atelier in SF. They didn’t-
8/ offer any sort of financial assistance as they were independent school.
This is when my mother and father, but especially my mom as she had the higher paying job ( music teachers don’t get paid well enough!) stepped up. She gave me $ to get to SF and helped pay for-
This is when my mother and father, but especially my mom as she had the higher paying job ( music teachers don’t get paid well enough!) stepped up. She gave me $ to get to SF and helped pay for-
9/ my schooling for a year and a half. What i found out much later is that she skipped paying a ton of bills, and lived a while without electricity in order for me to attend the school. She sacrificed a lot for me to be there, both of my parents did. Im forever grateful to them!
10/ I was also homeless again for a little bit, as we desperately looked for housing in SF. Jumped from friends house to shady motels, etc. Didn’t tell my parents about this time either as I didn’t want them to worry...same as my mom not telling me of her own sacrifices.
11/ Once settled I kept looking for any art jobs I could find, and was always freelancing while I was a student. I couldn’t handle being such a burden on my parents, and wanted to help as much as I could.
About a year and a half in I got a job offer at a game company, and
About a year and a half in I got a job offer at a game company, and
12/ I have been independent ever since.
When I was 27 my mom lost her job and I began to support her full time for about 4 years straight or so. So even as a professional with a full time job, I would take on whatever extra freelance I could so that I could support her.
When I was 27 my mom lost her job and I began to support her full time for about 4 years straight or so. So even as a professional with a full time job, I would take on whatever extra freelance I could so that I could support her.
13/ We were never a family of means, we were close to poverty, and didn’t have any sort of generational wealth.
Outside of kind gestures by extended family or friends, we were kind of on our own. It was honestly a huge gamble for my family to bet so big on my education/career.
Outside of kind gestures by extended family or friends, we were kind of on our own. It was honestly a huge gamble for my family to bet so big on my education/career.
14/ But they sacrificed like crazy, and knowing that was a huge motivator for me to make sure it was worth it. It still is.
So in essence, I had the opportunity to be a professional artist because of the sacrifices my family made. I kept myself afloat on any art job I could-
So in essence, I had the opportunity to be a professional artist because of the sacrifices my family made. I kept myself afloat on any art job I could-
14/ find, no matter how small the pay. I also had a supportive family and later peers and colleagues that offered guidance and excellent industry + wage advice. Above all, I knew the only guarantee I had was my portfolio. So I focused on improving even when working small jobs.
15/ So yeah. Not everyone’s path is the same. My own path had its own ups and downs, privileges and difficulties, sacrifice and rewards. And I’m sure it will continue to be an up and down journey.
But maybe my story will help yours. Maybe not. Either way here it is.
But maybe my story will help yours. Maybe not. Either way here it is.
