We were lucky to catch up with Owen Davey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Owen, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

It took time for me to build up a client list as an Illustrator; for people to know my work and want to commission me; to find the right art directors to contact; honestly, for my work to be ready.

When I left Falmouth University, I immediately started contacting potential clients, publishers and agents. I found every area of illustration interesting, so I rooted around for work wherever I could. For the first few years, I scored a handful of editorial jobs, some small artworks for bands and festivals, and even a couple of books with a publisher that was willing to take a risk on me.

Gradually, more and more people began to recognise my work and trust in the quality of what I would produce for a project. Art Directors I’d worked with on smaller projects moved on in their careers and offered me opportunities with new clients and bigger budgets. I had somehow managed to form a solid grounding for my career. It was a slow build to get there but it feels reliable, even now. What’s more, I’ve always prided myself on my own reliability. Art directors know I will make something of high quality and deliver it on time. This, of course, makes their lives considerably less stressful, so I often find myself working with people multiple times and I have cultivated some long-standing relationships that have worked well for both parties.

Owen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Owen Davey. My pronouns are he/him and I am an award-winning Illustrator from the UK. Since 2009 I have worked with many clients including (but not limited to) Google, WWF, Facebook, Sony, Lego and National Geographic. I have produced many picture books which have been published in over 25 languages all over the world. ‘Curious About Crocodiles’ from my non-fiction ‘About’ series with Flying Eye Books won Best in Show in the 3×3 Professional Show 2022. From the same series, ‘Bonkers About Beetles’ won Best in Show in 2019.

As an illustrator, I create visual content for a range of media and audiences. I’ve done everything from apps and branding to album covers and charity posters. My work tends to be geometric and simplified and I’m well known for creating artworks featuring animals.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think there tends to be a view that illustration is all about the final image. To a degree, this is true. The artwork is the core outcome and it needs to look good. But for it to look good, there is often a tonne of preparatory work needed. We don’t just put pen to paper and in a day it’s done. We have to research and explore topics and themes, problem-solve to form potential ideas and work with clients and art directors to ensure we are fulfilling the brief in the way they want us to, all before we even think about a final image. We have to consider technical restraints, how colour will be used, compositions, text legibility and more. I could go on and on about the complexities around creating functional and quality illustrations, but the key thing is that the final artwork is often just the tip of the iceberg.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have been on Twitter (now X) and Instagram for well over a decade. It was a slow burn to get the number of followers I have now, and honestly, the new algorithms and approaches to the platforms have rendered a lot of that work pretty useless, which is frustrating. I may have 192k followers on Instagram, but unless I post a video, less than 5% of my followers will see what I’ve been up to. It encourages you to show your face, do reels and spend money to promote, none of which massively inspires me, so I just do what I do. I put up static artwork (which is the work I do) and stick to the stuff I feel comfortable doing.

My key bit of advice with social media is twofold 1. Be you. Don’t pretend to be something you aren’t. Make it personal to your work or your experience and be authentic with it. It will be more sustainable and feel more genuine for it. 2. It does not equal your worth. Five likes on a post does not necessarily mean it’s a bad post. Thousands of likes on a post does not necessarily mean it’s a good one. There are multiple factors that go into how well your creations do on social media, but quality is only one of them. If you love something you’ve created but the rest of the world doesn’t seem to, don’t be disheartened and keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.owendavey.com/
• Instagram: @owendaveydraws
• Facebook: Owen Davey Illustration
• Twitter: @owendaveydraws

Image Credits
Illustrations by Owen Davey