We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joseph Cowman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joseph, 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?

I’ve worked for years as a full time artist and have been able to make a full time living doing so. The projects I’ve worked on throughout the years with other creatives have given me a chance to stretch my artistic boundaries and explore areas of illustration I hadn’t imagined I would. My journey started with a love for art and illustration. As a teen I was engrossed in fantasy art and storytelling from artist like Alan Lee, Brian Froud and Arthur Rackham. I started by simply drawing what inspired me. My first step toward a career in the arts came after I was married when my wife suggested taking some of my ideas and painting them. Early on I believed I would work in the fine arts. As my work progressed and I became a father my style went in the direction of illustration. My wife Kari wrote stories and our children and I illustrated them. During this time I had my first paid projects; found online or through artist networks. I built a portfolio of illustrative work and clients. I was then able to pitch that portfolio of work to larger publishers. Once they knew I had experience working in a creative pipeline, producing work on schedule, and communicating with a team, getting work was easier. Looking back on my journey I would have started with a degree in the arts. I am self taught, and there are aspects of that approach that I feel have given me a unique style. But I believe an education in the arts would have given me a great advantage.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Visual arts have always been magnetic for me. I get lost in imagery and taken away to the worlds that are created by artists. It was a natural evolution for my love of visual art to become a path for illustrative work. Early on I worked in more “adult” illustration and when I became a father I was immersed in a world of children’s imagination. That felt like the path I was meant to take. I remember telling stories to my girls when they were small and wanting to express visuals that didn’t yet exist. Children’s illustration was my vehicle for expression. I am most proud of the work I create that speaks wholly for itself. I work to balance color and composition so that an observer can lose themselves in a piece and feel as though they’re looking at something that is organic and undiscovered at the same time.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I love this question, especially as we move further into the edifice of artificial intelligence. The humanities, and for me, visual arts in particular, are the expression of our collective society. I believe that we need organizations to connect artists to one another and give space for expression and collaboration. I do believe that public funding for the arts is essential for any community to truly thrive. Without creative spaces we risk losing the story of our humanity at worst and the ability to entertain and inspire at the least. I understand that public art funding can be contentious but the power of art is collaboration and collaboration ultimately builds community.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I could on forever about this prompt. My career started before I had internet! I would have loved to be more educated about other artists; their stories, their techniques, their mentors. I should have learned to find more books than I had about art history and the different mediums, techniques, etc. When I did have internet I would have liked to have spent more time studying current and former masters. There is so much to learn from people who have traveled the road before me. I would have loved to have the knowledge that artists are (generally) a very giving community and will spend time giving advice or just critiquing work. I would have loved to be more open to critique. I basically would have loved to discount all of the false confidence that youth gives a person and sought out lessons and advice from people who had been down this road before me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.josephcowman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephcowman/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd7w0-0ZFdnMWTWrWhS-xGg?view_as=public