Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Black. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Allison, 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?
Yes! I’ve always been able to make a full-time living from my creative work, though it’s taken different forms over my 16 years in the industry. Like many young artists, I worried about making a stable living, especially being sold the “starving artist” stereotype as a child. I shared this concern with my college professors and they connected me with alumni, which landed me a full-time job at a baby bedding company before I even graduated.
I spent nine years working in-house – first at that job, then at Target Headquarters where I gained valuable experience, built my portfolio, and enjoyed the stability of a regular paycheck. But after years of freelancing on the side, I took the leap and started my own business. That was seven years ago, and I’ve been supporting myself ever since.
The key in my freelance career has been diversifying my work. Early on, I worked with a kid-lit agent to help establish myself in that industry. At the same time, I launched a stationery line, which led to licensing opportunities and passive income. Alongside that, I continued taking on freelance product design projects. That mix of revenue streams has kept my business thriving, even without a traditional paycheck.
There are so many ways to build a sustainable creative career. It takes persistence, hard work, and honestly, a little luck. But if you keep showing up, take on new challenges, and consistently share your work, the right opportunities will find you!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m an illustrator, designer, and creative problem solver who turns simple ideas into joyful, market-ready products. Originally from Rochester, NY, my work has taken me to Los Angeles and Minneapolis before settling in Columbus, Ohio. I have two young kids and a house full of pets. My bold, playful style has brought life to everything from children’s books and toys to murals and packaging.
My career started in-house—I spent two years at a baby bedding company designing products and providing creative services for major retailers before joining Target’s design team. People often ask how I got the job at Target, and the answer is simple: I applied! I had a strong portfolio that showcased my ability to design market-ready products, along with a separate personal portfolio to highlight my artistic range. During my seven years at Target, I worked across multiple teams, including Seasonal, Stationery, Toddler Apparel, Bullseye’s Playground, and 2D Art. I collaborated with factories and vendors, provided art direction to cross-company teams, designed proprietary artwork and products, and refined my illustration style and artistic voice. In 2017, I took the leap to work for myself and focus more on children’s books and freelance design.
Since then, I’ve illustrated over 30 children’s books, designed puzzles, developed games, created hundreds of greeting cards, licensed my artwork, negotiated countless contracts, and so much more! I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with companies including Mudpuppy Games, Crocodile Creek, American Greetings, Papyrus, Nick Jr., and Sesame Street. Bringing unique, exciting ideas to life through collaboration has been the heart of my work—and a true joy.
While illustration is at the core of what I do, my expertise spans a wide range of creative disciplines. I help companies bring their ideas to life through a mix of creative vision, strategic thinking, and hands-on execution. I generate fresh concepts, provide innovation for existing products, create artwork and kid-friendly content, write specs, collaborate with factories on production, design packaging and displays, develop marketing assets, and even craft sales pitches. With this versatile skill set, I work seamlessly with teams to refine and execute ideas, ensuring they translate into engaging, high-quality products.
One of my proudest collaborations has been with Buffalo Games on projects like TinkerTar and Pop It Pets. Both required extensive teamwork, coordination, and creative problem-solving—along with the trust and autonomy to shape the final product. Additionally, my card lines with American Greetings have been a bright spot. Their team has let me lead the creative direction for the line, and seeing my name featured on endcaps at Target has been a surreal, full-circle moment—especially since this doesn’t happen when you work in-house. These projects reflect what I love most about my work: using my experience to help companies create fun, exciting, and successful products.
As I continue growing my business, I’m eager for new opportunities to collaborate and expand my focus. I’m currently building a portfolio of murals and interior design projects that bring energy and joy into spaces. I’m also passionate about visual storytelling and brand development and look forward to growing my work in that space. I’m excited for what the future holds as I continue to grow and learn—both as an artist and as a businesswoman
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As a mother of two young children, I had to make an enormous pivot after the birth of my son – and honestly, it feels like I’ve been pivoting ever since. Before having kids, I had the freedom to create whenever inspiration struck, stay up late to follow that creative spark, and use my downtime however I wanted. Before he was born, I was working full-time remotely for Target, had launched a stationery line, was managing a shop, and was taking on freelance projects—including illustrating two children’s books.
Once my son was born, there was no way to do it all. He was a difficult sleeper, never sleeping more than a few hours at a time for the entire first year. I was exhausted, and juggling client deadlines and revisions on top of that was overwhelming. Partway through the year, I cut back to part-time at Target, but even then, I didn’t have enough time to focus on the work I was most passionate about – my projects outside of Target.
By the end of that year, I found a kid-lit agent and made the decision to leave Target completely and go full-time freelance. It was a risky choice, especially with a new baby, since Target provided a steady paycheck and consistent work. But after seven years there, and despite moving teams, I didn’t see the kind of creative or professional growth I wanted. I knew if I was going to build something of my own, I had to take the leap. That first year was terrifying as I figured out how to make everything work, but it was the right choice.
I still struggle with balancing business and creativity while mothering. My youngest starts full-day Kindergarten this fall, and for the first time in eight years, I’ll have close to a full workday (9 AM–3:30 PM) and a full workweek (minus sick days and school holidays). The pressure on creative mothers to be instantly productive in a short window and to feel creatively fulfilled while also maintaining family life, is enormous. I know I’ll continue navigating this balance as my kids grow, but those early years are especially tough – and there’s so little support for women during that time.
I hope, societally, we’ll make changes that better support mothers and families, but I’m not sure what that looks like. For now, the best advice I can give new mother creatives is to be extremely kind to yourself and set realistic goals. This is something I struggled with. I wanted to achieve great things and do so much with my work, and then I felt disappointed in myself when I couldn’t keep up. Setting realistic expectations for your work and yourself may help curb that feeling of failure. You’re taking on an enormous new role, and figuring out how work and art fit in will take time, just like your creative journey has been a lifelong process.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
A creative career is not for the faint of heart. Creatives often get a bad rap for being emotional or flighty, but in my experience, the designers I’ve worked with are thoughtful, invested, and incredibly hardworking. A creative path is filled with both personal and professional challenges—times when you struggle to find your artistic voice or master a new skill, and times when you have to navigate systems beyond your control. Throughout my career, I’ve faced both everyday frustrations and major, direction-changing disappointments. Each time, I allow myself a moment to be discouraged, then I pick myself up and try a different approach—or just try again.
At my first job, I had to learn how to be both an illustrator and a designer while balancing the demands of sales reps and managers. I worked under absurd creative constraints like “only dot eyes on characters will sell.” I had to think fast, work quickly, and adjust my designs in real time while someone stood behind me directing every detail. During this time, I became an asset at work – someone who could still develop fresh art while threading the needle between all the conflicting requests. I also built a personal portfolio outside of work to explore my own creative ideas and grow as an artist. That portfolio ultimately gave me the leg-up I needed to get hired by Target when a position opened up.
At Target, I had to learn how to navigate corporate culture in order to be taken seriously and get promoted. Being passionate about art doesn’t mean working for less than you deserve. I’ve always gone above and beyond client expectations – staying late to get the job done, putting in extra hours of personal work to develop my style. But at Target, promotions didn’t always come down to hard work alone. I was told I needed to be more patient or that structurally, I couldn’t be promoted unless I moved teams. So I moved. Multiple times. With each transition, I had to learn a new team’s inner workings and prove myself to a fresh set of sales partners and managers. It wasn’t easy, but over the years, it worked in my favor. Each move led to promotions and wage increases, and ultimately, I carved out a place for myself.
As a freelancer, I still have to navigate pay negotiations and creative freedom with each project. Over time, I’ve become better at balancing my creative instincts with client feedback. There’s always a give-and-take, but the real joy of creating comes from open communication – finding solutions that honor both your artistic vision and the project’s needs. That’s where the best work happens!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allisonblackillustration.com/
- Instagram: @allisonblackillustration
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-black-illustration/
