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

Caitlin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

So much is wrong in the industry. Not getting paid enough for our work, thinking our work is so easy (treating it as a hobby than actual work), and corporations caring more about money than the creative process so they resort to AI instead of actual artists. Just to name a few.

So much goes into art that people who are not creative just don’t understand. To have the time and energy to sit down and actually make something, the planning stages, mediums and the price of supplies. The amount of times I’ve had desk jobs where coworkers will tell me my dream job is a waste of time or is sooooo easy and that I’m just too lazy, it can make anyone want to rage.

Even as a child, I’ve had teachers tell me my job of choice is “unrealistic” and “not profitable” for a comfortable living.

Without us artists, we would not have entertainment or masterworks that we take for granted. Films, graphic novels/comics, books, music, poetry, and many many more. Without artists like us, the world would be a dull dull place. The world needs us to bring their imaginations to life.

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.

My name is Caitlin and I am a freelance illustrator and a comic book creator in the works. I’m currently working on 2 separate comics of my own creation, one a silly 4 panel series and the other a long form fantasy DnD inspired series. When I am not working on those, I work on commissions or projects for my own enjoyment while also traveling to comic book/anime conventions to sell my wares in artist alleys.

I’ve been drawing since I could pick up a pencil. I have a degree in visual/media art and I’ve been freelancing full time since 2017.

When it comes to commissions, I believe in communication. It can be nerve wrecking, especially since commissions take time to create, and you worry you’ll never see any sort of visual of what you paid for, especially when you’ve paid a large amount. So I always have my email and DMs open so the customer can keep in contact and I can send them WIP pics so not only do they see it’s being worked on but also if I need to make changes (within reason).

What sets me apart from other artists? Good question. I try not to compare myself to other artists because I don’t see them as competition and we are all vastly different which makes us all unique. I think when people see me and my work, you know what you’re going to get and you can see my influences seeping through. My influences include 90s/early 2000s anime, art nouveau, fantasy, and 90s magical girl aesthetic. And my cat, Frodo, is my mascot. Can’t go wrong having your pet prominent in your marketing.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

That being a creative is work too. It may be something I love and get so much joy out of. But it takes time, energy, and work to come up with the idea, sketch out the idea in various ways, getting the idea on paper, composition, color scheme… And you have to worry about burn out (aka art block), cost of materials, handling your social media posts, your display (online and for your display at shows/cons), building your customer base and community online, travel, cost of conventions and all that implies… You know, just to name a few.

And the non-creatives think it’s all soooo easy and if you are not feeling creative on a particular day, they accuse you of being lazy and you’re not serious about your career path. So which is it? It’s easy and not a serious career path or am I not serious enough for such a career path?

At this point, not only am I doing what I’m doing because I love my work and love what I do but also out of spite, to prove all the non-creatives wrong.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to continue to push myself to get better, to evolve in my art, but also to finally see my comics in print and to see people enjoy my comics, maybe one day see them cosplaying my characters or make fanart of my characters. That would be amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/ladyholmes
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