We were lucky to catch up with Edward Abbott recently and have shared our conversation below.

Edward, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I definitely wish I could have started my creative career sooner. I spent 15 plus years working as a designer, part of that in a corporate setting. While it was still creative, it was for other people. The longer I worked in that setting the less and less creative it felt.

I often imagine how much more experience I could have as an artist and illustrator if I had started 10 or even 5 years earlier. I could have found my style, networked with other artists, made connections and generally had more practice honing my skills. Building confidence is also a thing that takes time. It’s a great feeling, but I spent years doubting myself and on occasion thinking I had lost my ability to draw. It has taken a while to get that feeling back and making that transition from getting positive reinforcement as a kid from your friends and family to hearing it from other artists and people I just met as an adult.

I love seeing pictures of other artists’ studios with paintings stacked, drawers of drawings and shelves with sketchbooks filled with experiments. I’m grateful to have figured out what makes me happy, but if I had the chance to do it again I would have prioritized my art and creativity much sooner.

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

It all started very young drawing superheroes. For most of my young-adult life I wanted to be a comic book artist. In high school I discovered graphic design which seemed like art for grown-ups. I pursued that career path for a very long time. I put down the old drawing pencil for years. Maybe doing a small sketch here and there. It felt like months or years in between.

I picked up the pencil, ink and paint again probably about 10 years ago. I started with making pop art character heads out of wood that I would sell at local art shows and flea markets. I met a lot of other local artists and got invited to participate in some gallery shows. That is when I expanded my pallet a bit. I make things out of wood, cardboard, clay and draw digitally as well. I still keep up with art shows a few times a year. It’s great to network with other artists and it’s always a healthy dose of inspiration.

The subject matter of my work is usually something in the science fiction, monsters and robots realm. I try to make things that I like. Being a kid of the 80s there is a ton of reference to choose from. Professionally I have done a good bit of work in the music industry doing album covers for local artists. Those are a lot of fun and give me quite a bit of creative freedom.

I think I am most proud of not being afraid to try a new medium. I have learned a lot by not being afraid of something I’ve never done before. I didn’t know much about painting when I first started. I still consider myself a bit amateur, but I can see the progress each time. Conquering fear and making something that you didn’t know you could make is very satisfying.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A big milestone and what helped to get me back into art was picking up a book from Danny Gregory called Art Before Breakfast. Finding time to draw when you think you have zero time is what I wanted to get from this book. I think the biggest take away was that not everything you draw or make has to be good enough to hang in a museum. The concept of just drawing what you see and not striving for perfection is really freeing. A big lesson was at least trying to draw everyday, even if only for 10 minutes at a time. It’s also OK to put the pencil down for a few days, as long as you get back to it. I try to keep a sketchbook with me whenever possible. I even take my iPad when I sit and wait to pick up my daughter from school.

I’m also not afraid to make mistakes, especially with painting. You can always paint over a mistake, which aren’t really mistakes at all. You have to try something to know if you want to keep going in that direction or switch gears and do something different. I have made a lot of things where I had a totally different plan for the end result or that I didn’t know where I wanted to go. That is the best part of the creative process.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media for artists and creatives is something I really struggle with. The rules are constantly changing. Just posting your art with some clever hashtags isn’t the thing anymore. Now its all about videos and showing your process. I am still figuring that part out. I also don’t spend a lot of time fighting the algorithm. I have found that the best way to get followers (if that is what you want) is to like and share other artists work. Drop a nice comment, tell them something specific you like about their work, share something in common you have with them. I have found when I do that they respond and sometimes follow you back. It’s a slow process, but at least you know those followers are real people who appreciate the love.

I do know you don’t grow by just sitting there. You have to try new things. Make something that interests you and tag someone. I recently illustrated a post card/recipe card for a Tiki drink that I like. I tagged the maker of the rum and they saw it and reposted. For my portfolio I illustrated Matty Matheson (Chef and star of FX’s The Bear) and tagged him. He or someone from his team reposted it with a nice comment. Both of which gave me a little bump in visibility.

It’s tough, so I would tell anyone don’t get discouraged. The nice thing about making something you love is that there are people out there who will love it too. Make sure you thank them personally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://edabbottillustration.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edabbottillustration/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edabbottillustration
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejabbott/