We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Larrabee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.
Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you manage your own social media?
This one is a tough topic to deal with as the singular person running an account. It feels like at every turn social media is changing and updating to negatively affect creators. Social media is fast paced and it focuses on quantity over quality. In a field where creating the content you share takes time and aren’t posting every day it’s easy to feel like there’s no getting ahead; so the way I manage posts and engagement with accounts is that I let it go.
I still post. I still add hashtags to get noticed by new accounts. I just don’t stress myself out to get a post a day anymore. I don’t let 150 likes- versus the 500+ I got at the height of my posting speed- get to me and I try to not let it affect how I feel about a piece. It’s frustrating to know that my work is not getting as many views, but I’m getting burned out less and creating better work. So, if that’s the sacrifice I have to make to be happier while creating then I’m learning to be ok with that and just enjoy the reaction the work I do post receives .
Emily, 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?
Hi! I’m Emily Larrabee and I’m a character designer and illustrator, so that spans quite a bit of potential work. I’ve designed characters and costumes for animation and I have also illustrated children’s books and novel covers. Illustration has also allowed me to work on fan art for comic cons, prints on Etsy and portrait commissions.
My work in children’s media is what I’m most proud of though, animation and book illustrations. My colorful and simple style is best suited to kid-friendly and cartoon-y projects and it’s what I enjoy making the most.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Right now the goal is to get my foot in a door at a studio. I’ve been freelancing for a while and it’s been fun to try different projects and styles; but I’m getting into writing and creating my own stories so I would love to see a project go from beginning to end. I want to help create a story with accomplished artists and writers and learn how that process is; to learn editing and rolling with changes as they come along so I can become better at that. To benefit from those lessons in an environment where I’ll get strong critique and be able to improve my art style would be fantastic.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I had utilized online art courses and internships!
I went to art school and it was so expensive, but I thought it was my only option for learning and getting a job later. Now, looking back and knowing how difficult it is to get a foot in the door- even with a college degree- I wish I had been more open minded. I personally still needed to go to college, my work wasn’t at the caliber it needed to be and I needed foundation courses like life drawing and perspective, but online courses would be something I would suggest for someone entering the field. There’s so many online art courses with Schoolism and similar programs that are so much more cost effective, and blending those with in person life drawing and similar foundations classes would be a possibility.
And as for internships, not applying for more when I could is probably my biggest regret of my career. I don’t know if I would’ve gotten any, but I should’ve applied. I wasn’t confident in my work so I felt it would be a waste, and maybe a bit embarrassing, to apply with what I had in my portfolio. Then when I graduated I had no connections and hadn’t even put my name out there and was lost and have been trying to get my footing since. So, I guess the lesson is it doesn’t matter how you feel about you work, just apply!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emilylarrabeeillustration.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com@emilysketch_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-larrabee-1493b8171/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/emilysketch_
Image Credits
Photo of me credited to Chase Burford Photography