We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gayle Kabaker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gayle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I’ve always been a freelancer ever since I graduated from art school at 22 years old. I would take any art-related job I could to pay my bills. I also went into debt to borrow money to take out ads in sourcebooks when that was the best way to get work. sometimes you have to spend money to make money. I networked a ton. Met prospective clients at events, art openings fashion shows etc. When I moved to Western Massachusetts – I began to go to NYC to meet AD’s and show my portfolio. Now- I use social media as my only form of networking. My New Yorker covers have helped reach a wide audience and other visible work.
Gayle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I always wanted to be a fashion illustrator ever since I can remember.I went to art school right out of high school. I always loved drawing women and beautiful clothes. I branched out into general illustration when I moved to Western MA, doing food, travel, and general lifestyle kinda work. Lots of advertising projects, and editorial work. I always had an agent and took out advertising in sourcebooks. When I changed my style about 12 years ago my agents at the time didn’t think it was very marketable, but then I got my first New Yorker cover in this style and they agreed to show my new work.
I soon changed agents, but the new agent didn’t get me any work so after one year we parted ways and i’ve been without an agent for over 5 years now. And I have had very busy years. I had to come to terms with the fact that I no longer needed an agent – very scary for me as I’d always had one. All I need now is a great lawyer for contracts and good art friends to bounce pricing ideas off of.
The most recent projects i am most proud of
All my new Yorker covers.
the 100 portraits I did (and continue to do more) for ‘Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power To Empower ‘book and exhibition.
My Washington Post series ‘Sketching my way through crisis’. and 8-part series.
Teaching all over the world and on zoom with my co-teacher Jennifer Orikin Lewis /Augustwren
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I had a show 12 years ago with my family who are all artists and photographers. I was very disappointed to not sell very much, Within 6 months i had turned one of the paintings I’d done into a submission to the New yorker gay marriage theme and it became my first cover. Shows that sometimes what looks like failure ( no sales) tuns into something bigger than i could imagine.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being able to do what I love for a living.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gkabaker.com
- Instagram: @gaylekabaker
- Facebook: gaylekabaker
- Linkedin: gaylekabaker
- Twitter: gaylekabaker
- Other: https://vimeo.com/gaylekabaker