We were lucky to catch up with George Lee recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi George, thanks for joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
I got my start with small character commissions for friends. I only charged around £10- 15 and looking back, that was definitely more than they were worth! But I was having fun, which I think for a creative endeavor, is super important. I grew from there, doing commissions for people online and eventually getting to work with clients such as Harper collins, which was a dream come true. All the while I made sure to set myself personal projects – which allowed me to both experiment with new things and show my expertise in areas I wanted to work in, such as motion graphics and 3d animations. I think newer (and older!) artists can get into a negative mindset about not “making it big” yet. It’s a very understandable position to be in, But these things take time. The best thing is to make things you enjoy, and if you aren’t, change it up!
George, 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?
Hi there, I’m George, a Freelance Illustrator/animator/graphic designer. I make illustrations drawing from a wild variety of methods and subject matters. I’m always trying new things, but since studying Illustration at university, my focus has been creating 3d animations. These are mostly mechanically based, robots and vehicles etc; But I do add a splash of nature here and there! A big focus of these animations and my art as a whole is about making them fun, both to look at and to make. I always try and inject a bit of humour, although sometimes they’re only funny to me! I’m a big fan of video games such as Halo (i’m very bad at it) but more physcial hobbies such as Warhammer and Lego are my main interests. They’re probably the biggest inspirations for what I draw.
I only started taking drawing seriously at 18 after shifting what I wanted my career to be, and its only been upwards from there! Ive worked on a variety Social media adverts for a variety of car, tourism and fast food companies, branding for a sound technology firm, and most recently I’ve illustrated some Minecraft Children’s books!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’m quite a technically minded person, so originally my career plan was to go into engineering! That ended when I discovered I absolutely hated maths – oops. That’s when I completely refocussed to art. I’d drawn as a hobby during my free time and enjoyed it, but decided to take it more seriously. I didn’t completely leave my love for mechanical things behind, however; Combined with discovering 3d modelling, it’s become a core part of my art. I think it gives a bit of authenticity to my wacky robots and vehicles. Life hasn’t gone the way I planned but thats okay. I’m able to incorporate my interests far more than I first thought, and I’m definitley much happier making art. I think going through life this way has taught me that sometimes you won’t get it first time around, and its always okay to change it up and persue something different if you aren’t happy.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, it’s probably seeing the final piece. Something that was just an idea in my head is now a visual form, for everyone else to see. A problem I have is getting through that middle ‘ugly’ stage , where nothing is refined, colors might not be working how I was expecting etc. It can be quite demotivating and I have abandoned my fair share of drawings at this point. So when I push through to the end, refine those lines, change the colours I get a massive sense of achievement. At this point I have a tendency to run over to my partner to proudly display what I’ve just created. This pride then helps fuel me to create more and more drawings. I find that my best ideas come when I’ve just finished a piece, which is why I now try to do warm up drawings every morning. This burst of creative energy can also come from art I made years ago, both inspiring new ideas and showing me how far I’ve come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://georgeleeart.co.uk/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgelee_art/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-lee-art/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@georgeleeart8039