We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Irene Neyman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Irene below.

Alright, Irene thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

I remember it so vividly, as if it was yesterday. I was still in the self-learning phase at that time but eager to start working with clients because I understood that the fear wouldn’t go away unless I just started. And then one day, a woman reached out to me with a request for several character illustrations. I was so excited and didn’t want to miss my chance (knowing that the first order is always hard to come by), so I agreed to their payment terms and deadlines as they were. Each character was priced at about $15 US, but it suited me well as someone who had never worked with clients before. I knew it was just the beginning. Interestingly, this first client was from Canada, and now I live here too 🙂.

Irene, 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 have always loved to draw, but I never had a formal education in illustration or graphic design. I taught myself everything through dozens of courses, books, and materials. Thanks to my organizational skills, I quickly understood how to work with clients. I continue to improve these processes so that they can sleep peacefully, knowing that I have everything under control. My illustration style is about balance of bright colors, simple shapes, and meanings, along with experiments with textures and details playing on them. I enjoy experimenting with styles and color palettes because I get bored drawing the same shapes, colors, and techniques all the time. I believe that such approach actually helps to be more creative and expand skills because illustrations will still be connected by some detail or habit of drawing something the same way (so people will see YOU in your works), but the variety definitely adds more interest. The power of design can change a lot, and that’s what I try to do so for my clients as an illustrator – improve their business, help them be more appealing to their audience. This is a very important part of the process, and it really inspires me when I see that it works.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me personally, it’s the opportunity to be creative and actually create. I find great joy in making something that has never existed before. Thinking about it excites and inspires me! I also highly value the freedom in this field – there are no rules here (except for basic rules of composition, rhythm, etc., and even those can be broken when you know how:)), you are free in your choice of how to draw this or that, 1000 ways to depict something, and there are 1000 different ways for each illustrator. This truly makes the process incredibly unique, one-of-a-kind. It’s a wonderful feeling to create something that no one has ever created before. Pure magic!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

For people who aren’t creative, it can be hard to understand that creative folks often doubt themselves while trying new things and that’s kinda scary for them to share their creations with others – because it’s about showing others how you see the world in your own way. Being creative means trying new ideas, taking risks, and learning from mistakes. Many creative people always question if their work is good enough. But in these uncertain times, they learn a lot about themselves and become stronger. Also, creative work doesn’t follow a regular schedule like a 9-to-5 job, and this irregularity can be confusing for non-creatives because creativity doesn’t always happen in a straight line.

Another thing is that many non-creatives might have doubts about evaluating/the cost of a project because in the current world, it’s quite easy to buy an illustration for $15 on stock marketplaces and do wherever you want with it. But what we end up with is the internet filled with unprofessional and cheap websites/platforms with illustrations that nobody invested meaning, value, and consideration for the audience and the company’s goals. Again, when working directly with an illustrator, non-creatives should understand that they are about to make a leap for their business because they will receive a one-of-a-kind illustration that no one else can find or buy anywhere. It’s a unique value, one in the whole world, so it’s important to understand that it should be appropriately accounted for.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ireneneyman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irene_neyman/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ireneneyman/
• Other: Behance: https://www.behance.net/irene_neyman Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/Irene_Neyman