We recently connected with Jill Colbert and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am so very fortunate that the things that inspire me the most are what I get to do for a living. Creating is what I also do to unwind and relax. What I will say though is that working for yourself it’s a huge endeavor with lots of risks and way long hows. The good news is that I get to work on things I want, and I am constantly improving all aspects of myself as my career grows. Every once in a while, I would take a seasonal job for extra money, sometimes I used to treat it like a vacation from my studio, and even if it was rough, I knew it would end after a short time. While I haven’t had to do that in a couple years, but after working for myself for over a decade, it is strange to wonder what it would be like to work for others.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

While I was working toward my degree in illustration, I wasn’t quite clicking with a lot of the market options available. I had always been kind of a weird kid, so my interests ranged from fantasy, dark history, nature, hard rock and metal music. My mediums as an illustrator is mostly a combination of acrylic, ink and photoshop. Most of the subjects I drew were in some way out of the ordinary, and didn’t fit with a lot of editorial or advertising markets. My last year of college, I went to a rock festival and was able to go to a meet and greet with one of my favorite bands, presented some fan art to them as a gift, and the vocalist commissioned me for a piece. This was the area where my work fit in, and everything finally fit into place. I got to work with the people that inspired my art with designing album covers, merch designs and logos. After that I would go to a ton of shows, give my artwork to bands, crew and it opened up an entire world for me, I got to befriend some of my favorite musicians, worked with amazing and talented bands, and discovered genres I didn’t even know existed. Few times I worked as crew and toured as a merch manager/assistant tour manager. The greatest element of working in the metal industry is that it’s a very visual genre, and one of the main reasons my work stood out to my clients was exploring the realms of fantasy and adding a touch of dark elegance. Unfortunately after a decade, in combination of burn out and the pandemic exposing a lot of people that either were detrimental to the industry as a whole, or treated crew/fans/band mates poorly I had to take a step back. I missed making art for myself.
Once I started doing conventions people had such a positive reaction to my work, it became much better for my mental health and frankly, my financial stability. It’s strange to have people now own over a dozen of my original paintings in their home, and have repeat customers states away from me at conventions. My work stands out at shows because I focus on small traditional paintings with very bright colors depicting friend shaped creatures. I do my best to make my work as affordable as possible, I think everyone should be able to take something home that they enjoy. Concepts of cryptids, dark fantasy and the whimsical have overtaken my life, and while I still work with certain bands on occasion, it’s wonderful to thrive in this current environment.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Right now my goal is to create a world of original and folkloric creatures to get people excited about. Cryptids have opened a lot of doors for me, and it’s been a natural progression to my audience introducing my own original concepts. Because the reaction has been so positive, I have outgrown some of my convention spaces, and hopefully at the end of the year can sit and expand into comics, figurines, plushies and more. Every day I get excited to go to work and paint.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Seeing someone pick up something of mine because they love it and want to care for it. Hearing stories of how my artwork has brightened a home, or was given as a gift really makes the harder parts of this industry worth it. Knowing that I get to make a living with something I’m passionate about is also such an amazing feeling.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.manfishinc.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/manfishinc
• Facebook: facebook.com/manfishinc
• Other: manfishinc.etsy.com