Saying no as an illustrator: dropping projects can boost your career.

02/07/25 • 15 min

Juggling too many plates, saying yes to everything, and wondering if it’s time to let something go... It's not a fun place to be. (And all three of us have been there, got the frazzled t-shirt).
In this episode, we share the projects, jobs, and ideas we’ve binned along the way to make room for the shiny new stuff.

We chat about:

Why it’s okay to drop what isn’t working (even when you love parts of it).
Illustrator school visits, online shops, and in-person events.
The power of saying no. NOOOO!
How dropping things helps you focus on what you’re brilliant at.

Links Mentioned

We made you some workshops and resources to help you navigate a creative career: The Good Ship Freebies

Come and say hello!
✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com
p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

We chat about:

Why it’s okay to drop what isn’t working (even when you love parts of it).
Illustrator school visits, online shops, and in-person events.
The power of saying no. NOOOO!
How dropping things helps you focus on what you’re brilliant at.

Links Mentioned

We made you some workshops and resources to help you navigate a creative career: The Good Ship Freebies

Previous Episode

Why drawing digitally is NAUGHTY 👀 (or is it?)

Nahhh. It's not really. That was a naughty title.
Anyway, we got this brilliant and juicy question in our students-only Facebook group for the Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag Course.
🎺 31ST JANUARY = YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET SOME GOOD SHIP ILLUSTRATION SNAIL-MAIL STICKERS WHEN YOU JOIN!
Don't say we didn't warn you! Sign up here.
Megan said: "I just opened up the Microsoft Surface Pro I bought for digital drawing, and I’m freaking out a little. Not just about the expense, but a sense of cheating or something. Will this kill the joy of drawing on paper? Does anyone combine analogue and digital drawing worlds?"

Topics

Megan’s question: Is digital drawing cheating?
Analogue vs digital: can you mix them?
Why digital tools are lifesavers for fixes, tweaks, and deadlines.
Handmade isn’t about the tool, it’s about you!
The danger of too much choice.
Top tips for keeping your digital work cohesive.
Happy accidents.
Will drawing digitally kill your love of drawing on paper?

Other Stuff we mentioned

Our Tania’s Genius Colour Workshop: Join in here
Brush sets for Procreate by Vivian Mildenberger: voila (we're not an affiliate, we just love 'em.)
Find Your Creative Voice - course doors are open, in case you fancy workin' on flapping your freak flag a bit more in 2025.) Click here to see what all the freak flag fuss is all about.

Next Episode

The secret to actually finishing your picture book ❤️

First things first, we've got to let you know that the doors to the Picture Book Course are FINALLY OPEN AGAIN today!

We'll officially fling 'em open tonight at Art Club (7 pm UK time over on Instagram. Our IG username is @thegoodshipillustration.) See you there! 🚢

Right, back to the podcast show notes.

In this episode, we’re answering a brilliant question from Lou, who asks:

"I've got a picture book for adults. Is that a terrible idea?"

The short answer = not necessarily, but it could be a tricky sell to publishers.

The longer answer = this podcast episode! We discuss bookshop logistics, sneaky ways to get an illustrated book into adult sections, and why tweaking your idea just a little bit might make it way easier to get published.

Plus, we talk about what to do when your mind is pinballing between story ideas, and how to anchor your book in a way that makes finishing it muuuuuch more likely.

p.s. The Picture Book Course is OPEN! If you're listening before 21st Feb 2025, the doors are still wide open. Scramble aboard before they close for another year!

Timestamps:

00:25 Question: “Can a picture book for adults work, or should I pivot to kids?”
01:10 The practical problem: Where would it actually go in a bookshop?
02:50 Illustrated fiction for adults: Rare, but not impossible!
04:00 Gift books, philosophy books, and sneaky ways to get into the right section.
06:15 The Charlie Mackesy effect (a rare publishing phenomenon).
07:05 Should you self-publish? A way to test the waters.
08:40 Question 2: “How do I stop my story ideas from fizzling out?”
09:10 The pinball problem: Too many ideas, not enough finished books.
10:00 How we created Salty (and why anchoring your characters makes writing a lot easier).
11:30 A game-changing tip: Make a “character questionnaire” to build stronger stories.
13:45 Reminder: The Picture Book Course is open for one week only!

We’ll be back next Friday with more questions and one last reminder before the course doors close.

Join us over on Instagram (@thegoodshipillustration) for Art Club Live on Friday 14th Feb & Friday 21st Feb at 7pm UK time! See you there!

The Good Ship Illustration - Saying no as an illustrator: dropping projects can boost your career.

Transcript

Have we ever dropped something because it wasn’t working?
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[00:00:00] Have you two ever dropped something that wasn't, like, just got rid of something that wasn't a good thing? Something that we tried. Okay. You've binned a bit of your career. Yeah, yeah, I have. So much. Yeah. Maybe not forever, I don't know, but when we started Good Ship, and I was still making picture books at the same rate as I did before, and then I started writing on Substack, and, like, my life got busier and