Hey everyone! It’s Sean, and I have SO much stuff in the works, for both myself as an artist, and for Artists Everyday as a whole!

For those of you that don’t know, I started Artists Everyday around the time I came back to school from my internship at Cartoon Network in 2015. I went to SIU (which I just graduated from), a state school in the middle of nowhere Southern Illinois. (Carbondale to be exact; I’m pretty sure its the center of the Universe, but I digress). I studied animation, but I knew from personal experience how hard it was to be an artist who wanted to work in animation, especially being that I didn’t go to a fancy art school, and didn’t have any connections in the industry. I’ve always been a big fan of blogs that serve as galleries for artists and share artist’s work, so I made the blog initially as a way to reblog other people’s art.

My internship allowed me to meet a host of amazing and talented artists, some I definitely still consider friends, but one of the things that it opened my eyes to the most was the sheer lack of information and transparency that there was in animation. Prior to being hired, I couldn’t find more than scraps of information detailing the internship experience, or how to even go about really getting one. The lack of information, or the lack of the right KIND of information, is what drove me to make this post about my experience and my time as an intern at CN: http://seanwillustration.tumblr.com/post/137138709510/my-life-as-a-cartoon-network-intern-and-how-i



I was expecting people to appreciate what I’d written, but I never could have imagined the response to my post being as massive as it was.

When thousands of people started sharing what I’d written, and messages from artists either looking to find out how/where to apply for internships, or asking me to review their portfolios (a laughable thought considering I still have yet to create a proper animation portfolio) started flooding in; I KNEW we (artists as a collective whole) were fucked. Every new message in my inbox drew my mind back to one idea: nobody knows what to do. NOBODY seems to know how to get into the industry. I was receiving messages from artists on here that I’d followed YEARS prior, and thought were working professionals… (based on their talent levels/audiences etc.) and they were asking ME: a junior (at the time) at a school in Southern Illinois for help on getting into the animation industry.

And I don’t know SHIT about getting into the animation industry. Not a thing. Even though I interned there, I don’t have any of the magical keys that lead to Cartoon Network. Or any of its employers (for those who’ve asked)

I created Artists Everyday so I can share art, because I know how hopeless it can feel to be a small creative swimming in a vast, endless internet; trying to reach this mythical magical idea of working in animation. I know how it can feel to work on something for hours and put your work, passion and life into a piece- only to share it online and get 3 notes, or a reblog, or a like.

It’s frustrating to feel like this intangible thing that you’ve loved since you were a kid could be yours… if you only had more followers, or a wider reach, or more information, or the RIGHT information, or if you drew a certain way, or used the right hashtags. It’s all too much, and it all takes away from what’s important: your art.

Artists Everyday is my own personal answer to a lot of questions I’ve had in my short career, and some you all may have had yourselves; so here’s the point:

(Finally)

I’ve shared my story as an artist, and as I do more and experience more and work more, I’m going to continue sharing my story. Not because I have all of the answers, but because the answers that I DO have, have allowed me to graduate from a school in the middle of Illinois, and still work full time as a freelance animator, supporting myself fully by making art.

I can share the negative experiences and pitfalls that I’ve experienced freelancing, and dealing with clients, and how to avoid all of the crazy bullshit that goes along with making art your job, and I plan to..

But this is an invitation to you all; to anyone who read this far and anyone who can relate to some of the things that I’ve talked about in the past or even in this post; I want to hear your stories. I want to hear about your triumphs and pitfalls as an artist. I want to share not only your art, but your stories as well; because it’s that information that I feel is the most important, and the most helpful.

My inbox is OPEN; tell me about the terrible clients you’ve had. Tell me about the bad employers (In animation or art) that you’ve had to deal with; tell me about ALL OF IT.

I want to hear about the troubles and the fears that you all have about your own art, so that I can better learn how to share and make artists feel like they can share what they make with an audience that will receive them; even if they’re not drawing Steven Universe fanart or even if they’re not a professional in the industry. Your stories; professional, amateur, and otherwise are all just as important as the art that you make, and it could help another artist somewhere down the line.

So please, reblog this; send me a message; tell your artist friends, send me some artists to look up, send me your work, tell me your stories, tell me how you made it, how you didn’t make it, all of it.

You’re not alone. Even you, sitting there on your computer late at night, ready to post that artwork you made and hope people see even though you didn’t go to CalArts. Even though you go to a state school. Or you, the person who’s never even seen a mountain in person, let alone LA, or anywhere else animation is made… Or you, the CalArts student who didn’t make the best film, or had professors that don’t like you… or ANYONE in between. Share this. Share something. Send me a message, draw something for yourself. I’m cool with all of it.

I want to continue building Artists Everyday as a resource and tool for artists, not just a submission blog. And your stories are going to be the beginning

If you read this far. You’re dope.



-Sean