From Health Break to Freelance Success
For most of us, being forced to put life on pause due to ill health would be our worst nightmare. But for Illustration Graduate Ezra Pinkerton, he saw it as an opportunity.
‘When I left secondary school, I was going through some health issues, so I took some time out of education to recover. During that time, I wasn’t able to work or go out a whole lot, so I was spending hours drawing every day. I started to develop a style and think about how my work could be used in a commercial context, to communicate a message and to tell stories.’
This time of healing and creative discovery led Ezra to complete a level 3 Art and Design qualification at Belfast Met before studying for an Illustration Degree on the Belfast Campus of UU.
But why not go straight to uni?
‘I had quite a long gap between secondary school and university, which felt a bit scary and uncertain at the time, but looking back now, it really benefited me. It gave me extra time to strengthen my drawing skills and get a feel for what kind of work I wanted to make. The 2 years I spent at Belfast Met helped me to loosen up and break out of that secondary school idea of what “good” art looks like. When I started uni, I was a bit older and used to a more independent and self-directed way of working, so it definitely made that transition easier.’
Then, after completing his first and second years at university, Ezra decided to go out on his own and try his hand at freelancing. Having completed this very successful and informative year working with a variety of clients, Ezra reentered uni life for his final year. With a year of real-world illustration experience, Ezra also had some new skills he could use throughout his final year.
Confidence Through Freelancing
"It was nice going into final year having done some freelance work already, as it gave me confidence that people were interested in my work and that more work was hopefully coming my way! It was also really helpful to have experience managing my time, communicating with clients, and finishing work to a professional standard as these were skills I could apply to my final year projects. Post-graduation, I’ve found that some of my initial clients have come back to me for more work and that those early commissions have led to more work through word-of-mouth or from new clients being able to see those examples in my portfolio."
Lessons Learned and Finding His Feet as Graduate in Residence
However, looking back on his time at university, Ezra had some advice for his first-year self.
‘I would tell first-year me to start learning about the business side of illustration e.g. pricing, contracts, licensing, managing finances. I went into freelancing with very limited knowledge and am still learning every day (and making a lot of mistakes) so it would have been nice to be more prepared!’
Coming to the end of his degree, Ezra took the plunge and applied for the role of Graduate in Residence.
‘At the end of final year, we were given the option to apply for the Graduate in Residence role (there were 2 spaces). There were loads of talented and hardworking illustrators in my class who also applied, so I feel very grateful to have been chosen. Doing the residency felt like a natural progression for me after the course. I’m really glad to be doing it alongside my friend Niamh McWilliams-Small, as we work really well together!’
With the opportunity to work with so many incredible creatives on a wide variety of projects for the local community, Ezra quickly discovered a passion for delivering art workshops to people in the local area.
‘I’m a very quiet and introverted person, so it definitely pushes me out of my comfort zone, but it weirdly feels natural at the same time. It’s something I do now both as a GIR and in my part-time job and I find it really rewarding.
And, as he nears the end of his year as a Graduate in Residence, Ezra has some words of wisdom to offer newer students who are unsure of the direction of their illustration career.
Start Building Connections Early
"You don’t have to wait until you’ve graduated or until your work is “good enough” to start putting yourself out there. I started going to events and getting involved in exhibitions early in my uni career and made valuable connections that were really useful to have when I graduated. I’m sure most people are doing it already, but sharing your work on Instagram is also an easy way to build your network locally and get your work seen."
