Meet Lila Raymond

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lila Raymond. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Lila, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I don’t think we as creatives ever completely overcome imposter syndrome, but personally, I think the opportunities I am given with my work and the people I surround myself with have been such a help with pushing it aside. I find myself putting up a wall in my brain whenever I have an unhelpful thought, one that is negative or questioning about my work and pushing against it.

Working online with other artists also helps to negate that feeling as soon as it pops up, as well as affirming reactions from clients. I am so grateful to all of them!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am such a passionate reader, and so I almost fell into illustration for books when I did some hand lettering of an absolutely brilliant quote from The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy and posted it on Instagram. It was the best career decision I’ve ever made as I get to live every day working my dream career of working with my favourite authors, illustrating covers, merchandise designs and fantasy maps.

I just love the opportunity to bring the feeling you get when you read your favourite books – or a quote that really inspires you – to life through artwork. I also get so, so inspired by maps – and just love the process to bring the whole fantasy world to life while making you feel like you could live in that world.

I can’t wait to go to America next year to be a vendor at the City Fling 2026 book signing with my good friend Charlie and Fox.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the first thing was having parents and mentors who were business owners/managers. My Dad is a truck driver and farmer, which is kind of hilarious because it doesn’t feel like his business advice would have been as helpful as it was and still is. Even though our fields are so different, and while the business aspect of art is hands down the most uncomfortable and worst part of being a creative, it is so integral to building a sustainable career and the fundamentals and experience still apply. My Mum is also incredible at bookkeeping, which we all know is invaluable even with an accountant.

The next would be my degree in Natural History Illustration, and the incredible art teachers there. I learned all of the technicalities of illustration and also the importance of research and detail.

Thirdly, I think my willingness to invest time in myself, my projects and my career. My advice to people who want to get into illustration is to put your whole heart and soul into every project as if everything in your portfolio will represent you and the work you want to do next – because it does. At the same time, it is incredibly important to know your worth and count your hours, our time is worth as much money as we need it to be.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is one who loves my work, and knows that they want my specific style for their project. When I get an art brief that feels like it is meant for me, and not just any book designer or fantasy map artist, it makes my heart sing. I can’t take many projects per year as I spend so much time on each piece (sometimes upwards of 200 hours for maps), so I love working on pieces that I’m passionate about – it also helps with motivation and burnout.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lilaraymond.com
• Instagram: @lettersbylila_