We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ruby Ash. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ruby below.
Ruby, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Throughout my career as a graphic designer I’ve always dabbled in illustration. In my final year project, student magazines, corporate tech jobs, and design agencies I was constantly looking for any opportunity to incorporate illustration into my projects as a way of doing what I loved without the pressure of feeling like I had to own the name “illustrator”. It was always a club I never felt qualified or skilled enough to be a part of. Most of my instagram feed was the work of illustrators I idolised. Their work in the New York Times, Time, The New Yorker I obsessed over. I only saw all the good and amazing things they were doing and only the failures in my own work. Pretty relatable I think!
But this constant pull to illustration remained. Last year I moved from the capital city Wellington, New Zealand to London, nearly 50x the size. Something about the major lifestyle shift and knowing very few people here, created a kind of mindset shift. “If not now, when?”
The hardest part was beginning to post online. A digital footprint and the perceived judging eyeballs of everyone I have ever known. I received repeated praise and encouragement from my friends and family but instead of accepting the love, the messages bounced right off of me. But after months of persevering – putting my illustrations out there, working with more and more clients, I’m really seeing a change in the way I value and talk about my work. If I introduce myself to someone now, I may even throw the “illustrator” card in there.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I recently had a full page cover piece in the Guardian. My Grandma emailed me the same week to congratulate me. If my 90 year old Grandma is hearing about it and thinks it’s cool, then I must be doing something right, right?
I really do feel the happiest and most inspired in my career than I’ve ever felt. And actually really proud of what I’ve been able to achieve in the last 6 months. More than anything else it’s shown me how believing in myself has been so pivotal to making things happen in my career.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
A perfect segway – The top of my list of important qualities is obviously building your self belief.
Alongside that, and equally as important is an openness and willingness to learn from others. The illustration community, I’ve found to be such a generous and supportive place. Illustrators, who are essentially strangers, have offered hours of their time to chat to me one on one, in response to my eager emails. There are so many amazing resources out there to learn from other illustrators and hear their experiences. Here are a few of my favourites:
Youtube – The Illustrators Guide (and book/audiobook), Holly Exley
Podcasts – The Illustration Department Podcast, Ask Mel & Maddy, Paid to Draw
Pricing guides and advice – Litebox, Dear Art Director, Graphic Artists Guild Handbook
And finally, listening to yourself and what makes you unique. Developing an art style and tone of voice is an ever evolving thing. As soon as I started leaning into what made me, me, the easier it was to grow.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Well I’ve actually only been on this journey for 6 months. So who knows what the next 6 months will bring.
I’ve been working mainly in editorial illustration since the outset. I love the amazing Art Directors who I’ve had the opportunity to work with and the massive range of different topics I’ve illustrated for. I’d love to delve into illustration with publishing and advertising. Hopefully by speaking this into existence the world will hear me!
Ultimately I’m just so glad I made the decision to give illustration a proper go. That’s all that really matters, whether you think you’ll do well or not. And to anyone reading this, who’s got something they’ve been wanting to try – just do it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rubyash.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ruby_ash_
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/ruby-ash
- Other: Behance: behance.net/rubya1
Image Credits
Ruby Ash
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
