Meet Vanessa Stoilova

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

Vanessa, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I’m in an industry that’s both difficult to get in and difficult to prosper in, illustration, but I’ve always been optimistic that I can make it. That is not to say that I expected it would be easy or that it would be a road without failure. I’m simply a solution-oriented person who sees obstacles as problems to solve, and learning opportunities.

I choose not to waste time wondering “Can I even do this?”, because I find this thinking to be depressing and unhelpful. Instead, I focus on what I need to make it happen. As soon as I decided I wanted to be an illustrator, back in high school, I jumped into research mode. What kind of skills would I need? What kind of schooling would help me? What kind of jobs do illustrators do, and with what companies? Who are the top illustrators in their field, and how did they get there?

This has served me very well, and I’ve been able to become and remain a full-time professional artist since 2015. In 2020, when I decided to start coaching aspiring artists, I followed the same approach or research, experimentation and learning from failure.

There has been many obstacles and failures since I started my career. Some projects don’t work out. Some product ideas flop. Some months, I don’t make enough money. When that happens, I focus on my next steps. If this didn’t work, what should I try next?

My career has been a series of ups and downs and is in constant evolution. Throughout it all, I know that I haven’t really failed until I stop trying. This is the mantra that gives me infinite optimism and confidence that things will work. After all, I will MAKE them work out.

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?
My name is Vanessa Stoilova and I’m a professional artist. I’m the first artist in my family and growing up, never knew anyone who did art professionally. Because of this, I never even imagined this was a career possibility, even though I loved art and I was drawing every single day. It’s not until I met an illustrator at my high school’s career day that I even realized this was possible, and I immediately decided this was the only career for me.

Like so many young artists, my family and friends attempted to discourage my artistic aspirations out of misguided concern. Thankfully, I wasn’t convinced and focused on putting together my plan. What would I need to succeed? How do people actually make money with art? This research would become the foundation of my career.

I’ve tried several different markets during my career: 2D animation, picture book illustration, and finally surface design. I enjoy the variety and like to try something different every few years. Since 2020, I started a YouTube channel called Art Business with Ness to help aspiring illustrators start the career of their dreams. I have since published over 90 videos and created more comprehensive online courses as well. My popular Art Business Bootcamp, for example, is a step-by-step roadmap to become a freelance illustrator from scratch.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think most people would say that to be a professional artist, one needs exceptional talent and skill… but I don’t agree. Talent can be developed. Plus, I’ve met no shortage of super talented artists who still have trouble reaching their goals, and I’ve also seen less talented artists who are massively successful. I found that what’s important are much more practical qualities.

First, marketing skills. A self-employed artist basically has a little business, and no business can thrive without marketing. You need a way to advertise your services and find clients. Most artists have no marketing plan beyond posting on Instagram, and that is just not enough. Thankfully, marketing skills can be learned. You have the power in your hands to learn anything that you need to succeed.

Second is resilience. Being a professional artist is not easy! It’s very competitive, and there is constant rejection. When I send 100 queries to art directors, I get perhaps one or two contracts out of it. It takes a lot of resilience to maintain your confidence through it all and keep trying.

Lastly and most important is the ability to make a plan. Building an art career is like climbing a mountain. It may seem impossible at first, but it becomes attainable if you make a plan. You may need equipment, climbing lessons, training to improve your strength and endurance, transportation to get to the mountain, as well as a budget to acquire everything that I just mentioned. With your dream career, it’s the same. With research, learning and planning, your goals can be reached!

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I’ve been facing decreased revenue in the last year because of the bad economy. My services and products are illustration and art classes. two things that can be considered non-essential luxuries. When times are tough and people have to tighten their belts, art and online classes are the kinds of things that are put on hold. The year 2023 started out really well for me, but suddenly in the summer, my sales plummeted and stayed low for the rest of the year.

This presented a tough challenge, but I’m not one to give up! When something isn’t working, you try something else. Since people couldn’t afford my products and services anymore, I focused on developing smaller, simpler things that were more affordable. For example, I created several smaller mini-classes at a smaller price point that offered to teach artists a very specific skill and give them a quick win. These were popular in the second half of the year and allowed me to stay afloat.

I also used this time to improve my skills and strengthen the foundations of my business. On the art side, I learned lettering to level up my greeting card designs and actively searched for a licensing agent who could take my work to American trade shows to sell. On the coaching side, I created a lot of new free content like YouTube videos and free guides to grow my mailing list. Next time I launch a class, I will have more people I can offer it to.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Vanessa Stoilova

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where does your optimism come from?

Optimism is the invisible ingredient that powers so much of the incredible progress in society

Confidence
Stories of Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Learning from one another is what BoldJourney is all about. Below, we’ve shared stories and

Resilience
The Power of Persistence: Overcoming Haters and Doubters

Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made