New Location

Sorry to fool you!!! I have previously been blogging on Wordpress.com and I just can't seem to get a grip on this Blogspot stuff. I'm used to all the WP stuff! So I'm moving over there... Visit me at www.lezleelliott.wordpress.com to keep up to date with the success, trials and ramblings of lezleelliott!

Taking the Leap

Ok, so I feel as though I should catch you up... this being my first blog on here an all. I have been creative all my life. I'm serious. I have the pictures to prove it.

Since college I have been a graphic designer at an advertising agency and then moved onto becoming an art director at a up-and-coming business. I created everything from scratch for that company and loved my job. Unfortunately the business has had some issues and needed to re-evaluate and in that evaluation let me go. During this re-evaluation stage I was privy to the fact that it may not work out in the end like promised. So I began coming up with "Plan B"... and I decided that part of what I loved most at that job was product design. I LOVED being creative and coming up with a great idea, drawing it, designing it and then showing it to my boss... who would then also LOVE it and we'd put it into production. I should also mention that most all of my products have been top sellers. So obviously I must be on the right track.

Anyway, I decided that I would pursue becoming a Licensed Illustrator. Meaning I would basically create and draw and design and lots of companies would (hopefully) put them on products and put them into production.

Once that decision was made, it was time to move forward. I sat down with my best friend, Amy, who also worked with me at the company as a Manager of Sales and Marketing, and Brooke, who was the Director of Sales and Marketing at the company. I told them what I was thinking of doing, and they were absolutely 100% behind me. They had more confidence in me than I did! Of course they love my drawings and think I'm just so awesome, but man the boost I would get from them is an amazing feeling.

Anyway, I consulted, and since they had working knowledge of the market I was trying to break into and would go to shows and see all the new stuff, we went through and decided what type of things I needed to put together in order to form a portfolio. Oy... talk about work. I have to come up with an entire portfolio from scratch!!! So I started working... just taking one project after another and moving through them, starting with the ones I was most inspired from.

I have been unemployed as of June 2010. And have been working tirelessly on this portfolio. My nerves are shot, as I don't have a clue where I'm going to get the money to live. I can't actively pursue jobs until I get a portfolio up and running. And I can't afford to live without jobs!!! So I'm scared. And the only thing that keeps me going is being excited about seeing these pieces in my portfolio come to life.

This blog is to document the journey and hopefully the success of lezleelliott becoming a full-time Licensed Illustrator.