Sometimes overthinking what your final piece might look like stops you from having the freedom to experiment and let the illustration evolve in a natural way. Go with the flow. 

Like most people, I occasionally get creative block, which is extremely frustrating. So if you’re working on a project and get into it a little bit, take a break, throw it to the back of your mind and work on something else. One of the reasons why we face creative blocks could be that we’re too used to do things in a standard manner. In other words, our mind becomes rigid with habits and creativity dies away. A lifestyle that is too systematic is not the ideal environment to nurture creativity. We need to do something different every now and then to stimulate our mind.

One of the hardest things about being a creative is persistence. Sometimes you hate your work and find it meaningless. Somehow you just have to keep going and at some stage you find your way out. Unfortunately I have found no magic trick to find your way but being aware that you need new ideas makes you notice things you hadn’t before. Once you’ve found something new, apply it to what’s familiar, what you’ve worked with before. That’s how the work gets richer, more layered and therefore more meaningful. 

Being a creative, doesn’t always come easy. Sometimes, sticking to your own style means loosing clients but that’s when you realise who your true audience really is, when you make art for your own sake and not for the sake of others.

Haz-Zebbug, Malta

Creative Director, BRND WGN

Jack of All Trades, Master of Some.

When I started dabbling with illustration, I used to think that the ultimate goal is to become an artist which brands sought for a distinctive style. Turns out I’m not wired to focus on one thing for too long. I need different challenges to keep my motivational levels in check. Years later I’ve learned that this has its perks too. To me, when I focus for too long (read weeks) on one area, I’m actually stopping myself from opening up to different thought processes and perspectives.

I think as a creative I'm constantly striving for my perception of what is perfect and criticise my work a lot because of it. However as I've grown in the industry I've learnt to give myself more slack and appreciate the 'flaws' in my art as a little bit of me; messy and unpredictable but ultimately authentic.

All creatives have a process but I think everybody struggles with the initial stages of a project. With so much inspiration being thrown at you, I find my mind jumps from one style to another until I settle on one that sparks off the idea for the perfect concept. That spark is what drives me to keep on creating.

I used to spend ages trying to figure out other artist’s tricks and techniques, watching tutorials & hoping to pick up on some secret knowledge that would somehow solve everything. But the more I digested, the more I realised: there are no shortcuts! There are no secrets. It is not about the tools you use or the brushes you download, or about trying to create a perfect image… it’s about having a voice, your own voice, and using it as your own expression. So stop downloading, and start uploading :) 

ps. anyone got any secret tips? 

Something I've learned as a designer:

Sometimes we cannot be precious about our work especially when its commercial in nature. We misunderstand clients, or clients have changed their minds or perhaps there is room for improvement - and it doesn't mean that the work itself is bad or inferior!

Hamrun, Malta

Freelance Illustrator, Hanger

Ask for criticism—not just from other creatives—and learn to accept it. While it's good to be confident in your work (and having your work criticised may feel irritating) criticism is what drives you forward.

Having my work criticised has helped me not only improve my work, but it has also taught me to put myself in other people's shoes and to start looking at things and situations from different points of view. 

Alice Springs, Australia

To be successful in a creative career you have to be passionate. You need to dedicate every hour to make it work, constantly on the lookout for new projects to develop your skills, find yourself, build an image and most importantly, have all the fun. You'll never stop learning. Being a creative is not just a 'cool job', it's a life commitment!

Gharghur, Malta

There will always be hard times working in the creative industry, but would you rather be happy doing something you love or stuck in a job you hate? Put in the time, the rest will sort itself out.

We want other artists to value their time more, we have failed miserably on not knowing how to say “no” to uninspiring projects, resulting in us feeling burnt out round-the-clock. We always used to put our art on a pedestal, without realising what was significant to us – our mental health and loved ones. We want you to remember that struggle is not the standard of life or something that gives satisfaction, especially if this combat is self-imposed.

London, UK

Freelance Illustrator & Designer

This might be a simple message, but it is really effective, Smile More!
A smile helps kick start my day, and puts me in a better mood! oh and drink a lot of coffee too! stay focused and happy 

View David's work

Drawing, painting and sculpting are like problem solving for me. I come up with a problem or sometimes I’m given one, and I look for ways to pull together what I know with what I don't know to solve it. Success or failure, I go through the same process, then it’s onto the next problem with this new knowledge. The projects I’ve found the most creatively satisfying have been those just outside of my comfort zone. If it’s not making me feel a bit uncomfortable, then I need to think about why I’m doing it.

Palermo, Sicily
Being creative means challenging yourself every day. It means avoiding your comfort zone as much as possible, being courageous, trusting yourself … coffee… working hard, failing, more coffee.. changing perspective, trying again and again till you find the perfect harmony. It also means knowing how to set limitations and eventually how to overcome them. This can be very stressful but also very rewarding.
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View Valeria's work

Gzira, Malta

Graffiti Artist, C0ok3r

Why not use the wall as a paper and instead of a pencil use a spray can?
Before I started spray painting, in 2010 I had an accident where I was in a coma for a week and couldn't walk well for a year, but by believing in myself I was able to get back on my feet. Honestly graffiti was the main thing that got me motivated and back on track into art. Graffiti help me build up my confidence, being creative is not only fun and productive it’s a great self confident booster!

In my case being a creative opened loads of doors of opportunity such as working with friends as collectives, and an opportunity to work with other mediums that interest me. I am grateful that art allows me to express myself and my interests, like my love for music. One thing that i believe in is to be who you want to be, and create whatever you imagine. At the end of the day, the work will speak for itself and will reflect who you are. 

Bogota, Colombia, 

2D Artist

One thing that really helps me when it comes to drawing is taking notice of experiences. I find it hard to draw what I don’t know, but find it much easier to draw something I have seen and experienced. Art to me is all about sharing perspectives and experiences. It’s so satisfying to apply something I have gone through or seen into a character or drawing. The artwork becomes more relatable.

View Daniel's work​​​​​​​

Hal Ghaxaq​​​​​​​, Malta

One of the many things that helped me to develop as a designer would be always working on personal projects especially if you spend a small amount of time every day in the long run, it will surely help you to further develop your skills and finding your niche.

Mosta, Malta

Designer & Co founder of Te fit-Tazza
View Craig's work

Marsaskala, Malta

One thing a learnt on being a creative is, although doing client/commission work is wonderful, doing personal work is the most valuable to your practice in a way because you are expressing yourself in the most genuine and unrestricted way and that is where your work will shine! I find it extremely helpful to constantly be surrounded by other fellow creators from all kinds of fields as they will always show you a different perspective to creativity!

All ideas are important, and when an idea is put into practice it becomes universal! Thanks to art I'm able to connect with people around the world, because art is the same language everywhere, regardless of style.

As artist we can sometimes become lazy and that leads to being stagnant in our growth. Ive learned working with other artist is important because it helps push us, we need each other.  

Be approachable and communicate clearly. Over the last 8 years I have curated many exhibitions and worked with hundreds of artists from all over the world. Being open to conversation and suggestions has been key to making them successful and for my own learning as a creative. Everyone has something that they do well that you can learn from if you’re open to it.

I'm okay, but I'm not okay, and it's okay. Being a creative has taught me that I'm not always. going to be at my best. And that's nothing to be disappointed about, it's inevitable being human. Besides, if everything was your best work, how would you know when you've improved. The most marketable thing about an artist is how we grow over time.

I believe that as an artist, one should forget the idea of an “end goal”.  No matter what level you currently are, all you need is small steps in the right direction. It’s not about achieving big success someday, but it’s about perpetually achieving small successes. Every small or big project you finish, every trick you learn and the improvement you made over your previous project, that’s all success. For me personally, the idea of ever achieving an “end goal” in art, would be a sad concept. What keeps me motivated to create, is the fact that I’m always learning and trying something new. The idea that the work that I’m proud of today, will look terrible compared to what I’ll be doing next year and the year after that.

Keep On Running

One of the most valuable things I have learned after digitally sculpting for more than three years is that if you want to be good at something you need to do that thing almost every day for a long time, experimenting or just playing with it. The idea is to have fun while doing so and don't be bothered by some bad day or some awful result, it's all part of the process. Keep on running and keep on playing with what you have as long as you enjoy what you are doing.

Rabat, Malta

Freelance Animator

Practice, practice, practice!

In order to constantly learn and polish your skills, it is important to constantly practice, just like you would for any other skill or hobby. Even if you don't always feel like it, stick it out and practice

Gharghur, Malta

Learn to fail. Good design is not built on first-time success. Seize the day and work hard on your talents, or as we say in Maltese, “Tistenniex il-Bajtra taqa’ f’ħalqek” - Don't wait for the prickly pear to fall in your mouth - don't wait too long, because you may lose the opportunity. 

Gharghur, Malta

Video Creator

Hang in there

An extremely eventful 6 year journey of freelance video content has been nothing short of life changing; the constant pursuit to think differently. From dropping out of University to building my own portfolio and collaborating with established artists and brands, working freelance has kept me repeating the same phrase over and over — “Hang in there” — because what might seem like an absurd idea today, might turn out to be your greatest accomplishment a few months down the line. Be crazy enough about it and pursue what you’re passionate about.

Paola, Malta

You are the gardener, your career is the plant.

To grow as an illustrator you need a lot of patience, dedication, consistency and time.

Thanks to all the creatives who collaborated in this project.