-Guest post by Myles Wohl
About 18 months ago I made the big leap from a corporate day job to full time freelance artist. As most Muddy Colors readers know all too well, it’s not something that happens overnight. It was a decision I made a decade ago and was only able to achieve after years of scavenging every hour, minute, and second I could find to practice my craft.
For a long time between making the decision to pursue art full time and finally achieving that goal I felt like the day job was simply in the way. Today, with my corporate job far behind me, I’ve been able to take a more reflective look back at my 20 plus years spent in the Software Industry. What I’ve found is just how much of who I am as an artist was shaped by the lessons and experiences I took away from my previous career. From project management to communication to client relationships and loads more in between. I didn’t learn how to hold a brush in the office, but I did learn pretty much every other skill that has shaped the “professional” part of being a professional artist.
So, it’s with this somewhat unique perspective that I decided to launch a series of videos on my YouTube channel in which I work on a painting while discussing the lessons I learned in my corporate day job and how I’ve applied them to my journey, and eventual full-time career, as a professional artist. I’ve just released the first video in the series (link below) and I truly hope you find it helpful. I have another video scheduled to be released in a few weeks and many more topics on the way, so please keep an eye out for more content in the future.
P.S. Stick around until the end of the video to see some bloopers and outtakes.
Myles Wohl was born in Michigan and spent much of his time huddled in the house away from the cold – as you do in the north. He read comics, played games, watched movies and kindled his love for art and imaginative imagery. Those early influences inspired his creativity, and he could always be found with a pencil or brush in hand.
Many years later, Myles has fled the cold north and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife and their Chinese Crested, Muppet. The weather might be different, but one thing that hasn’t changed is his passion for imaginative art.
Today, Myles is a freelance artist whose illustrations can be found in card games, book covers, video games, and comics. See more of his work at: https://myleswohl.com/
Thanks Myles for sharing your experience. Some years ago I tried (at 37) to switch my career, I was a project manager in a consulting company (usually 60h per week) and almost in burn out. I hoped one gap year could give me the right tools to begin a new career as an illustrator, I attended a course in digital illustration and I learned a lot, thanks to my teachers. At the end of the gap year, the missing part was the network, I knew nobody but my teachers and my wife was pregnant with my first son. I came back to work and drawing and painting became my hobby and I love it. Now I changed job, less hours in office and less stressful. Finally, I believe at least I tried and I played my last chance…I regret nothing even if I failed in my original goal.
Again, thanks for this post, it’s the example that you should at least try your best and sometimes you win 🙂
“Congrats on making the leap to full-time freelance art, Myles! It’s fascinating to hear how your previous corporate career influenced your journey as an artist. Looking forward to checking out your YouTube series and learning from your unique perspective. Keep up the awesome work! 🎨✨”
Tried to do it in a third world country, the us dollar crushed me.
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