INTERVIEW
Future Makers: Class of 2021
Our first ever Future Makers cohort are coming to the end of their year with us. Culminating from a desire to see a more diverse illustration industry, Future Makers is a yearly professional development programme open solely to illustration-based artists belonging to typically underrepresented groups in the industry.
With so many brilliant and wide ranging applications last year we had the mightily difficult task of choosing just three artists; Aaron, Julie and Wadim. It was a real pleasure being introduced to so many talented people, and getting to know our three Future Makers throughout its inaugural year. With the call out for the next group of Future Makers underway, we’ve been looking back to reflect together on the highs, the lows and how the experience has shaped us all going forward.
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It’s made me realise what kind of work I would like to create and expand on moving forward. In addition, it has opened my eyes to what opportunities are available.
– Julie Lai
Transporting ourselves back to the start of the year, we began with a chat to kick things off. We met with Aaron, Julie and Wadim over video call individually to talk through their work, hear more about their aspirations and what they’d like to develop. Our first step was to create a curated portfolio page for each of the artists on the Grand Matter website, an opportunity to take a fresh look at their work and shape an edit that reflects where they would like to grow as well as where we see particular potential.
How did it feel seeing your portfolio edit come together?
Aaron Marin: It's always cool seeing one's work on a website or any place other than your own tablet or sketchbook. It shows a variety of work that I could possibly tackle. My work has definitely changed from the work presented on the Grand Matter site, for the better. I just need to dig deeper and access more ideas and make more mistakes and draw more.
Julie Lai: It felt really great to see my work on the Grand Matter site alongside a lot of wonderful and talented artists.
Wadim Petunin: Seeing my work through a professional eye and carefully curated was a welcome change of perspective. I really enjoyed how my illustrations have been put into a new context and what kind of new connections could be made.
Left: 2021's Future Makers
Right: Aaron Marin's portfolio page
How did we work together through the year?
As illustration agents, our role is multifaceted. As well as building client relationships and negotiating & producing commercial projects, at Grand Matter we put a lot of time into how we present our roster of artists, encouraging creative exploration and supporting portfolio development. We co-initiate personal projects with our artists as one of the ways to do this, to expand their portfolios into new areas and create tangible examples to show off.
With our Future Makers we did just this. Exploring fashion illustration with Wadim, abstract book covers with Julie and record sleeve artwork with Aaron. We worked closely with the artists individually to develop a brief, guiding them through the process (and sometimes acting as though we were the client!) that we were able to showcase at the end.
Julie Lai's self initiated book cover project
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I loved how Grand Matter encouraged my interest to integrate my traditional forms of working back into my process. Unlike my usual commissioned projects the process was very intuitive and experimental, so was very helpful to get input and feedback through each stage.
– Julie Lai
One of the joys for us was presenting the Future Maker's portfolios on the Grand Matter website and sharing work on instagram alongside our roster of artists. This allowed our clients to come across their work organically, but also for us to introduce their work to clients when the right opportunities arose, with the aim to work together on a project as their agent. We were lucky enough to work on a couple of commissioned projects together.
What was it like working with an agent on a commission?
Wadim: Maybe I was lucky, but I had a really great time working on a commission along with George and the client! It was very straight forward and uncomplicated; I really like the outcome as well and would imagine that it was right up my alley. Other than that, I feel like it’s actually not that different from my past experience, but it was great to have someone there that has my back and takes good care with a lot of professional know-how.
Julie: Having an agent for the Starbucks project made me feel a lot more supported throughout the process as opposed to working alone. On one end, it was great to have help in regards to pricing, contracts and invoicing. But I think most importantly from an emotional standpoint, it felt much better to have support and someone in your corner.
Left: 1 of 3 imagined Vogue covers by Wadim
Right: Wadim's editorial illustration for WPP's Atticus Journal
Most recently we’ve been connecting each Future Maker with an artist from our roster for a chat, to learn about each other’s practices and for our artists to offer their words of advice and wisdom from their experience working as a freelance illustrator.
How did your advice session go with the roster?
Aaron: The best thing was talking to Bryce Wymer. We just chatted about life and art. I think this should be the first thing that an artist in this program should do. I think our age and life experiences meshed well in talking about the different worlds of art, commercial, fine art, and personal projects.
Wadim: Not to sound greedy or anything but to be honest: it was too short! I really enjoyed the chat with Aistė, she was so kind and gentle but also direct and honest which was greatly appreciated. She gave me a lot of helpful advice and I learned some surprising new things. I’m very thankful that she shared her experience with me!
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I would’ve definitely connected earlier and deeper with the other Future Makers, Julie and Aaron, it’s very meaningful to talk about everyday life & work, share experience and thoughts about projects and navigating life as an up-and-coming illustrator.
– Wadim Petunin
What were your main takeaways from the year?
Wadim: I think my main takeaway is to actively chase opportunities and not to just wait for them to fall into my hands. Also, I want to focus more on personal and self-initiated projects like the one I did with Grand Matter's amazing support because another key aspect of the experience was having the chance to freely talk about my work and how to get it to the next level. The session with Aistė definitely was a standout moment for me. Thanks to her I have a new mantra: show up and put in the work!
Aaron: I have to do more work. Pure and simple. For most of the year I just did self assignments (outside of Grand Matter) and used digital and traditional means to tackle them. I worked in sketchbooks a lot, sitting in coffee shops (or at home) and dedicating specific amount of time to tackle different ideas, subjects, and tools. It was a meditative practice for me, and a good start to my day. Usually later in the day, I would come back to those ideas and flesh them out a bit, and sometimes the sketchbook work was sufficient.
I just have to do more work.
Julie: The highlight probably for me would be working with Grand Matter on the Starbucks project. I was incredibly happy to work with a company that has been a part of nostalgic memories. I would say the main takeaway would be the encouragement I got to explore what I enjoy and gravitate towards in terms of both materials and subject matter.
Extract taken from Julie's Starbucks illustration
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We've learned a lot from the experience at here at Grand Matter also, how we can best use our knowledge base and what we can do to make the experience more valuable as we go. We're excited to begin it's second year with a new selection of artists in the coming months!
Find out more
How to apply
To find out more about eligibility and how the programme works, head over to our Future Makers page. To apply you will need to fill out a short form & upload examples of your work.
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