ICON7

Two weekends ago, I went to ICON 7 in Providence, RI. This was my second ICON. I really felt that this year I was more comfortable and confident with myself. Last ICON was really intimidating, especially going to it all by myself in LA. So, in turn, I felt that this subtle boost of confidence made it easier to strike up conversations with super talented illustrators and art directors.

There are some great recaps out there from my fellow illustrators. I'll link to them here:
Mark Kaufman The Top 20 Things I Learned at ICON7
Sam Washburn Icon7 Recap
Claire Manning ICON7: Part 1
Alice Young ICON: Part 1

 I laid out all the great cards, prints, items, etc. that I acquired that weekend. Really, my peers are so talented! So here they are!

On Thursday, I attended a workshop moderated by illustrator Jen Corace. I've been a fan of her for a long time. She talked about crafting your own shop and selling directly to people. She spoke about her own online shop on Big Cartel as well as the ins and outs of selling on etsy and big cartel. Our group went to Craftland and I thought I died and went to heaven. So many items all made by individual people. Here are my favorites...

eggplant from feltlikeit



my obsession with the small object continues


 




I recently discovered Pinecone & Chickadee tshirts, and had to pick up one for myself and an onesie for a soon-to-be-mom.




On Friday night, ICON had their first public roadshow. My hotel roommate, Shannon Freshwater had some fancy pieces of original art, prints, and books for sale. I picked up 2 original pieces of artwork.

Also, at the roadshow was Sam Washburn. I met Sam last ICON, so it's been great to see him transition to freelance over the last two years since ICON. I picked up a print of all the House of Representatives from the midwest/north region as an early gift for my step-dad.

  

Some wonderful promos that infiltrated my purse, my suitcase, and my name tag by the end of the conference.

And to give some shoutouts to just a handful of new friends I made:

Natalie Andrewson (I met at the roadshow)
Mario Zucca
Sounion Hong
Alice Young
Lauren Simkin Berke
Muddyum Choudhury
Jeremy Leung

And to conclude, I made a list of quotations or paraphrased blurbs that resonated with me.

-"A lot of people set their prices in retail at the wholesale price. It should be double." -Jen Corace. I gotta rethink my pricing
- Daniel Fishel paraphrased, I think from Marshall Arisman originally (correct me if I'm wrong), "You're always going to be broke, so spend the money you have on stuff you can write off"
-"Be nimble" -Bob Staake
-"Don't always accept the brief as they (art directors) present it" -Chris Silas Neal
-The term Procrastiworking coined by Jessica Hische. Means to work on side projects/research while working for clients.
-"Make things you wished existed"- Jessica Hische
-Copyright your work, you'll have more of a backbone if someone rips you off.
-"Don't wait for approval from others, just do it!" -Idiot Books

And last, for your viewing pleasure from the opening night...