436 - Jen Bartel

Take a look before the finish line of Jen Bartel's explosive success and you'll find layers upon layers of hard work and focus. After being everything form a Genius to a designer Jen took a year off with the humble goal of one illustration every two weeks and focused on showing the world what her next steps would be and it worked. After a few months and a quicker pace than even she expected Jen left her day job to follow her career down the path she had chosen and is now balancing licensed work and developing her own storylines. Sacrifice, responsibility, and some life experience has taken Jen past her competition to be the illustrative powerhouse we see today and she is here to tell us exactly how she did it. From space cats to strong women, Jen forged her own path and developed her own style to find inspiration in each new day as opportunities await her in greater quantities and wider scope. 

Talking Points

• Where do baby deer come from?
• The best part in a career that people don't see.
• Mental health and life experience can set you apart.
• Responsibility trumps talent.
• Softer styles and navigating through client requests.
• How do you add new entrees to your menu?
• Using technology to level the playing field.
• Graduating at the worst possible time for job prospects.
• Fighting for a job you want versus one that is handed to you.
• Staying motivated, getting comfortable, and getting hired to be you.
• One year to invest in yourself and show the world what you want to do.
• The torture of working as a Genius.
• Finding the opportunities in whatever you do.
• Art school confidential and waking up from being a jerk off.
• Being aware of waster time and learning to focus.
• Feeling unworthy of the work you want.
• From two drawings a month to finding your identity.
• Making your way out of the lost years into a career.
• Is drawing men a waste of time?
• Finding the agency in your illustration.
• The ongoing conversation of women in the creative space.
• Properly protecting your self form Space Invaders.
• Moving past licensed work and opening lanes.
• Making your own merch or printing on demand.
• One offs and product lines in the comic industry.
• The sacrifice for success.
• The company you keep and your own personal come to Jesus moment.
• Saying yes to the right thing and leveraging your opportunities.