This week, illustrator Brian Stauffer stopped by my class to talk about illustration. He is in Tucson this week to visit the School of Art and host the opening of an exhibition of his work at the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art. (Yes, the gallery really is this sad-looking.)

To give a quick background of his work and life, Brian, who is from Prescott, Arizona, graduated from the U of A in 1989 (BFA in graphic design) whereupon he began working as a designer for a newspaper. During this time, he worked on his own underground papers, getting his hands further into design, layouts and publishing. A few years in, he went to an AIGA conference and spoke with the then-editor of Rolling Stone, who liked his illustrations and eventually published one, which launched his career. (“Illustration,” he told us, “was always the thing I was trying to do.”) Today, his illustrations are regularly printed in the New York Times, The Nation, Village Voice and several other publications.

A Stauffer illustration for Miami’s New Times.

Brian came to my Illustration I class to talk about getting started in the field. This was an excellent opportunity for all of us because this portion of the curriculum seems to be absent from many art programs, sadly. Anyway, I wanted to share with you what he told us. Here is his advice for aspiring illustrators (and, really, anyone in a creative field):

1. Empathy = insight.

The key to great concepts is to understand the conflict in the story or situation being illustrated. You need to be able to understand how it feels to be the victim or the family of the victim, or even the editor or the journalist. Empathizing with the humans involved allows you to get to the heart of the thing, to convey poignant and moving pieces.

2. Fear = fuel.

Everyone has fear, no matter how established they are. There is fear of failure, fear of becoming irrelevant, fear of never surpassing the quality of your last piece of work. But you can allow this fear to compel your work, your ideas, to push you to the point of just doing, rather than panicking or waiting.

3. Everyone fails.

This is why it’s so important to keep making. Everyone (emphasis: EVERYONE) makes mistakes, gets embarrassed, gets rejected, and that’s the work that doesn’t go in the portfolio at the end of the day. But if you keep working at your craft, you will have a plethora of other work that is successful.

4. Distill your ideas into one image.

Brian is incredibly acute in terms of his concepts. He finds the greatest conflict in the situation and describes it visually. Focusing your ideas allows the viewer to a) grasp the most important concept or moment and b) feel the weight of the thing.

5. Know the news.

Being aware of current events is not only critical to staying relevant but also is, in a way, the duty of visual communicators. In order to inform the public, to reach them beyond the distant text of journalists, we need to create compelling, relatable and informed pieces. Sometimes, articles even get written just so the editors can use an illustration.

6. Be kinda pushy.

Brian spoke about hearing news, creating an illustration based on the event and then sending that work out to editors and art directors saying, “If you’re going to do an article on this event, here’s an illustration for it.” It’s worked. Also, talked about how he approaches design firms he wants to work with. One time, he sent out bowling balls to the owners of a specific firm (who reportedly liked bowling) and left a note saying, “Most people don’t have the balls to take me on.” He got the gig. Don’t wait for assignments; find them.

7. Be marketable and bring something to the table.

One of the greatest fears, I think, of designers and illustrators (or maybe anyone) is the fear of becoming irrelevant. As new talent comes up and new technologies are built, we need to find ways to stay on top of the game. (Sorry for the sports speak.) Know the technology. Follow trends and learn Flash or After Affects. Learn how to be interactive in your work.

8. Pursue your ideas.

One morning, Brian woke up early and ran to his studio to make a poster from a dream he’d just had. Translating your ideas to paper is critical; it’s what we do. Practice your craft by working out ideas that you come up with, that aren’t assigned to you. Sometimes, this is the best work and can be used in your portfolio and/or as self-promotional images. Either way, you need to work out the concepts formulating in your mind in order to move forward in your work.

9. Don’t underprice your work.

Art directors are paying you for real estate. Whether the space is filled by an established artist or a student, the amount of space is the same and the payment is too. Lowering your price will not only cause a collapse of the industry, it tells the world that you don’t value your work. So…value yourself and your skills and price accordingly.

10. Be a thinker before a stylist.

Brian gets calls for his ideas rather than a specific illustration. The form of a piece should grow from the concept and not the other way around.