Dear Jacky:
Can personal work actually grow my commercial illustration practice?

I'm going to save you the suspense and just say it upfront: as an artist, personal work isn't just nice to have, it's literally the thing that'll get you commissioned by commercial clients and keeps you evolving so you stay hirable. And I don't mean that in a vague, motivational-poster kind of way. I mean I've watched this pattern play out consistently for artists I've worked with.

Over my career at Jacky Winter, I've reviewed more briefs and moodboards than I can count. We're talking hundreds. And I can see that when clients are building moodboards, they gravitate toward your self-initiated work. Don't get me wrong, the slick commercial piece you did for that soap brand still absolutely gets you attention. But it's those personal pieces where you had full creative freedom, that's what makes a client stop and say "Yes, them!"

The stuff you made because you wanted to. The thing you posted on Instagram at 1:39am because you were genuinely excited about it. The exhibition piece that took you three months to finish because you were exploring something new. That's what ends up in the moodboard.

Clients hire artists to bring their specific flavour, their specific vision to a project. If they could do it themselves, I’m sure they totally would! They're commissioning you because they can't do what you do. They're good at what they do: brand strategy, campaign development, creative direction, but they aren't typically artists. They want you to bring your vision to the project.

But how do they know what your vision looks like? Well, it’s usually by looking to your personal artwork, self-initiated projects, of course!

Personal work is where you have total control. No brief constraining you. No brand guidelines. No assigned colour palette. No ‘can you make it pop more?’ notes. It's just you, experimenting without being tied down to a specific style, client expectation, or predetermined outcome. Your personal work is proof of concept and it shows clients what you're capable of.

This is where the 🔮magic happens🔮 Experimentation leads to so many things - style development, learning new techniques, finding easier ways to complete work (don’t sleep on this!). It's portfolio fuel that attracts better clients and more opportunities to be commissioned.

Ellen Porteus is a perfect case study. I've had the privilege of working with Ellen and watching her practice grow and strengthen over the last (almost) 5 years. In 2023, she exhibited a solo show called 'SHE'S ON ANOTHER PLANET' at KSR Gallery.

Throughout the exhibition I saw Ellen using softer pinks, the introduction of this bunny motif, and a new iteration of character work that felt fresh and evolved, and pushed beyond her core commercial practice into animation, sculpture, and large-scale fabrication. This exhibition became almost a launching pad for a newer wave in Ellen's style and showed what she was capable of across different mediums.

Off the back of her exhibition, Ellen also started experimenting with more modular digital illustration that she shared to her Instagram.

The exhibition and other digital experimentation gave Ellen creative freedom to test and explore, but it also put all of this new work on clients' radars. Shortly after, we saw all of those efforts come back in the form of commercial briefs featuring those pieces. Her recent work for Lush is a perfect example: you can clearly see the modular approach being utilised. And look…there are the softer colour palettes, the evolved character style, and yes, bunnies!!

Karan Singh is another artist whose self-initiated work I see constantly in client moodboards. His earlier work was all bold graphics and strong patterns, really graphic, super striking.

While Karan had achieved notability and recognition in this particular graphic style, he wasn’t afraid to start playing with 3D forms, textural gradients, and darker, moodier colour palettes that felt like a completely new direction.

When I was discussing this article with my fellow Producer, Clara Marcus, she said something that stuck with me: "I think the artists that we rep that have the greatest longevity are people like Karan who have a clear creative thread running through their work that is instantly recognisable, but they aren’t afraid to push that through different styles and mediums." And she's right. Karan's experimentation led to some style-propelling personal pieces. And guess what happened shortly after!? Commissions from The New York Times, The Economist, Hermes, The Financial Times and even Porsche (which was one of Karan’s dream clients) followed. The work he did for himself opened doors to the work everyone didn't know they wanted him for.

They say third time's the charm, so why not another receipt! Ryhia Dank (aka Nardurna), one of our Solid Lines signings, is another artist who is constantly working on personal projects, pushing into new techniques and creative avenues, keeping her creative momentum always moving forward. She sews, takes photographs, writes books, collects, creatively documents - all creative outlets that filter back into her commercial practice.

Recently, she started exploring a newer, more reductive style she's coined ANKA, utilising thicker, bolder key lines using only 1-2 colours throughout. It's a departure from her earlier work, but you can still see a really strong through-line. The expansion of style is already opening new doors, as I’ve already seen commercial commissions that leaned heavily into this dual-tone style come her way - work that wouldn't have landed on her desk if she hadn't been experimenting with it on her own time first.

Personal work doesn't have to mean simply exhibitions or Instagram posts. It can be anything - cooking, ceramics, sewing, photography. The cross-pollination between disciplines is real, and it's one of the most underrated ways to strengthen your commercial practice.

Different mediums teach you different things: how to work with your hands, how to think about form and texture, how to problem-solve in new ways. And all of that filters back into your illustration practice, whether you're consciously drawing the connection or not.

I've noticed after years of reviewing briefs that clients aren't always the most imaginative when it comes to commissioning work. And I don't say that to be harsh (big love to my clients🫶🏼) - it's just the reality of how creative decision-making works on the client side. They're often looking at your portfolio and asking for a slight variation of something you've already done - Something safe. Something they know works, and is therefore a safe investment.

And look, there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing what you’re known for, and what you’re good at - we all need that bread and butter. But if you're only doing client work, you risk working yourself into a corner. Your portfolio starts to look like variations on a theme, same style, same approach, same visual solutions. Over time, you become known for one thing, and that one thing becomes harder to evolve out of. There’s gotta be a balance!

Without personal work pushing your practice creatively, you're essentially letting clients define the boundaries of what you're capable of. And that's a limiting place to be, both creatively and commercially.

I also want to acknowledge that doing personal work isn't always easy. Motivation doesn't just rock up with a detailed plan of attack and a fresh batch brew. Sometimes you're tired, sometimes you're busy, sometimes you genuinely don't know where to start. But let this be your motivation - the artists who consistently make space for it, even in small ways, are the ones that I’ve seen who keep evolving, stay relevant, and keep surprising clients (and themselves) with what they're capable of.

Make the personal work. Experiment. Exhibit. Post it. Let it be imperfect. Let it be weird. Let it be yours. Because that's what ends up in the moodboard. That's what makes a client pause and say "wait, who made this?" That's what grows your commercial practice.

Your personal work isn't a distraction from your commercial career, it's the engine that drives it. Vroom vroom!