Matt sits down with Rachal Duggan, Astropad's head of social media, to talk about her side career as an illustrator. She shares how she's built an 11,000 person following on Instagram and why it's the lifeblood of her business. Rachal talks about how the freelance art business has been affected by COVID and shares tips on pivoting your business. She also touches on pitching for work and what her advice is to other freelancers.

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Episode Summary

• [1:20] Rachal's background and how she got started.
• [4:00] How she gained 11,000 followers on Instagram.
• [5:50] Why she's always creating.
• [8:40] How do customers find and contact Rachal?
• [10:40] Why the key to building a following is patience and consistency.
• [12:50] On being human.
• [14:40] How the pandemic has affected her business.
• [18:22] What does the freelance art market look like right now?
• [20:05] Ideas for pivoting during COVID.
• [24:50] On finding your unique angle.
• [28:13] Advice for other freelance illustrators.
• [31:38] How to pitch successfully for projects.

Links and resources

• Matt Ronge on Twitter
• Rachal Duggan on Instagram
• Rachal's portfolio and website
• Blog post on Survival Tactics for Freelancers During the Pandemic