“Don’t stop drawing”: Maryam Sefati, Catapult Artist for June 2020
“In illustration, we have to understand the writer's mind as much as we can to make the work.”
“In illustration, we have to understand the writer's mind as much as we can to make the work.”
I feel like it has made the illustrators' community more connected than I realized before.
“I try and represent many types of beauty to show that everyone is beautiful in their own way.”
“At art school, finding ‘A Style’ was the constant and collective struggle of all of us students—trying to find a way to define ourselves and stand out.”
“Find a unique niche and rock out! Understand that your illustration style is yours.”
“I love that I get to read vivid stories, collaborate and connect with thoughtful and kind people, and learn new things all the time.”
“It’s not enough to consider the content—how am I presenting the content?”
“Always meet your deadlines, do good work, and be easy to get along with.”
“Because Catapult is multifaceted, because our content spans so many subjects, it seemed the Catapult Artist program would really be an extension of what the magazine was already doing.”
“Refrain yourself from throwing things away. Even if you think you’re going nowhere with what you’re creating.”
Learning to apply my curiosity wherever it’s needed has made my illustration career more fun and maybe more successful, too.
“Working for myself is all about balance. Although illustration is my career and passion, I still need to have a life outside of art-making.”
I think what I love about illustration is that there are so many ways to challenge myself.
“‘Illustrator’ is just the easiest catch-all for many jobs—which again, I’m rather restless so it’s worked out great that I never get bored!”
By leaving her job as a lawyer and taking a leap of faith to become a full-time illustrator, Sirin Thada says, “I was finally honoring a part of me that had been there all along.”
“In college, I think there was this idea floating around that a real illustrator worked all night—and if they weren’t, they were half ass-ing it. [Now,] I like to give my brain some time to absorb and to rest in equal measure.”
Filling that blank space is a mix of excitement and agony.
“Don’t focus on what’s popular; focus on what’s there for you to try.”
“I’ve wrapped my business model around my kiddo and his schedule and changing needs. That has been a decision I’ve never regretted.”
“Conveying emotions, narratives, stories. This, I believe, is at the core of all art.”