9. When illustration gets personal - turning pain into power 💪

A different kind of passion project

Hi, I’m Libby. I’m trying to find my feet in the world of illustration. I’ve done a load of research and I’m sharing it here, along with my progress on how my illustration journey is going. I’m so glad you could join me on this bumpy ride!

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Hi!

I’m in Southfields this month with our old friend Orlando. Here he is saying hi from the garden.

Southfields is a little north of Wimbledon and a fairly calm and quiet place to be in London.

A very personal project

This month I want to share a more personal illustration project with you.

I’ve been in two minds whether to publish anything about it yet but as 2024 nears its end, I’ve decided it might be a good time.

It’s my 6-week Make Your Mark course ‘passion project’ that I completed in November.

Ironically, this month’s newsletter (#9) marks 9 months of illustating.

So I guess I’ve had this bun in the oven for 9 months but I’ve been on a fertility journey for a little longer.

One that’s clocked up 5 years so far.

It’s a journey I’ve been quite open about with people in my personal life.

I’ve literally been dreaming of how I can share the experience through illustration if only to process some of our experience.

The passion project module of Make Your Mark is designed to allow you to explore something you’re passionate about.

After experiencing a significant loss this year, I decided it was time for me to open up.

I felt it was time for me to regain some power and birth something from this 5-year journey.

I was also encouraged by these illustrators for sharing difficult topics in a comical and relatable way:

Coming up with the brief

I began thinking about what information I wish I’d known in the beginning, when I began fertility treatment.

If you haven’t been through it, I’d describe it as a fairly intrusive, lonely and confusing time, filled with rollercoasters of emotions and what often feels like a continuous grief cycle for the parties involved.

It’s something you don’t quite get to grips with and although life goes on, you are stuck in a loop.

A loop that doesn’t define you but somewhat overshadows life.

Reflecting back, I wish things hadn’t been so confusing in the beginning and I wish I’d been able to communicate some of the harder stuff along the way, with others going through it and those close to me.

Although I like to talk about the topic to increase awareness, I’ve received many well-intentioned supportive words that are often hard for me to hear and sometimes stop me from opening up.

I want to express my emotions but I don’t want to be a broken record and for something going on so long, it can start to feel that way.

The journey can be a bit of a mental health struggle and the support mechanisms are similar to any mental health journey. Sometimes offering a listening ear rather than advice is the best (but an approach I often forget when supporting others.)

So, I decided to make a mini fertility treatment survival kit aiming to combat loneliness and confusion throughout the journey.

I decided to work on 3 elements:

• An acronym buster poster to help decode language on online forums, a helpful place to meet others going through treatment.

• ‘Hard to hear’ postcards to help friends and family understand how they can best support loved ones going through treatment.

• A journal with calendar stickers and a results tracker, providing a place to journal thoughts and feel more in control of the process.

The Design Process

Putting pen to paper for this project was so cathartic and just what I needed.

I illustrate in a fun and uplifting way and I wanted this project to be no different. I wanted to make the theme relatable so I developed spot illustrations to make readers smile.

I had chats with people who have been going through treatment and illustrator peers which was really helpful to flesh out my ideas.

The results

The poster - and A-Z of some of the many acronyms used in fertility chat.

The ‘hard to hear’ postcards - with comics and advice for supportive conversations.

The journal and sticker set - a mock-up that I may get made in future!

I feel proud of what I achieved in 6 weeks alongside other illustration work.

There’s obviously a lot more to say and many more illustrations that I could create on the topic.

It might not be a fun read and it won’t be something I’ll be writing about here too often but it has been a release for me. It has given me confidence in my practice.

I’ve enjoyed connecting over the project with a handful of people on my course and in my network. Those who didn’t know anything about infertility, those who I know have been through treatment and those who I know but hadn’t mentioned they were going through it.

Every conversation has been like a warm hug.

I’m grateful to also share some of my story with you here.

I recently enjoyed watching the newly released film Joy (available on a certain streaming service) which is about how IVF began. It’s a touching reminder of the experience people go through and what made treatment possible. I’d definitely recommend it.

What I’ve Learned

• Being vulnerable can make you stronger

• Illustration can make challenging topics easier to digest

• There’s power in sharing your story

This month’s resources

Materials I’ve used

• Affinity Designer

• Mockup templates - like the journal one above - this free site is particularly good: mockups-design.com

Clubs, Workshops & Tutorials I’ve attended

• 1:1 Illustration coaching with Tom Froese which I talked about here

• Non-fiction book planning with Owen Davey and the Quentin Blake Centre for illustration

• Introvert drawing club - drawing goats!

• The Association of Illustrators online events:

  • Unlocking commissions through passion projects

  • Illustration in motion with Ivyy Chen

• The London Illustration Fair

What I’m excited about for the next month

• Sharing my greetings cards from my Autumn portfolio brief with you

• Developing more cards for the rest of the year

• Setting and sharing my goals for 2025

As always, thank you for reading! Feel free to reach out to me about any of the topics raised in this post!

Libby