Dina Arkhipova is the creator of the blog and brand Girls in Bloom and a freelance illustrator. Today she told us about how to turn a hobby into a profession, what are the disadvantages of freelancing and how a young specialist can find his calling.
– Dina, good afternoon! You started your blog DinaInBloom many years ago, right? Didn’t you expect then that your favorite hobby would become the main activity or brand building was the original goal?
– I started my first blog with pictures in 2012. There was no thought that someday these pictures would bring a stable income. Honestly, I just enjoyed the process, because it’s awfully fun to draw smart girls!
The Girls in Bloom brand was born in 2014, and it would not have happened if not for my friend Dasha. She took over all the organizational issues, giving me the freedom to create (within the framework of seasonality and taking into account customer focus, of course. Now we make hoodies, T-shirts, backpacks, printed cases, as well as postcards, stickers, and much more.
– Do you remember the very moment when you realized that illustration is what you want to do? Were there any doubts in general, fears that it would not be possible to develop in this area?
– I remember perfectly! I got my first illustration order in my third year (MIET, specialty “Industrial Design”). One friend asked to help him with a gift for his classmates on March 8th. We decided to make postcards: so that on each of them a girl was drawn in her recognizable image (facial features, hairstyle, favorite clothes, an accessory associated with her hobby). My classmates were delighted, and I learned that how great it is when your work brings joy not only to you but also to those around you.
A little later, when my drawing style became more or less confident, I plucked up the courage to send out letters with stories about my work to the editorial offices of magazines. It’s amazing that some not only answered me but also offered me a job! Since then, there is no time, especially for doubts and fears …
– You live in Holland now, right? Do you work as a designer for your DinaInBloom project and as a freelance illustrator? In general, what are the pros and cons of freelancing, in your opinion? Does remote work seem like the future?
– Absolutely, one of the advantages is portability. Thanks to freelancing, I was able to easily move to another country where my boyfriend lives and works.
Here I continue to draw prints for the Girls in Bloom brand and take several orders a month for illustration. In freelancing, it is very important to be able to maintain a balance between work and personal life. At first, everything merged into one for me – it easily happens when you work from home. I would like to take more orders, and draw for my Instagram … and now you spend the night at the monitor.
A freelancer is a human orchestra, and for me, it is rather a minus. You should be yourself an employee, a boss, a PR manager, and an accountant.
But this is probably relevant mainly for freelance illustrators – the opportunity to learn languages and listen to audiobooks/lectures while working. Full concentration is needed only at the beginning of the drawing and at the end. In the middle, there is a long, monotonous work, during which you can find out how many wives Lemeshev had or what Fluxus is.
Well, as a rule, freelancers do what they really like – and this is undoubtedly the biggest plus.
– Do you have any advice for university graduates who are trying to figure out what they want to do?
– A little story: for some time I was burning with the idea of working as a graphic designer in a glossy magazine. It seemed that this is exactly what I want to do (after all, this work looks perfect from the outside). But after completing a 2-week internship in a beautiful building on Bolshaya Dmitrovka, it became clear that office work is not mine.
Therefore, my advice is to understand what areas you are interested in and at least work there a little. Find an internship or try a couple of jobs if you are attracted to the freelance path. I wish you success!