Happy Friday – and World Book Day to our friends in the States! While your weekend may be fully booked (excuse the pun!), take a moment to read Ian’s story, a freelance artist and illustrator on Bark.
Ian’s current focus is illustrating children’s books, maps and general cartoon and character work – pretty appropriate for World Book Day right? Let’s hear how Bark has helped Ian to pursue his passion as a freelance illustrator!
Tell us a bit about your background
I started out as a graphic designer and have been a freelance artist and illustrator now for over 25 years, producing work in a variety of styles and subjects for clients such as Mars, The National Trust, Paul Lamond Games and Reader’s Digest. Nowadays, most of my work is for children’s books, maps and general cartoon and character work.
When did you join Bark?
I joined Bark in 2017 when work was a bit thin on the ground and other advertising wasn’t working, and I soon found it was an excellent platform to find potential new business leads.
It has a nice balance of business to business client work and also private individuals who may be on a budget. I use other forms of advertising less and less now, as around 90% of new clients come via Bark.
How have you found your overall experience of using Bark?
It’s been great to see the Bark site develop from its early days and the whole experience has been very fulfilling. The best thing about Bark? The fact that I can find and help out so many people across the whole of the country, purely down to the effectiveness of the Bark website. I’ve actually had to turn potential work down recently as I have too many leads to reply to!
How have you navigated the challenges brought about by the pandemic?
I’ve been very lucky in that the pandemic has not really affected my work too much (I’ve been self-isolating for years!). In fact, it’s meant a lot of people had a lot of time on their hands to sit and come up with amazing stories for me to illustrate!
What are your hints and tips for success on Bark?
Reviews are a must I think and, especially in my line of work, if people can see samples of my work that’s very important. I get dozens of leads a week and I can’t answer them all, so it’s important for me to be able to pick and choose carefully the right ones to chase for the kind of work I prefer to do.
How have you found our Customer Success team?
Whenever I’ve dealt with the Customer Success Team they have always been quick to communicate and always friendly and supportive.
It’s great to hear that Bark has enabled Ian to continue doing what he loves! That’s what we’re all about, after all. Ready to take a leaf out of Ian’s book and make money on your own terms? Sign up as a professional on Bark today.
If you’re looking for an illustrator for your next creative project, find Ian R Ward Illustration on Bark!
Check out his portfolio, read customer testimonials and get in touch! Ian’s work is also social – find him on Facebook.
Feeling inspired? There’s plenty more where that came from! Read more success stories in the Professional Spotlight section of our blog!