It’s not too late, you’re not behind, and yessss, you should still start - an interview with illustrator Carys Wright

This week, our Katie is chatting to Carys Wright - a London-based writer and illustrator, hardcore Good Shipper, and all-round excellent example of what can happen when you follow the creative thread, even if your path looks a bit wiggly. Carys went from acting and theatre into illustration, and we chat about how sketchbooking helped her find her creative voice, and what it’s looked like to keep building an illustration career alongside marketing work and baby. (No mean feat!) There’s chat about markets, picture books, digital vs traditional materials and finding your way back to your own weirdness. Mmmm. Timestamps, for the timestamp fans: 00:00 – Intro to Carys Wright and her creative journey so far 02:00 – Sketchbooks, childhood drawing, and getting back into a regular practice 04:30 – From acting and theatre to illustration 07:30 – Lockdown, Fly Your Freak Flag, and following the drawing thread properly 09:00 – Early illustration jobs, theatre clients, and picture book ambitions 10:30 – Mentoring, competitions, and building confidence through deadlines 11:30 – Illustrating her first book for the Lord Mayor of London 12:30 – Motherhood, maternity leave, and drawing with a baby in the background 16:00 – Portfolios, perfectionism, and letting things evolve 18:00 – Staying connected to your weirdness while doing client work 19:30 – Digital tools, Procreate, and not panicking about how you make the work 23:00 – Opening an online shop, doing markets, and live portraits 26:00 – Other ways illustrators can work, from events to corporate projects 28:00 – AI, humanity, and why weird human imagination still matters 30:30 – Wearing lots of creative hats and letting your interests overlap 33:00 – Coming to illustration later can actually be a strength 35:00 – It’s not too late, you’re not behind, and yes, you should still start Links mentioned: Carys’ website: https://www.caryswright.com/ Carys on Instagram: @carys_adventures_with_a_pen Carys’ Substack, Adventures with a Pen: https://adventureswithapen.substack.com/ Byeeee for now! x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania) p.s. Want to find your creative voice too? Come and fly your freak flag with Good Ship. We'd love to have you sailing with us! Read all about the course here. Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration 🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙