Females First: Meet our illustrator

This week we hear from a female illustrator and designer who would rather stay anonymous.

Introduction

Who are you and what do you do?

I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator and designer (often for animation) since 2011. Prior to that, I worked full time as an illustrator/designer for 4 years, and I have a degree in Graphic Design.

What is the best part of your job?

Probably getting to work on generating ideas for illustrations, when I’m deeply engaged in the content. There’s also a lot of satisfaction in the final product, e.g. for books on shelves, or completed animations.

How did you get to where you are today?

Via a somewhat winding route of Art Foundation, Graphic Design degree, an internship at a web design agency, full-time job as illustrator/designer and then full-time freelance.

What did you find to be the most challenging?

My full-time job did not end on especially good terms, and it left me with no real reliable contacts in the industry, or somebody to ask for references. My decision to jump into freelance was made more as a matter of urgent need to leave a work environment that had become to difficult to sustain, and so it did not reflect a state of readiness on my part, in terms of resources I would need e.g. contacts.

Section 2 - Communication

What have you found to be the best way to work with colleagues and clients?

I’m quite happy to work remotely, using email, Slack, Zoom/Skype or whatever method of organisation the client prefers. I find this is usually at least as easy as being present in person.

How do you let your team know if there is a problem with the project you're working on?

I don’t hire anybody, but if I needed to let the team I’m working with know there is a problem, I’d usually see whether I can resolve it, then be fairly direct in explaining what the issue is, possibly suggesting solutions for their approval if I’ve found any.

Have you found senior management lack the ability to communicate clearly or effectively?

Many of my freelance jobs are pretty efficiently run and well-communicated by the people I work with, but I have had experiences of working with management that I found difficult, both as an employee and as a freelancer.

For example, one client had senior management that would only review the project near the end, after I had worked productively with the design team for a while, suddenly demanding 8 completely new and different concepts and design routes, in all caps, over a company message board that could be seen by various members of the team, and refused to offer further constructive feedback. I would say that this was poor communication and management.

When you're working on briefs, what makes the project run smoothly?

If I know that the client gives me as much info as possible about the project, as soon as they have it, and continues to communicate throughout the project, that’s ideal. It’s very useful to know deadline dates, and if the client is able to provide a clear schedule, with points of review for feedback, that usually helps to keep things on track.

Section 3 - The Gender Question

Have you noticed any major differences in the way people treat you compared to your male colleagues?

Sometimes.

It certainly seems a bit easier for men to slot into company culture in the animation industry, because generally, the majority of the studio will be men.

I think there is an aspect of prevalent introversion though too, which might be quite common to creative industries.

In my full-time work, there were very significant differences, in that women were sometimes not invited to company “team-bonding” events. Additionally, when asked for suggestions, responses from my male colleagues were treated as good and useful, whereas my company director would lead in my suggestions with “Oh, here we go…”, etc, setting up for a hostile reaction to anything I would put forward. 

There was also an implicit assumption that a male colleague deserved to earn more I did, for essentially the same work “because he pays the mortgage”.

In my freelance work, I’ve noticed that if I do encounter a problem with the project I’m working on, it seems more likely to be attributed to me in some way, either through the equipment I’m using, or attributed to my (lack of) competence, as opposed to male colleagues encountering problems, which seem to be taken more generally as needing attention.

Do you know, roughly, the percentage of men to women in leadership positions in your industry/area?

In (top) leadership positions, I believe it would be a very low percentage of women, since I often work with smaller ‘startup’ type companies, and those most usually have majority male directors. Even design leads, I would say I’ve much more frequently worked with men. In terms of directors, maybe 9/10 in leadership are men; for design leads, I think there would be a few more women, but still nowhere close to 50/50.

How can we be sure we don't pass subconscious bias down the line to our team members/clients?

I strongly believe in the need to put in diverse leadership at top levels in a company, and then maintain a similar standard of equal representation throughout the company, otherwise conscious and subconscious bias will present itself. 

I’m not really sure there’s any other way - though some methods such as genderblind CVs may help, they cannot fundamentally change company culture - that’s an overhaul that has to come through at every level, otherwise the problem becomes one of retention - I’ve personally seen this to be the case, following along as a freelancer, where I get regular glimpses into various different scenarios.

What advice do you have for young women entering this industry?

It’s difficult because it’s a highly competitive industry - but, if possible, I’d tell them to try to ensure that they work for a company that has diverse representation at the top levels, as well as at the entry-level, and also try to get a sense of the company culture. What are the company’s positions on maternity leave and child care/ flexible working, for example? Even for women who aren’t interested in, or aren’t ready to, start a family, this could be a good indicator of the wider company culture.

I’d also suggest making an effort to network with their peers, and in particular, build like-minded networks so that they have moral support and it can form a sort of safety-net in terms of recommendations for jobs etc, should hierarchical structures fail in this regard.

Section 4 - Anything else

I feel very strongly that HR as a profession needs an overhaul, or (ideally) there needs to be another independent body that can perform the role that many younger people might expect HR to fulfil - i.e. in cases of a dispute between employee and employer, there needs to be somebody who would fairly represent the employee.

As things stand, HR is an agent of the company employing them - all too often, the goal is to “smooth over” disputes, usually by silencing the employee and, if possible, shunting them from employment. If this isn’t addressed, then there simply isn’t any way for an employee to dispute with their employer and hope for a fair and reasonable resolution.

Of course, legal action is an available option, but this could be very intimidating, and a young person might reasonably fear for their potential future employment if they engage it, especially in an industry that is relatively small and tight-knit, as animation is.

For me, the most urgent mission is to completely change the relationship of “HR” to the company, so that the goal is no longer to protect the employer, but to seek meaningful resolution for the company as viewed in the abstract i.e. as the sum of both its employees and the leadership - after all, the employees are just as meaningful and vital to the running of the company as the leadership, as is the culture and environment cultivated within a company vital to both its productivity and the health and satisfaction of the employees.

I would argue that not only is there a real and urgent moral necessity to addressing the conflict of interests in HR, but there’s an argument too from the perspective of shareholders, who gain no value from leadership that generates a toxic environment, diminishing employee morale and productivity.