No. 27 - October 2024
Q3 Updates
Knowing that our attention spans have been ruined by social media etc and pessimistically assuming people won’t read this whole newsletter, I’m going to jump right in with the biggest update from my Q3 and it’s that I’m now represented by The Loud Cloud Agency! Exciting! But more on that below…
Seasons Go and Seasons Come
The angle of the light changed. The temperatures mellowed. Students went back to school but for the first time in 2 1/2 years, I did not. Earlier in the summer I decided to take (at least) this semester off from teaching.
Adjunct teaching at PNCA was a fun departure from doing only freelance illustration for the last several (7?) years. I learned a lot, both personally and professionally. I got to interact with the world of illustration in very a different way, which also changed how I approach and view the industry and the discipline itself. I liked thinking about illustration with a more philosophical slant (thank you for so many great articles that I assigned my students Julien Posture). I liked participating in critiques again. I liked getting to talk shit on Norman Rockwell during my illustration history lectures (he’s kind of a twerp, sorry).
In addition to teaching being a fun opportunity, it was also a necessary one when I started at the beginning of 2022. I was burned out on only freelancing. Burned out on sitting at my desk alone, listening to podcast after podcast, interacting with people almost exclusively through email, and clinging to my daily afternoon walk for fresh air and sanity. I needed a change, specifically one that would get me out into the world to interact with people face to face and shake off the routine of solitude I’d fallen into. And after teaching for 5 semesters, I felt the pendulum start to swing back in the opposite direction. Time is a flat circle, etc, etc. I began to miss the days of turning on a podcast and drawing uninterrupted all day except for my lovely afternoon walks. I missed being able to take on bigger freelance projects and also the financial difference that came about with teaching.
Teaching is challenging. Being in the classroom all day, being “on”, is challenging. That isn’t taking into consideration the prep time, the grading, the office hours, or all the unseen emotional labor that goes into it. The amount of time and effort it requires vs the paycheck it delivers is not proportional. If there was any doubt, I can confirm that teachers are indeed underpaid. Which was another factor in my decision to step away from teaching and back to a full focus on freelance.
To be clear, I truly enjoyed teaching. I’m so glad I took the opportunity and challenge when it came along. I loved getting to know my students and seeing them grow as artists and people over the time I was there. I’d 100% be interested in teaching again in the future. But, as always, a new path appeared.
Back to Freelance
Around the time I was contemplating not returning to teach, I connected with Joshua and Ellen of The Loud Cloud Agency. I’ve pondered the route of having an agent but I’d never actively pursued it. Working with this Portland-based agency felt like perfect timing for my woo-woo self. I wanted to return my focus to freelance projects and here was a new opportunity to do so even more than before.
So far it’s been really great having more people in my corner. Freelancing can be isolating and lonely so having people on your team can feel really great, both in the day to day of projects as well as thinking bigger and more long term around what I want my work to be and where I want it to go. Happy to be represented alongside illustrators like Holly Stapleton and Katie Lukes.
Nothing has changed about my process, except maybe you getting an invoice that looks more professional now :)
You can still contact me directly for any project inquiries at hey@sunnyeckerle.com. Or you can reach out to The Loud Cloud at ellen@theloudcloud.com.
Atlassian
This was my first time working with Atlassian. I created an illustration for their company blog Work Life. The article focused on the importance of a name with tips for naming a new project or company. I wanted to show how a name can give power and direction to something, how it can influence what the thing actually is and becomes.
The concept chosen was inspired by rose shows and how many unique names there are for different varieties. Expanding that idea to other plants, the illustration shows how names reflect the aesthetics and character of what it represents.
Apartment Therapy
I just finished up a bigger project for Apartment Therapy in collaboration with Homes.com - The State of Home Buying. It’s everything you need to know if you’re currently in the market for a house - The Money, The Search, and The Advice.
My husband and I bought in 2021 when it was insanely competitive and houses went fast for way over asking. Sometimes the process was frustrating and emotional. I also found it very interesting so this one was right up my alley. A few of my favorite pieces are below, and you can see more at the links above.
PawPrint Magazine
Finally got to see these two spots in the Fall issue of PawPrint. If you subscribe to Real Simple or other Meredith DotDash magazines, you might have gotten this new publication in the mail earlier this year. I believe this is only the 2nd issue but given how good the design is, I can’t wait to see more.
What next?
I started teaching Barre here in Portland a little over 2 years ago. I love the studio and community, and of course I love the movement. It’s very small and precise but it’s also fluid and graceful. Form is very important and it can take a long time to really understand the positions. The other fun (challenging) thing is the better your form gets, the harder the workout becomes because you’re focused on putting only the right muscles to work.
As I have time between projects, I’ve been sketching out some of my favorite Barre exercises to explore the way I illustrate movement and form. Maybe a sportswear brand is in need of an illustrator who is also passionate about exercise and group fitness…maybe they want to hire me soon…lmk
Recommending
September was busy and I went through a lot of podcasts. I’d more or less fallen off listening to podcasts, so most of these are a year or two old now but still worth a listen. The majority are serialized investigative reporting.
Hysterical
Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s
Stolen: Trouble in Sweetwater
Noble
In The Dark: The Haditha Killings
The Missing Crypto Queen
I (continued) to read titillating thriller type books.
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita
One By One by Ruth Ware
Watched some junky but entertaining TV and a few legit things, too.
Love Is Blind UK
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Chimp Crazy
Sunny
Inside Out 2
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your year - see you in December!
Teaching is really hard! I am jealous that as an adjunct you get to take your own sabbatical -- though I know that comes at the cost of benefits and such.
Yes!!!! We love following our woo-woo self whims!