Documenting My Journey to Becoming an Editorial Illustrator

Because the becoming deserves to be seen too.

Either way, here I am—on the edge of a new chapter in my illustration journey—and I want to leave a trail behind. Not for the algorithm, not for the likes, maybe not even for you (though if you’re here, hi and thank you), but for myself.

I’ve always been someone who journals. I like having a record I can return to—a place to revisit old thoughts and see how I’ve grown, changed, redefined my voice. I realized recently that I don’t have that for my art. And I want it. I want to see the evolution not just in pictures, but in words, in context, in intention.

Also, I talk to myself a lot. Not out loud—usually. But in my head, I often imagine that someone is interviewing me about my work or my goals, and I answer like I’m on a podcast with millions of fascinated listeners. This blog was born in one of those moments, while I was washing dishes and mentally explaining to my imaginary interviewer where I’m headed next. So I figured: why not put it all down?

So, where am I headed?

A Bit About Me (and Why Now)

I’ve been a creative most of my life. I started in graphic design, transitioned into product design (UI/UX), dabbled in animation, video editing, branding—you name it. But through all those roles, something always felt missing. I wasn’t drawing. Not really. Not for myself. Not the way I used to.

I kept telling myself I’d start again next weekend, then the next, then the next. Deadlines, distractions, life—there was always something in the way. Then came 2020. The world paused, and I finally picked up a sketchbook again. I started an art page on Instagram—@scrambled_lines—and threw myself into daily drawing challenges, Inktober experiments, and messy, playful exploration. For the first time in years, I made art just to make art. And people noticed.

That sparked something.

Fast forward to mid-2024: I was growing increasingly restless in the design world and craving a more expressive outlet. I started applying to open calls. Got into some. Got rejected from others. I even landed my first paid illustration client. That was the moment it all shifted from a hobby to something real.

Where I’m Headed: Becoming and Editorial Illustrator

Now, a year later, I have a clearer vision. I don’t want just any illustration work. I want editorial. I want my art printed. I want to tell visual stories that sit beside journalism, essays, interviews. I want to hold a magazine in my hands and see my illustration between its pages.

And I want to become an editorial illustrator. I want to draw a cover for The New Yorker.

It’s a big dream, I know. But I’ve loved that magazine since forever. I even went to the New Yorker Festival last year in NYC and attended “The Art of the New Yorker Cover” with Françoise Mouly, Sarula Bao, and Adrian Tomine. Hearing how even Adrian Tomine sometimes doubts himself reminded me that imposter syndrome doesn’t mean you’re not ready—it just means you care.

I also took a Domestika course by Nicholas Blechman, who talked about how a personal project—a zine he made for fun—landed him his first illustration gig at the New York Times. That stuck with me. Sometimes, your next chapter begins when you put something out there and the right person stumbles across it.

So, this is me putting it out there.

Whether or not anyone reads this, this blog will be a place to document, reflect, and keep going—until one day, I get that cover.

And if you are reading, thanks for being curious enough to peek in. Let’s see where this goes.