Freelance Artist: Studio Updates
- heatherkaystanfield
- Mar 20
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Welcome to My Studio Blog
Hello and welcome to my new studio blog! I'm Heather, a freelance artist based in Iowa City, Iowa. I have around a decade of experience in freelancing art and design, and a professional history in print design and editorial illustration. My freelance and creative work explores the intersection of traditional and digital art.
A Creative History
I have been an artist since I was a young child. In elementary and middle school, I was known for being "the artist" in school. I had my art in several local exhibitions and achieved local awards. I was determined to someday become an author and illustrator, oftentimes writing and illustrating my own novellas and comics. In high school, I put art on the backburner and decided to explore my interest in music and video editing. I taught myself guitar, piano, bass, and ukulele. I took violin lessons through my school music program and now celebrate over 20 years of playing violin! I always felt it was important to thoroughly explore every creative interest, and I allowed myself to do so accordingly.
Always a self-starter, I launched my first attempt at freelancing art in 2016. I primarily sold hand-drawn pencil portraits and greeting cards. In 2017, I expanded upon my art and added writing as a creative outlet. I started my first online blog - Mama's No Saint. Apprehensive about recently becoming a mother, I blogged about parenting and mental health support for parents. In 2019, I made the difficult decision to step away from my award-winning blog and loving writer's community due to a series of unfortunate personal events.
2019 was also the year I left my full-time job to pursue college for the first time (better late than never). I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future, but knew my primary interests lied in art, music, and psychology.
During this time, I continued freelancing art and ran an independent e-commerce shop in which I sold acrylic abstract expressionist paintings. This was an incredible experience - I gained more knowledge of how to run an e-commerce business, took my first-ever drawing and painting classes, and even participated in my first art venue. After financial limitations during COVID took a toll on my painting shop and resulted in its closure, I continued to take freelance commissions until 2022. During this time, I also experimented with horror illustrations, collage, digital art, and graphic design.
After I completed my associate's degree in 2022, I decided to take a break and pursue graphic design on my own, since it was the one area I felt I had not yet thoroughly explored to my liking.
After finding success as a freelance graphic designer creating logos and brand identities, I landed a full-time in-house position as a graphic designer in print production. During this time, I formed valuable connections and hands-on experience. I stayed with the company for about a year and half, until deciding to give school and freelancing another shot.
Now, I am once again a full-time student and full-time freelancer. Thanks to my years of experience with freelancing in various fields, I am more prepared than ever to support and expand upon my work. While I was apprehensive to leave my steady day job and make this transition once again, I was greeted with more success than I had thought possible.
Recent Developments
Despite the loving welcome back to freelancing that my supportive network provided, this transition has not been without a few hiccups. For the first couple months, things went very smoothly. I was fully booked with clients, had a blossoming social media network - I even had my work featured in a local public exhibition. However, last month I experienced difficulties with the reliability and security of social media platforms. Due to this, I've decided to start posting my usual content directly on my website - which is what led to the creation of this blog.
Although I will forge ahead with my artistic pursuits as I always have, I am deeply saddened by the sudden loss of my newfound art community on Instagram. The support I received from other artists and creatives was incredibly inspiring and motivational. I also met many of my wonderful clients thanks to the platform. Thankfully, many managed to stay in touch despite the recent difficulties. Now, I will be providing a different way of keeping in touch as a backup to social media - through blogging, videos, and exclusive monthly newsletter updates. I'm excited to put all my past interests and skills together to create something new!
Social Media
I have never been one for posting on social media and found that posting nearly every day was draining at best. I love connecting with others (apparently, I am an extrovert) but I do not love the burnout and overstimulation that comes with these platforms. In the past, I have often spent many years away from social media by choice.
One of the reasons I often step away is because I believe the push for quantity over quality is harmful to creators. As soon as I feel myself getting overwhelmed or over-preoccupied with social media, my interest in it dwindles.
While challenging oneself to create every day can be incredibly helpful, taking breaks is equally as important.
More so, it is vital to stay true to your love of creating itself, rather than creating for the sake of others. I think constant over-consumption is harmful in general, and I am saddened to see those with a genuine passion for creating feel like they are less than because of "the algorithm" (and feeling that way myself at times). In my opinion, all art is good art as long as it means something to you.
Create Authentically
Authenticity is incredibly important to me as an artist and therefore is a consistent theme in my work. All of my work is very meaningful to me, and much of it includes personal elements. Although I make my living as a freelancer creating art for others, I do not create art purely for an income. Being an artist is who I am - it always has been, and it always will be. Although freelancing art long-term continues to be my main career aspiration, I will be happy with wherever my creativity takes me. Art will always be a part of my life; creative passion cannot be taken away.
I create art because it means something special to me, and the art I create for my clients means something special to them too. For example, many of my client works include personal commissions. Whether it is a wedding invitation design, an engagement portrait illustration, or a drawing of a beloved pet - these pieces are incredibly meaningful to my clients. My contract work often includes working with other creators - such as writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians - and acts as an asset to help them pursue their dreams. I can't think of a better way to make your living than to do what you love, and help others get to do what they love too.
So, although I am no social media manager or Instagram influencer (and probably never will be), I am completely content with where I am in this moment. I make art that means something to people - and just as importantly, means something to me. Despite the ongoing challenges with social media, I will continue to persist in my efforts to connect with other creatives. With that said, I hope to see you all in my next entry!
Much love,
Heather
*Updated May 28, 2025.
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