Hodaya Louis

Hodaya Louis is an artist based in New York and has had many fashion illustration jobs including new york fashion week and W magazine. Her work is mostly painted portraits, but fashion illustrations are also part of her portfolio. 

She responded to my email with some commercial advice:

 Hi Abby!

thank you for contacting me - see below answers. I wish you Tons of luck in starting you career! 

What was your first illustration job, and how did you get it?

I started as an art and fashion illustration tutor - I had an ad in craigslist.com describing that I can also teach watercolor - so someone emailed me if I can do an artwork for their wedding invitation for $250, and that's how I started. 
What is your favourite work and why? 

to be honest - I don't like doing commissions artworks, because then I'm under constant pressure to try and match the client's expectations to reality. So my favorite job would be to paint with creative freedom -, object, style completely up to me.
How do you motivate yourself to do great work?

I post on Instagram. that's a very motivation thing - because followers comment and ask questions and when I have days when I don't feel like being productive - knowing that if I post an artwork people will immediately react - that's an amazing motivation. 

What's your least favourite work and why? graphic design. I use photoshop and illustrator (which is VERY IMPORTANT!) and occasionally I need to use it for graphic design - for example I did a wine label with my artwork and I needed to also design a logo  -not fun, but important to try!

Do you have any tips for someone who is graduating and is very nervous about it?!

make sure you have a COMMERCIAL skill that is in your field - for example, graphic design. my main income is that (even if I don't love it), not actual art. But I love art and want it to be my main job - so PRACTICE. every single day I either draw/paint/ whatever it is, and I can tell you that in 3 years my abilities have grown so much - as anyone else would with daily practice. ALSO: I am constantly looking for projects/gigs/collaborations. Some are unpaid, but I establish connections through them. I also send resumes and sample work to any publication that might find it interesting. social media is key - PROMOTE your work constantly through all channels - upload work in progress, inspiration, etc . 

Hodaya

This is good advice also, because she talks a lot about essential skills for jobs. I've heard of sending out samples to publishers, which is something I think I'll try and do soon. The social media element also seems key.