Nasan Hardcastle is an artist I met through my use of LinkedIn.com.  You've heard me push LinkedIn.com before, and of course, I still do – you meet interesting people like Nasan.

Nasan's an Illustrator whose blog is http://softshack.blogspot.com/, where you can follow him for even more insights on Illustration, art, and technology.

Now, on with the interview!

1) Tell us a bit about who you are and what to you do professionally as an illustrator

For
almost the last 8 years, I've been working professionally as a
multimedia artist, concept artist, and illustrator.  I use, and have
used, the Adobe products (Photoshop, Illustrator, AfterEffects, etc),
Corel Painter, Maya, Flash, Dreamweaver, and just about any other
program I can get my hands on.  I have created artwork for books,
motion graphic animations, textures for 3D models, and concept art and
illustrations for various E-learning projects and commercial games.

 2) People have a lot of ideas about what artistic careers and
jobs will be like – what assumptions did you have that turned out to be
wrong?  What turned out to be right?

One of the biggest
assumptions I made was with my first job out of college. I began my
professional experience working for a company which produced electronic
educational materials.  They made simple games, videos, animations, and
books geared for children ages kindergarten through 1st grade.  I
didn't think this would be a 'cool' job at the time, but it actually
turned out to be a lot of fun.  It was at this time that I discovered
how much I enjoyed designing and creating interactive content to help
teach children.  Combining education and entertainment is a powerful
mixture.  I would never have discovered that had I passed up that
position.  I learned not to write off a particular job until I'd
actually tried it.

I also learned, once I turned my hobby into my employment, that I’d
rather do other things in my spare time.  Almost any art outside of
work now feels like work!  I never thought that would happen.
All in
all, Following my deep desire to have a career as an artist still is
one of the most 'right' decisions I could have made.  I have never,
ever regretted making and sticking to this choice.  It's difficult to
imagine me being happy in any other career path.

3) Do you have any interesting insights to share on your career
in illustration that may help people who want to break into the field? 
How did you get in, why, what worked for you, and how did your
hobbies/interests play into it.

I was fortunate to have a teacher in college who was very
interested in helping students find work straight out of school.  I got
my first job as a result of one of his referrals.  I believe I was
accepted for the position because of all the work I had done in
college.  I always put more effort into my assignments that what was
asked for.  I also looked for additional ways to use my talent, and
worked with several college newspapers -producing spot illustrations,
editorial cartoons and comic strips.  (Of course, getting money and
scholarships as a result of my effort was a great incentive.)

Even outside of school, I still have a powerful desire to be a
better artist and will assign myself assignments to stretch and improve
my skills.  I think that's part of the key -putting forth the personal
effort and constantly striving to do my best.  Self-motivation is a
powerful tool in personal skill development.

4) Freelance or employed by someone else as an illustrator – what are the advantages and disadvantages to you?

Currently,
I have much more experience being employed by someone else.  The pay is
steady and things like health insurance, retirement, and taxes are
already figured out.  Plus, I enjoy working around other creative
people.
With freelance, I would be in charge of marketing myself, working with
contracts, and taking inventory of business costs -basically all the
extra things I wouldn't necessarily need to think about when I work for
someone else.
Some people do fine with freelancing, but the biggest hurdle I see for
aspiring freelancers is that art majors in school are not taught any
courses in business, self marketing, etc.  I think this is a real
shortcoming.  If I were to go back to school and do it all again, I
would take at least a couple of business classes just for the sake of
the skills I would gain in self-promotion, deal-negotiation, and just
being better able to manage general business matters.

5) What social media and internet tools helped your career and which ones do you recommend.

Email,
networking sites, blogs, online portfolios, -to name a few.  It’s so
convenient to be able to point someone to a web address with samples of
my work.   A business card comes in really handy, too.  Just being able
to hand someone a card with my contact information on it is helpful. 
It saves time and gives the person something to remember me by.

I also keep tabs on other artist’s blogs and visit various art
forums to see what others are doing in my field of interest.  I’ve lost
track of how many artist blogs I follow, but thankfully, blog readers
have been a big help in staying up to date with the ones I admire the
most.
I might also add, as far as tools go, to just using common courtesy and
etiquette skills.  Things like being polite and respectful through
email and over the phone go a long way.  I strive to keep a positive
attitude and work through problems and challenges constructively. 
Being honest, punctual, and owning up to mistakes I make goes a long
way in building great professional relationships with others -these
only get better through the years.  Word gets around about what I’m
like as a coworker or employee.  When I’m networking and making
contacts, this can be a very good thing.

6) In an age of technology changes, economic upheaval, and
companies moving into each other's spaces, where do you see artists
like yourself being?

In the middle somewhere.  (laugh) 
Seriously, it can be difficult to define what a steady job is nowadays.
I'm already on my third job -no fault of my own.  My biggest advice to
others is to be prepared, keep your skills polished and your attitude
up.  Avoid waiting for things to come your way.  Look for opportunities
even when you are gainfully employed.  Stay in touch with friends and
co-workers.  Network with others and keep those contacts fresh.  Stay
informed in your field of interest and be willing to try new things.
These are things I'm learning to value more and more right now. 
Hopefully, as I share these thoughts, this advice may help someone just
beginning the journey.

7) People often have a lot of assumptions about what artists,
illustrators, etc. are like. Does that cause you any problems in your
career and what have you seen in your career?

I think too
many people still have the idea stuck in their head of the 'starving
artist.'  It's true that there are artists who struggle.  Part of the
problem (my opinion) results from my previous comment about the lack of
business skills we possess when we leave school.
On the upside however, the internet has opened up things for artists. 
We can now contract with people around the world and there are quite a
few freelance artists who do quite well.  I think once I actually
started making a living doing art, the critics of my career path
quieted down and became more supportive.

Another thing I run into quite often is the notion that artists
just pull art out of their heads –basically creating something out of
nothing.  Just as a dessert is made up of different ingredients, art is
constructed from the ‘ingredients’ (experiences) artists gain from
their own study and observations through life.  Creative and successful
artists spend much of their time building up mental ‘ingredient’
lists.  I love to visit new places, learn of the latest discoveries,
observe people, and just watch simple things such as how a mountain is
lit by the setting sun.  Through doing this, I can build up a vast
mental library of images to draw upon and combine in original ways. 
The more things I expose myself to, the more skilled and creative I can
be.

8) Any further insights to share?

 The more I study the world around me for the sake of art, the better appreciation I have for both.

 Thanks for this interview!