This week, our Katie is chatting to Carys Wright - a London-based writer and illustrator, hardcore Good Shipper, and all-round excellent example of what can happen when you follow the creative thread, even if your path looks a bit wiggly.Carys went from acting and theatre into illustration, and we chat about how sketchbooking helped her find her creative voice, and what it’s looked like to keep building an illustration career alongside marketing work and baby. (No mean feat!)There’s chat about markets, picture books, digital vs traditional materials and finding your way back to your own weirdness. Mmmm.Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Intro to Carys Wright and her creative journey so far02:00 – Sketchbooks, childhood drawing, and getting back into a regular practice04:30 – From acting and theatre to illustration07:30 – Lockdown, Fly Your Freak Flag, and following the drawing thread properly09:00 – Early illustration jobs, theatre clients, and picture book ambitions10:30 – Mentoring, competitions, and building confidence through deadlines11:30 – Illustrating her first book for the Lord Mayor of London12:30 – Motherhood, maternity leave, and drawing with a baby in the background16:00 – Portfolios, perfectionism, and letting things evolve18:00 – Staying connected to your weirdness while doing client work19:30 – Digital tools, Procreate, and not panicking about how you make the work23:00 – Opening an online shop, doing markets, and live portraits26:00 – Other ways illustrators can work, from events to corporate projects28:00 – AI, humanity, and why weird human imagination still matters30:30 – Wearing lots of creative hats and letting your interests overlap33:00 – Coming to illustration later can actually be a strength35:00 – It’s not too late, you’re not behind, and yes, you should still startLinks mentioned:Carys’ website: https://www.caryswright.com/Carys on Instagram: @carys_adventures_with_a_penCarys’ Substack, Adventures with a Pen: https://adventureswithapen.substack.com/Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. Want to find your creative voice too? Come and fly your freak flag with Good Ship. We'd love to have you sailing with us! Read all about the course here.Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙