Exactly one year ago, I made one of the most important decisions of my life: leaving behind my career in public administration to dedicate myself to illustration. My goal was to unite my passion for nature, communication, and creativity. This first year has been a mix of challenges, lessons, and unforgettable moments. On this first year, I want to share my experiences and reflections on this transition.

From Public Administration to Art

I started my career in 2009 studying Public Administration and Political Science in Chile, where I spent several years working in public sector innovation. I was part of the team that created and implemented the first organization in this field in Chile, leading the networking area, facilitating workshops, and teaching at the university. It was an intense and enriching period, but over time, I realized that my true passion lay in environmental topics and nature.

After working on COP25 (the global climate change conference), I knew I needed to explore this field further. I quit my job and, together with my husband, we moved to Germany. There, I started a master’s degree in Sustainable Resource Management at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where I co-founded a sustainability initiative and participated in various projects.

First Steps into Illustration

During my studies, I felt the need to communicate what I was learning. I remembered graphic facilitation, a visual tool I had seen in Chile, and decided to try something similar. I created an Instagram account and started experimenting with some drawings to explain different topics. By the end of 2021, I bought my first watercolor set and started experimenting with this material, which has since become my favorite technique. These are some of the drawings I started with:

What I shared on social media caught the attention of a university department, who unexpectedly emailed me to ask if I wanted to collaborate on a green infrastructure project by creating designs and illustrations. It was a complete surprise to me! This was my first professional illustration experience and the moment when I began to see illustration as a path worth exploring. Following this, another wonderful surprise was being invited to share my experience on the Journaling with Nature podcast. It was a podcast I had been listening to for some time, one that had inspired me with its fascinating stories of people connecting art and nature.

My Thesis: Connecting Research and Visual Communication

When the time came to work on my thesis, I wanted to bridge visual communication and science. I reached out to a professor working in environmental communication, and after our first meeting, an idea emerged: to collaborate with the Ammergauer Alpen Nature Park, where he was also involved.

The focus was to optimize the park’s signage to protect a vulnerable bird species. I developed illustrated prototypes of signs, conducted interviews to understand what makes signage effective and appealing, and evaluated how visitors perceive its messages. This project reaffirmed my interest in visual communication as a conservation tool. Additionally, the thesis led to an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and I also subsequently wrote with my supervisor a paper on the same subject which is currently under review—fingers crossed for its publication!

Starting as a Freelancer: First Challenges

In November 2023, I officially registered as a freelance illustrator and reached out to professors and contacts from the university to share my new professional path. Soon after, I began receiving my first commissions, balancing professional projects with my personal creative work.

One of my first big challenges came at the end of 2023: participating in a Christmas market alongside other illustrators. For five weeks, we sold original illustrations, prints, and small illustrated products. The experience was incredibly rewarding—collaborating with colleagues, interacting with visitors, receiving feedback, and taking on unexpected commissions made it all worthwhile. It motivated me to continue seeking spaces for exhibitions and markets throughout the year, and we even participated in the same Christmas market again this year.

Highlights of the Year

This year was filled with diverse and challenging projects that allowed me to combine science and illustration while learning and refining my creative process. Here are some of the highlights:

Educational Signage: I created illustrations for projects such as Golf Biodivers, showcasing ecological restoration measures in golf courses, and BioDivHubs, illustrating habitats that promote biodiversity in urban gardens.
Scientific Covers: I designed the cover for a book on crisis gardening and another for a publication on soils, which was also selected as the cover for an upcoming issue of a scientific journal.
Museum Illustration: I developed a detailed fungal ecosystem illustration for the Königsbrunn Natural Museum, now on display.
Logos and Visual Identity: I designed logos for scientific projects and organizations such as EUROFUNG and the 53rd GfÖ Conference, creating the book of abstracts’ cover, icons, banners, and event materials.
App Leafact: I illustrated 15 stages of tree growth for an app focused on gamifying sustainable actions in organizations.

The Process Behind the Projects

Most of my projects this year came from university researchers, many of whom have now become regular clients. I recently added a testimonials section on the homepage of my website where you can learn more.

My process always begins with an initial conversation to understand the request and prepare a cost estimate with terms and conditions. Sometimes clients have a clear vision; other times, it requires initial research and visual proposals.

The work typically progresses in phases: I start with a black-and-white draft, which we iterate to define key details. Then comes the final version, where one of the greatest challenges is choosing the illustration style. For complex projects, I often opt for digital techniques due to their flexibility, while for others, I prefer an analog approach for its organic finish. In some cases, I combine both techniques, starting analog and refining digitally.

Delivering the final product often brings small adjustments, especially for projects with larger teams where new ideas emerge once they see the result. This has taught me to include a set number of iterations and extra costs upfront while maintaining flexibility to achieve an outcome that meets scientific and communication goals.

Lessons Learned and Reflections

Being freelance comes with many advantages as well as challenges. What I enjoy most is the dynamism and variety of my work. Additionally, scientific illustration allows me to experiment with different styles and illustrative approaches, given the importance of adapting to each client’s communication needs.

Of course, there are several challenges to consider, such as finding a balance between professional and personal life, especially when working from home; learning to estimate costs in a way that properly values my time, ensuring that my work is financially sustainable in the long term; and balancing multiple roles, including not only illustrating, but also managing clients, handling administrative tasks, marketing, ongoing training, and personal development.

Despite these challenges, I am convinced that this has been the best decision: the freedom to decide how to work, explore my creativity, collaborate with diverse teams, and learn about new topics in each project are things that motivate me every day.

The support of mentors and guides has been a key part of this process as well, and I value and appreciate it immensely. Likewise, connecting with other artists and illustrators has provided me with inspiration, community, and constant motivation.

Looking Ahead

This year, I have been able to unite my passions for nature, visual communication, and illustration, and I plan to continue on this path. I am currently working with Creature Conserve in a mentorship program to explore how illustration can contribute to conservation. For this, I am collaborating with the Urban Productive Ecosystems group at TUM, exploring visual formats that promote pollinator conservation in urban gardens.

In January, I will hold my first testing workshop with residents and look forward to sharing the results in my next blog post. I will dive deeper into how visual communication can be an effective tool for conservation. So see you in the next article!

Are you interested in anything I've shared here or want to learn more? I'd be happy to continue this conversation or help you in any way I can. Leave me a comment here or send me a message! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Taking the Leap: My First Year as a Freelance Illustrator