Double Shift

From today I’ll be sharing a short series called Double Shift, and will do so for the next few weeks. This will feature conversations with artists who balance their studio practice alongside other kinds of work—some within the creative sector, others entirely outside it.

When I thought about starting it, the aim was to shed light on how artists today are navigating the realities of our world, and what it means to build a life that supports both creativity and a sustainable livelihood. The more I speak with artists, I suppose its also about the importance of not putting all your eggs in one basket, especially if you’re starting out, and highlighting the importance of diversifying your income if you want to make it fully in the arts.

Each edition will include a recorded conversation.

The Painter Whose Bread and Butter Is Commercial Illustration

In this first Double Shift conversation, I speak with Kim Thompson—a contemporary painter and illustrator—about the realities of sustaining a creative career today. Kim’s painting practice has been on a trajectory since 2021, with group exhibitions, artist residencies, awards, large-scale commissions, and her first institutional solo exhibition. While this side of her practice continues to grow, the majority of Kim’s income still comes from her commercial illustration work, of which she has over a decade of professional experience in. She brings her distinctive patchy painting style, retro colour palette, and thick brushstrokes to film posters, book covers, and editorial visuals for major publications.Her commercial collaborators and clients have included film production entity, Lucasfilm, rapper Princess Nokia, Penguin Books, and Vanity Fair magazine. Kim’s painting work has been exhibited at Saatchi Gallery in London, Backlit Gallery, University of Lincoln and New New Art Exchange.

In our chat for Double Shift, Kim shares how she balances editorial commissions, alongside own growing painting practice, whilst also sharing how she started out, from cold-emailing art directors in the early days, to eventually having an agent and working with major clients. Her story is one of persistence, adaptability, and determination—often hidden behind the curated posts we see on social media.

Whether you’re an artist yourself or simply interested in what it really takes to build a creative life, this is an honest and refreshing insight into the working realities behind the work itself.

Many thanks to Kim for taking the time to chat! Listen to the conversation below

Kim Thompson on Instagram (commercial)

Kim Thompson on Instagram (painting)

Kim’s website

Illozoo - Kim’s illustration agent

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This is a reader supported newsletter. Here is how donations have recently been used:

• Fee for those who have participated in the Double Shift conversations

• Tickets for two subscribers to visit the Noah Davis exhibition that was on at The Barbican in London

• Paying for a portion of the time I spend working on the newsletter each week.

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