Art directors see this and a light goes off above their heads...
This is a brief article intended for my family and friends. This is what I do for a living. I'm an illustrator.
They ask...
"But how do you get work? Is it scary?"
"Hell yes! I spend my hard earned cash on websites ads and mailers showing what I do. Art Buyers and Art Directors see these ads and find something in it that will solve their visual problem.
They call and pitch their job and suggest a fee. I urge them upwards, we agree and I procrastinate until it's due and then I illustrate it."
That's pretty much it.
...then I do this. The first is a fun piece of jumping dolphins. This one is for a drug company. My job is to try to have fun doing both.