How Fan Art Helped TB Choi Build Her Art Career

Ultimate Sketching Course! https://www.proko.com/s/rMQf?af=706140 In this episode, I sit down with TB Choi, character concept artist and illustrator, to talk about why fan art is not a waste of time, and how most of her professional opportunities actually came from personal work she made purely for herself. We get into why she believes artists should create first and find their audience later, how overthinking career logic can kill creativity, and what it really means to build a sustainable art life without burning out. We also get into imposter syndrome, social media comparison, why goals matter more than motivation, and how to balance fundamentals with personal obsession. Follow TB: https://www.instagram.com/tb_choi/?hl=en Ryan Benjamin’s Intro to Drawing (great for basics): https://www.proko.com/s/nkat?af=706140 Ryan Benjamin’s Drawing Dynamic Characters: https://www.proko.com/s/ioLV?af=706140 Michael Hampton’s Introduction to Figure Construction: https://www.proko.com/s/VPvP?af=706140 Morgan Weistling’s Portrait Painting (super inspiring): https://www.proko.com/s/ruu4?af=706140 Join the community on Discord — a chill spot for artists to share work, ask questions, and connect:   / discord   0:00 – Introduction 1:15 Podcast Start 2:30 – Making art for yourself first 6:10 – Why fan art isn’t a waste of time 10:45 – How fan art led to real job opportunities 15:20 – Finding your audience after you create 20:00 – Art as self-expression vs art as a portfolio tool 26:40 – Defining your real artistic goals 33:10 – Imposter syndrome and comparison 39:50 – Social media vs real artistic growth 45:30 – Fundamentals vs drawing what you love 51:15 – Why most artists lose motivation 57:40 – Obsession vs discipline 1:04:10 – Long-term sustainability as an artist 1:10:30 – Final thoughts on fan art and purpose