Monthly Member Meetups


IFH Members can watch videos of past twelve Meetups which serve to build connections and share knowledge within this illustration community. Each recording is approximately 60 minutes.


FEBRUARY 2026

Topic: special guest Jennifer Orkin Lewis shares the many facets of her creative practice. 

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Here’s the link list:


JANUARY 2026


Topics: charting holiday sales, activating a Google Business profile, telling stories about your art, and more.

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Here’s the link list:


DECEMBER 2025


Topics: making connections and focusing on local opportunities.

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Nate Padavick kicked off the convo by drawing attention to LinkedIn as an under-utilized source for networking and credibility building.
Takeaways: 1) create a LinkedIn account and 2) join the private IFH-only community group.

Jude Buffum showed us how his recently crafted content specific articles help drive traffic to his site.
Takeaway: write a How-To or Top Ten article about your niche, like Jude did here or like Nate did here.

Karen Kemp told us how her hyper-local postcard/poster business has grown from an idea to 3000+ orders in just a few months. Takeaway: create opportunities in your own back yard.

Carrie Cantwell explained how she and Toni Federico use PaddyPost to seed—in one fell swoop—all the social media posts for their Cranky Creatives podcast.
Takeaways: check out PaddyPost and Cranky Creatives.

Jennifer Skopp told us how she uses local Facebook community groups to advertise her house/business portrait niche.
Takeaway: local businesses want to hire local illustrators

Salli Swindell told us how fellow IFHer Thao Nguyen focuses on developing business opportunities in Cleveland, her hometown. 
Takeaway: celebrate what you love about where you live.

Jude Buffum encouraged us to create a Google Business Profile to attract local clients. 
Takeaway: leave Jude a 5-star review (here) and follow these easy steps to create your own Google Business Profile.


NOVEMBER 2025


Topics: watercolor recommendations, embroidered hats, online shops, in-person markets, and most importantly: mock-ups.

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Here’s the link list:


OCTOBER 2025


Topic: special guest Sarah Walsh lovingly shares her thoughts, insights, and personal perspective.

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Here’s the link list:


SEPTEMBER 2025


Topic: special guest illustration agent Jennifer Nelson talks about all-things-greeting-cards.

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Here’s the link list:
  • A glossary of terms that are important to know when talking about greeting card design with your clients
  • A PDF that shows all the different ways you can engage with Jennifer and her creative cosmos.


AUGUST 2025


Topics: Substack, newsletters, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

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Here’s the link list:
  • Lori Burt highly recommends this Skillshare class. She says it gives clarity to the usage of many of the aforementioned platforms.


JULY 2025


Topic: special guest Kirk Wallace provides real world insights into the topic of collaboration. 

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Here’s the link list:


JUNE 2025


Topic: special guest Jen Hewett discusses her surface design business and gives us a studio tour. 

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Here’s the link list, and a couple takeaways:
  • Proof of Concept. For every design that Jen puts out into the world she creates a proof of concept first. This demonstrates to a potential buyer that the idea actually works, in terms of design, material, and technique. Jen takes her ideas to the next level!
  • Longevity and Perseverance. Jen discusses the importance of staying in the game—for the long run. This means…Working hard. Making good work. Showing up. Producing lots. Executing ideas. Sharing creativity. In a world with so many freelancers, the ones who stick around the longest will be rewarded for their perseverance. 
  • Jen mentioned Chuck Cordes. Chuck is Jen’s lawyer. He represents artists like Jen, reviewing contracts and assisting with negotiations. Visit his site and feel free to contact him. We’ve known him personally for over a decade.


MAY 2025


Topic: special guest Adam Lee, co-founder of Mysterious Alchemy, gives incredible insight into the gaming industry, Even if (especially if!) this industry is not one you’ve ever considered working within, this hour-long talk will inspire you to open a few doors to see what opportunities are lurking.

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Here’s the link list:


APRIL 2025


Topic: IFH Members share their insights in this open forum

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Here’s the link list:
  • a link the website speed tester Pingdom


MARCH 2025


Topic: special guest Kyle Janson, the founder of blanc space, discusses how creators, like us, can turn our illustration practices into a well-oiled growing machines.

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Here’s the link list:


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