I posted three of them on Instagram in late 2022 without much expectation. A medical publisher fr…
T=0: The Decision
Eleven years in an oncology ward at Karolinska. The work was meaningful and consuming me. I had started drawing detailed anatomical diagrams of tumour locations to help patients understand their diagnoses — unofficial tools I made at home.
I posted three of them on Instagram in late 2022 without much expectation. A medical publisher from Amsterdam sent a direct message. Then a pharmaceutical company asked for commissioning. I realised I had built a viable portfolio by accident. I applied for Konstnärsnämnden (the Swedish Arts Grants Committee) funding and began transitioning in February.
Freelance illustration income equal to my nursing salary within 18 months.
6 Months Out
Still nursing three days a week while building the illustration client base. The hybrid phase is exhausting but the income bridging works. The publisher commissioned a 12-illustration series for a cardiology textbook. It will take eight months to complete.
“Do not go full freelance immediately. The hybrid phase — part nursing, part illustration — lets you build work without financial panic. Swedish benefits (a-kassa) also support partial transitions if structured correctly.”