From the Inspirational Thought Unit
A couple years ago I was listening to a Q and A with filmmaker and YouTuber Patrick (H) Willems. (He's my favorite YouTuber btw.) And he made a good point in this Q and A that I wrote down, and it's stuck with me ever since:
"People will only hire you to do what you've basically already done."
- Patrick H Willems
This tracks with my career. I didn't ever get a graphic novel deal from a publisher until I had drawn over 75 pages of comics on my own. I didn't get a job doing concept art until I had a done concept art for my own projects.
One of the big problems about getting work is getting the experience needed to be qualified for the job. I think Patrick's implied solution is spot on: go out and DO the thing you want to do. It might be bad at first, but you'll get better. Keep at it, and you'll get good enough to get the job.
-Jake