“I got it purely at the beginning to be entertained and distracted from life,” says Boston-based illustrator and lettering artist Monique Morin, aka Monique Aimee, who, despite her humble beginnings on TikTok, now has almost 70k followers. Her page is a mix of advice for other aspiring artists and illustrators – for example, getting an agent and handling contracts – as well as behind-the-scenes videos of her own work, studio tours, and the occasional outfit or plant of the day.

Morin has been on the platform for about two years now, and remembers her first ever post as a clip of her studio – which, at the time, didn’t do crazy numbers. “TikTok is fast,” she tells CR. “You want a 15-second video, and the videos I was making at the beginning were a full one minute. It was maybe too long, people would get bored and scroll. Those early videos I would dive deep into some kind of subject and it would be too much, I think.”

@moniqueaimee

Studio tour! #bostonartist #artistsoftiktok #artstudio #illustrator #studiotour

♬ original sound – moniqueaimee

In an effort to find her feet, the illustrator paid for a three-month programme to learn how to make videos for TikTok, and the kinds of things that perform well – for example, shorter clips being the best way to grab users’ attention. As part of it she had to post 20 videos a month which she says felt “aggressive”, but got her into the swing of things. And after posting a video introducing herself, and offering to share her experience, Morin went to bed and woke up with 20k new followers.