No, Using Design Assets Isn’t Cheating
Sometimes I want to scream this from the rooftops.
To every burnt-out illustrator. Every artist. Every craft designer. Every creative person that feels behind.
You do not need to create brand-new, original work every time you want to make content. You just don’t.
I say this all the time, but it’s worth repeating. You could take everything you’ve already made. Every image you’ve posted. Every design you’ve drawn.
And just repost it. That alone is an easy win.
But beyond that, design assets can completely change how sustainable content creation feels as an illustrator. And I say that as someone who resisted them for years.
Why Illustrators Burn Out Creating Content
Most content advice assumes you have:
unlimited time
endless energy
pain-free hands
That’s not real life. As illustrators, our creativity has to coexist with:
marketing
website updates
customer support
selling our work
And always, always the algorithm whispering, You haven’t posted in a few days. You should really make a Reel. It’s exhausting.
I Used to Think Design Assets Were Cheating
I’ve been a hand lettering artist and illustrator for over a decade.
For a long time, I truly believed that if I didn’t draw everything myself, I was somehow doing it wrong. Using design assets felt like cheating. But as I got older, and my hands stopped cooperating the way they used to in my late 30s, I realized something important.
There had to be another way to stay creative and consistent. Because my business depends on content.
Not everything I make needs to be drawn from scratch. And I don’t want to rely on AI to fill in the gaps.
We only have so much time and energy in a day. Sometimes creativity has to share space with survival.
The Kind of Content That Actually Works for Me
The content that performs best for me on my art Instagram is simple.
A finished static image of my work. Paired with a relatable sentence.
That’s what gets shared. That’s what keeps people engaged. That’s what supports merch and sales.
Without consistent content, my platform drops off quickly.
So instead of pushing harder, I chose a sustainable content system.
How Design Assets Support Illustration (Not Replace It)
Design assets don’t replace illustration. They support it. They include things like:
textures and backgrounds
borders and frames
graphic typography
patterns and digital papers
These are the pieces that take time, energy, and hand strain, but don’t need to be reinvented every time. Using design assets lets me focus my illustration energy where it actually matters.
Why Century Library Fits My Illustration Style
My work leans alternative. Grungy. Art nouveau meets medieval. That’s why I gravitate toward Century Library.
Instead of new-age tools like AI, I’m actually going backwards in time. Using authentic work that’s hundreds of years old.
Century Library takes antique lettering, documents, and textures and turns them into usable design assets.
Everything is:
pre-cut
thoughtfully organized
available as transparent PNGs or vectors
high resolution for print and merch
No digging through public domain archives. No cutting things out by hand. Just usable assets that save hours.
The Real Reason I Felt Guilty Using Assets
A lot of my resistance came from insecurity.
I kept comparing myself to other artists online. Seeing how much they posted. Wondering how they kept up.
What I didn’t realize was that they had systems. They weren’t starting from zero every time. There’s a big difference between cutting corners and building systems that actually support you.
Especially for someone like me. I’m autistic. I have ADHD. I have fewer usable hours in a day because I have less energy.
If I don’t work, I don’t make money. I can’t afford long creative shutdowns.
So I had to reframe my mindset. Not “What am I going to draw today?” But “What am I going to make today?”
Design assets are creative support tools.
How I Use Design Assets Day to Day
In practice, this looks like small swaps.
Hand-drawn elements become graphic ones when needed.
Especially:
Frames
Character poses and faces
Banners
Typography
Textures
Patterns are a big one.
If I’m designing something like a blanket or curtains, there’s no reason to hand-draw a pattern from scratch every time. Using an existing pattern can save hours. I reuse these assets across my content. Like a graphic wardrobe. They become part of my branding.
This speeds up production without lowering quality.
Everything I use is vector-based or over 300 DPI, which matters for print and merch.
Why This Matters on Low-Energy Days
Design assets help me stay motivated when my energy is low.
Sometimes finishing something is the difference between moving forward and doing nothing at all. Decision paralysis is real.
Having systems in place helps protect:
my creativity
my income
my mental health
That matters more than proving how hard I worked.
Why I Recommend Century Library
Century Library is a family-run business. Not a massive stock site with hidden fees. It’s run by Tom and Abbie.
They offer different “library cards,” which makes it accessible. You can start as low as about $5 a month if you pay yearly. That gives you 30 downloads.
Realistically, those 30 assets can easily turn into 60 pieces of content or more.
That’s not cheating. That’s sustainability.
Want to Try Design Assets for Yourself?
If you’re an illustrator who wants to:
create content without burning out
protect your hands and energy
stay consistent without starting from scratch
I genuinely recommend checking out Century Library. You can use my affiliate link here
It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support my work. And more importantly, it gives you tools that make content creation feel doable again. Because the goal isn’t to exhaust yourself. It’s to keep creating for the long haul.
