When I decided to try and make a go of being an artist, I focused on drawing the types of things I thought people wanted. Then I decided to stop trying to make the kind of work I thought people wanted, and focus on making the kind of work that's specific to me. The unique value I can bring to the world.
I discovered it was doodle art. (the absentminded doodles in the margins of school notebooks, post-its, bills, and any other scrap of paper that flittered into my path
So I took the portfolio I'd been created over a year and deep-sixed it. After a bit of terror and second-guessing, I started from scratch.
I believe doodling the purest artistic expression -- themes and patterns emerge. I stopped trying to define what it is, and simply allow it to exist. I love doing it, and it's the art style I've always gravitated towards. It's hard work, and a tough form to master. But the enjoyment always seeps through.
And people responded to it with more excitement than I ever would have expected. -- I hope it rouses their curiosity, use their imaginations, --- laugh? . And I hope it makes them smile.
And the reason why I wanted to bring prints and products out into the world is because a physical product, a picture on your wall, can combat the onslaught of images we get every day from our computer screens, and then forget about just as quickly.
But it's not just about making pictures or art. It's about finding a way to express [things] in a way that's unique to you. It's finding what special, that little thing that only you can do, and putting it into the world.
So enjoy a look around, and I hope what you see inspires you to create your own work that's unique to you.
(Hugh McCloud - The sovereignty you have over your own work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will). And I hope these simple doodles inspire you.
And if you'd like to share examples of your unique work, or if you have questions, or you'd like to get in touch about commercial work, personal commissions, or product partnerships, please contact me at hello@joeyelkins.com
****
Get into customers' head and wants - no one wants "increased core strength" they want a six-pack. No one wants a cool piece of art. They want to smile, they want to feel something, they want their curiosity roused, they want to use their imaginations. They want to feel something.
"It's amazing the effect a physical drawing has instead of the onslaught of images we get every day on our computer screens." "don't be separated from the art."
Speak in your customer's language (ramit was hiring customer service guy, had questionairre, only cared about one question that would reveal that they spoke the same language, keywords he was looking for) People want a "magic bullet" (improve my resume, find dream job. give me recipes, include fitness. For fitness, what they want is recipes, what they need is to overcome their fears). Address their hopes and dreams and fears (fears: it won't work for me, I'll have to cut out what I love for the rest of my life). People hate money books b/c it makes them feel guilty about what they've failed at. People worry that they'll have to give up something for the rest of their life. Bake addressing their fears into the service copy.
(what are the fears about working with us? Are we going to make them look bad? Are we not going to deliver?
speak language 2) understand fears, hopes, and dreams 3) put them at the center of your world 4) Teach them to revere what you do.
Put your clients at the center of your world (J Abraham), even if it hurts you in the short term
If you're looking for a boring picture of a horse, there are other artists you can go to. If you want something different, something unique, then this is the place for you)
teach them to revere what they do - not a random subscription, not a random writer. Be very clear about the value you're offering. Tell the value you're offering. See positioning why it's not a free recording. It's a product that shows all the work you've put in it, all the preparation that's gone in. You're doing it for them, and you're establishing trust.
Craft is incredibly important. But all these other points are equally important, if not more.