We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Johnston a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, thanks for joining us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

Probably the best investment I’ve ever made would have to be my Epson wide format photo printer. Since I make a lot of my illustrations into greeting cards and art prints, it’s incredibly nice to be able to print everything in-house. I still have to outsource some of my products (enamel pins, vinyl stickers, and silkscreen apparel just to name a few), but in the long run doing my own printing has saved me a lot of time and money.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Growing up, I was always interested in visual art and storytelling. I ended up studying graphic design in college and although it wasn’t exactly the love affair I thought it would be, it definitely informed the way I think about visual communication. I worked for a number of years as a full-time graphic designer, both in-house and through freelance projects until I found my true calling in art and illustration. Through art commissions and custom illustration projects, I’m able to work with a wide variety of clients and really help them to visually tell their own stories. One of the many things I love about this work is that no two projects are alike and no two clients are alike. On any given day I might work on a commissioned watercolor portrait for a new mom, a set of whimsical spot illustrations for a local small business, a hand drawn logo for an entrepreneur, or even an architectural painting of a house for a newlywed couple — this kind of variety really makes each project totally unique and exciting, which enables me to feel fully invested in the outcome, and therefore do a better job for each client.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

There are a number of things I’d like to accomplish over the coming years (writing and illustrating my own storybooks is at the top of the list), but at the core of everything I do is the desire for connection, emotion, and authenticity — helping people connect with their customers through emotive and realistic illustrations is really why I do what I do. I love when I’m able to make someone laugh with a whimsical greeting card, or tear-up with a portrait of a loved one.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is definitely one of those love-hate relationships for me! On one hand I really do think it’s a great way to connect with your audience and get your message across, especially considering it’s totally free to use. I also find that I have a lot of fun getting creative in my instagram reels and letting myself just “play”. On the other hand, it can be a huge time-suck and I often find myself getting frustrated when posts don’t go as planned either in terms of engagement, or when images and videos get reformatted. I also think the instagram algorithm has changed a lot over the years and it’s no longer a great place to post artwork. If you’re an influencer it’s great but what if, like me, you never set out to be an influencer?? Then, when you consider the addictive nature of all social media apps (and they were absolutely, intentionally designed to be addictive), it can all leave kind of a bad taste in your mouth. Bottom line: it’s still free (for now), and it’s still a good way to get in front of eyes that might otherwise not see your work, but I try not to take it too seriously or get hung up on metrics. It’s just another tool in my toolbox, not a gauge of my success or worth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fuzzygrapefruit.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/fuzzygrapefruit
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fuzzygrapefruit
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonjohnston/

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