We recently connected with Billy Walsh and have shared our conversation below.

Billy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’ve been earning a living from my creative work for many years now. It started with a pen and ink fish design that I created for fun, based on my own take on a style I learned back in high school, which emphasized light without gradients or shading. I casually posted it online and got a lot of inquiries about it for a wide range of purposes.

Those inquiries led me to create a spiny lobster design in the same style. I got feedback and orders for shirts featuring the design from retail shops up and down the coast of South Florida from Key West to Vero Beach. There was clear demand for the artwork and shirts featuring it, so I made more designs and more shirts, and started the Shark Zen brand.

Another big milestone in the journey was moving from retail shops, shows, and festivals to exclusive website marketing and sales. It was not easy to say no to these types of opportunities to sell the product, but it helped keep the operations lean and allowed me to keep in close contact with my customers for feedback and brand education.

It took a couple of years to really get Shark Zen humming, but it has been well worth it. Now I get to create art about my favorite subjects while making a living and having a flexible lifestyle with my family.

Billy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Shark Zen offers UV protective swim shirts, premium t-shirts, accessories and art to those that love the ocean and its wildlife. Many brands that feature fish and sea life on their clothing use very busy and text-heavy designs. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that, but Shark Zen’s sea life designs are intended to give fish and sea life lovers options more oriented toward simplicity and a bit more of an urban style.

One of our most popular products, the UV protective swim shirts, make a day at the beach or in the sun easier by acting as a convenient alternative to sunscreen. In this way they also help protect the ocean as sunscreen can be damaging to reefs and ocean habitats. The short sleeve t-shirts have a super-soft fabric, a stylish fit, and a good range of unique color combinations.

Another aspect of Shark Zen that I have enjoyed working on is our program for at-risk children. A portion of proceeds gives at-risk children an amazing ocean experience, like a day snorkeling, fishing, or kayaking, along with marine conservation education. It’s a lot of fun and a really powerful experience for each child’s life.

Also, one of my favorite art projects with Shark Zen has been the creation of Sand Paintings. I’ve been slowly but surely reproducing my designs using ocean sand on top of a variety of acrylic paint backgrounds. I thought the sand medium would offer a cool connection to the ocean, and so far, I can’t keep up with the requests for new paintings. It’s a lot of fun.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In the first days of exploring the business concept I wanted to get market feedback on the initial design and shirts. I went door to door with each retail shop down both sides of the 180 mile US1 highway stretching the length of the Florida Keys over a 24 hour period in the middle of July. The summer in Florida, and especially the Keys, is extremely hot and humid. Stopping and going between each store every few minutes for 180 miles of road is obviously not pleasant, and while the feedback was predominantly positive, most stores did not have available shelf-space to carry the product. Getting a lot of “no’s” under those circumstances with a pile of product in the car is no fun. At the end, I was glad I did it as it made the trip profitable, established some great contacts, and helped drive the future of the brand.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Creating artwork is very freeing in the moment, but there’s a fulfillment to it that also lasts through time. I like to refine my designs, trying to achieve perfection until I give up. I notice the most minute imperfections while I’m creating it, and many times even adjustments to those imperfections don’t feel perfect. However, there is a point where you just can’t do anymore and you feel that it’s done, even if still imperfect in your own eyes. After a little time goes by, you don’t see those littlest things that may have bothered you during the creation process, and just looking at the design is enjoyable. It’s also quite fulfilling when others enjoy it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sharkzen.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shark_zen
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/SharkZen
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeSharkZen
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwPJ2bC1_URHj-50jIgBKAg
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/shark_zen