Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cj Esher. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Cj thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I worked immediately from high school graduation until I was 25. I always had considered college too much and kind of out of my grasp, something I couldn’t do. I worked plenty of retail and some other odds and ends, Storage property manager, surveillance, and other odd jobs. When I was 25 though I was offered the chance to go to college for free, but I had to move two states. My aunt offered to pay for it and house me if I went. So, I moved and I did. It was a risk and a risk I was willing to take. However, I underestimated how much I was putting at risk. The next 8 years weren’t just life changing but I’ve changed as a person wholly. I was in a long term 7 year relationship when I moved, after a year we broke up. I was healthy-ish when I moved, then 2 years after I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and ever since I had the surgery to remove that my health has declined, mentally and physically. I finished school and graduated right into the pandemic, May 2020. My plans to move and try some things were scrapped and every opportunity I thought I’d have weren’t given to graduates who graduated the year before. So since then, I’ve been working hard on my art and my creative side. The worst part of this all is the social media and marketing, I’ve had so much trouble getting work out there, but I’m going to keep pushing and keep trying to improve.

Cj, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started off just as a freelance illustrator but the more I work the more I realize I need to be a designer. I took a few minor classes in graphic design in college but nothing major. I’ve learned more on free skillshare or other website promotions than I did in school if I’m being honest. I still need to improve, but I have worked on it. I offer prints, stickers, pins and other illustrator/artist things that you can find at conventions, but I also offer some design. I’ve done merchandise design for Twitch Partner Penta, who streams GTA RP a few times. I’ve also done T-Shirt design for Route One Apparel in Maryland.

Right now I really want to work on promotional material for brands/companies. I’ve been pushing the Philadelphia Eagles to get a gameday poster job. I would love to work for any sports team in doing so, or Marvel/Disney packaging or promotion design.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think something that most non-creatives that I come across fail to understand is how we view ourselves and how we view our value to society. Unfortunately creatives are HIGHLY skewed and viewed in our society, there are a very small portion of creatives who are valued very highly and the rest are very under valued. However, most creatives I know struggle with being able to live and be a productive member of society while also just living in general. I know that if I wasn’t able to be a creative and had to work a soul crushing job(because I have been there) I would be very useless and VERY unhappy. I’d rather barely get by and be creative than get a job where I make a lot of money and be unable to be creative. Which is what I think most non-creative’s can’t relate, most seem to view it as a hobby and not as a part of ourselves.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Support them in any way and DON’T support art stealing companies and brands. Don’t buy your packs of stickers on Amazon and posters on displate or anything. Buy directly from the artists. “But it’s cheaper” , of course it is, it’s stolen content and they have no cost into it! Following, commenting, saving, purchasing, sharing, anything from an artist is helpful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thesiegeman.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesiegeman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjesher/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesiegem4n
• Other: www.lynkfire.com/thesiegeman