We recently connected with J Puzzles and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, J thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
This is an interesting question because, as a creative type, I think there are ups and downs to both kickstarting your career life sooner or later. It all depends on the type of creative you are. Are you starting your career for the right reasons? Do you have the creative spark and drive? Is life getting in the way of your dreams, and you have to postpone your career and put it all on hold because there’s some sort of unforeseen intervention? Life happens. And timing can be everything, in almost every aspect of life. But it may be just as simple as life happening, which can benefit that creative spark, and result in the right time to jump into that dream. So ultimately, I’m grateful and thrilled I started when I did, later in life. You learn things by going through some jobs you don’t particularly enjoy. Life throws you curveballs, taxes, heartbreaks, loss, success, love. All things that can add value to your creative spirit, that you may not otherwise appreciate, or benefit from, at a younger start. And to be a bit more on the philosophical side, what is the official “start” to one’s career? Is it that first job that you love? Or have you been following your dreams all along? Was it the initial discovery of your passions in the arts that was the “start” to your creative path? Or is the start when the starving artist no longer goes hungry, and is gainfully employed? For me, that creative spark has always been within me, I just didn’t know how exactly to start, and where best to channel it. That indecisiveness was squashed with the help of family and friends, and the universe shaking me, telling me it was time. So it happened for a reason to start my career later in life.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m the owner and artist of a design business, Plugged Out Designs. I created this business because I needed an outlet, a creative outlet for my busy brain. I needed to plug out from ordinary life, plug out from the rest of the world, and let my creativity thrive. My medium is digital. I create orginal works, fan art, and I make custom pieces. I sell prints in various sizes, stickers, and will be branching out eventually to magnets, keychains, coasters, and tee shirts. My work is heavily influenced from my love of all things nerdy. I’m an 80s/90s fanatic. My work can be best described as bright, neon, fun, and nostalgic of a simpler, easy going time. I offer competitive prices on my works. My philosophy behind my design business is simple. Create happiness for others. Sharing my creative gift is why I love drawing. I love hearing about people’s passions. Meeting and connecting with other passionate individuals makes all of this worth it. The monetary bonus is nice, but I just enjoy the happiness I can hopefully bring others. It encourages me to put out the best product possible. And if I can pay it forward by encouraging other creatives to pursue their dreams, that’s the most rewarding thing in this whole crazy adventure. Because I knew how it felt when people believed in me. And I want to give that same gift to others.
For anyone interested, the best way to follow my work is through my Instagram page, where you can reach out for any questions/commissions @pluggedoutdesigns
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Ultimately, the mission I have for this creative start is for now, to just be happy and enjoy the ride. If it becomes what I do, full time? That would be an awesome bonus. But I don’t rely on that outcome. I don’t know what this journey will ultimately bring, but that’s part of the beauty of it. That’s part of the journey. My philosophy is that success, however you measure all that, will come later. It will. In what form, that’s the surprise I suppose. I used to get discouraged when I didn’t sell as many prints or stickers as I thought I would. I’d doubt my ability as an artist. But I tried to start looking at it from a different perspective. Every time I have the opportunity to sell my work at a vendor/artist table at a comic con is a success. Family, friends, and the fandom from this creative community are the people in my circle that help me navigate this journey. Any time I meet someone new with shared interest is a success. People inspire me to keep creating art. We make road trips to different cities, selling drawings, and that alone is a gift. As a loyal fan of the community, it means the world that I have the opportunity to represent my work, and share it with my brothers, who are fellow creative types in their own right. It’s a lot of hard work, and it can be stressful, but it’s all worth it. I’m sharing this crazy adventure with a few of my best friends, and I’ve been having an absolute blast traveling. The last few years have been the most rewarding and fulfilling of my creative journey.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I have a different approach to how I build my audience on social media. Connecting with people in real life is just as important. As a business professional it’s important to do the work. Go out there and meet people! Hand out business cards. Selling at a trade show? Print out QR codes of links to your socials. Get yourself out there! If you’re anything like me, and a lot of creatives can relate, but sometimes you can be unsure of yourself. And that’s ok! It’s 100% a cliche, but you are your own worst critic at times. Build confidence, not just by posting that first story or reel of your work, but go to a convention geared to your likes, your fandom. Go as a guest. Meet other creative types. Learn from them because in my experience, I’ve found they’re happy to help! Talk to vendors, and artists from artist alley. Get advice on how to build your first table display, or what materials you need. This community is the best resource you have for social connections in real life, and on the internet. Without this community, I would not have gotten as far along as I have with my own endeavors. Be humble, be kind. Make every experience a learning experience so you can gain the knowledge on how to better yourself in your career. In time, you’ll gain the audience, just know it may take some time. I have to remind myself of this, but be patient for your measure of success. Don’t be in a rush, and enjoy the process. Look at your passion as not your job, but as your love. Embrace your creative journeys.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pluggedoutdesigns/
Image Credits
J Puzzles, artist (Plugged Out Designs)