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

Jason, 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 have been working as an artist and designer in the Atlanta area for the past 20 years or so. I originally wanted to draw comic books professionally, but after I started attending Ringling College of Art I fell in love with painting. I graduated with a BFA in Illustration and I moved to Atlanta. I thought I would be living off of my illustrations and freelancing for magazines immediately after graduating from college. Unfortunately, it was difficult to making a living off of freelancing at the time. I had student loans to pay, so I started looking around for a full-time job with benefits. In the meantime, I started working at a record store and enjoyed the experience since I loved music and was a guitar player as well. During my time at the record store, I had seen an album by the band Pearl Jam that contained gig posters from their tour. Each tour date had a unique and colorful design. I thought that creating these posters would be a super cool career to have. I also discovered a website that highlighted gig poster artists like Frank Kozik, Methane Studios, Ames Bros, Drowning Creek, and Hatch Show Print. Coincidentally, I had the opportunity to join the street team for one of my favorite bands Superdrag. I thought this would be a way for me to make a name for myself and help out a band I really liked. I emailed the guy running the street team and asked if I could design some posters for each of the upcoming tour dates. To my surprise he said go for it. I would create individual poster designs for each of the dates on their tour and post them to a website for the fellow street team members to download, print, and post up to promote the tour. A number of years into designing flyers for the band, I started to screen print the designs and the band was able to sell these at their concerts. An art director at Live Nation had seen my poster work and contacted me about designing apparel for a number of recording artist like Nirvana, Kiss, Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Tim McGraw, and many more. All the work I had done on the posters paved the way to a career of designing gig posters. After gaining experience at a few design firms in the Atlanta area, I got hired by a local t-shirt company.

Jason, 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?

As a freelance artist, I specialize in custom illustration and graphic design. Over the years, I have created designs for the Coca-Cola Company, Comcast, Atlanta Braves, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Roctober Magazine, Play Imaginative Toys, Circuspunks Toys, Die Gestalten Verlag Books, Clutter Magazine, and Glurp Records. I also specialize in designing commemorative gig posters for bands and music venues. I am so thankful to have been able to combine my love of music and art, while working for so many musicians and artists I grew up admiring. I think people react the most to how colorful and animated my posters tend to be. I try to make each design eye catchy and bright whenever possible. I strive to create something a fan can connect with and that represents their love of the band/musician.

Throughout my career, I have been very fortunate to have worked on numerous super cool projects. One I should mention was for Play Imaginative Toys and Coca-Cola. They provided a template of their Trexi toy and I had to create my vision of “A Better Tomorrow.” My vision was a world of racial equality and the end of all wars. After submitting the designs, people from around the globe had a few weeks to vote and pick their favorites. The top 20 designs were to be produced in the collection and I made it into the series. It was really great to be a part of such a cool project. It was my first toy produced and I’m pretty pleased with how it came out.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, creating art is in part about pleasing my clients but it’s also the best way for me to express myself. When I create music and songs, I get to express emotions and feelings I might not be able to say directly. I also get a lot of satisfaction from drawing and designing. It’s a real trip when I get to create something cool for one of my favorite bands.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best way to support the artists and people you love is to commission them for work or to purchase something from their online store.I find crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo to be a good way to show support for artists you follow as well. During the pandemic, I successfully crowdfunded a book that included over 350 of gig poster designs I created over the years. My band Hyperspace also crowdfunded a vinyl record album to celebrate being together for 11 years. I have a Patreon and Etsy page and other than hiring me for custom artwork, that’s the easiest way people can support me.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jasonkochis.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonkochisart
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonkochis
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC62Kq7OV6R2GHnX54VszBAQ
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/jasonkochis