We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jef Caine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jef below.
Jef, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I worked a regular in-house job for many years and was always curious about freelancing. I was fearful of being overwhelmed with all the business of finding clients, invoices, health insurance, taxes. Fast forward a few years later all those fears have come true. It’s a real grass is greener scenario. I frequently get overwhelmed and begin to browse job listings. Reading the job duties and descriptions is usually enough to talk me off the edge and conclude I’m happy where I’m at. At least for now.
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.
As a Phoenix based illustrator and animator, I’ve been drawing since I was a kid and while I haven’t been classically trained, I’ve never stopped. I create Illustrations, logos, murals, stickers, pins, books, animated videos, GIFs, and more. I’m always striving to use my powers for good, and I’m proud to have worked with clients who are making the world a better place. It’s important to let my own personality shine through everything I do. The characters I create share my sense of childlike optimism and existential dread.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Like everyone else, my life changed when the pandemic first hit. At the time I was trying to focus more on murals. After everything shut down I decided to use my spare time to learn how to animate. Since then, creating animated GIFs has been my most consistent source of income.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I’ve had far more success on TikTok than any other social platform. At first I was just trying to use it as a showcase for my work. I learned quickly that people are far more invested in personal stories than they are in my portfolio. My advice is to share your own perspective and get as personal as you feel comfortable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jefcaine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JefCaine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jef.caine/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jef-caine-37b99445/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JefCaine
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jefcaine
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jefcaine https://giphy.com/jefcaine
Image Credits
All self portraits