We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jim Stringer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jim, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

My grandfather was an artist and illustrator whose work was well known and published on both local and national levels. As a child I use to sit in his studio and watch him sketch, draw and paint. He also loved technology and had many photo cameras and movie cameras he used and collected. I was always fascinated with his collection of technology and his skills as an artist. I thought it was so wonderful that he could not not only draw and paint but create images and movies. My early years of watching and learning from him certainly influenced my own creative skills and I would dare and sketch with him in his studio on my summer stays when I was out of school.

My mother noticed my young drawings and skills and entered many of my little works of art into completions. I remember winning winning a few and was bitten by the creative bug of creation! As the years went by my creative talents began to become more refined and my teachers in school took notice and often encouraged me to enter my art pieces into various competitions. My high school art teacher noticed my abilities to produce art and designs that were really focused, results-driven outputs of my creative mind and perspective.She began to help me take my imagination and skills and generate ideas, solve creative challenges and challenges the current conventions in art to bring about new perspectives to my writing, art and creative processes. She was the main influence in pointing me design school as an option for me upon graduating.

I decided to attend The Art Institutes and pursue a career in graphic design and advertising. Which was the beginning of my commercial art education and career.

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?

While in college for graphic design I had a fascination with typography and visual story telling. I think back on my grandfather and working with him painting type on various local business windows in his home town. I always loved the process of taping off the line spacing and guides for him to use as he hand lettered the characters and images for various holidays and sales by the shops in town.

I found it fascinating that we would go from such rigid lines and guides to beautiful flowing designs of type, letterforms and characters. He was also responsible for painting historical portraits of community leaders that hung in the local court house. I think in my own new way I brought all of those skills to light in my own work.

I became known for typography and bold colorful design work that graced many a brands offerings including logos, advertising and even consumer packaged goods for brands such as Nike, Whole Foods, Communication Arts and other brands both large and small. These days I focus on bring big bold beautiful design work to life for medium to large brands both in the service and the packaged consumer goods markets. I help my clients tell their unique stories in ways that connect them with their audience and supporters. We all have some amazing stories to share and I want to help my clients tell their brand stories and values in the most meaningful ways. I think that is the best way to describe what I do in these era – I help clients connect to their audience through meaningful stories and values.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFT’s are a fascinating new area for the art world. On one level individual unique pieces of art are not new, but being able to have those one off, individual qualities tied into digital art are new. We are going to have some controversy concerning the methods we secure these works because they currently are very new and very energy dependent in ways not everyone can grasp just yet.

I like the idea and there are many minds trying to reduce the energy and environmental impacts of securing these works to insure their unique one of kind nature. We certainly have some hurdles to clear but like many digital technologies I think we will find a way to secure them with less energy and resource impact.

Some of the early NFT works are fun and inspiring but I think improvements in both content and creation will further influence the final outcomes. I have a few ideas for my own NFT’s and I am currently planning on ways to execute a few “time oriented: concepts I think could be creative and unique.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As I get older and begin to consider personal options for remaining creative and inspired I have realized that though I have had many amazing clients on both global and local scales and produced award winning work for them and their clients I have never really been my own client of done creative work for myself! With that said I have begun embracing my own art and design work and have introduced ed my own line of T-shirt designs and my latest a clothing line featuring my photographic work of street art and graffiti I find on trains and underneath bridges. I am testing three unique designs and recently been picked up by a French/Canadian company wishing to utilize my street art patterns in a new clothing line they are launching! This is pretty exciting and a great way for me to combine my own photography and design skills into some wearable art!

I hope to have the three initial design patterns finished up, proofs and garments printed and approved and launched by the end of the next month. Here is the link to my current US offering: https://j3.threadless.com/collections/j3-ss-collection

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.j3mediadesignstudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j3mediamagic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jymysart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-stringer-5995108/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/J3MediaMagic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAPN0XWAbhq1qFhGfjTD8ew
• Other: https://j3.threadless.com/collections/j3-ss-collection

Image Credits
All images and designs by J3 Media LLC