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

Jimothy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been in love with telling stories. It didn’t strike me as something I would make a career out of, I just spent a lot of time alone and have always been fascinated by these things that kept me company – these things that you could share with other people who in turn had their own to share with you. Despite being in our own worlds, these things could bind us together like a sort of addictive magic with no downsides.

As I got older, that voice became louder and more clear: Not only are you a storyteller, but there are so many ways to tell your story. I went to school with the desire to make movies – that quickly spiraled as I chased love in Seattle.

Later I would pick the pieces back up in the form of Photography – again, still telling stories albeit static rather than conventional. What I love about my photography is how personal the stories are; they aren’t necessarily my stories, rather my subject’s and I have this beautiful hand in bringing them out of the dark. More often than not, they are shocked as they didn’t even know that was hiding in there. We all have them, stories.

That was about a decade ago. I haven’t fallen out of love with it yet and I don’t foresee it ever happening.

Jimothy, 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?

My name is Jim Martin and I am a creative currently residing in Chandler, Arizona. I started out writing for a few websites back when that was lucrative and I then spun into photography, videography, social media, basically anything where stories could be told. Some problems my clients come to me with are often boiled down to one: “How do I find my voice?” That’s what I do. Together, we find your voice and then we use it to tell your story.

My services are broad, but can be found in the following:

Photography

Videography

Social Media Management

Audio Engineering

And beyond.

If you’d be okay with me sharing a shameless plug, you can find more details about what I provide over at https://iwillgetitinpost.com

One of the highlights of my career is definitely my recent Super Bowl commercial. It was otherworldly sitting at a bar with friends and looking up at the TV’s to see something I had made – being able to bump my buddy’s arm and say “hey check it out, I made that.”

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.

It really is like a language barrier. You either speak creative or you don’t. If you’re speaking to someone who doesn’t, there isn’t a whole lot that’s more frustrating than getting an “I don’t know” back from the client.

“What did you have in mind for this shoot?”

“What direction would you like to go with your logo?”

“Can you explain where you’d like your brand to go?”

” What ways do you currently connect with your audience?”

Hearing “I don’t know, can’t you just make the logo bigger?” isn’t just frustrating due to a lack of direction; it’s frustrating because it will become your fault for not delivering on the “I don’t know.” Can you guess what happens to your paycheck then?

I wish I had better advice than “You get better with practice” but that’s really all it’s come down to for me.

What do you do when there is a language barrier? To me, there’s a couple different options:

Option one: You get mad, become stressed out over the situation, and there’s still a language barrier.

Option two: You be patient and wait it out. There’s still a language barrier.

Option three: You be kind, understand that there’s a language barrier. Do what you can to help things along. Know that these things take work, time and patience. There’s still a language barrier.

You probably see what I’m getting at. Facts are rigid and unmoving – but your perspective isn’t. I often hear from people not in the creative field that what I do must be so fun and carefree. The trick is, it has to be exactly that. Charles Schaefer once said “We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing” and that’s how you have to live. Don’t take things so seriously. Play.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I wish I had the secret sauce for you on this one, I really do. Like most of my peers however, my bread and butter is word of mouth. My most recent big paycheck was from a friend I met at a bar. I’m loud, I talk a lot, so work tends to come up organically. It also comes from a place of giving.

I absolutely adore supporting small businesses. When I find one I like, I stick around and chat with the owner or whomever happens to be working there. I ask questions, I look them up. I’m genuinely curious but also I am looking for ways to help.

I’m originally from Seattle and one of the many heartbreaks I have from living there is watching a business I love fail. So what do I do now? When I find something and someone I like, I do what I can to help them grow. It can (and usually does) sound like this:

“Wow I love your hot dogs. What’s your social media handle? Want me to record you guys making your food?”

“You guys are so nice – who made your logo? I have some time, want me to spin you up a new one?”

You just gotta put yourself out there sometimes and hope you get back what you put out. It sounds hokey and like I’m full of hot air – but again, a decade later and I’m still here doing it.

Contact Info:

• Website: iwillgetitinpost.com
• Instagram: jimothyisnotintheband
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jimothymartin

Image Credits
All images by me!