We recently connected with John Simmonds and have shared our conversation below.

John, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects was also one of the most fun. Awhile back, about five years ago, I had a friend really get into the barbecue scene in Austin, Texas When he moved into a house, I had to get him a thoughtful house warming gift. My friend-group and I are very funny people, it must be in our blood coming from New Hampshire. I thought it would be funny to draw Texas a steak. He has the first print of my project. Flash forward to when the pandemic hit, I saw a lot of heartfelt stories of unity across the nation and I wanted to approach it, in a lighter heartfelt way, which lead to the creation of United Steaks of America. Never expected for it to takeoff as much as it has. I’ve had a lot of people reach out saying they enjoyed the idea and have ordered prints, shirts, hats, and more.

John, 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?

For those who don’t know me, my name is John Simmonds and I am nomadic graphic designer. I’ve held professional careers in a variety of different industries, and it’s been a wild fantastic ride! Been very fortunate my work has brought me around the world and met incredibly amazing people! For fun, I love photography, it is my escape from reality. Consider me old school, as I think video and phone photography is killing moments that mean something to someone.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

My views on NFTs. Some may say I am going against the grain on my view. While I think it’s fantastic for artists and creatives to be paid for the hard work. I see it as a gimmick and I am even trying to tap into the space myself. For me, I enjoy the feel of the paper, or seeing a piece of work displayed on a wall or shelf. I compare it to when vinyl went to cd’s, and when cd’s went to MP3s, I missed the feel and look of the pieces.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As an introvert, I love the ability to sit at my desk, jam to tunes and observe what excites people when I venture out into the world. One of the things I enjoy the most, is when I hear someone talk about my work, whether design or photography, and they don’t know I created it. For fun, I like to chat with them without them knowing I’m the creator. This is when people are most honest, kind of like talking behind someone’s back. Most of the time it’s nothing but positive words. Then I like to surprise them and explain as to what, why, or how I did this project.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.unitedsteaksamerica.com/
• Instagram: @UnitedSteaksAmerica

Image Credits
All credits John Simmonds of JKSDesignz