We recently connected with Jonathan Burey and have shared our conversation below.

Jonathan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

I think my biggest hurdle to profitability is being seen. I’ve done the lion share of my business on Instagram and it’s become increasingly hard to get your art seen. It seems like it’s gotten harder to get seen if you’re not willing to pay for ads. I’ve seen the difference having paid for ads and not.

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.

I have always been a fan of art. Growing up I used to draw houses and scenery and sketch constantly in school. During Covid, I got a chance to revisit that love for art through paint. I found myself painting some of my favorite comic book characters, Batman, and Superman over and over again. I would say I am the biggest fan of pop art, and you can see the influence throughout my work.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I would say, I built my following organically with the use of some ads. It’s very hard to be seen by people who are not following you without paying for as these days. When I was first starting, I was able to sell a painting to a good friend of mine and former teacher. I was fortunate enough that he put my painting in one of his Airbnb locations. Because of the good reception from that placement, I was able to paint on one of his buildings in downtown Dayton, Ohio. I think that really got me out of my shell and helped me get my art exposed to more people. I was able to grow more organically and quicker than I would have if I did not paint something on that big scale.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I believe social media has been the best location for me to showcase new work and get new eyes and new clients. It just makes it a lot easier to showcase your work and to attract people from all over the world that you would not be able to in a physical location alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://BLKJHN.com
• Instagram: @blk.jhn

Image Credits

@krausegallery