Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joshua Diaz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joshua, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for a career when I was in high school, the thought actually really terrified me. My SAT scores weren’t all that great (I didn’t study at all) and I was too ashamed to apply to a single college. It didn’t help that I didn’t understand any of it—applying to college, paying for college, how it would help me develop a career, etc. When I look back at all of it, I realize that the real thing holding me back was the fact that nothing seemed appealing, at all. I was dreading HAVING a career because none of it seemed like something I wanted to do. Despite being encouraged year after year by nearly every art teacher I ever had, the notion of having a career in art was entirely too absurd to even entertain. I lived in the suburbs, I had never met a professional artist in my life or anyone even remotely close to one, so it was just kind of mythical to me.

Creating things was always a great source of joy for me and somewhat of a compulsion too. I was always day dreaming, coming up with stories and fantasies and very occasionally trying to make poor representations of them. Nevertheless, when I should have been paying attention in class, I was often drawing logos of the brands I wish I could be wearing: Adidas, Volcom, Nike, Hurley, Vans, Brixton, and so on. It was either that, or I was trying to come up with stories for the D&D game me and a couple friends would play on weekends (I’m a huge nerd). I had a hard time paying attention in school, it took a tremendous amount of discipline, but I did learn how to do it eventually and I’m thankful for that. On the other hand, I think a big part of that difficulty focusing could have been a hunger for creativity.

High school eventually came to an end, way before I was prepared for it and I had no idea what to do. My mom gave me a little kick in the pants (bless her) and I begrudgingly signed up for community college. I majored in accounting and spent a semester learning about balancing books and economics and money. I hated it. One day I stumbled across a good friend of mine in cafeteria, he was having lunch at a big round table with binders scattered across it. When I came over, I noticed that one of the binders was open to a page with a print out of a square and some letters inside it, it kind of looked like a logo but I really wasn’t sure what it was. In front of him was a page of sketches where he was drawing more symbols of the like, in pencil. Naturally I asked him what he was doing and he told me about his graphic design class, where they were tasked with creating a logo for some fictitious brand they had to come up with. This was the day that things changed for me.

I got home that night after a long day of classes talking about supply and demand and markets and accounts and whatever, and I opened my accounting book and stared at the pages for what felt like 30 minutes. Not a single word went from the page into my confused head. Meanwhile, the perfectly square edges of the logo with the who-knows-what crappy font monogram inside, was absolutely tattooed on my retinas. Sitting at my desk with the book open below me, I remember trying to imagine my future. The accountant version of myself, talking all day about accounts payable and receivable, waiting desperately for my hour long lunch, then longing for 5pm, then dreading 8am, then pining for two weeks vacation, and so on—my existence centered on avoiding the one thing I’d spend the majority of my time doing. I closed the book and dropped out that night, and the next day I was sitting in graphic design classes.

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?

I got into the industry through graphic design school. I worked for 5 years for smaller studios in San Francisco, with a variety of clients from big to small. I left the more traditional graphic design world behind to pursue something more artistic and illustrative. Following the footsteps of a lot of great designers I had been watching on Instagram, I took a leap of faith to go freelance and work with art-forward brands interested in things a little more alternative.

For the most part, I make art for brands with character. For new brands, I help them develop an identity and tell their story. For established brands, I find new ways to tell old stories and help them celebrate who they are. Illustration is at the forefront of what I do and I’m really proud of the fact that everything I do comes from my hand. I’m inspired by commercial art of the past because it was made by artists, and it was bold and weird and unique as a result. I want my work to have the same effect and I’m always trying to find ways to push myself as an artist. As a graphic designer, I try to be pragmatic and make sure that I give people artwork they can make good use of. It’s also the designer side of me that wants the art to work seamlessly with their overall aesthetic and to be unified by color and typography, and for it to be scalable and modular.

I could wax poetic about the craft all day, but it’s easiest just to take a look! Oldboy is my moniker and you can find me on Instagram @oldboy_studio

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’m not good at marketing or social media, it really is kind of a chore for me. I’d rather just do the work but it’s unavoidable and every artist must share their work, or at least they should share their work, even if it’s not to make a living, but especially if you want to make a living!

Anyways, I think there is one piece of advice I want to give anyone that’s starting out on social media. Focus on your craft, whatever it is, and worry about the rest later. I see a lot of artists on Instagram (and other platforms no doubt) who spend a lot of time learning how to grab people’s attention. Their accounts have expert level videography, slick marketing tactics, and disciplined schedules with posting, but the actual work is just really underwhelming. No doubt that you should aspire to do all of these things well, and if you did then you will become wildly successful, but if you’re actual craft isn’t any good, then no amount of attention is going to make your product of real value.

Many of my favorite artists don’t have huge followings and the majority of them make a very good living off of their art, because the few people that come across their work are compelled to engage with them, and the only thing that can compel someone to go beyond just swiping or double tapping, is your work. So be good at what you do first, then figure out ways to increase your audience—or who knows, it might just happen on its own too.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Make things that people will want to keep,

I’ve always really drawn to the folk side of art. I’m probably misusing the term here, since I’m not directly referring to folk art, but I am sort of describing some of what it evokes. My family has always collected weird pieces of art (and not so weird pieces as well), and I loved wondering where they came from. There’s something very wholesome and altruistic about it, when you own something—no, live with something—that someone else made, someone so far removed from yourself that you can’t even trace it back to them if you tried. And yet, that person’s essence is with you, their story lives in your home or garden or on your phone. It sort of illustrates the interconnectivity of everything and how it’s right there in front of us but also incredibly mysterious.

As a graphic designer, it can be easy to operate as an art-machine, and just make things that “solve the problem” for your clients. I think this philosophy reminds me not to “over-design” things and keep the work humble and personal.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @oldboy_studio