We recently connected with Joshua Thornton and have shared our conversation below.

Joshua, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

The name actually originated from a tattoo I have. I have the word “mime” on my forearm. It an acronym that stands for “music is my escape”. When I first created my personal Instagram page the first username I thought of was “mime guy”. I’d been referenced as “the guy with the mime tattoo” and I grew fond of it. Fast forward to when I really wanted to establish myself as an artist, I’m starting a new Instagram for my artwork, and I just piggybacked off of my personal page. Thats when “Mime Guy Designs” was born.

Joshua, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Art has always been a part of my life. Growing up my dream was to become a cartoonist or comic book artist. I wasn’t introduced to digital artwork until high school, and I quickly fell in love with it. However, up until a few years ago artwork was just a hobby. Starting a business for myself seemed so farfetched. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with some great people in my life who love and encourage me to really try to get my name out there. It’s because of that encouragement that I’ve gotten as far as I have.

What really sets me apart from others in the industry is my versatility. I love to create so the last thing I wanted to do was put a limit on creativity. I can draw a portrait one day and a mascot for an e-sports team the next. I feel like that range of creativity is what people love about my work. There is no one style that I really stick with. I can take direction from a customer, but I can also create from scratch.

Feedback is what I’m most proud of. Every customer review, like, comment, share etc. mean so much. It’s so easy to scroll endlessly nowadays that when people stop to say, “hey this is awesome”, it means a lot to me. I always get excited when I see a piece of artwork I created. It never gets old.

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

For me, the biggest source of new clients was word-of-mouth, hands down. I quickly learned that any marketplace I tried was over saturated with other artists. Your pitch to a potential client was a needle in a haystack. Referrals hold more value. Your reputation is on the line when someone says, “hey I know a guy…” and passes on your information. A potential client is given a preview of your work when someone they know is referring you and getting a call or email from someone new saying “I’ve heard good things about you” or “I got your info from a close friend” is icing on the cake.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

A positive response from a client is like hitting the jackpot for me. It’s definitely fuel to keep going and not let off the gas. Like a lot of artists, for a long time it was rare that I was 100% satisfied with my work. So, when I get a positive response with minutes of sending a client a concept, it lets me know I’m doing alright. There’s been plenty of times it probably sounded like I was watching sports, cheering, but no, it’s just me getting pumped that the client said I nailed it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mimeguydesigns.carrd.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mimeguydesigns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MimeGuyDesigns/