We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Phoebe Cornog. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Phoebe below.

Phoebe, appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Everything about my career has been a risk. It was “risky” to go to art school and pursue a career in the arts. Everyone always questioned how I would be able to make money. Then it was risky when I moved to California after college. I had never been to California before but I had a dream of living here and working in the action sports industry. After working in the industry for three years, I took a risk by going freelance. I had zero business experience but knew I wasn’t happy working for a company. Then I got into mural painting, which is even more of a niche field than typical graphic design. It was risky, but I bet on myself and have been very successful with it.

Phoebe, 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?

My name is Phoebe Cornog and I got into mural painting by way of graphic design. I was sick of working on the computer all the time and wanted to get back to working with my hands. I painted one mural, posted about it on Instagram, and the rest is history. I still do traditional graphic design work like logo design, but the majority of my income comes from mural painting. I work closely with businesses to take their branding and turn it into a custom mural that will attract more customers.

In addition to murals, I also offer business resources for creatives. I’m passionate about eliminating the starving artist stereotype. On my website you can find contract templates, outreach guides, webinars, etc,. It’s important to be transparent about the business side of things because nobody shared that information with me when I was starting out.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I pride myself in being very professional. A lot of creatives hide from the business side and don’t want to get on the phone with clients. I know that being attentive via phone calls and emails gives my clients confidence. I also have my process down to a science and can easily explain that to my clients which a lot of artists can’t do. I feel that I am a business woman first and artist second and that has made me shine.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

An early lesson that I had to unlearn was that artists don’t deserve or need to make money. It’s been engrained in our heads that because we love what we do- that is enough. Money isn’t necessary. But why can’t it be both? I had to learn that running my own business is very different than working as a graphic designer for a company. I take on all the risk and responsibility. I have to pay for my insurance and retirement. I had to significantly raise my rates and learn to be comfortable with that shift. It’s something I’m still struggling to explain to freelance artists today.   

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pandrdesignco.com
• Instagram: @pandrdesignco and @phoebecornog
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebecornog/