MILWAUKEE COJO INTERVIEW 3-4-04
Cojo-Here are my illustration questions:
1. Do you find that illustrating for music magazines and similar allows you
to befriend recording artists? Do you have friends in bands because of work
you've done regarding music media?
It helps to live close to a big city, but yes, I have become friends with certain musicians and personalities, whom I would not have met if not for working with music magazines. I have other friends who work for music magazines and have met no one, so it depends on your personality, as well as being in the right place at the right time.
If you want a career where you meet musicians, become a PR person, a manager, or a Roadie.
2. Are there any other special advantages, such as concert tickets,
backstage passes, apparel, etc. ?
All of the bags I design for loop I get free copies of, so since they are mostly girl
bags, my girlfriend is pretty hooked up. I got to go VIP to the Warped tour. I also get
invited to all the industry parties, Maxim, Source, Complex parties. Meet and hobnob with the industry elite, fun shit.
3. Starting out, what were some of the ways that the field did not meet your expectations?
I figured people would call me back when I sent postcards, but unfortunately was hit with a reality check when I got like three jobs after sending out 6000 postcards. This is when I realized that this industry would be harder to crack into than I expected. I also thought starting out that there would be a steady stream of clients/work, right off the bat. I was mistaken, it takes years to develop a steady base of clients that can support you.
4. Is it difficult to strike a balance between your professional and private
lives? Why or why not?
My whole life seems to be art or art related. I party and I work. I guess the time I get to relax with my loved ones, romance and travel would be considered my private life, but anything is fair game in my newsletter.
5. What are the pros and cons?
I'm not some super celebrity, so I don't have to deal with paparazzi or anything that the actors do. So there aren't really any big cons. The pros are getting a lot of high profile work, people digging what I do, and wanting to see more of it.
The cons aren't really that big a deal, people hating you because they are jealous/envious, and people ripping off your style. If you are talking about illustration in general, the cons would be the times when there is no work to be found and you don't know how you are going to pay your rent.
6. What do you wish you would have know before entering illustration
professionally?
That there will be times when you are broke, and if you keep working at it and can hold on long enough, you will get out of those times. But don't be surprised if they come back.
7. What is a typical day like?
Typical work day:
Wake up around noon, turn on radio or TV for background. Check e-mail, check phone messages. Start drawing, make a few phone calls, talk to manager-see what's new/in the works. Answer a few calls, go to the gym, have lunch, work more, have dinner with girlfriend, maybe a small nap. Then work until the sun comes up.
8. How much time do you allot to different steps in an illustration
(concepting, thumbnailing, execution)?
Concept usually is instantaneous.
I do thumbnails only on really big elaborate pieces, otherwise I start working towards the roughs, could take a few hours or a few days. The execution of the finish-color and ink-could take a day to 4 days depending on how many pieces or how elaborate the piece.
9. How do you keep your ideas fresh and what inspires you?
I observe things. The pay attention. I mentally link unrelated things I observe. I attach humor to events that aren't funny, I mentally make traumatic events humorous. I always try to see things from different angles.
10. What are some of the time management skills you use?
I mentally allot how much time each piece will take, and when the client needs to see roughs buy, then I figure out how many all nighters I will need to pull to finish a piece and still give me time to relax and party. If I get more jobs in during this time period, I schedule in more all nighters. The only problem I get is when I schedule too many jobs into a week, and there just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done with no partying.
11. Are there any other endeavors that you would like to pursue? If there is, how would you go about this?
My next big endeavor is Fine art, which I have already started, and will probably be the next giant step in my career, taking me to another level.
12. What is something I've not asked you that you feel needs to be
addressed?
Illustration is not a career for the timid, or easily rejected. If you want to make it, you will have to learn to deal with disappointment and rejection on a daily basis. NOT everyone will like you. You will be poor for a long time. You may go for months without a paycheck. There are many downsides to illustration and only like 2% of the illustration majors actually make it big. You gotta really, really, really want it.
Thank you very much for your time and energy, it is very much appreciated.
Respectfully,
Angel
Just another day in the life of an Art Juggernaut.
-Cojo