Reading Pen Farming｜Special Notes VAF ╳ AMA: How to Become a Graphic Writer? From illustration to own brand

The guest invited to this square grid AMA lecture is Mia from the observation room of the popular creator @jumi (the other founder is Judy, whose names combine to become Jumi), who is a creator who visits the field of graphics for the first time.

■ The way to study abroad

• Since childhood, I like to draw cartoons and doodles.
• The university majored in business, which is considered to be a "halfway monk". When I was a junior, I regained my childhood dream and seized the opportunity to study abroad; the master's study was graphic design, and illustration (in China, it seems that there is no such distinction, let me "Illustration" became a separate subject).
• At that time, there was not much time to prepare a portfolio, and the professor who happened to be in charge of the interview liked the style of "not too many carvings", so he added it inadvertently (laughs).
• There are only two "non-undergraduate" students in the school, one is me.

■ Entrepreneurship road

• When I first came back to Taiwan, a friend invited us to bake and start a business (icing biscuits), and just combined his own painting skills to complete many customized pattern needs.
• At that time, the idea of taking "illustration" as the main business had not yet emerged, and only sporadic cases were received.
• During the pandemic, when I ended my baking business and gave myself a break, I thought about how to move forward steadily towards the "illustration" road; first, I established a self-media account (square, IG) last year, and this year, there are more products Consign the business.
• When you first start your business, be prepared for a "hit wall" period. At this time, if there are other sources of income (for example: accepting cases, part-time jobs...) that will make you feel more secure, it is recommended to start with a slash .

■ How to find a unique positioning for your illustration style?
■ Give some advice to newcomers aspiring to become graphic creators

📌 Don't be too entangled in "finding style"

• At the beginning, try to paint as much as possible, and don’t define yourself too quickly . The style will become more mature as you grow, which is a natural brewing after the accumulation of experience.
• Always sticking to "looking for style" is easy to kill your own way, such as missing the source of the case (Q version vs realism).
• Don't deliberately imitate a certain style of painting, or be limited because of what type of senior so-and-so says he is. Focus on "knowing yourself" first, so that you can go a long way on the road of creation.

📌 Care about social trends

• Resonate with everyone by the pictures and texts (visual).
• Think of yourself as a "recorder" with a sense of mission . Recording the current affairs and historical aspects of Taiwan... Decades have passed. Maybe people in the future will use this picture drawn by you to imagine the culture at that time.

📌 Expand your field

• Combining different fields of creation is more unique.

■ Tools and drawing

• In the early days, hand-painted, black and white tones; now the proportion of electric painting is more, and the colors are more bold and colorful.
• Combined with graphic design experience, in addition to painting, design elements such as typography, text, color matching, etc. are also incorporated.
• Procreate software is recommended for beginners : highly maneuverable (with an iPad to draw anywhere), easy to make small animations, and easy-to-use brushes.
• In the middle and later stages, you can learn PhotoShop, AI….

■ Cultural and creative product management

📌 Launch a small-scale version first, and try it out on a small battlefield

• It’s not that I started the consignment business from the beginning. I started from the “bazaar”. During the face-to-face chat with customers, I collected first-hand feedback from the market and the concept of market research.
• Try various themes (painting methods, styles) from various parties, test the water temperature on a small scale , and find out where the customer's taste is?

 Echoing "One Person Company":

To start a one-person company, you should first figure out a minimal version of your idea, and then find a way to quickly implement it. Avoid investing a lot of time or money in the first place.

Through small-scale "testing the water temperature", you will get experience, feedback, and then pay attention to what makes those casual contacts become customers? Further work to improve and optimize.

⚠️ Minimum version → release as soon as possible → get information → pay attention to the reason → iterative improvement.

In other words, the launch of a product is not a one-time, single event, but a continuous process. Develop in a step-by-step fashion, not all at once.

📌 Find your own star product, and then extend it from there

• After setting up a cabinet for consignment at Eslite for a while, I found that there is a "Cosmos Meow" that sold very well. From this, I started a series of product lines with the same theme.
• Another long-selling product is the "12 Constellation" series. It is speculated that the reason should be that someone has a birthday every month, and the market demand will not stop (laughs)!

📌 Two or three things about practical experience

• Cost control: postcards and stickers are inexpensive (compared to straps and mugs), and are quite useful product types.
• Trend observation: Many people like products with the concept of "environmental protection".
• Find a manufacturer: Query on google, make a list, and compare which manufacturer is more suitable for your needs in the future (for example: there is a discount when the printing volume reaches a certain threshold, and the minimum printing volume required for receiving an order).

■ Self-media management

1・IG

• The number of likes is false (the other party may have followed a bunch of accounts, and if you click the likes politely, they will flash people), and the interaction with existing fans is real .
• Time-limited dynamic is a good tool, you can do Q&A, you say I draw, draw lottery... interact with fans.
• Diversified works attract different audiences with different interests.
• There are some YouTuber and Podcaster paintings that they really like. They are very satisfied. They reposted feats and tags to bring new fans to follow.

2. Square grid

• In the beginning, it was to record things about studying abroad; later, as long as it was an interesting thing in life, I drew it down, which has the advantage of memorizing (laughs).
• Because I was afraid that I would break the update as soon as I wrote it, I found a partner to run it together, cooperate and supervise each other.
• In the initial stage, there is a regular schedule for publishing articles, such as how many articles should be published every week? Posting on what day of the week? Posting at any time (like at 23:00) is fixed.

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