Matthew Johnson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Matthew, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
The interesting thing behind this question is the timing—my team was recently laid off from our full time job at a startup and I was forced to take a look at the direction I am taking my career in.
In a way, I was and still am chasing success in some form or another. In my current state, success would be defined for me personally as making it as an independent artist and designer.
The trick here is that for the time being I have decided to stop chasing what would be considered the typical career path and am instead investing in carving a deeper path of my own.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Matthew Johnson and I have been a graphic designer and commercial artist for over 20 years. In addition to my full time work, I have tirelessly built a small independent one man clothing company called Seventh.Ink.
Seventh.Ink is my personal art project. To me, it’s more than a clothing brand and exists as an extension of myself in the form of art, design, and product.
The focus of Seventh.Ink is to make new an unique items built from my own independent IP (i.e., my imagination). Through my work on Seventh.Ink over the years I’ve grown not only as an artist, but also as a person.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
I learned a lot of my work ethic from watching my dad around the house while I was growing up. He was always working on something whether it was building a shed, putting in a fence, painting the house, you name it. I saw how driven he was to get things done and it stuck with me to this day.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
It’s funny—I sometimes joke about giving up on Seventh.Ink when things get intense or chaotic but in truth I am way too stubborn to really do that. I think that that inescapable will to power through is what pushes and drives me to keep on going when times are tough.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
More and more, yes. I used to put on sort of a facade that I thought would benefit other people when I thought the brand needed to have a more serious tone. However, in recent years I’ve found that I can be my authentic, often humorous self and it still matches with the brand.
At the end of the day, everything about Seventh.Ink comes from me so why can’t I have fun with it? Realizing that I could was one of the best changes I’ve made and it’s only helped me connect with more people.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
I think that might be my annual Haunted Collection that goes out every September. It’s been going for 16 years and is always a really fun release to do.
The good news is that even if I retire I’ll likely keep making things!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://seventhink.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/seventh.ink/
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/seventhink
- Other: http://patreon.com/seventhink
Image Credits
Arturo Rivera
