We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Evan “Doodle Dood” below.
Evan “Doodle Dood”, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic originally came from my obsessive interest in building out the art style that has now become the basis for my brand’s identity. However, my work ethic increased significantly as I began to pursue being a full time artist during my Junior year of college when I got into entrepreneurial and motivational business content on YouTube. I found that the more I consumed and learned from those that have been through all of this before me, the less prone I’d be to making the same mistakes and hitting some of the major pitfalls that they faced. This endeavor into personal development and growth content is what truly sparked the work ethic that I currently operate with. I find that the more you have a team of mentors, even if they are just digital content creators online, the more you feel empowered to keep pushing forward even when times get tough.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a full time painter, illustrator, and muralist from Kansas. I paint all of my work traditionally and mix all of my own colors out of the 3 primaries, white, and black. My work is heavily inspired by nature and I am always trying to find ways to visually represent the esoteric flow of life. One of the first things that I did when starting out was create a mission statement that I could always reference in times of need to ensure that everything I do remains aligned. The mission statement that I settled on was “For the Child in Everyone”. In school I always wanted to bridge the gap between fine art and illustration, so when I started my brand about 7 years ago my only true goal was to create a funky whimsical world full of creatures, colors, unique environments, shapes, and patterns that appeals to audiences of all ages.
I’d say my workload consists of about 60% mural work and 40% studio commissions/private client work. For me the most exiting part about being a full time commission based artist is the fact that every client and every project is completely different so there is never a dull moment. While it can be nerve-racking to not have day to day job security, there is definitely a thrill to having the ability to completely control the outcome of your circumstance at all times. Since every job takes place in a different space, with different clients, and often within a different community altogether, I feel like I get the chance to temporarily integrate into just about every kind of every work environment that you can think of. It’s honestly pretty comparable to the enjoyment that people get from traveling to new places and experiencing their culture for a period of time. The cool thing is, once you’ve experienced that environment it becomes part of who you are, and in return you very literally leave a little bit of who you are with that community.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Long term patience, short term persistence, and the perfection of your craft are definitely the three things that pop into my mind when I consider qualities of importance on an entrepreneurial journey. While at first glance these qualities can seem a bit conflicting or contradictory, when implemented in tandem with each other you realize just how effective they can be in establishing a mode of operation that gets you from where you are to where you want to be. A lot of people just expect that you can be good at something and it will eventually get recognized. Unfortunately nowadays the online marketplace is so saturated with quality artwork that persistence, patience, and hard work are often the only factors that set apart the successful from the unsuccessful.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing that my parents did for me as a young artist was support my entrepreneurial pursuit rather than deter me from attempting to make a career of art. I often get people in my art fair booth that have kids that love art but are scared to support them because deep down they don’t want to be responsible for things not working out. The thing is, the more you are supported by those you love the more empowered you feel to work hard and accomplish that goal, often directly in an effort to validate the fact that your family had your back through it all. With the rapid rise in commercial art and design there is certainly no shortage of “real life” art jobs that young adults can walk into. I chose to start my own business, but a lot of people I went to school with work in a variety of environments with above average pay, ranging from design firms all the way to elite animation studios. At this point in time with all of the accessibility of the internet at our fingertips, It really falls on the parents to educate themselves, support their kids, and learn how they can help their kid harness the gifts they were born with rather than shoot them down as hobbies and point them towards “real careers”.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.doodledood.com
- Instagram: @doodledoodart
- Facebook: Doodle Dood LLC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-brown-a99358111/
