We recently connected with Joseph DiAnna and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Joseph, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I would be misleading if I said I knew exactly what planted the seeds that cultivated my bullish sense of optimism in life. I think in my case there is a fine line between stubborn and optimistic! Jumping back to childhood though, I can remember my parents always rewarding my artistic ventures at a young age. My Mother in particular, once I showed some artistic promise, would supply me with sketch papers & paints. Looking back on it now as an adult, I wonder if her support had more to do with containing my enthusiasm rather than encouraging it. I can recall being inspired to create multiple wall murals around our house with a set of crayons. The last of which I remember vividly: an epic ocean landscape with a mother whale and two babies. Following a spurious congratulations on completing my masterpiece, my Mom made an effort to keep my drawings on paper, and clearly derailed my path of becoming the next Wyland. I was on my way to drawing as many dinosaurs and Ninja Turtles as I could fit in my sketchbook. I think the encouragement of the trial and error dynamic I worked through while learning to draw – rendering things and feeling I met or fell short of a vision – is ultimately what laid a foundation for a sense of hopefulness. You find out that having a positive attitude going into working on a piece is key, and is equally as important to maintain in hindsight.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have definitely carved out a unique and very niche career as an artist, which I suppose is the goal for us all? I’ve been a life long enthusiastic devotee of cartoons and animation since childhood. I dreamt of becoming a 2D animator or comic strip panel cartoonist, and spent my college years learning graphic arts skills. As I went, I ultimately realized I excelled at creating content in the field of Graphic Design – logos, mascots, flyers, posters, and other marketing materials. I worked as a freelance artist doing logos and custom illustrations, but my obsession with cartoons never diminished. I sought out projects I felt allowed me to bridge my love for character design within the parameters of Graphic Design. While I worked as an artist, I took on a part time job as a pool maintenance tech working in the commercial pool industry. Both jobs allowed me to set my own schedule which encouraged a very harmonious long term relationship between the two.
During my time in the pool industry, my father approached me to brand his tool company, which would specialize in selling high performance carbon fiber swimming pool poles for service/maintenance. This is a graphic designers dream, as I had the opportunity to design not only the logo & style guide for the company, but the website and all promotional materials for the brand as well. We ultimately dubbed the company “Primate Pool Tools’, representing the next level strength and durability from carbon fiber. I eventually became a co-owner, and over the years of making these carbon poles, we developed a proprietary method for printing high res designs onto them. This has given me an entirely new outlet to create within, and today I am able to design original art for our company products. I am proud to say we created an entirely new market not only by introducing carbon fiber to the pool industry, but also designer poles. We have truly raised the bar for quality and creativity in the pool service industry.
If you’re a pool maintenance professional looking for quality tools, or a residential home pool owner, you should take a look at our pool poles on www.primatepooltools.net. You can also follow my art ventures on Instagram @JoeDiAnnaArt
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the ability to take risks, prioritizing communication skills, and letting others offer help have been the most impactful in my career. I would encourage anyone to learn to take risks and train yourself to go with your gut instinct, but also be willing to pivot and learn from others along the way. I think risk taking is both an adventure and a growing process. It is simultaneously an opportunity to succeed and grow as a person to become a more resilient and confident individual in your personal and professional life. If you are willing to take risks, work through failures, and become comfortable living in a state of uncertainty, I believe the long term rewards of this practice far outweigh any temporary discomfort. Learning from your mistakes and adapting your plans is one of the most valuable skills you can acquire.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. A book I would recommend to absolutely anyone and everyone. I can’t express in words how much this book has helped me in every aspect of my life. Regardless of our careers, what area of the world we live in, who our friends are, or what language we speak – we all develop insalubrious habits to cope with our lives without even realizing it. For my money, this book is worth its weight in gold and I owe a lot of gratitude to the authors perspective and comforting words. If you want the quick notes, the Four Agreements are – Always do your best, don’t take anything personally, be impeccable with your word, and never make assumptions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joediannaart.com, www.primatepooltools.net
- Instagram: @JoeDiAnnaArt, @PrimatePoolTools
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/primatepooltools
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/primatepooltools
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@primatepooltools
Image Credits
All art by Joseph DiAnna @JoeDiAnnaArt
