Brand Tattooing with Matt Wood

This week I will talk to Matt Wood about his life as an illustrator and how all his experience has brought him to what he is doing now. He calls it Brand Tattooing and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to use work with him and use him for this exact thing.

Matt is extremely talented and passionate illustrator. He can work in many styles. Matt has been a practicing illustrator for over 30 years. Brand Tattooing combines his love of collaboration with others and his mighty & curious imagination. Bring a napkin because if you are like me you will be drooling over this work.

And that is exactly what he wants. Matt wants to work with designers and strategists who have a vision for what you can make together and loves to see how designers use his work in their client projects.

I hope you will join me for Episode 451, LIVE on WEDNESDAY, Oct 11, 2023 at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET / 7:30pm BST / 8:30am in Hawaii

You can be part of the conversation live with us. Simply join the Creatives Ignite Family by giving me your email and get a reminder email 30 min before the show: https://creativesignite.com/signup You can also add it to your calendar so you don’t miss it. (Those links are in the emails). See you there, then you can type in the chat and ask questions live.

Questions for Matt

1. Matt, can you tell everybody a little background about you, who you are, where you are, and what you do? 
   
2. You have done a lot of things that lead you to being the illustrator you are now. Can you take us through a little of your work history? 
   
3. How was your ability to create illustrations in multiple styles an advantage for art directors you worked with? How is that still an advantage?
   
4. You have multiple styles and have them named so it is easy for clients to tell you which style they are looking for. How has that been helpful for them and you?
   
5. You are now doing something you coined as Brand Tattooing. Can you explain to us what that is and how it works when a client hires you for this?
   
6. You are capturing the personality and visual voice of the company. Why is what you do different than traditional branding? 
   
7. How does utilizing illustration in this way help differentiate a company from their competition?
   
8. What kind of barriers that designers or strategist face where your services are the solution?
   
9. When is the ideal time that they bring you into the branding or rebranding process?
   
10. Who makes a good collaborator?
    
11.  What keeps you interested and excited about working in the creative industry?
    
12. What’s next for you?

Listen here

Connect with Matt

https://mattwoodillustration.com/
https://mattwoodbrandtattoo.com
https://badideasstudios.com
https://www.instagram.com/mattwoodillustration

Spread Your Ideas Like a Horny Rabbit

https://gettingworktowork.com/workshops/
For people with too many ideas. Chris described me! I need a system. I am taking this workshop!

If you would like to give to the Save the Ta-Ta’s which is for Medical Expenses for Julie Reed’s Cancer that returned: Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Save-The-Ta-Tas-Again

Transcript of Episode

[00:00:00] diane: Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of I was, what is this thing called? It’s called Creatives Ignite. Um, I am excited to have my friend Matt on. Matt and I met, I don’t even remember how many years ago, but I believe it was. in October because I was, I know what conference I was at and I, um, had a call with you in Zoom in a, when I was in a hotel [00:00:30] room and I was blown away.

[00:00:32] And then we got to be friends and, um, I hope you guys brought your napkins. Not tissues. This isn’t a tearjerker. This is a drool I wish I could draw like this. But, um, I think it’s really fun. To see and it’s fun to see how what something was a just a regular practice and it helps me to think, Hey, maybe I can be good if I keep working at it.

[00:00:57] Jacob’s here. I know, you know, Jacob, [00:01:00] he’s in North, in North Carolina. So it’s good. We got D Ingalls, um, in Peoria, Illinois. Um, I always have to make sure, but Matt is in Indianapolis or outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. And I always. Say it’s Illinois, but it’s not. But anyway, so I have to really think about it.

[00:01:19] So, um, if you are in the chat, you can always type the two needs to say everyone not hosts and panelists so that more than me and Matt can talk to you. So [00:01:30] Matt, I want you to tell everybody Who you are, where, I know I just told where you live, but you lived for a long time somewhere else. Um, and, um, and what you do.

[00:01:44] Matt Wood: Oh, well, my name’s Matt Wood. I’m an illustrator. And, um, I’ve been doing this for about 25 years. And, um, I, like I answered, I’m in Indiana. Uh, we’ve been here for about three years. We’re in Lafayette, just outside of Purdue University. And, um, [00:02:00] I, I just have worked visually all of my life. I mean, ever since I was a kid.

[00:02:04] So I professionally started doing this when I was about 18. And ever since then, it’s just been trying to communicate for people. And 

[00:02:14] diane: before this, for most of your career, you lived in Colorado, in Loveland, right? And so, there are lots of things, there were lots of, uh, publishing houses, or lots of magazines.

[00:02:25] Maybe the publishing houses weren’t in Colorado, but there were lots of magazines there. [00:02:30] And there are lots of spot illustrations people use, lots of, you did a lot of stuff for the rubber stamp industry. Which I, I’m sure I have some stamps because I was in that. I liked rubber stamps and I was in the scrapbooking.

[00:02:46] I worked for a scrapbooking company. But you’ve done a lot of things and you also have multiple styles. Um, we’re going to talk about that because I want people to see what you’ve done and then see. See how it’s changed, but it’s also [00:03:00] what you’ve been practicing and what you’ve been refining all these years.

[00:03:04] Um, so a lot of things that have led to you being the illustrator that you are. So I want you to see if you can take us through. I know you have a deck prepared. If you could take us through a little bit of your work history. Yeah. Um, 

[00:03:19] Matt Wood: let me jump on here. So this was, this was the best way I could figure to take you through my history.

[00:03:26] And it’s, it’s, it begins with, [00:03:30] so everything back when I started back when I, when I went solo back in the, uh, 98, everything was print. So, I had a long run of being able to be an illustrator and work for magazines and for ad agencies. Um, so, those were kind of the salad days. So, as I, as I was building my clientele, I kept running into different areas that needed work that I could actually get 

[00:03:58] diane: into.

[00:03:58] What does salad [00:04:00] days mean? 

[00:04:01] Matt Wood: That’s that’s the best of the days. That’s like, you know, you, you’ve got everything ahead of you. Um, you know, you start out with your salad and then, you know, you’ve got dessert coming. So. Okay. Okay. All the good stuff’s ahead of you. So that’s when things started for me. So this is, I’ll just take you through some of these different things here and there’s a couple of different levels.

[00:04:21] So as I’m taking you through what you’re going to recognize on the right and left is that I’ve put something that says illustration style and then a name. [00:04:30] So, uh, and I’ll explain that in a second. So when I started out as, I started out as a designer and then went to illustration and then started my own studio.

[00:04:41] And when I started that process, I started to think to myself, cause as a designer, I’d seen a lot of illustration. Over time, I’d watched illustrators that I was really familiar with and really engaged with, I watched their style sort of peter out, and I wasn’t seeing them anymore after a while. So once I stepped [00:05:00] into illustration, I realized, if I’m going to do this, I don’t want to…

[00:05:04] Be a one style person, no matter what people were saying, I needed to create more myself. So I just, I felt like, I felt like it was a singular illustration style was a risk and it was a limitation and I needed to keep step rolling. So as we’re walking through that, remember that I’m doing multiple illustration styles and I’ll talk about each.

[00:05:24] So this is some work that I’ve done. Uh, this is some cover illustrations for some magazines that I’ve done. [00:05:30] Um, and this is in a style that I call axiom. That’s another thing was that in marketing these things, I was just trying to figure out what’s the easiest way for art directors to spec the kind of work that they wanted.

[00:05:43] So they didn’t have to look through a bunch of styles and try to explain which one they liked. They could just tell me the name of the style. So that was easy to market that way. Um, and that’s, that came from my years of being an art director and a graphic designer is I knew what. Okay. Thank you. I knew what an art director and a graphic designer [00:06:00] needed to make their job easier.

[00:06:02] And in creating multiple styles, I was, my intention was to make things easier for people. So whenever I’m doing stuff, it’s always about the client. It’s like, if I can do multiple styles, I’ll do multiple styles. This is another style that I just call it primer. It’s just sort of about, it’s a little bit different, um, it’s different techniques and stuff on the, um, Um, on the line work, this was, uh, [00:06:30] this is sort of a, uh, uh, collage sort of style that I sort of built.

[00:06:34] Um, so it looks different than the others. And so I, I ended up working for so many different magazines that the multiple style thing really hit well. Whenever I would tell an art director that I was working in multiple styles and show them things, they were like, so I’ve got one magazine and I’ve got.

[00:06:51] I’ve got to find five or six different illustrators to come up with illustrations for this magazine, and you’re telling me that you can do multiple styles and they all look [00:07:00] different. I’ll give you three of the spots. So let me 

[00:07:03] diane: ask you a question. And so in these, are they giving you the article or are they just telling you we’re looking for something like 

[00:07:11] Matt Wood: this?

[00:07:12] What they’ll do, uh, normally what they’ll do is they’ll approach me because they’ve seen something that they like, and then they’re like, we think that this would be a great thing for you to work on. And then they’ll explain to me what space they need to fill. And then we start talking about style. And then we started going through my style books and [00:07:30] they’re like, I love this one or this one.

[00:07:31] So, or they’ve seen it before and they’ve worked with me before. So, so I, I had a chance, like, I, like I had to, I had a chance to work with like kids magazines. I had a chance to work with Uh, technological magazines, news magazines, um, some, some of my clients were like, you know, I’d worked with time magazine.

[00:07:51] I worked with Harper business review, advertising age called digest. Uh, I did stuff at Red Robin restaurants for ad agencies, stuff for [00:08:00] Honda. So the multiple style thing worked for me. I know, I know a lot of people said not to do it, but it really felt like I had so many different things that I wanted to say and so many things that I wanted to.

[00:08:13] Express for people. I mean, that that’s, that’s just by my passion. It’s just like, I want to be able to communicate for anybody that I sit down with. So as we’re going through here, uh, this is a style, uh, this, this I’ll, I’ll just go back here real quick. So this was a style that, um, there [00:08:30] was a publishing company that needed some stuff for, for their kids to, they needed a style that fit the market of like.

[00:08:38] Kids like maybe sixth grade, sixth or seventh grade, and they had some ideas, but they weren’t finding exactly what they needed. So when they, when they contacted me, um, they said, do you have a style sort of like this, but it was nowhere near this. And I said, well, I’m not going to take somebody else’s style, but I’ll create something for you to hit your market.

[00:08:58] So I created this for that [00:09:00] company. And I ended up working for that company with this style for 15 years. Wow. So this, it was like creating something that doesn’t exist for someone because they need to communicate in a certain way. That’s what I do too. It 

[00:09:15] diane: also helps you not be so bored, bored, right? Or because And I mean, like, we, we, I was in Denver for, um, uh, five years and we used, we used one [00:09:30] illustrator because he also had multiple styles.

[00:09:32] So it’s more of, instead of being known for just one style, it became about partnerships and you having great connections in, in that industry because, um, but not about a certain style. It’s now a partnership with an art director and they see you as being able to. meet three of their four articles that they have because they could pick different styles and then they’re continually coming back to you, [00:10:00] 

[00:10:00] Matt Wood: right?

[00:10:00] That’s what, yeah, exactly. That’s really a great way to put it because the partnership for me, the relationships that I built with the art directors were so close that we, we were friends. I mean, we actually ended up being friends because I was there to do what they needed, communicate what they needed, and if they didn’t have it, I would make it.

[00:10:17] So I’m like, I’m your right hand. And it’s, if, if I, If I’m telling you that I’m going to deliver something on Thursday, you get it on Tuesday. You’re always going to, I’m always trying to meet their needs and I’m always trying to [00:10:30] communicate exactly what they need to communicate. So the partnership thing is fantastic.

[00:10:33] My client retention rate back in those days was so high. I was, whenever I would work with someone, I would work with someone for years and they would turn me on to someone else and I would work with them and so. Print days were fantastic. So, but this is, this is packaging. I worked with an ad agency and came up with a packaging scheme and bottle labels and stuff for them.

[00:10:56] This was an, uh, as I’m building the illustration styles, I [00:11:00] would kind of roll out a bunch of illustration styles and advertise them and get them in front of art directors. And they would look at them and I, and I would pay attention to how many art directors liked certain styles. And then I would eventually start phasing styles out and bringing new styles in.

[00:11:14] But it was an entire language that I had to build. I had to be really confident that I could pull off what I said I was going to pull off in a specific style. So I’m constantly changing styles or trying to do illustration. So at one point I just thought, I’m seeing a lot of food art going around. And I’m like, I [00:11:30] wonder if I could actually do kind of realistic sort of food stuff.

[00:11:33] So I went, grabbed a bunch of stuff. I cut illustrating it.

[00:11:40] And started to build that whole other style. So I created that, stuck those out, and immediately an ad agency grabbed me and they’re just like, Wow, we could really use you on this specific job. So, constantly putting out new stuff is always exciting for people because it’s like, something new is always attractive.

[00:11:57] diane: Alright, so we have a question. So Anna has a [00:12:00] question. Um, she says, since you have multiple styles, I see that you’ve segregated them onto your site into sections, called things like f stop, carbon, axiom, those are what you’ve You’ve titled, you’ve named the different styles so that it’s easier for the art directors because then they can say, Hey, I want the axiom style or something.

[00:12:20] Is it important to separate the styles? And if so, why? Um, maybe I answered that, but you can answer it better probably than me. And also what was your inspiration for the titles of the [00:12:30] different styles? 

[00:12:31] Matt Wood: Um, I’m not sure what the inspiration was. I try to make them sound different from each other, maybe some portion of them kind of related to the actual stuff.

[00:12:40] Like I, I have one, um, Well, Crush was one of them. Um, I, I don’t know how to answer that one. Um, sometimes it, it fit the, it fit the look or it just felt like the right kind of name to put with it, or it just sounded completely different than everything else. So I’m just trying to, trying to create, uh, silos, silos of art that [00:13:00] people can actually look at and remember in their 

[00:13:01] diane: head.

[00:13:02] And because you were creating silos because it helped the art directors be able to work with you easier and quicker and say, Hey, I want this style. Yep. Instead of having all of these and have to try to describe what they’re looking at. Is that right? 

[00:13:16] Matt Wood: Yeah. Super easy. Yeah. So it’s, it’s always whatever is easiest for the art director or the client.

[00:13:23] So it’s always, how can I make this as easy and quick as possible so that we can get through this and not have to, you know, [00:13:30] mess around. So this was, I decided I created this, um, other style was like what’s food art and then immediately got an ad agency that wanted me to do some packaging. All 

[00:13:40] diane: right. We have another question.

[00:13:42] Okay. Anna’s really, um, she’s awesome. And I love that she has these questions. Um, and we’ve got other people loving what you’re saying and stuff like that. No, please do not. She said, sorry. Ha ha. No, we love it. We love, um, That’s why I do it live. Like, this is what makes it great, Anna, so please [00:14:00] keep doing it.

[00:14:00] Um, is there a concern about what’s above the fold, or do you not worry about them scrolling down to see more? So, are you working on your website, Anna? 

[00:14:11] Matt Wood: Oh, are you talking about my site? 

[00:14:12] diane: Yeah, on the site. So, 

[00:14:15] Matt Wood: what’s above the fold? Yeah, I’m actually, I’m taking my site down, and I’m rebuilding it, um, because that was really, that was a long time ago, put up really quick, and yeah.

[00:14:25] diane: But then do you worry about what’s above the fold since you do have many styles as [00:14:30] you redesign your site is that Um, are you going to show multiple styles on, in the front, or is there going to be? Okay. 

[00:14:40] Matt Wood: Yeah, I will. And then I’ll call out what each of the styles is. It’s a little bit of an education because our characters aren’t used to illustrators doing multiple styles.

[00:14:48] But once they get it and you see the light go on, it’s just immediate. And they’re like, Oh my God. Um, I can ask you to do five different things for one job and you can deliver five different art. It’s like having [00:15:00] an entire, uh, bullpen of artists at an art, at a art rep in one shot. Just one phone call and you can, you get five styles.

[00:15:09] Great. Okay. Keep going. So this was, again, this is some other packaging that I did for a friend of mine. He was doing some work in Alaska. Um, he was making his own honey and all this different stuff. The guy just lives off the grid and does all this fantastic stuff. So let’s just And 

[00:15:25] diane: just because I know, because I know you, like Polar B looks like you’ve done your [00:15:30] own type.

[00:15:30] Is that correct? Yep, yep. So a lot of custom type that you don’t always get. Um, sometimes people are type people and then sometimes people are illustrators, but you’re really combining these or you found an area to work on and then you You practiced it enough where you could really sell yourself in that arena as well, which I think is, is really great.

[00:15:54] Okay, keep going. 

[00:15:58] Matt Wood: Let’s look at the some mark work [00:16:00] that I did. Again, I don’t, I don’t really take that kind of work on very often, probably maybe once a year, twice a year, someone asked me to do a mark. So I just integrated some illustration as we’re just trying to find some solutions here. And this was for a company out of Colorado.

[00:16:15] And again, I’m just trying every style that I can possibly think of and someone might want to use. So I was doing retro styles. This one’s called archival. This one’s for a magazine. And uh, this is, this is one that I call carbon. This is one of the [00:16:30] names. Like when you ask, you know, how do I choose a name?

[00:16:31] I thought carbon sounded kind of scratchy and kind of like a rough sort of a feel to me, black, you know, black lines and stuff like that. So what I went, what I did is I went through some crate and barrel magazines and I just figured what if I drew. Anything that was in that magazine. So I had spent a lot of time making all of this stuff Just, you know kind of creating 

[00:16:51] diane: styles.

[00:16:52] Let me ask you this now So, um, I know because I’ve friends with you, but how are you working at [00:17:00] this point? So this is a really good one to start with So because I see that you’re kind of going off registration with your color, but how are you are you doing these? original Um, you know, furniture, sketches on paper, uh, with a pen, with a pencil on the computer, with a Whatcom tablet or just in Photoshop?

[00:17:20] How are you working 

[00:17:22] Matt Wood: at this point? I’m doing brush pen work on paper and then scanning it, cleaning it up, and then adding all the rest of the stuff onto, [00:17:30] but, and since then I’ve been work, I’ve been working with Santa brushes and, uh, walk, walk tablet, 

[00:17:35] diane: and so, but the coloring you’re doing the coloring in.

[00:17:40] Photoshop. Photoshop. Okay, great. Okay. Yep. 

[00:17:44] Matt Wood: Again, this is just more carbon work just to give you kind of a broader view of people, items, how I’d approach certain things. So lettering, um, I always thought this kind of stuff was interesting when you just have a shape and just fill it with all kinds [00:18:00] of lettering and words that describe what you’re looking at.

[00:18:05] diane: And again, that type, even the word brand, can you go back one? The word brand, is that a typeface or is that you drawing? That’s my drawing. Okay, that’s what I thought. I just want to make sure people know. 

[00:18:17] Matt Wood: Yeah, and so, you know, I just, I wanted to create something that was sort of really psychological, you know, like just a bunch of weird stuff together.

[00:18:27] I just be fun to kind of come up with a style. [00:18:30] I’ve been asked to do one illustration in this style for a magazine and I pulled it off. This was a difficult one because it’s… I’m not sure how, this is a language that I’m not sure I can translate. I’m always trying to, if someone needs to say something to their audience, I’m the person that’s translate that for them.

[00:18:46] Right. I want their audience to look at the image and get the idea that my client wants them to get. So this was a style, but I’m not sure exactly how to translate things through. [00:19:00] Just creating fun art is easy, but when you have to translate something for somebody. It’s, it’s, it’s more difficult and, and still hold the style and actually translate, you know, kind of inner meanings and stuff.

[00:19:13] I suppose I can get real fun with, you know, translating stuff with people, but these are just objects in that similar style, a little bit realistic, a little bit odd. Um, I love these ones. And I [00:19:30] actually sold that one on the left as a print. Um, Someone really fell in love with that. So I did the point of them.

[00:19:36] So I do that kind of stuff too. So anyway, um, that’s, that’s, that’s my breakdown of the different illustration styles that I’ve done for people and ad agencies and magazines and publishers. So. I want to kind of get to the story of how I pivoted here. So there’s a time in my, in my past where I realized [00:20:00] that print is disappearing and I knew it was coming, but I, I never really wanted to just embrace it.

[00:20:05] And then I just realized I have to do something about this. So. I had two different things going on. About 2014, uh, whenever I was finished working, because I had a lot of work going on, but I would take a break, I was just on my own, grabbing some paper, sitting down, and watching whatever I wanted to watch.

[00:20:25] And just drawing and just making any art that I wanted to make for no [00:20:30] client for nobody just on my own, just to keep my hand busy and just to kind of draw. And so I was, I was in that space where I was like, I, I, I had just collected page after page, after page, after page, I was on a single page, I’m drawing like 10 different things or, you know, five different things and then laying it down and grabbing another one.

[00:20:50] And in this, in one session, I’m doing like maybe eight pages of just different things. So I have this huge collection. And I also realized that I’ve got to look into the future here [00:21:00] and I’ve got to, I’ve got to get myself ready for a change. And one of the things that I changed, um, around, uh, around 2012 was that I, um, I did a pivot and I, I started a, I co founded a cooperative animation studio called Bad Idea Studios.

[00:21:18] com. And that was a good friend, was a good friend of mine, um, who was, uh, an animator and film person and a great designer. And we had grown up together and we were good friends. And I just [00:21:30] told him, I said, I can do all these illustration styles. Um, I would love to actually have us team up and do animations together.

[00:21:38] And so we started that studio and immediately we started getting work. So I thought, okay, that’s one way that I can make extra outside of print materials. Um, but I was also, I was also really realizing that things are going to be changing really soon here. So this is just an example of just this year alone.

[00:21:56] As I was looking through this last night, I had taken some of these pictures last night. [00:22:00] So this is. It’s about one year’s work, uh, that what I used to call a daily art. So it was just like, this is how many pages of, of art I would make in about a year just sitting down and drawing on my own. So what this translates into is that every single page has something on it.

[00:22:19] And so it looks about something like this. So all of those pages have about this much stuff on them. And back in 2014 is when I started this. [00:22:30] So this, what I just showed you now, it’s just like this year and last year. So that’s just a year’s time. So I’ve been doing this every single year. So I had so much of this stuff and then you and I met and, and I got involved in your mastermind group.

[00:22:46] And you started to, because I was like, I’ve got to make some changes. I’ve got to meet new people. I’ve got to think new ways. And so I wanted to start this with you. 

[00:22:55] diane: And this was this, one of the, um, issues was that the [00:23:00] print in magazines, the print world was a lot of magazines were folding. I mean, in magazines, I know, I, I mean, I used to get Martha Stewart living like that thing I thought would never die.

[00:23:12] You know what I mean? Prison, we still buy your magazine. I did, you know, whatever. But it even went out, it stopped last year. I got my last episode, whatever. I got my last issue. So it wasn’t like just little bitty, um, publications were leaving, but there are a lot. [00:23:30] Less people doing this and so all the people you had made connections with all these partnerships that you had made They’re having to go find new things and and and these things these that we’re looking at right now We’re just things you were doing for fun Random and and just a daily art practice, right 

[00:23:51] Matt Wood: daily daily art practice Like I said, I would just stop at the end of the night and I would watch something and just draw and just riff [00:24:00] You know, it had no meaning, no, no, no direction.

[00:24:03] It just kept me moving and was really relaxing. Like I could just rifle it off all of a sudden. You said Martha Stewart, uh, went out of business, that magazine. This is the actual company. This is the publisher, Martha Stewart. It’s, um, it’s called Meredith. And that was one of their magazines. So this is the magazine that I work with for them that still remains.

[00:24:24] And it feels like that’s going to last for a long time. For some reason, they want to keep this magazine ongoing. [00:24:30] So I still work with them today. So anyway, um, so this is the kind of stuff I was creating. This is the stuff that I brought to you and I’m like going, Diane, what do I do with this stuff? I can, it’s sitting right here and we’re looking for multiple, in our group, we’re looking for multiple income stream possibilities.

[00:24:48] And I’m like, what would you do with this? Because it’s here, I have it finished and I’ll have to remake it, but what do I do with it? And so we started to talk about it and I just decided [00:25:00] what I’ll do is I’m going to take a whole bunch of these and I’m just going to get them cleaned out. So what I started making was like individual sheets of finished art and kind of just getting them tightened up and just collecting them in little things.

[00:25:10] And again, they were meaningless. They were just a collection. And I think at some point we talked about, you know, you could sell this as I was clip art or whatever and I thought now it’s really complicated to build an entire site and you know Do all the cataloging of the stuff. Don’t don’t move 

[00:25:26] diane: it yet.

[00:25:27] I because I want to say something about these go ahead. Keep going [00:25:30] 

[00:25:32] Matt Wood: You don’t want to 

[00:25:33] diane: move on. Oh, no. No. Yeah, I won’t. Okay, so you’re done I’m sorry, but like he has these like these patterns these weird heads. I love this thing But like for the right person, they need this thing, they have needed this thing and they didn’t and me as somebody for so many years that wasn’t an illustrator, I was, I would get an idea like these could be idea generators, you know, like [00:26:00] for a designer, I’m looking at these and I’m, um, getting ideas from looking at this.

[00:26:07] And then from that I could make, um, an ad campaign or a, Uh, ad copy that would be going with it. And so I thought, um, I just thought it was really, and they were so random and different. And I loved the type. I liked the exploration. I liked, you know, the exaggeration. You had a lot of things that were exaggerated.

[00:26:28] There were a lot of. Like, [00:26:30] um, it wasn’t like it looked exactly like a fork, but I definitely know it was a fork, you know, or, um, the, you know, a lady with three eyeball heads or something, you know, there was just something, it was different and it did have a reminder, which it reminded me of something and I know it reminded you and you’re going to tell us in a second.

[00:26:49] Keep going. 

[00:26:50] Matt Wood: Yeah. So it was like, it was so interesting to me, like when you kept bringing that up, you’re like going, I love this, I love this and that and this. And I thought, well, that’s great, but how [00:27:00] do I, how do I put that into the world? You know, how do I actually organize this and turn it into something without killing myself?

[00:27:08] Right. And cause I, you know, I don’t have tons of time. I’ve got to kind of just keep things going here. Um, but I kept on getting a lot of different people pointing out different things. Like the one on the right, you know, up in the, up in the left hand corner says, I love being naked. Someone had said, I’d love that.

[00:27:25] I love that saying. And that was from a life, a life drawing class that I went to. [00:27:30] And obviously we’ve got a, you know, we’ve got a nude there. And that was one of the things that she said, you know, she said, this is my story. She said, I just, I just love being naked. And so that stuck in my head and I’m, so I’m, I’m, so that’s the kind of stuff that goes into these daily drawings, anything that I’m hearing or again, they’re idea generators.

[00:27:46] I just kind of create them and build off them and, and I grab them and kind of create more stuff. So I just kept on, I kept. As, as you and I were working together in our mastermind group, I just kept collecting all the stuff and getting it ready for some [00:28:00] possible future. And the images that I’m showing here, the backgrounds that I’ve chosen, cause I’m here in Lafayette.

[00:28:06] Um, and so I feel kind of connected to this little town. And so I wanted to show parts of this town. So this is actually, I walk around town and take pictures of different things. So this is all the backgrounds have something to do with Lafayette. Oh, cool. brick wall or some, some place inside of another place.

[00:28:22] And then I just put the images over and people have noticed it in town. They’re like, well, no, I know that. So, but [00:28:30] again, it’s just like a collection of work, um, from all of this random stuff, but I still don’t know what to do with it. And you and I are talking and we had every, everybody in the group is trying to figure out what they’re going 

[00:28:41] diane: to do.

[00:28:42] Because we’re all drooling at this point, right? Like it’s, there’s so many things and it’s like, Oh, if I just had the right client or if I just had something, you know, like there’s just so much personality. Keep going. Keep going. So 

[00:28:55] Matt Wood: this is how this all was working. And I had pulled all this stuff together and you were looking at these [00:29:00] sheets and then you approached me.

[00:29:03] Because you had the Creatives Ignite camp for the first time that you were starting. Yep. And, and you, you approached me knowing that I had done marks and stuff in the past. And you were really interested in this. And I remember you coming to me and saying, I would love to have you create something for this camp that I’m, that I’m making and create a mark for it.

[00:29:23] And then you said, I really love the style that you’re doing and I would love to have it in that style. So Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. You and I, we had our [00:29:30] interview and I asked you all about what you were building and how, how you wanted this to come across to people and who you expected to come and what your inner sort of excitement was about it.

[00:29:38] And can I translate that for you? And, but I wasn’t 

[00:29:42] diane: telling you what to draw. So it was like, I, this was one of the things that is very, to me was very different. I didn’t want to mess up what Matt can do because Matt thinks very differently. And I loved all the ways he was thinking. And I didn’t [00:30:00] want to say, I want a heart.

[00:30:01] I want this. I want, you know, I was like anything you can think of. About Creatives Ignite, I think of it, you know, people coming together, what we were talking about in general kind of brand values or, um, you know, this was just a camp at that this point. So, okay, go back. So keep going. I just want to make sure that people understand it wasn’t me art directing and asking, Hey, I want this.

[00:30:25] I want this. I want this. And this was one of like your superpowers is just by [00:30:30] listening to me and what was important you created. Things. Um, and so Kevin says, publish these as an illustrated book with those backgrounds. I’d buy it simple, simply for inspiration, but it’s also a personal reflection of who you are and Lafayette.

[00:30:46] I would buy this too. I think you could do it in multiple, you could do each year a quarter and have it as some, anyway, we can talk about that later, Matt. Keep going. But I love Kevin’s idea. 

[00:30:55] Matt Wood: Unstuck. I love that. I love people’s excitement. 

[00:30:58] diane: I love people. Amy Lyons said she’d buy [00:31:00] that too. 

[00:31:01] Matt Wood: Fantastic. So, so as we were talking, I’m listening to you and I’m trying to come up with this idea for this camp that you’re building, since I have no idea.

[00:31:09] So I’m, I’m gathering stuff, I’m making notes. And then I just told you, I said, I can, I can try to work on a logo, but you want it in this specific style and this specific style only works because I riff. Like I’m not, I’m not going to focus on all, I have all this material in my head now, but I’m not going to focus on a solution.

[00:31:28] I’m just going to riff on [00:31:30] it. I’m just going to let my imagination roll with this. So, and in that way, what I’ll do, I told you, I said, I’m just going to deliver you some drawings and that should put us somewhere on the map and something will probably spark something else. And then we’ll probably grab a couple of things and I’ll make that into a mark.

[00:31:47] And you were like, okay, that’s great. So, I just quickly, and I don’t think it took very long, I think it took like maybe a couple of days. It took 

[00:31:54] diane: 30 years or however long, Matt. It didn’t, it wasn’t about the time, right? It’s just [00:32:00] because you had been doing, and this is what I think is so powerful. One, for us, that we are not you and we can use you.

[00:32:05] One, you’re available for work too, is that if we work hard enough to get better at something, we can actually get better if we practice every day and how amazing we will be if we just keep going and don’t give up. And that is to me, that is one of the things that you stand for is just, you don’t give up and you know who you are and you do have multiple styles and I’m good with, I love your [00:32:30] multiple styles.

[00:32:30] Okay, keep going. I’m sorry I keep interrupting. I just don’t want to leave out 

[00:32:35] Matt Wood: something. No, it’s great. So as we were, as, as we finished up, I went and I just did some real quick drawings. I just figured I’m just going to really tear into this thing, come up with some different ideas. I’ll toss it out to you, see what you think.

[00:32:46] Well, something’s going to click and we’re going to move on. We’re going to make a mark. 

[00:32:50] diane: I didn’t need you to move on. This was all I needed. 

[00:32:54] Matt Wood: So I delivered these and I don’t think it was, it took probably less than five [00:33:00] minutes. You looked at this, you said, wow, this is really super cool. We’re done. Yep. 

[00:33:05] diane: And look, there’s Sparky.

[00:33:09] This was I’m not very good at drawing hearts. Go ahead. Keep going. 

[00:33:13] Matt Wood: I, I just kind of sat there after you said we’re done and I just thought, what do you mean? And you said to me, what, what did you say to me? 

[00:33:21] diane: I don’t remember. I was like, I’m, I have all the stuff that I can use. I didn’t need. I mean, I was like, this is, [00:33:30] this is, and it gave me, so, I didn’t have a name, I didn’t have Sparky, but I think because you had, well, do you remember what I said?

[00:33:36] Because I don’t remember 

[00:33:37] Matt Wood: what I said. You said to me, you said, I said, I said, what do you mean? I said, you know, we’re going to work on a mark, and you said, I’m a designer, this, I have so many ideas right now, she said, you said, I can do this, she said, I can take all this stuff and make stuff out of it, you don’t need to do this.

[00:33:53] I remember just sitting there going. And just the light went on, and I just thought, did she just [00:34:00] buy these? And I didn’t need to make a mark? And I thought, is that what I’m going to do for people? Is that what I can do for people? 

[00:34:08] diane: And to be honest, there were so many things. So I used Sparky. I, I know I used this flame at some point.

[00:34:16] I used even this asterisk. I really, uh, I liked igniter. Um, I don’t think I did flame on, um, cause I thought, well, I didn’t want to offend anybody. And, you know, But I’ve [00:34:30] used these little, these were like little, not that that was offensive, but I just didn’t want, you know, like, I don’t know, whatever. Um, these were like old matches.

[00:34:39] And I was like, Ooh, cause one thing I remember saying, see how you have these little patterns going down, like you make these repeat. Repetitive things. I really like that. And that, uh, he did that here to the little, um, you guys can see my annotations, correct? Yep, we can stop. Okay. Um, but like, I don’t think I use these people, but I still [00:35:00] like these people.

[00:35:00] Um, I know I use this. So I ended up from this making. I know I used this flame. I know I used this flame. I used this flame. Um, I loved this bird because my thing, I know I used this flame and this, I mean, it was like so many things. I was just all I needed. What were these assets to be able to make? Because this isn’t something I can do, but I could do something with it.

[00:35:27] And I Just, [00:35:30] I never knew how to talk to somebody that was an illustrator to give me these kinds of things. Um, and for me it was really, it was like, um, relax. It was like, I could relax, I didn’t have to be tense to try to explain it. He got me from the get go. 

[00:35:54] Matt Wood: So I ended up with a little mascot. I mean, that’s amazing.

[00:35:56] So, and we’ll actually, we’ll probably do this pretty [00:36:00] quick. So at this stage, at this stage, the light went on and I thought, okay, this is, this is something that I can offer somebody. This is something that I can do as a separate income stream or something that I can offer somebody, because obviously someone just bought this.

[00:36:15] And I thought, okay, that’s what I can do. I can do this until the Until the cows come home, I can constantly do this. I can do this for so many people. Um, so anyway, so that’s what you’ve created. So at that point I was also working with [00:36:30] another company and while I was working on a mark for them and they were a company out of Colorado that had been around for 40 years, it was second generation taking over the company.

[00:36:38] They’re a furniture making company. And, uh, so the new generation of children taking over this family business, um, they wanted to update their field. Uh, the old business had been doing really well. They were here, a huge company in Colorado, they have all kinds of retail outlets. Um, and so, um, we started to talk and I, like I said, I was making a new mark for [00:37:00] them to try to create this new look for their new generation taking over the company.

[00:37:06] And so at that point. Once, once you bought something and once they were talking to me, I thought, I wonder if I could pull this on for them because we, I kept making marks, but things weren’t quite there. They kept telling me this is fantastic. This is fantastic. This is fantastic, but nothing quite fits and we don’t know what to tell you.

[00:37:24] Like it’s just not clicking yet. And so I thought, okay, and I [00:37:30] hadn’t just bought this stuff. Possibly I can do this for this other company because they wanted me to make this mark. And again, You know, maybe I can do this thing for them. Well, in that time, I’m like going the stuff and you and I were talking after you, after you got the stuff from me and we kept talking about how much my work looked like Charles Anderson.

[00:37:50] So Charles S. Anderson created work for French paper company back in the eighties and early nineties. Well, French paper company was like this company out of Niles, Michigan, which [00:38:00] was like seven generations and, uh, of a paper mill. And they had all this, all these different papers that they put out and their recycled line of papers was really cool.

[00:38:11] And Charles Anderson had stumbled across it and he really liked it, but it was really low on their sales list. So, um, he approached them and said, we would like to, as a designer, he said, we would like to kind of create this stuff out of this paper for you and kind of create all these things. So you and I were talking, Diane, about how much [00:38:30] my work like looked like Charles Anderson’s kind of work.

[00:38:32] Mm hmm. And these are examples of what he did for French Paper Company, but he turned that company around. Like he created this entire world, like it was mostly designed. So there’s like some artwork that’s in it, but you know, it’s, you’re like, yeah, His, his artwork was all over, like, you know, the outside envelopes and even on the inside of envelopes.

[00:38:54] And so he was using their papers and creating all this artwork for them and using all this stuff. He, he [00:39:00] did stuff for Nike. I mean, his company did stuff for Nike. So he was creating this set of stuff for different companies. This was for the winter, um, air movie, Turner Classic Movies back in the day. Um, he was working on different stuff, but we kept talking about how much my work reminded you of his.

[00:39:18] And he had, he had started an art sort of, uh, archive of all this clip art and they had revived all this clip art. And so he wasn’t doing custom art for people, but he had all this clip art that he was making, [00:39:30] which felt a lot like what I was doing. So that’s why we were talking about this. And then I just thought, wow, this is amazing.

[00:39:36] And I had this other company that I was just about ready to tell them, Hey, I can do this thing. I just did for Diane for you. Let’s see how that works. Because I would like to see their company do stuff like this. This would be fantastic. I was just imagining it in my head. And you said to me, you said, well, you know, so why don’t you, why don’t you call Charles and talk to him about how he was able to do this for French paper company?

[00:39:54] Because my question was, how does he do all of this stuff for them and not break their [00:40:00] bank? Like there’s so much art and so much stuff being done here for them. Like, how can you do that? Because that’s expensive. Creating art for people, illustration is not inexpensive. I thought there has to be some formula.

[00:40:12] And I thought, and you just said, we’ll call Charles and ask him. And I said, wait. Oh, go ahead. 

[00:40:17] diane: Tell him I 

[00:40:18] Matt Wood: just said, how on earth am I just going to call Charles Anderson? Because I don’t. And he doesn’t know me. And you’re like, well, I know him because I met him at a 

[00:40:26] diane: conference. I met him at Creative South.

[00:40:28] But this thing is, is [00:40:30] like, Matt, would you, if somebody wanted to know what you were up to and who you were, would you care if they called you and talk with you? They just wanted to have a call with you. Would you? I mean, obviously you can’t do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but right, right. But how often are we not reaching out to somebody who has made such a difference to us because we think they’re too big or they’re too busy or, and you know, we’re not even giving them the chance to turn us down.

[00:40:59] Right? Right. [00:41:00] But when I met him. Oh, go 

[00:41:01] Matt Wood: ahead. Yeah. And you hooked us up. You hooked us up over, uh, LinkedIn, I think. And Charles and I met each other over that and talked a little bit and we set up a time and I talked to this guy and it was just like, I’d been following this guy for, you know, Decades and I was just like I was just in awe and I’m sitting here talking to this guy and I was able to ask Him that question.

[00:41:24] I said, how were you able to do this? I showed him my work. I showed him what I was doing And he loved it. He loved that work [00:41:30] and he said, um, he told me how this worked and I thought that’s the key And I found out what the key was. So 

[00:41:38] diane: well, we got another question Let me let me ask this one because this is really good.

[00:41:41] So speaking of pricing. Do you charge differently? from Style to style like a style that’s quick compared to one that’s more time intensive or do you charge by the project? I think that’s a really great question. 

[00:41:54] Matt Wood: That’s a really good question. I don’t charge differently by style It’s only by [00:42:00] project it just depends on what the project brings.

[00:42:03] Awesome So at this point, I I’ve got sort of some keys in my hand I have here’s what I can do with this art. Someone has just bought it. They’re really happy with that I can do it for somebody else Um, and now here’s this Charles Anderson key of like, how do you price this thing? How do you make it available for people to use?

[00:42:22] And because I’m like, that’s super, I know that’s super expensive and nobody can just buy that out. Right. So how does this work? [00:42:30] And we can talk about that a little later. So let me talk to you about, I was working with this other company. I was working on their logo. 

[00:42:36] diane: Uh, Paul says, so what did Charles say?

[00:42:40] Matt Wood: I’m not, we’ll get there. So here’s, so I did the same thing to them. I said, I just did this with a client of mine, um, that wanted to mark. And you know, we created this and they really loved it. And, and this other person from this, uh, from this furniture company had seen my other work and they really liked it.

[00:42:57] And that’s why they’re asking me to do a mark for them. [00:43:00] So I’m doing this simultaneously. So I said, let me do the same thing I did for Diane. I’ll do that for you. Let me just, I know all about your company. Let me just riff on it. So I said, let me do three pages of this rift style with some of your budget.

[00:43:15] Let me, I’m going to, I’m going to take some of this budget and I’m going to do three pages of this stuff that’ll cover my time. And I’m just going to show this to you and see if it sparks anything. And maybe we’ll build a, we’ll build a mark for you probably out of that. Or we’ll just see where it goes.

[00:43:28] So I created, so I delivered [00:43:30] three pages, I delivered three, these three pages of art for 

[00:43:33] diane: them. And these are hand, uh, they’re furniture maker in Denver. So, um. Yep. 

[00:43:38] Matt Wood: They’re out of Long, they’re Longmont, yeah, Longmont, Colorado. And so it’s, it’s, um, they create our word furniture and they’ve been doing this for 40 years.

[00:43:48] It’s fantastic furniture and they have retail stores all through Colorado and they sell other people’s stuff too, but they also make their own furniture and they sell it there as well. Yeah. And they have a fantastic story. They are amazing [00:44:00] people. And it’s, it’s Woodley Brothers, Woodley’s is the actual retail store chain.

[00:44:04] Woodley Brothers Manufacturing is the sister company that creates their own line of, of furniture for those retail stores. They do really fantastic work. They were amazing people. And so I turned this thing to them and I said, what do you guys think about this? I waited a couple of days. I got, I got a call back from, from, uh, one of the owners from the new generation of owners.

[00:44:28] And she was also a designer as [00:44:30] well and an artist. She called me, she called me back and she said, I got my brother and my sister together. We were in the office and we looked at these. She said, I don’t show the F bomb around a lot. She said, but we were effing jumping around and we were just like, we were just like screaming.

[00:44:47] She said, we were actually like screaming in the office. She said, we were so excited. She said, we are in love with this whole feel. And I’m just like, that’s [00:45:00] fantastic. I said, which one? What are you looking at? And she said, all of it. We want our identity to be all of this. We don’t need a mark. We want all of this to be our identity.

[00:45:09] We want more. 

[00:45:11] diane: And you’re having fun doing this too. This is, you’re thinking this is not the end. We’re gonna do some more. I mean, but like the little guy in the middle that is in the middle one that is holding the, um, fancy little couch or something. And then the couch, the chair that has a face in it. I mean, there’s so [00:45:30] many little fun things.

[00:45:32] And anyway, it’s just 

[00:45:34] Matt Wood: so much stuff. And so. We’ve got to run out of time here. So, uh, I created this for them. They were on fire. They said, let’s do this. They gave me a budget. We started to figure them. We’re figuring this thing out as we go. So part of the, part of the solution that, that Charles gave me was, he said, we worked, we’ve worked on retainer.

[00:45:55] They kept the rights to all the art that they made, but they worked on retainer to create [00:46:00] things for French paper company. As they’re working on retainer, they’re building stuff. We’re building an entire library for French paper company to use. But. But Charles still retained the art for it. He retained the rights for it.

[00:46:13] So he wasn’t selling them the rights and they weren’t buying the rights to all of that art. The retainer itself said, the retainer gave him time to build the actual artwork and then when they would use the actual artwork, that’s, that was for a limited amount of [00:46:30] time for limited usage. But they got the usage of all of it.

[00:46:33] So it wasn’t like they had to purchase all of the art. As long as Charles could retain the rights to the art, eventually, if they wanted to buy something, they couldn’t buy individual pieces and use them forever and other different things. But otherwise, Charles would retain the right to the art and the client would be able to use them.

[00:46:52] And he would get paid a retainer for making that art. So It was 

[00:46:56] diane: like a monthly retainer for making the art [00:47:00] and he was, 

[00:47:01] Matt Wood: right. So we went on and we just, we built more, they said, well, let’s, we want to do more. And so I, that’s what I did was I kept creating art. The saw 

[00:47:10] diane: blade guy, I love him, piece in the bottom right hand corner.

[00:47:15] Matt Wood: So it was, it was such a great thing to figure out and we’re, but we’re kind of figuring this out as we go. Right. So this was my first big client. And so we’re working through the supplier thing. One 

[00:47:26] diane: thing, and I have this in my questions, but you are [00:47:30] capturing the personality and visual voice of the company.

[00:47:32] And I think it has to do with you drawing so many every day for so many years, but also, Um, listening really well before in, instead of letting them art direct, you’re just listening to the personality and the visual voice of the company. Why is what this is? Why is this different than a brand or a traditional branding?

[00:47:57] Matt Wood: This, um, this feels more like [00:48:00] a collaboration. So, because I’m coming from a brain that knows how to do that branding and how to do design work and how to be an art director, I should have that in my head, but I’m also an illustrator. So, and I, and I’ve kind of like, I’ve taken both of those and in this process, I’m using all of that information and then I just put it aside.

[00:48:22] It’s all in my head, but then I just riff and I just enjoy my… Self creating whatever I create and in that [00:48:30] joy of creating stuff I create stuff that neither I expect nor the client expects and when it’s delivered They’re just like I would have never thought of that. I could have never art directed you to do that right that that’s amazing Now I have 20 ideas just because of one piece that you was created You know, on your own.

[00:48:47] I’m not striving so hard to meet someone’s needs, but inside I know what they need. So it’s like this really interesting space where I’m creating all this stuff for them. And they got so excited about it. They said, okay, so [00:49:00] they’re a, they’re a furniture manufacturer. They said, what we want to do also, so we’re so inspired.

[00:49:06] We want to have you create a line of stuff. That we can have printed on sheets and comforters and pillowcases, and we want to do our own bedding. It can actually, it’s printed all over, it’s printed all over this, all over these things so that it’s sort of our new flavor on, on the material that we can actually, you know, put on the beds that we sell, you know, maybe, maybe it’s for sale, maybe it’s [00:49:30] not, but if people start buying it, we’re going to start making.

[00:49:33] You know, other stuff, so all of a sudden, now, now all of a sudden they’re, they want to make new stuff. So it’s inspiring them. It’s inspiring me. They had a tote bag that they needed some stuff for. And so they, you know, it’s just, the artwork is going everywhere, but it becomes an integral part of their brand.

[00:49:50] The art itself, it becomes a brand tattoo. And that’s the whole idea behind brand tattooing is that I’m, I’m like, think about someone that [00:50:00] puts a tattoo on their arm. They’re sitting at a bar, they’re sitting in a place somewhere. I could look at someone’s arm and if they’re into Harley Davidson and I’m into Harley Davidson, I know that we’re both in the same camp because he has a Harley Davidson on his arm, right?

[00:50:12] Because he loves that, he loves that motorcycle. He loves that brand. And so I already know that I connect with this guy or he can put something on his arm that looks like it’s artistic and you know, maybe, maybe it has something to do with illustration even. And I’d be like, are you an illustrator or for, [00:50:30] and, and someone would be like, yeah, I’m an illustrator.

[00:50:31] Well, he just advertised to me without even advertising to me because there was a piece of art somewhere that he chose that was so personal to him that he. stuck it on himself and it translated some, it’s a communication tool. So a tattoo on the human body is a, is a, is a communication tool. And for brands, people always talk about brands having personality and they kind of make them into these human beings.

[00:50:56] Like, why not tattoo your brand? Why not come up with these [00:51:00] things that tell stories and, and invite people into that story. So this was also, they wanted to do some of their history and where they came from and how, how their company started out. And so this was just some stuff that was being created to them.

[00:51:14] So that was for Woodleys. And so they, they built all this, they were, they had all these different plans for building all the stuff. And I’ll, I’ll get back to that in just a second. Um, it kind of, it fell apart a little bit because there was a missing component. [00:51:30] So this was my first client and I’ve learned over time, they loved it.

[00:51:33] They were able to use it in different things. It wasn’t used to the extent that I thought that they were going to use them. And, and I, and I figured out later why, and we’ll talk about that as soon as I can get there. We’re really running out of time here. Um, so, I, so I, I went ahead and I did the same thing, um, Costas Collius, um, was building the forest at that point, and he was a part of our group.

[00:51:57] And so he contacted me, and he said, I would love to have you do the [00:52:00] same thing for me. And so I worked on stuff for his, um, for the forest. And you’re 

[00:52:05] diane: calling him Flash Seek. Flash sheets, which is when you go to a tattoo place, that’s what they call them. Look through our flash sheets. That’s what, if you 

[00:52:13] Matt Wood: don’t know.

[00:52:13] I have three different levels of purchase and like it’s complicated, I won’t jump into it at the moment, but there’s three different levels of purchase that you can do. So it’s easier for you to, um, to put into your budget. There’s a flash sheet. Um, there’s a sleeve. And then the [00:52:30] last one is called a bodysuit.

[00:52:32] So there’s three different levels that you can employ me at to get the stuff done. So I created, I created all this stuff. He comes from Greece and so his background was from Rhodes in Greece. And he also loved the, um, he loved, uh, sort of the retro sort of style. And so we kind of built stuff around both.

[00:52:51] I created a font for him, it was his own sort of font. So that’s my lettering kind of stuff. Well, this was a splash page for him. [00:53:00] Again, this is just another client. And he used all of that stuff. I was also approached, um, I approached a good friend of mine who’s a farm in Loveland, Colorado. They do um, They do, uh, a pumpkin patch every year.

[00:53:13] So this is like, this is literally the oldest farm in Colorado, continuously owned by one family. It’s the very first farm in Colorado owned by one family. It’s like since 1870 something. And they, and they, and they’re new weld out. They’ve been doing this for years and years [00:53:30] and years. And they approached me to do some flash sheets, some, some targeted things here.

[00:53:35] And I created this for them and they, and this was a whole story. They were, I tell people after, after I’ve, after I’ve done this a couple of times, I tell people. I think I’ve created a drug because of the response that I get from people. Like I told you with, with Woodleys, they were just screaming and jumping around and they were like, we want more, we want this to become our identity.

[00:53:55] It’s like, there’s just this loss of like, everything is possible now. They’re just [00:54:00] like, let’s just do more of this. When I did this for this farm, when I did this for these guys, um, they have the, they have the option of buying out. Um, but they start the entire process with paying me a retainer to build this artwork so that they can take a look at it and then they can purchase anything that they want off of there.

[00:54:21] And there’s like, there’s like a minimum amount that they have to purchase, but they can purchase whatever they want. They can purchase it all if they want to. So, um, they, he got, [00:54:30] uh, the guy that I did this for, he’s an actual, he’s a, he’s a designer and an art director. His wife is a marketing person, so they love this kind of idea.

[00:54:38] And he came to me and he said, I would have never have thought to have ever asked you to do this stuff for you to just do it for me after talking to me was so helpful. He said, for you to come to me with the ideas, just set me on fire. If I had to come up with the idea and ask you to draw it, it’s really difficult.

[00:54:54] That’s why he said, I loved your art, but I never came to you to do anything because. Whatever. When you told me how this was going to work, he said, I [00:55:00] was in, so I was ready to do this. 

[00:55:01] diane: And the other thing is another partner for you in the past has been these art directors of magazines or editors of magazines.

[00:55:08] And so now you’re learning that brand strategists who maybe don’t want to do the, the, um, the assets or these creations, they want to have something that they are going to be able to pull from. This is one of the great partnerships you see as, um, being, Yeah. Who you’re working with. Instead of going company to company to company, [00:55:30] you’ve found that working with designers or um, advertising companies or brand strategists, people who are doing branding, these become great, uh, partners for you now, right?

[00:55:43] Matt Wood: That’s the way, that’s what I discovered when I, when I worked with Woodley’s, I said the missing component was that we needed someone between myself and the end user, even though, even though the owner that I talked to was a designer and she had a background in it and she’s fantastic at it. Um, [00:56:00] she was probably not the person that she needed to actually get all of that stuff done.

[00:56:05] She needed someone else in between coming up with strategy, coming up with how to get the stuff out there and to be able to utilize all of these parts and pieces. So that’s what I had learned from that, from that process is that I’m now I’m very interested in connecting with. Brand strategists and brand designers who look at this and think I’ve got a client [00:56:30] who really wants to stand out from everybody else.

[00:56:33] This would be fantastic if I could get them to look at this and be interested in it. We can build a world for them and I will be the person in control of how all the stuff gets used. So the end user isn’t trying to use this stuff. It’s a person in the middle who’s trained and who has a strategy and who has a plan.

[00:56:52] And they can actually execute all this stuff for their client. So I would be working for the client, but I’d be working with them through that brand [00:57:00] strategist or brand designer. And that’s the missing component of the other, of the other jobs that I did. 

[00:57:04] diane: Okay. So what, um, one thing I like about the, All your background is that we see there’s conceptual art.

[00:57:13] There’s it’s not just all flat. You can make things that are deeper. Like if you were, um, if like spot illustration doing a full, you know, in like the main. illustration for an article or a book [00:57:30] cover or things like that. Right? Um, you talked to me about the J. Peterman and, um, because how does utilizing illustration help someone stand out among the competition?

[00:57:45] Can you tell that story a little bit about like The Nike and all or whatever. I don’t know which. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. 

[00:57:52] Matt Wood: Let me, yeah, let me, let me jump, let me jump into this next section here because that’s exactly where I, where I go from here. And 

[00:57:57] diane: that’s, they’re wanting a part two since we’re [00:58:00] close to the end.

[00:58:00] So we may have to, uh, pull, okay, go ahead. Tell us, tell 

[00:58:04] Matt Wood: us this perfect segue. So as I’m looking at this and I’m asking myself, how can this be used in branding? What I did is I went out in a single day and I found a whole bunch of different brands that are, um, like, uh, cause I got really into like, um, Uh, the companies that are, are, are being ecologically, you know, they’re building stuff.

[00:58:22] It’s the, you know, renewable stuff. It’s, and so I found, I found a site that said, you know, here’s all these companies that do this kind of stuff. So [00:58:30] what I did was I, I went out and I thought, I’m going to, I’m going to see how these people advertise themselves. That’s a really cool thing to add, to create this kind of work.

[00:58:37] So I went out and I, I was looking for anything that they. Like in their, on their splash page or in their advertising or whatever and in a single day in less than 10 minutes I went out and I started finding these images. So I got all these images and I collected them This is what they’re advertising with.

[00:58:54] So my question to everybody is can you name the brand that’s on the screen right now? From these photographs because this is what they [00:59:00] were using to advertise with. 

[00:59:01] diane: Maybe Crate and Barrel on the bottom right hand corner. 

[00:59:04] Matt Wood: Okay. Is it Crate and Barrel? In 10 minutes, I grabbed all of these. So this is all contemporary.

[00:59:10] They’re all together. West 

[00:59:11] diane: Elm we’re just 

[00:59:12] Matt Wood: guessing. Okay. Well, the name of this brand is it’s eight different brands. Oh, 

[00:59:18] diane: wow I’ve heard of 10, 000 villages, 

[00:59:22] Matt Wood: but would you even remember who you bought from? I mean, this is their branding Yeah, no, it doesn’t it doesn’t stand out. I get it that they’re selling [00:59:30] product.

[00:59:30] I completely get it But there’s nothing that separates them from anything. There’s no human connection there. It’s just like, it’s like, it’s just like a big warehouse. It’s like, this is all one company working out of just warehouses. There’s no human touch. There’s no communication. There’s nothing. So as I’m, as I’m looking at this, I thought, what can I build that would be absolutely the minimal, most memorable thing using my artwork?

[00:59:53] diane: So this game, I wish you could do this game every week. I like it is powerful impact. Amy 

[00:59:59] Matt Wood: says. [01:00:00] So, I challenged myself, could I, like, what, what would I tell somebody if they’re gonna, if they found a company like this, or that wanted to, maybe a smaller company, maybe a little bit larger company, but they wanted to do branding, and they’re like, going, how would I use Matt’s work to capture people’s attention and get them to come to the site and look at our stuff?

[01:00:18] And I thought, what’s the minimum amount of work? And stand out from the competition. And stand out. So, remember all of these, and now, what if one of these popped up?

[01:00:29] So, I just [01:00:30] thought, this is how I would build an ad. I would use one piece of art, augment it a little bit with a little thing, and just like, you know, this is how friends will be able to find you now, because you’re going to be sitting on that piece of friendship forever. So I was like, you know, then I just, I gave it a name down below and I said, product details and photography at our site.

[01:00:48] So you can come see the actual picture of the stuff, but you’re going to grab someone’s attention. So this is the whole Jay Peterman thing. If you’re not familiar with Jay Peterman, it’s just a company that decided to only use illustration to sell their [01:01:00] clothing, all their clothing back in the eighties is when they started this, but they started to illustrate all of the clothing that they were selling.

[01:01:07] And they were selling high end stuff like 550 shirts, you know, button up shirts for 550 and they would illustrate it all the way through all their catalog. It’s nothing but illustrations of the 

[01:01:18] diane: product. And didn’t Elaine from Seinfeld work at J. 

[01:01:23] Matt Wood: Peterman? I think it’s a possibility. I think she did. 

[01:01:25] diane: Yep.

[01:01:25] That’s a really good reference. And, uh, uh, anyway, keep going, keep going. So, so if 

[01:01:29] Matt Wood: [01:01:30] one of them popped up, if, if you see J. Peterman and you’ve seen it, you’ll never forget it because no one else does it. And so that’s differentiation. So I thought if I’m doing this, could I do, can I do another app? What was the minimum, most memorable thing I could create?

[01:01:44] So this is an actual basket from somewhere. And so I drew the basket and I thought that’s a product. I just drew the product and then I added some extra thing to it and I just added some stuff and I’m like, okay, what if that was an ad because it’s talking to you, it’s, it’s saying [01:02:00] something to you.

[01:02:00] There’s a little bit of work that goes into it because there’s some copywriting. But it captures your attention and it completely stands out from everybody else, especially all these, all these people that, you know, are like this, you know, I mean, you’re going to forget every single one of them, but some of them be like, these are really cool ads or I like, I like these people.

[01:02:17] I like their drawings. I like their little stuff. You can eventually show this product or you can show it right next to it in an image somehow. I’m not the designer and I’m not the strategist, but this is how something would work. It’s minimal and it’s memorable. And then this [01:02:30] was like the fair trade and sustainability, it says, you know, how to walk the talk.

[01:02:34] This is an actual shoe that I found online and I illustrated it and I just created an ad for it. How to walk the talk, fair trade and sustainability. So anyway, so that’s, so as I’m building this up, I’m like, you know, can I, I actually pitched all this kind of stuff to Melinda Livesey, if anybody knows who she is.

[01:02:52] And so I did an entire pitch for her at some point. I talked to her and we got to the end of the conversation and she said, where were you two weeks ago? [01:03:00] Because you would have been working because we had a client that needed this exact thing. We were looking for an illustrator and I was just like, wow, you’re kidding me.

[01:03:06] And she said, I just want to see more of your stuff in context. I want to see how it’s used. So I’ve been building, I’ve been trying to build more stuff and I’m in the process of doing that. And so this is just one thing that I put together. So it’s like, if you had a custom flower. Bed starting company and whatever, since it’s just in different ways that you can use the art.

[01:03:25] It just differentiates you from everybody else. So, 

[01:03:28] diane: what do I have to have? But it does take, [01:03:30] it takes courage on the client’s part. And I think that’s what kind of we’re having this conversation in the chat. We want to do that. They say they want to stand out, but they also don’t. They don’t, they want to fit in, they want to know where people go, but I think the style of your illustrations, it gives a lot more personality and you can do something realistic if you need to, but you can also have more fun and pull that brand personality in.

[01:03:57] Matt Wood: That’s where I would completely lean on the brand strategist and [01:04:00] the brand designer because I’m their, I’m their new resource. I’m their person that can bring differentiation to the client. So that’s just what I broke down is, and brand tattooing just real quickly, there’s brand recognition, there’s personality and storytelling in it.

[01:04:15] There’s instant differentiation. There’s an emotional connection to everything because it’s a human being making this stuff versus just a photograph. Um, there’s a perceived value because if you’re. If you choose to use illustration, you’re pretty [01:04:30] sure that you’ve got a really fantastic product. You don’t need to show a bunch of photography on it.

[01:04:34] It just feels different. And then there’s a brand extension possibility. So if you want to, I, with my client that went from building furniture to wanting to start printing, you know, making bedding and stuff like that, all of a sudden you have different possibilities. You can use the artwork for just creative, creative collaboration.

[01:04:50] Everything that I brought to the table for all my clients sparked more and more and more ideas. The more I The more I delivered, the more they got excited, the more ideas they had just kept [01:05:00] rolling. And then it was just a variety of pricing structures is what I make available so that it’s easier for people for the entry.

[01:05:07] So anyway, so that’s it. 

[01:05:10] diane: Okay. That’s not just it. That’s a whole lot. So Paul had a good question. I want to cover it. Um, which is he wanted, I’m, I’m going to have to go back up, but it pretty much he was saying, um, I’d love to know. What and and I know you talked about this, but I want you to explain it a little bit further So as remarkable as this is what [01:05:30] Paul’s writing.

[01:05:30] I love Paul so it and he does book design I’m gonna connect you with him because he wants to make books and I want you to make books so I can buy them and Lots of other people will buy them and Paul’s really good at that As remarkable as Matt’s illustrations are, the real magic is the creative brief meaning that starts the whole process.

[01:05:48] I’d love to learn more about that. So, what would someone need to do and what’s an ideal situation for you? My 

[01:05:56] Matt Wood: process whenever I’m talking with a client to start this is, um, [01:06:00] there’s an extensive conversation that I have with them. It lasts probably about an hour and a half to start with and that’s the first.

[01:06:06] That’s the first, um, interview that I have with them and that, that tells me everything about their business. My entire focus is on their business. So we get all that stuff nailed down and we set up another appointment for an hour and a half and it has nothing to do with business. Absolutely nothing to do with business unless this is what the end user or else this can be with a marketing department or whatever, but I’m going to be asking other questions [01:06:30] like, where did you grow up?

[01:06:31] What’s your story? Why did you start this business? Why was it this business? You know, what were the, what were the most memorable things in your life? Why, how does that play into the stuff that you’re doing now? Where do you want to go? Like, I’m going to ask them about everything about them because their business is one portion of their life.

[01:06:48] Yeah. But the other portion of their life is the person that started that business and all of their feel for that because I’m literally making a brand tattoo. Like it’s for them and [01:07:00] it’s for their business and I want to communicate all of that to anyone who looks at that artwork. They’re going to, I want them, I want the people that look at that artwork to get as excited as anybody 

[01:07:08] diane: else.

[01:07:09] Well, and the thing with tattoo, if, if anybody in here has a tattoo, you have it for life. Hopefully, maybe. I mean some people get them removed. I’m not sure exactly if they really get removed or they get them covered over. But this is like a something that represents you so much that you’re going to put it on your body long term.

[01:07:26] And I, you know, when you first started talking about, I was [01:07:30] like, I don’t know, but I get it. Like, I understand. But that when you see this, should stand for you. And I know that Charles Spencer Anderson has that kind of look for, for French paper. I don’t know what his look would be for Charles Spencer Anderson, but, um, I remember, you know, I can pick out things.

[01:07:49] I can also pick out your things. And I’m very thankful that SparkySpark started it off for you. What is the ideal, this is a good question [01:08:00] for in that same realm kind of question of what Paul was asking, but when is the ideal time that someone contacts you, that they, a designer or a strategist, um, brings you into this process?

[01:08:13] Like what, what would be an ideal time? 

[01:08:16] Matt Wood: Um, I feel like, I, I can’t really speak for the strategists because they’re going to, they’re going to find their own little way to find me. So, but I would say, I would suppose that for a strategist, it’s [01:08:30] when they have a client approach them, they’ve looked at the market and they’re like going, they look like everyone else and they are selling like everyone else.

[01:08:41] There’s something so similar about what’s going on that I want to make them stand out. And I feel like they have the vibe where they’re willing to do this. They’re willing to do something different. And in that moment, that’s probably when you want to start thinking about giving me a call and seeing what we can possibly come up with.

[01:08:59] Because it’s a [01:09:00] presentation of what’s possible, which gives you have to show it first because you can just tell somebody about something, but show it first and then compare it to everybody else that they’re going to be competing against. Because I think that’s where really it stands out the most is that when I look at French Not only did they do a fantastic job of designing it, but building a world around that brand that was so unique that you still, you still buy the paper today and that was four years 

[01:09:25] diane: ago.

[01:09:26] Yep, I don’t, I, that is the, I will choose French paper [01:09:30] over anything else because They are connected so much with fun and quality and, uh, specialization. And so I think of, for me and my brands, I use those. So maybe not always for a client, but I do probably look at French paper samples first. Um, so who makes the best collaborators for you?

[01:09:54] And I see we have a question coming in, but go ahead. Best 

[01:09:57] Matt Wood: collaborator for me is [01:10:00] someone… But there’s like, there’s sort of the glib answer to that is like, first of all, it’s not afraid. So that’s, but that’s sort of glib because it’s not just that you’re not afraid, it’s that you realize that there’s an advantage to not being afraid.

[01:10:15] Like when I was told by everybody, when I started out, you only, you should only have one style. The worst response that I had back to them was that’s for you, not for me. So what I’m going to do is a little bit different. And I know I’m going to be a little bit of a [01:10:30] maverick on that, but it worked and it really, I knew that it was going to work and I knew how it was going to work.

[01:10:36] So it’s a little bit of not being afraid. And there’s a little bit of like wanting to be a. a personal connection. So, 

[01:10:44] diane: so, uh, and Jeremy Kennedy came a little late. We just love that you’re here, Jeremy, because you’re in Orlando and I’m not going to make you up in Illinois or Cleveland or wherever I used to say you were.

[01:10:53] But, um, he said he might’ve missed it, but do you use a Cintiq and Photoshop or do you use Procreate and a [01:11:00] tablet to create this work? Do you have any of your sheets right in front of you that you can just hold up? Um, 

[01:11:06] Matt Wood: Like the finished 

[01:11:06] diane: sheets? Yeah, like a finished sheet. Clearly that’s a no. You don’t have to worry.

[01:11:13] Don’t worry then. Well, I got, 

[01:11:15] Matt Wood: I got them. I think I’ve got this one from, I bet the Woodley sheet. I mean, it’s not, it’s 

[01:11:19] diane: not sure. Perfect. Okay. So, so that is all printed, but some of these are just by hand you drawing with a pen. Oh, yeah. Right? 

[01:11:29] Matt Wood: Yeah, I’ve [01:11:30] got, I’ve got so many of these that are, I just got tons of them.

[01:11:34] And then 

[01:11:35] diane: scanning them in. Right, and then cleaning them up in Photoshop and then do, just answer the question about do you have a tablet and you’re using Procreate? I 

[01:11:46] Matt Wood: use, I use Photoshop and a Wacom tablet. It’s normally what I’m doing now, um, but I, I have done, uh, like a brush pen on paper and then I just scan that.

[01:11:57] It’s just, it’s faster to use Wacom type. [01:12:00] 

[01:12:00] diane: Okay. I just wanted to make sure I answer every question that I tried. Can I get, um, calling out the late guy? Hey man, we don’t care. We’re just glad you came. Um, we, exactly. We can only be ourselves. I love that, Maura. So I want to ask you what makes the best collaborators?

[01:12:18] Um, besides being ballsy, did I already ask that question? 

[01:12:25] Matt Wood: You did. Um, but I, I could probably add a little bit more to it. Um, so it’s, it’s, [01:12:30] it’s not, not being afraid, but knowing that this is going to be beneficial. It really stands out and it really will separate whoever you’re working with. From the pack and then it’s, it’s somebody that is also wants to, they want to be able to get to the heart of the company, like not just selling product, but selling

[01:12:56] diane: Okay, so the other person, this is one thing because you and I’ve worked together, so I know this [01:13:00] is that the other thing is Matt doesn’t want to make the hang tags and the sheets and the other. He wants to make this. He wants to focus on this. So he also needs if, say, a company came to him and said, Oh, my gosh, dude, we love your work.

[01:13:14] We want you to make this. These and these and these and these. And he’s like, great. Do you have a designer? Or do you have an in house team who can do this? And if they say no, it ends up being kind of like a Woodley’s. They have so many great ideas. They’ve paid for so many [01:13:30] things and they’re able to use them, but they don’t have an implementer.

[01:13:34] And they don’t have somebody that has the vision. And so I just want to say, like, if you are more of the designer, that’s like me, who I would love to be like Matt, but I am not Matt. And I recognize that I am not Matt. So I need to be able to, because Matt is much faster and weird thinking. I think I’m a weird thinker, too, but he could actually make it visual.

[01:13:54] So for my clients, if I see that this is the right thing or for camp, for [01:14:00] me, for. My brand he is a great fit because I know he’s gonna give me there is only one Matt wood for sure I think there’s lots of Matt woods out there, but there’s only one like we’re talking about But I do think that that is something that’s key as you want someone to be able to take it and use it You don’t want to have to be doing the design, although you could do it, you don’t want to do this part.

[01:14:25] You want to continue to focus on, so this is where those of us who [01:14:30] aren’t amazing illustrators like you, we’re not as fast, we’re not as, um, uh, because you’re working on this, you’re, uh, concepting so much, you, this is really where your super power is. So he needs people like us, this makes me feel good, because then we have a role for.

[01:14:49] Doofus is like me that can’t maybe illustrate like Matt. Right? Um, and, and, and it’s, it is, um, Paul says, and there’s another strength of Matt is knowing [01:15:00] what he doesn’t want to do. And, but it is, it is needing for us who could use him is to say, well, we want to do this. We want to play with this and use these in this way.

[01:15:11] And I think that that’s what Matt wants. That’s what, Um, would be best for, I mean, if Charles Spencer Anderson had just given, uh, French paper all of these assets, but then it’s just, you know, Brian French as a little kid, you know, trying to do what it’s working, his dad’s company, he might not [01:15:30] have been able to do any of these things.

[01:15:31] So it really needed the vision and the people, the designers to make, to be able to use that 

[01:15:37] Matt Wood: vision. That’s a really good, that’s a really good point because if Anderson would have handed off all of this art. And maybe even just some ideas that company and some design, some poor designer that got handed all that stuff at that French paper company could never have come up with everything that they came up with.

[01:15:55] And so it really takes a team to work for somebody [01:16:00] else. And that includes strategy and design and implementation and budgeting and all of that kind of stuff. And so that’s, that’s where I felt like learning from Woodley’s was that I don’t want to cause somebody. a problem by working with them and not have someone help them in that process.

[01:16:21] So that was my aha moment was I was like, it’s brand strategists that I need. It’s brand designers that I need. It’s a team of people that can actually use this stuff. [01:16:30] And build something not saying that like an end user can’t do this. I mean because you know the people at the There are people using this stuff that are end users But if it’s for a large company, you’ve got a lot of ideas about this thing How do you want to use it where you want to use it?

[01:16:44] You really need a team Um, but yeah, so it’s that’s how it’s worked. 

[01:16:49] diane: Well, cool. Well matt. Um What keeps you interested and excited about working in the creative industry? Why do you not when it got hard? What kept you up [01:17:00] and continuing to do this work? 

[01:17:02] Matt Wood: I, I, this is what I’ve always done. This is what I’ve always done and it’s so, it’s so important to me.

[01:17:10] To I have to communicate for somebody. It’s like I’m a translator I’m walking around with all of these languages in my head And I’m walking past people every day trying to talk to somebody that they can’t talk to you And I’m like, I know that language I could do that for you And I’m you know now now my my weakness is [01:17:30] getting myself out there.

[01:17:31] I’m not a good market I’m not a good self promotion guy. I’m not a good marketer of myself That’s where my weakness is. I need to have someone put me out there to help me, you know, tell me, reach other people. So that’s why I appreciate you so much. I mean, you’ve done so much for my everything, you know, if I ever get anywhere with this stuff, that’s, it’s because you started me out on this process.

[01:17:54] diane: Well, I, um, I just play a tiny little role, Matt. I’m just so thankful that you inspire me. [01:18:00] This is why I’m gonna go with Kevin on this. We want to see some books and we’ll get you in touch. I’ll connect y’all in just a minute afterwards. But this is where it’s like looking at this stuff helps inspire and, you know, this, it, who knows, but I do think that Um, you have such a gift.

[01:18:21] I can’t wait to see you just flying free. So what is next? Well, how would people, how do you want people to get in touch with [01:18:30] you? I’m gonna put your Instagram, you have two Instagram, um, accounts and your. Phasing out the Matt Wood illustration and I guess maybe, uh, Rachel is working on a new website for you.

[01:18:42] Yeah, um, uh, she hinted at winked in the, um, wink comments over there. So at some point, what will that website be and when can we expect it? And, um, but right now, uh, instagram.com/matt wood illustration or um, [01:19:00] instagram.com/matt wood brand. tattoo and all these will be at the very top if you’re watching on YouTube or um, on wherever you get your podcasts.

[01:19:09] Those links will be at the top. Yeah. Tell us what’s next and when we think. Yeah 

[01:19:15] Matt Wood: and if you’re interested in animation at all it’s it’s badideastudios. com. Oh yeah, I 

[01:19:20] diane: have that one too. Go ahead. 

[01:19:22] Matt Wood: So, so if, if, if I get to a place where I can actually have a website put together that works the way that I need it to.

[01:19:29] [01:19:30] Um, I think it’s just gonna, it’s gonna contain all of my different styles that you can actually ask me to work on. It’s gonna show you about the brand tattooing and how the different levels you can purchase at, how that all works. Um, and then at some point I would like to, uh, maybe add in some of the animation stuff that we’re doing on there and kind of show some of that work as 

[01:19:50] diane: well.

[01:19:52] All right, Matt. Well, I, will it be Matt Wood brand tattoo? 

[01:19:56] Matt Wood: It’ll probably be something like, [01:20:00] I’m not sure. It 

[01:20:00] diane: is to be determined. Um, we don’t want to, we don’t, okay. That sounds, sounds good. Um, I am so excited that you guys got expired. Hopefully you got all the drool off you before you go back. I have two things to tell you.

[01:20:14] One is just to remind you that Julie Reed is. Um, got cancer again and we are saving the ta tas. If you want to save the ta tas again with us, they are in round three of infusions and she’s doing it [01:20:30] different this time. So, um, if you want to save that is the link. So it is also going to be right under the ones for Matt and it’s gofundme.

[01:20:38] com slash F. I don’t know why F, but whatever. At, uh, slash save hyphen, the hyphen, ta hyphen, T A S. And then another thing I wanted to tell you, our friend, me and Matt both, um, have a friend called Chris Martin and he’s been on here many times. He is who edits the show for me. He is doing [01:21:00] a workshop. I’m going to it.

[01:21:01] I’ve already signed up. I, um, just, I said, is it okay if I share this? I just thought it would be fun, um, to tell you, oh yeah, to tell you what this workshop is. So it, um, thank goodness my mom’s not here, I guess, um, spread your ideas like a horny rabbit. And gettingworktowork. com slash workshops. And it is, it’s for people with too many ideas.

[01:21:24] And I felt like when I was reading the about, I was like, Chris is describing me. And [01:21:30] he, uh, like Matt, has different, we have different ideas of different things we want to do. And we don’t feel good when someone says we have to choose one. It just didn’t feel right. And I talked about it last week. Matt kind of hinted about it today.

[01:21:44] Um, I’m taking this workshop. I don’t get anything. I’m not asking. I don’t get a penny from this. I’m just saying, Hey, I’d love to take this workshop with you. But if you want to go and take this workshop with me, it is on November 9th. It’s my husband’s birthday. It’s for two hours from 10 to [01:22:00] 12. Pacific time.

[01:22:02] So that means it’s from, um, one to three if you are in Eastern time. And that means if you’re in England or in uk? In the uk. In uk Well, it’s like they don’t say the, you know, sometimes they’re in hospital. Okay. They’re in the uk. Uh, it’s at, uh, seven to 9:00 PM So anyway, I’m gonna take this workshop. I think it would be fun.

[01:22:26] I can’t wait because I do think he was describing me. I mean, he was [01:22:30] describing lots of people, not just me, but I felt like he was talking about me. So you can get, you can pick up that thing at gettingworktowork. com slash workshops. There are no recordings. It’s all live. So you have to come live and be live.

[01:22:41] So. I just wanted to mention that and Matt just thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. We’ll have to have you back on. I don’t know how I got so blurry, but whatever there maybe. Anyway, you’re awesome. I’m so glad you made Sparky and, and just [01:23:00] helped me to visualize my, the energy and of camp and, and then changing the brand because I think it was a better.

[01:23:11] Um, it was a better representation. It, it, Creatives Ignite is maybe better than Design Recharge, although it’s still a recharge for us, hopefully. But, um, this one especially, um, I think that it’s just really important that we’re reaching more than just designers. So, I’m just, I love you and I’m [01:23:30] excited that we get to work together and do stuff and you’re so, so, so inspiring.

[01:23:35] And I can’t wait to see you at the top. Thank 

[01:23:41] Matt Wood: you so much, Diane.[01:24:00]