Check Out Joseph Jentgen’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Jentgen. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a creative thinker. It began in middle school, where instead of focusing in class, I would doodle and draw on loose-leaf paper, sometimes including tests and quizzes. I wasn’t a bad student by any means, but my interest always swayed toward more artistic projects and classes. 

In high school, I was able to choose 2-3 classes per semester that weren’t a part of the regular curriculum. This is where I first came across graphic design and illustration. I had never created art digitally before, but through my love of music, I had noticed that a lot of the cover art for some of my favorite artists songs were all made digitally, having this certain element about them that really intrigued me. I went throughout high school completing any and every digital art class I could; until my senior year, I had run out of classes to take. Luckily, I had become pretty close with the graphic arts teacher, and she allowed me to create whatever I wanted my senior year as long as I turned in a certain amount of projects within the semester. This is where I really started to combine my love for music and graphic art. I began creating portrait after portrait of some of my favorite music artists, creating one of one-pieces as well as collages. Something about putting an artists catalogue on repeat while I spent countless hours on a portrait of them really inspired me to push myself to new limits. 

Nearing the end of high school, I had to begin looking at colleges to apply to. I knew I didn’t want to go the normal route with college. Nothing would bore me more than spending hundreds of hours a year on science, math, and history classes when all I really wanted to do was create art. So, it was at that time I took every artwork I had made so far that year and combined them all into a portfolio in order to submit it to CCAD (Columbus College of Art and Design) my local art school located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. A little while later, I was accepted, and upon arrival at CCAD, I really began to expand my skillset in every way I could. 

My four years at CCAD were not only the easiest schooling experience I had gone through, but it was also the most enjoyable. The schoolwork was not easy by any means, but I just really enjoyed doing it. It was during this time I really began to build a presence for myself online. In my free time between classes and after school, I would continue to create portraits of my favorite music artists and post them online to Instagram and Twitter, not only attracting other fans of their music but the artists themselves. 

Flash forward to today, I have now built an even broader portfolio with commissioned work from artists such as J. Cole, Machine Gun Kelly, Blackbear, Mod Sun, and many more. The fact I have the opportunity to work for myself and work with some of my favorite musical artists has completely exceeded my expectations. I only ever made artwork for fun. Because I enjoyed doing it. I never expected anything in return, but the outpour of love from other fans and artists has been mind-blowing. I’m still striving to better myself every day, adding to my list of skills as well as solidifying my ‘style’ in the graphic design space. I love what I do, and it is true… It really isn’t work if you love doing it. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The most challenging factor when it comes to freelance design is the inconsistency in work. Some months I make more than I would working for a top design firm, but other months I make less than someone working minimum wage. Over the years, the best way I’ve found to combat this is by doing your best each and every day to build your client base. 

Once I graduated college, I gave myself 3 years. Meaning if I couldn’t support myself, on my own, within 3 years of my graduation date, then I was going to throw in the towel on freelance and apply to some local design studios. Within that three-year period there were probably tens if not hundreds of times where I came close to giving up, but whenever everything seemed like it was going downhill, something would happen to spark that motivation and drive to keep going. 

It hasn’t been a smooth road at all, but then again, when is life ever a smooth road? There are times of feeling content, times of comfort, and times of pure bliss. But at the end of the day, you always have to prepare for the worst. In the months, I make the most money; I also save the most money because I never know what the next month will entail. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’d like to think of myself as a jack of all trades, but if I’m being honest, illustration is definitely my specialty. Over the years, I’ve done a little bit of everything, including: merchandise design, logo design, packaging, flyers, tour posters, animations, photo editing, and much more. 

I’m most known for my illustrations. I take a lot of inspiration from vintage comic book illustrations and apply that style to modern-day musical artists. I actually think I’m more known for my fan artwork (that I create solely for fun – not paid) rather than my commissioned work. I spend probably just as much time on personal projects as I do commissioned work, solely for the enjoyment but also the fact that it broadcasts my capabilities to new audiences. If I spend 2-3 hours on a piece and post it online, I can potentially attract 2-3 new clients from that one artwork alone. I don’t expect to, but it does often happen. 

I’m probably most proud of my resilience. Against all odds, I’ve built a business for myself to not only survive off of but thrive off of. This has definitely been the most difficult task I’ve taken on in my 27 years of living, but I am loving every second of it. 

One of my fondest memories to date actually happened pretty recently. Machine Gun Kelly was live on Instagram and invited people on to talk about his then-new album ‘Mainstream Sellout.’ I requested to join his live, not thinking much of it, and a few minutes later, I was face to face with someone who’s inspired me not only in my art career but in life as well. During our conversation, he mentioned how he always loved seeing my artwork and that I inspired a lot of things that they did. And I was in disbelief. For someone that you look up to and that has inspired you to reciprocate that love is something, I can’t explain. That conversation alone solidified my motivation and proved that I chose the right path. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Don’t be afraid of collaboration. A lot of artists treat this profession as a competition, comparing themselves to other artists that are in a similar field or career. I’ll even admit, when I first started out, I would constantly get jealous of other artists getting recognition when I would get none. And I’ve learned over the years that that’s not the way to go about this business. We all bring something different to the table, whether it’s our unique styles or ideas. The best way to learn in this industry is to reach out to artists that inspire you. Ask for advice. Ask to collaborate. Don’t be afraid to ask. Set egos aside and be social within the art community. Some of the coolest things I’ve learned through my career were shown to me by other artists. 

Another great thing about this day and age is the internet. Any and everything you want to learn is available online. Whether it’s on YouTube or google, there are unlimited resources to learn from. 

Pricing:

• Most Artworks ($150-250+)
• Merchandise Design ($250-500+)
• Package Design ($250-500+)
• Animation ($350-500+)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/art_by_joseph
• Twitter: twitter.com/artbyanonymous