On this episode of Workbook Radio, podcaster and photographer Daniel Bedell continues his conversation with illustrator James Yang. On this episode, James talks about his heritage and how it’s influenced his work. He also talks about his marketing, how it’s changed over the years and how he uses social media.
DB: “You are a first generation Korean-American, is that right?”
JY: “Yep. Correct.”
DB: “How has that influenced your work and career? Do you think it has at all?”
JY: “Totally. Well, you know what? I’m probably one of the first two or three illustrators in the US that are Korean or even Asian that have the kind of career that was consistent. At the time when I started, I’m thinking Kinuko Craft, Joo Chung…that’s about it. But I feel like it helped me a lot in the point of view, I’m always on the outside looking in. And this isn’t a sob story, I was actually a well-liked kid where I grew up in Oklahoma. There was always that sort of feeling that I was kind of observing and thinking that I always seemed a little bit different. And I think it definitely is an element that goes through all of my work.”
DB: “How did your parents pick Oklahoma?”
JY: “Right?!”
(laughter)
JY: “Because they lived through two wars and they wanted me to have just as crappy a childhood.”
(laughing)
JY: “No. I loved Oklahoma. It’s a joke! It’s a joke to anyone listening in Oklahoma.”
DB: “Was illustration though sort of…uhm, was that a bit sort of going the safe or practical business route within art as opposed to trying to be a straight traditional fine artist?”
JY: “No I never saw myself as a fine artist. Like a lot of illustrators I probably started out thinking I would do comic strips. Because I was really into that. Then there was an illustrator that came to my high school who was established, Stan Watts. Back in the 70’s he was this really big time airbrush artist that did a lot of the hair band airbrush cover album arts. So why wouldn’t I think that was the coolest job in the world! Right? Then he came and gave a talk and I was like, ‘holy cow, this is doable!’ So I’ve always wanted to be an illustrator. That was the thing that…in some ways I’m kind of born to do this because it’s the thing I like the best. I love people calling me up for a project and I sort of have to draw something before they even see it. I like all that stuff so in a way it was always what I wanted to do anyway.”
DB: “Did you ever have in your career something that you look back on as kind of your big break? Or maybe a few different points in your career where you feel like you had your big breaks?”
JY: “Yeah. You know, obviously for me when I was 24 I got a silver medal from the Art Director’s Club for a poster that I collaborated with a studio in DC. That’s a pretty big break. And this is back before the internet so back when awards were even a bigger deal. But I feel like my career’s been more persistent and a lot of smaller breaks happened and they all kind of built up. I remember the first time I saw my work in the Washington Post, or when Sports Illustrated gave me a call back in the day. There’s like a lot of little milestones and it’s almost like you’re collecting this little box of pebbles. And then it becomes this big mountain of pebbles. I sort of feel my ‘break’ is more an accumulation of a lot of nice things but not like that one big massive thing that changed the whole world.”
DB: “Well speaking of that progression, what’s been the progression of how you’ve marketed yourself?”
JY: “When I first started out it was the classic take your portfolio around to studios and you sit there waiting for the Art Director. And then doing mailers like once, like direct mail as far as sending postcards to clients. And I sort of had my own little Amway scheme back then, where I would go to see one AD and if they liked my work I would ask for a couple of references and they would always give me a couple. I sort of built my giant Ponzi mailing empire that way when I was starting out. I think that’s pretty classical, right? For me, the internet’s been kind of a good thing because I use Instagram a lot. Honestly, now I’m being mentored by younger people who know more about social media than I did, so I learned that Instagram stories are a thing, and I’m like ‘oh no, you mean I have one more thing to do?’ And I do like to write funny stuff, so I used to write a blog and that used to be a nice way to keep my face out there back when blogs were a thing. For you young kids, those used to be like before Facebook was a thing. (laughing) Or Snapchat.”
DB: “Somewhere between telephones on a wall and Facebook.”
JY: “Exactly. Right? So I was sort of onto the whole online thing already. I actually like Facebook and Twitter and as sort of a preference that I do like to write. I don’t have to write a whole paragraph; I can just write a little sentence and post work. So, it’s sort of an organic way to express myself anyway. So that’s how I do a lot of my marketing now. Plus in addition to ways like Workbook. I’ll give them a shout out. And I still do the direct mail thing. I’m surprised. In some ways it goes back and forth. Sometimes like even sending out an email every three months to clients is a good thing. You know I’ll get more response to that. I’m surprised in the last couple of years I’ve gotten a lot of responses from the postcards. Things are coming kind of full circle. And Instagram and Twitter…at least Facebook for me. I keep wanting to ditch Facebook but I keep getting calls from it, so what am I going to do if I’m trapped? Trapped on the grid.”
DB:” Trapped by Zuckerberg.”
JY: “Yeah! Yeah, it’s like the mob. I keep trying to get away and he sucks me back in with an assignment!”
DB: “Do you have a strategy for especially the social advertising? Do you have individual strategies at all for each platform?”
JY: “Yeah. Yeah, I would say it’s sort of loose. Facebook can be a little bit more personal. It’s personal in the way that I used to do my blog, like I’m sharing. But it’s not anything that I wouldn’t mind being shared by everyone. You know what I mean? And thank God, apparently it’s the correct approach to take. (laughing) So that’s part of it. I try to be consistent, that’s a conscious thing. I’ll probably tend to be more snarky on Facebook or Twitter since they’re kind of word oriented. And naturally on Instagram a lot more visual oriented with a lot shorter captions. And maybe if I do any sort of jokes it’ll be in the story or visual.
“I’m a nosy person so I like to know what people are about. And especially since I live in New York, if I was living in Oklahoma I would be nosy about how an artist in New York rolls. I try to [give] people a little window into my life. I think that’s a good metaphor to use. And I don’t try to be fake. I think it’s a pretty honest expression of how I present myself, if that makes sense.”
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