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The Creativity in Business with Corey Paige
25 Plays1 month ago
In this episode of The Creative Milestone, we sit down with New York–based artist, muralist, and entrepreneur Corey Paige. Known for her expressive style and distinctively happy art, Corey shares how she built a brand rooted in positivity and purpose. We talk about the mindset behind her success and how the same creativity she pours into her artwork drives how she runs her business: with heart, vision, and a creative problem-solver’s approach.
If you’re looking for inspiration to build a career that reflects who you are and what you stand for, this episode is for you.
Make sure you keep up with our guest here:
https://coreypaigedesigns.com/
and our instagram!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Podcast and Interview with Kori Page
00:00:04
Speaker
Hello everybody and welcome to The Creative Milestone, the podcast where we learn from the career milestones of creative designers, illustrators, and entrepreneurs. Today we are visiting New York City to talk to mural artist and entrepreneur Corey Page Designs.
00:00:22
Speaker
Without further ado, I'll let Kori introduce herself. Kori, do you mind? No. We are in Madison Square Park right now. It's a beautiful day, so I'm so excited to be here
Kori Page's Artistic Style and Collaborations
00:00:30
Speaker
with you. My name is Kori Page. That's really my artist name. Page is my middle name. i am an artist, a creator, a muralist. I love to say that I specialize in making happy art.
00:00:41
Speaker
um I love, you know, when people come to me and say that they look to my art and it really made them feel good. I hope that seeing my work gives you a mood booster and hoping to spread positivity through all my artwork.
00:00:52
Speaker
And you are just such a positive person. But before i think we get into anything, is there any recent works you can talk about? Yes, I did. Let's see. Thinking about what I've done this year so far, I did a really awesome project with Duncan.
00:01:06
Speaker
i connected with Duncan last year, and then i went to their headquarters, and then we decided to do a project for Valentine's Day where I designed some merch for them. So that was really fun.
00:01:17
Speaker
And then a second one that... I'm super excited about because it has been on my goals list for a while. I did something with the New York Knicks where I created artwork for them to auction off to donate money for their charity. So I went to a really fun charity event. We made a lot of money for charity and may or may not be working on something bigger with them. So I'm excited about that and more will come soon.
00:01:41
Speaker
Super, super fun. but Before you were Corey Page Designs, before you got to collaborate with Duncan, before you got to collaborate with the Knicks, take me a little bit back to when you got started. How did you even get into mural making in the first place?
Journey from College to Business Venture
00:01:56
Speaker
So I've always been into art. Like I remember as a child, I was always into arts and crafts, you know, always taking art classes. But when I was in college, i i had a sketchbook and I was always doodling and I thought to myself, you know, why don't see if I can make some money from this or do something with it.
00:02:11
Speaker
So I, you know, scanned in my designs and I put them on a website called Redbubble.com. which you can upload your art and they'll put it on stickers and mugs and t-shirts and all that so i started doing that and i started making some fun college designs and summer camp designs and i would start to get requests from parents friends you know my daughter's going to summer camp this you know summer can you make her a design that we can put on a pillow or you know i need a graduation gift for university of wisconsin can you make a design and put it on i want i want to put on a pillow or a pair of leggings or a mug so i started to take requests and
00:02:45
Speaker
you know, started to post more of my work and then stores were interested and it kind of just started to blow up while I was in college. So for artists and new designers that are still in college that don't know what piece or what specific creative project that they want to pursue, what was the creative project that helped you see your own potential?
00:03:04
Speaker
I think it was more like a personal project, honestly. Like I had a sketchbook and I drew this doodle all about Tulane. That's where I was. And I posted on Instagram and people thought it was so cool. And I started to do that for other colleges and getting requests. But like I drew this unique collage of all things Tulane, all things New Orleans.
00:03:21
Speaker
wasn't for school or anything. It was kind of just a personal project. And I feel like from there I saw people really into it. I mean, other things I did, like I would draw those collage-like images for friends for their dorm rooms. So I'd draw like on a poster board, like Corey and Katie, and I'd draw all all things about them. And I'd do it for like all my friends in my dorm room and all my friends in high school when they were going to college. So think it was more personal projects versus...
00:03:46
Speaker
thinking back to like in-school projects. Yeah. And you mentioned Redbubble. There are a lot of artists out there now that are also using Redbubble, but how did you decide to scale up? I think like it was just the traction that it was kind of just picking up. I think one, posting on social media was really helpful.
00:04:04
Speaker
I kind of got in at a time where I don't feel like it was as saturated as it is now, back in 2015. And I started to, you know, print those products from Redbubble. And since people were talking about it, people were posting, wearing, you know, I would put my designs on leggings and girls would wear them to tailgate for college. And then they'd post on Instagram.
00:04:23
Speaker
So kind of just blew up from there. And then... you know, some stores in my town were like, can we carry this stuff? And between, you know, the online recognition and the people being able to go into retail retail stores and buy them, it kind of started to take off. And I would look at my Redbubble sales and I was like, making a decent amount of money for someone who's in college. And it was cool to see more of the passive income and the kind of like the licensing aspect of it, because at this point I wasn't manufacturing my own stuff. It was just uploading my artwork and it was getting made and printed and printed on demand. Yeah. Yeah. Print on demand.
00:04:54
Speaker
How did you stay motivated?
Balancing Life and Business as a Young Artist
00:04:56
Speaker
Because you're juggling school work. You're juggling, you you know you still have friends. still have a social circle at college and then the business. Was that hard?
00:05:05
Speaker
I think so, but I think I've always been someone who actually like has a good balance. I feel like I've been able to do well at balancing my friends and my social life and school and business. And I think when you're passionate about something and you really want it, you're going to make it work.
00:05:21
Speaker
I think... I was excited to see this growing. I was really passionate about art and making art and doing something on the side. I always think it's fun to, whether it's a business or a hobby.
00:05:31
Speaker
So if you're a student or if you're you know have a job, have you have a little hobby on the side, whether it's like doing art or sewing or knitting or something, it's nice to like have an outlet. Did you have a support system through any of that when it got hard?
00:05:45
Speaker
My parents have always been there, my whole family and my friends, but I remember when it was senior year and I called my dad and I said, you know, my friends are all applying for a job. Should I apply for a job? And he was like, well, do you want to work for yourself? do you want to do this?
00:05:59
Speaker
And my parents helped me find know manufacturers out west. They helped me find licensing agents because, you know, I was still in school and I was still working and it was graduation time and I had finals and all that.
00:06:10
Speaker
So they had been very supportive in helping me really start my business, come to meetings with me, be on emails with me. So definitely, you know, attribute a lot of my early success to their help. And yes, my friends were so supportive. Yeah.
00:06:22
Speaker
Which is nice. It's nice to lean on friends and family. want to point out your graduation because after you graduated, you went straight to the Las Vegas licensing expo. You do your research. I wanted to make this Yes.
00:06:34
Speaker
No, that's true. It's actually crazy. So I had signed with a licensing agent. So my hope was that with this agent, I had a deck, I had a portfolio, be able to share my artwork and they helped me get some bigger deals.
00:06:45
Speaker
But yes, I flew straight from graduation to Vegas for the licensing expo and kind of just... Kicked it off from there. Was that a hard decision to make? I mean, still was able to like celebrate with friends a little bit after graduation, but no, because I wanted to, I wanted to do this. So I had to make that decision. Did you have like a booth? Within the booth that like the licensing agents booth, I brought some sample products and I designed, you know, little flyers about me and all the artists and clients that they represented had their own little booth within the bigger booth. So yeah, I did.
00:07:22
Speaker
I see. okay Obviously, you've built up your confidence. You've been selling on Redbubble. What was it like being there in person? was this your first networking event at this point? Maybe. Definitely one of the bigger ones. yes Yeah. So this was one of your first ah big networking events where you're boothing for yourself. Yeah. People are coming up to you and asking you maybe about your artwork. Right. Is that nerve wracking?
00:07:42
Speaker
Yeah, a mix of that. And also i was kind of walking the show, going up to potential people that I wanted to work with and pitching myself. So I definitely feel like at the beginning and when I think back to when I just started, and don't know if I was as confident as I am now, which has grown over time. But you really learn that you have to put yourself out there because i remember at one of these expos, don't know if it was this one or one later.
00:08:06
Speaker
You know, my dad and I, we went up to someone's booth. at I think it was the sports licensing expo and just pitched myself. I would wear my leggings. I'd wear all my products, my really loud, colorful stuff and just walk around. yeah And you just got to do it because if you want to be recognized, what is going to make you stand out to the next person? Yeah.
00:08:23
Speaker
At the point in the story, you have graduated. Now you're doing freelance. Can you take me through the stresses of that? Was that? Yeah. Was that stressful? Was that easy? It definitely was stressful, especially when I started manufacturing my own products and dealing with retail stores. and then I have to deal with accounting and invoices and everything that you would.
00:08:42
Speaker
need to run a business. But things come up, you know, you're manufacturing a product and the prints the wrong color and it shifts to the client. and Now you have to deal with it. Now you're a customer service or you get let down. You know, you're really excited about a project and they lead you on and they say you're going to be a finalist in X, Y and Z and then they pick someone else. So Yeah, you kind of just have to like go through the motions and it's a lot of trial and error and you just learn a lot along the way. But it was definitely difficult those early years. And I also really loved art and doing art, but I was doing so much of the business side and so much like other work that I didn't really love to do. Like the retail stuff, I would have to put together line sheets and
00:09:26
Speaker
Then it was like all this time where I could be making art, there was just so much businessy stuff to do. So then you learn, okay, I have to delegate and I have to get interns and have to learn how to be a boss and then it all, all that stuff. Well, in my eyes, you were the boss. Sorry. As a Californian, a pigeon just flew over my head and that's not normal. Oh, that's normal here.
00:09:43
Speaker
So was that a hard decision for you to make to kind of say goodbye, not goodbye, but to step away from the business side of things? Because obviously as creatives, as people that are running brands that are our names, was it hard for you to step away and let more people into your team? but Yes.
00:09:58
Speaker
Also because I had to then set aside time where I feel like, oh, I could be doing this faster or I could be doing this better. I had to set aside time because I knew that that was important to like learn how to delegate because once I got someone else you know, getting the hang of doing a specific task for me, then it takes it off my plate. But yeah, it's hard because we want to, at times, be in control of everything, but the best leaders do delegate and find other people that fill those needs in their company. What was it like all of a sudden being a boss?
00:10:28
Speaker
I mean, there's definitely pros and cons. I mean, pros like I wanted to go on vacation. i didn't have to tell a boss like I was being out of office. You know, I could do i work from wherever I want. There's a lot of great perks. But then, you know, cons like it's definitely lonely. i you know lived with roommates and they were going off to work every day and I was at home working for myself and they would have work friends and go to work dinners and work drinks. And I didn't have any of that. So it was definitely a bit lonely.
00:10:53
Speaker
but I think that the pros outweighed the cons because i mean, what's better than being your own boss? Yeah. Where do you find creative inspiration? I ask because for me, I get it out of conversations like this and it really energizes me. But what about for you?
00:11:07
Speaker
Honestly, i i love to listen to podcasts and if there's like a certain person I want to listen to, like for example, Sarah Blakely, she's like an entrepreneur who invented Spanx. Like sometimes I just like want to feel motivated. I'll just like look up Sarah Blakely and listen to an interview with her or like Baked by Melissa or some of these cool founders. Or I'll just search like motivation or goals.
00:11:27
Speaker
Honestly, I do this often when I'm feeling like I need a little boost and I'll listen to these podcasts just to get motivated. But then as far as like inspiration, honestly do find a lot of inspiration on social media and following other creatives.
00:11:41
Speaker
Yeah. Like even just scrolling through Instagram, I have a folder that I save with different business ideas. I'm like, oh, that's cool. I feel like I could do something like that, but do this differently. Or i love the colors in this image, so I'll save a lot.
00:11:54
Speaker
I use um Instagram, TikTok, and then I'll scroll on Pinterest and I'll save different things, images and different mood boards to get inspiration. And, you know, when I'm working on a project and I need to go back and make a mural, I'll look back to some of these more mood boards to get inspiration. And then, yeah, conversations like...
00:12:11
Speaker
you know, going to Adobe Max, meeting other creatives, because sometimes when you work for yourself, like like I was saying that it's lonely, yeah it's nice to connect with other people on social media and then meet them in real life.
00:12:22
Speaker
So I try and do more of that.
The Role of Goals in Artistic and Business Success
00:12:25
Speaker
as we've been talking about your story and kind of discussing it, you and I had a conversation before this about goals Can you maybe speak more to goals?
00:12:33
Speaker
Sure, it's like my favorite topic. I think goal setting is really really important. I think especially when you work for yourself and you don't have a boss or you have no one to report to, you have to stay self-motivated.
00:12:46
Speaker
So with me I think setting goals is really important, whether it's short-term goals or long-term goals, you know at the beginning of the year I like to set goals whether it's specific brands that I can see myself working with or I want to get better at making reels or I want to you know send out an email blast X amount of times a month like you know things like that or even different topics I'll say okay at some point this year i want to work with a luggage brand or I want to work with a candle brand or I want to work with the NYX for example so I've put a lot of things on
00:13:18
Speaker
my goals list. And for example, the Knicks, like I had really wanted to work with them and their satisfaction in crossing out your goals and being like, all right, I did this like this was so cool. What's next? I think that writing your goals down versus just having them in your head, it's a really big difference. I feel like I've listened to like podcasts about this too, like the success rates.
00:13:37
Speaker
But i just know that if I set a goal for myself, I'm going to make it happen at some point. So I love to do that. Aside from list making, is there anything else, any other advice that you have with people that struggle with holding themselves accountable to these goals?
00:13:51
Speaker
I think like. prioritizing is something that's always hard because you may know like okay I know I really need to be working on this but I'm gonna work on this instead and sometimes you kind of just have to like take those long lists and really pick out like two things or three things that are like okay these are really the most important it's not realistic and I'm gonna get to all this so really thinking about what's important to prioritize like okay Do you want to build awareness for your company and you want to set aside the money for this project? You know, it's not going to, I'm not going to get as much pay in this project, but I'm going to get a lot of exposure. So maybe that will be our priority or another project. You know, I don't really care about the exposure, but it's really important to me to make X amount of money on this project. So just balancing, balancing and prioritizing. When you graduated, you weren't really working with the big brands we discussed yet. What was that first deal like?
00:14:42
Speaker
So I'm trying to think of what the first one was, but I remember when I was when I was in college, I got my first licensing deal and it wasn't really for necessarily a big brand, but it opened me up to seeing what it was like to work with a brand where I create the artwork and they manufacture and I get a portion of the sales. And it's a co-collaboration where it says Corey Page designs for X, Y and Z. So I experienced that a little bit.
00:15:04
Speaker
But I would say I'm sure there were others, but one of the big turning points for me was when I got a mural at JFK Airport, which was really, really awesome.
00:15:15
Speaker
This was in, I think it was 2022. And I did kind of shift my business, which we can talk about. It pivoted a bit during COVID and after COVID. But yes, I got a mural at JFK Airport for JetBlue Terminal and being able to put that on my portfolio was such a game changer. People would reach out to me and say, you know, I saw this at JFK, would want to work with you. So that really, really helped.
00:15:37
Speaker
So at this point, you're in your late twenty s How did your little goals build up in order to become these larger goals? That's a good question. I mean, it is kind of crazy now when I think about like the cool brands I've worked with and then I look back to myself like years ago.
00:15:52
Speaker
Like if I had known that I'd be here now, it'd be so cool. I don't know. It's It's cool to think about. there's Again, there's a lot of trial and error and a lot of learning. And building confidence, I think, has been so important for me.
00:16:05
Speaker
Building confidence, putting yourself out there, getting out of your comfort zone. A lot of projects that I've gotten were due to my own outreach. So I'll DM brands on social media that I want to work with. I'll be at an event and I'll give out my business cards or I'll take people's business cards. And after the event, I'll reach out to them.
00:16:23
Speaker
I strongly believe in outreach and putting yourself out there. So, for example, if I'm going to listen to a panel, I force myself to raise my hands and answer a question because I want to be seen. Or I always use this example, but if someone wanted to like intern for me or work for me and they reached out once and then I never heard from them again, in my eyes, that shows that they were never really that interested.
00:16:43
Speaker
If they reached out another time, another time, you know, use a personal example, you know, I love your work. I want to work. I think I could do this for you. I see that as like you put in so much effort.
00:16:54
Speaker
So that's how I feel when it comes to like being persistent and doing outreach. If I really want to work with this is what happened with the Knicks. And there are other things I could talk about, but I really wanted to work with them. I went up to someone at the Knicks game. I pitched myself.
00:17:07
Speaker
I followed up over DM. I followed up over LinkedIn until I got into their emails. And then, you know, they told me, oh, keep following up. Maybe we'll do something together next year. I listened to that. I followed up so many times until I was annoying, until I got what I wanted.
00:17:20
Speaker
And again, putting yourself out there, I think, you know, throughout the years, i have done a better job at doing that. Yeah. yeah How has the goals influenced the growth of both your business, artwork and you as a person?
00:17:35
Speaker
i think it definitely has a lot. Like at the beginning of each year, I write down my goals, I look back to them and sometimes I'll set new goals. Okay, for the spring, I want to do this. For this week, I want to do this. For the summer, I want to do this.
00:17:46
Speaker
I do think it influences. For me personally, I do because I like to stick to those goals and then I go back to that and I'm like, Shoot, I still have this goal here that I haven't crossed off and it's been a year, it's been a month, it's been amount, like whatever it is, and I want to do it. That's like me feeling motivated that I want to get it done. So, you know, thinking about, I keep bringing up the Knicks example, that was on my list. I really wanted to work with them.
00:18:09
Speaker
Case Defy was a company that I really wanted to work with. I think I, you know, a couple of years ago, I was served a couple ads for the artist collaboration. I was like, okay, that needs to be me. So I found a way in. i just like, until I can find a contact there to get in.
00:18:22
Speaker
So I do, i mean, that's a great way to put it, that I feel like my goals have influenced some of my success with growing my company because I am very goal oriented. Do you ever find yourself in conversations where you are talking to other creatives about what it means to set a goal?
00:18:37
Speaker
don't know, honestly. No, I don't know if I do feel like i'm I've been in that conversation before, but I mean, i think it's different for everyone. Well, when you think about what does success mean for different people, some people are more motivated by the money, some people are more motivated by you know brand recognition or followers. It depends on what you want, but I don't know because it's not really that often that I feel like we're surrounded by other creators.
00:19:03
Speaker
like you know I work for myself and I interact with people on social media, but I rarely like have a conversation like this where I'm really talking about this type of stuff, which is why I put on one of my goals to do more public speaking. And I've been going to talk to high schools because I like to talk about my story and I get excited about this stuff.
Community and Environment's Influence on Creativity
00:19:20
Speaker
But it's nice when you interact with other creatives who have a similar mindset to you, who understand what you're doing, because I'm sure all of us have Friends that are in accounting or friends that are in PR, are friends that that are doctors, and you don't often like sit and talk about this stuff with them. So it's nice when you find other people. You know, I have close friends that started a clothing company, and even though we're not really doing the same thing, it's nice to have them to talk about business with. and a similar mindset.
00:19:47
Speaker
But I also want to point out something here that Corey mentions about wanting to talk about her story. I feel very similarly to you because for me and for you, we talked about podcasts. I got into design because of a podcast.
00:19:59
Speaker
And it's staying motivated and these stories help you keep doing that and helps you keep going out there. and right making on your own. But does being in New York impact that sense of community that you're maybe looking for?
00:20:14
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm trying to be better at actually meeting people in person that I talk to on social media. And there are two people that I'm actually going to meet with next week. And I feel like it'll be nice to connect because it's great to take advantage of this. Like whenever there's a cool event in New York, I try and like you know ah try and go to anything I can. But yeah, I mean, I've built my business in New York. I'm from here, I live here.
00:20:39
Speaker
So it's been helpful. Yeah, but something we also talked about was that earlier in our earlier conversation that you make all this content in New York, you've done a mural in Empire State Building for JFK, and then you did artwork for the Knicks more recently. you don't really make content about New York.
00:20:54
Speaker
I feel like when you're from here, it's less, maybe, when you're from here, it's less, like, I don't feel like, oh my God, I'm in New York, because I'm like, I'm from here. And it's like, i don't know, it's like the norm to me. Yeah.
00:21:05
Speaker
Is there anything here that inspires your creative practice? Or do you like being in New York more for, again, that balance of family and friends and your own virtual life? think a mix. I am the type of person that does like to be busy. I like to do a lot of things. I like to be on the go.
00:21:20
Speaker
So I think New York is great for that versus like... You know, when I go visit my grandparents in Florida, I'm like, oh my God, I'm bored. What do I do? I think like New York, I definitely like to stay busy. There's always things going on. yeah You know, you can just like have no plans on the weekend and leave your apartment and find something to do and get inspired by. So I love that. But I was actually thinking unrelated to New York.
00:21:41
Speaker
I was thinking when we were talking about the public speaking stuff. Yeah. Do you remember when we first met at Adobe and I sat next to you and we started talking and I was so scared that I was giving a presentation and you hyped me up and you were like, I'm going to film it for you.
00:21:52
Speaker
And thinking back to that, I was like so nervous for that first time. And then I loved it. And so many people reached out to me after saying, oh, I was inspired by this x Y and z And after that, I'm like, I want to do more public speaking, but you were so helpful. And I sat next to you and you I mean, that's kind of what like not kind of what we spent the whole weekend together and we have such a nice friendship. And I feel like thinking back to that first time we sat next to each other and I was telling you that I was going to do this public speaking and you like totally hyped me up and seeing how confident you are at speaking and how I don't know, I was just thinking back to that. And that was like a fun time. That's so sweet. My heart is so warm. But I think that's what I love about doing this.
00:22:32
Speaker
I think a lot of us are very driven by not just our artwork and improving, but by our own goals. Yeah. And that for me is what gives me confidence because i love being a part of this. and I love hearing everybody's stories.
00:22:44
Speaker
But after, again, that first day of public speaking, i want to hear more about your journey with confidence because obviously we we talked about a little bit earlier about you know continually building that through our artwork but it's also ourselves and you not essentially start talking about your story sorry the saxophone threw me off hopefully uh listeners you don't mind the saxophone in the background if you can hear it at all but i'll circle back now how did that first day of speaking to not just a random group of people but to a huge group of creators and creatives how did that change your confidence or maybe even your outlook on your own story
00:23:19
Speaker
I feel like going into it, I was so excited that Adobe had reached out to me to do this.
Public Speaking and Business Skill Development
00:23:24
Speaker
And I like to do things that are like challenging to me, but i had never really, you know, public spoken before, unless it was to like elementary school kids when I did like an art assignment. And that's obviously a lot different than speaking to like a whole group of creatives. And I put together this presentation and I was definitely nervous about it, but i like I like threw in a couple of jokes. I told people it was like my first time public speaking. Everyone clapped for me, which gave me more confidence.
00:23:49
Speaker
I remember towards the end, like i was like, oh, I need water. Like my mouth is drying up. I was like nervous and shaking a little bit. While you're on stage? Yeah, you did. you i don't know if I i didn't notice at all. People told me that they didn't notice, but I was a little bit. I was. was the one recording it. so I know you recorded it for How would I pick that up?
00:24:06
Speaker
But afterwards, I think it was really nice when I had, you know, a decent amount of people in my DMs and coming up to me after the event. like really excited about it. and i think at the end, i I tried to give a couple of pieces of advice and I talked a lot about this outreach that I just spoke about. yeah And a couple of people came up to me and they were like, you know, I really rarely do that. I rarely sit down and do outreach or brainstorm my goals and, you know, reach out to brands I want to work with. You inspire me. i'm I'm going to try and do that. yeah So for me, the outcome of I was proud of myself, you know, that I did it, but also that people were inspired by it.
00:24:41
Speaker
yeah That's why I like to do these things and like to talk about my story because my hope is that, you know, how I listen to other motivational podcasts that inspire me. I hope that people can listen to me and be like, oh, that's so cool. That inspired me to go do this.
00:24:53
Speaker
Corey, 1,000%. 1,000%. Something about you that has always stood out to me. It seems like the business and strategy is a talent and a skill that you've developed.
00:25:05
Speaker
And it is so inherent within you. And it it is it is something that I envy, that I know other people in the community envy. This is something I actually talk about with like other people too, about how you are the best go-getter out there. Thank you. That's so nice. Of course.
00:25:21
Speaker
Is there anything in your career, in your business that isn't as second nature you have to remind yourself? You mentioned, again, you've worked for yourself your whole time, so you haven't really been a boss before. And now that you are a boss, is there anything else that isn't as inherent that you maybe struggle with?
00:25:38
Speaker
I think not anymore, but I think at the beginning, i really wanted to hide behind emails, not really go up to people, not really like, you know, make phone calls and do a lot of the in-person stuff. I feel like our generation, it's like texts and emails and my dad would be like, pick up the phone and call them.
00:25:54
Speaker
So I think like, I might still be a little bit like that. I've tried to get better at it. But just like pick up the phone and call someone. Like don't do everything over email, everything over text. I think it's really, really important to be face to face.
00:26:07
Speaker
When I, you know, did that Zunkin project, I kind of knew, i was like, if I get myself to the headquarters and meet people in person, i will have a better chance of doing something with them down the line.
00:26:18
Speaker
So I kind of made that happen. And even when I'm like, you know, getting emails about a project, I'm always like, let's get on a call or let's get on a Zoom or whatever to talk about this face to face because I like to show my personality too and sell myself because that's really important.
00:26:35
Speaker
But all these things have taken, you know, it's taken time to build this confidence and and grow. Yeah. So it sounds like your dad has always been such a good source of this motivation for you to to go push yourself. he Is that maybe where you kind of get that inherent business nature from? Do you know where it comes from? don't know.
00:26:53
Speaker
I mean, I've had like my grandpa also is works for himself and has his own business and I call him for advice all the time. He's in the licensed tin company. ah ill like He works, he does licensed tins.
00:27:03
Speaker
But no, I mean, I do think about like at the beginning, certain things that my dad would say to me that has been motivating. I'm trying to think my grandma, you know, is into art. I'm just trying to think of who in the family is like that. you surround yourself with, and you want to surround yourself with people that are go-getters, that are yeah starting their own things, that not only are building their own brands, but are really passionate about what they do.
00:27:28
Speaker
And it's it's always so inspiring to talk to you about this because We as creators or as designers, we begrudgingly talk about business all the time. Yeah. I mean, that that's part of it. It's part of any job.
00:27:38
Speaker
But whenever I talk to you about it I can't help but be happy about it. That's so sweet. It's so cool to hear have you how you've grown within your post-grad career to now. To that point, and talking about goals, What are some goals for this year? It's funny. I was just working on this this morning. need to pull out my notepad.
00:27:54
Speaker
Can I pull out my notepad? Yeah, definitely. I was just filling out a questionnaire for someone I'm going to be working with to do brand strategy calls, and they were asking me about long term goals and short term goals. And I was talking about this last night with my fiance about all this type of stuff. But like, OK, for me, kind of bigger picture.
00:28:12
Speaker
I'd love to do more licensing deals. I think that those are great. because two things, one, I get to do what I love. I get to create the artwork and then work with a company who's good at what they do. So for example, Casetify, make art for them.
00:28:26
Speaker
They print it on phone cases. People can buy it. I don't have to manufacture it. It's cool. I get to see my art out there and passive income. So love that. Two, more partnerships with bigger brands. I think that excites me the most. like I get excited about that stuff. I mean, I do residential projects, I do commissions, I do smaller things, but what excites me a lot is doing these bigger projects and just thinking about like what honestly makes me happy, what do I love to do. I put on my list more activations and in-person events.
00:28:58
Speaker
last week or the week before I did live art for at the toy fair. Someone hired me, Ice Cream, this company that I work with, they hired me to do live drawing in their booth. And I like things like that because i like to be um i like to be around people. I like to talk to people. So when I do these in-person events and activations, like it's so different than all these other things that I'm talking about where it's just me.
00:29:22
Speaker
You know, when I'm working on a mural project, I'm in there alone. When I'm working on digital stuff, it's me alone. But when I can do more activations and in-person events, I like talking to people.
00:29:33
Speaker
more public speaking, which is great. Not that it's public speaking right now, but I'm i'm speaking. No, this is speaking. So i wanted to do more of that. And yeah, I feel like just thinking about what makes me happy and incorporating that because sometimes when im when I think about prioritizing, you know, I'll say to myself, okay, I need to prioritize what's gonna make me the most money. And this project's really important. I need to prioritize it.
00:29:55
Speaker
But I also love to be in my art studio and I love to make art. And even though, you know, making a couple of commissions here and there may not make me as much money as doing a project in the airport, let's say, i still want to balance it out with what makes me happy. So if I want to spend a couple of weeks in my art studio versus working remote on projects, I do like to think about that stuff. And like, am I going to be motivated by money in this project or am I going to be motivated by what I'm really excited about?
00:30:23
Speaker
Yeah. Just like really trying to reflect and write down what do I like to do? What don't I like to do? I think it's just good to like journal and write this stuff down. So.
Reflections on Freelance Work and Future Aspirations
00:30:32
Speaker
Do you feel like you're able to decide whether or not you're taking on a project that makes you you know more happy because of the length of which you've built your career now?
00:30:42
Speaker
Is this something a younger Cory or a younger designer wouldn't be considering as much? Well, yeah, I think it's different now because I have more of like the flexibility to say yes or no to things. I think at the beginning you want to kind of say yes to everything, even if you're not getting a lot of money or whatever it is.
00:30:59
Speaker
I think now I'm at a point, which is great, that I can say no to certain projects and say yes to other projects. and I can do what makes me happy. I can make those decisions because I work for myself and I've built a business and I have maybe other streams of income coming in.
00:31:18
Speaker
So yeah, I think younger me would maybe think a little bit differently about it. I would, I would. It was a different mindset. don't know. Do you think about where you started often at all? Not that often, but sometimes I'll do like an Instagram post or I'll do things like this. And this week or last week was like five years since COVID.
00:31:35
Speaker
So I did a little post about, I was actually reflecting on that. And I also spoke to a high school and I gave a whole presentation of how I started. So those types of things, I do kind of run it back to think about how I started. And I was thinking about COVID and how I completely pivoted my business and really changed to do more fine art and brand partnerships. So,
00:31:53
Speaker
Once in a while, I do think about it. How do i identify a risk worth taking? I don't know, that's a hard question. i I always felt like I wasn't really so great at taking risks and I would look at other friends of mine that have this clothing company I was telling you about and they were so good at taking risks.
00:32:11
Speaker
I think now, i don't know, I think I should take more risks. But it's it's also defined it differently because to a different designer, yeah you going up to someone that you've never met before. Right, I guess you so that's a risk. That's a risk. I guess so.
00:32:24
Speaker
Right? Yeah. So to you, you don't view those as risks. Right. well I mean, yeah, going up to someone and introducing myself and giving my business card. It's funny, I don't really think about that as ah as a risk as it would be to someone else because someone else may be a little more shy I just think that stuff's important.
00:32:40
Speaker
It's also interesting because all the students coming into design and art now, not a lot of them are able to find full time jobs. So they're having to do freelance. Right. And to all of them, that's a risk. But to you, it wasn't. think it's great. Oh, my God. When you just started to say that, I'm like, that's awesome.
00:32:55
Speaker
I think it's great because like I said, it's always good to do things on the side. And when like kids were coming up to me after my presentation last week at this high school, I was telling them, do things on the side.
00:33:08
Speaker
If you love digital art, teach yourself out on the side. Don't rely on only school. Have a little sign business. Make logos. It's good to have freelance. It's good to start with that too, because you can always go back to it and you can always weave it in.
00:33:21
Speaker
So if you start with freelance, then you get a corporate job. Also, what do I know? I've never... What do know? That's what happened to me actually. Yeah. yeah Exactly. So it's good because you can always go back into that. For example, my mom always says this too. My mom was a teacher and then she had me and she didn't go back to traditionally teaching. Then she tutored. And now every day after school, she tutors kids.
00:33:43
Speaker
So she has her little side biz and she always says it's always good to have something that you can go back to yeah for yourself. So that's why I think that's actually a good thing. It's really interesting the way that we are outlining this now, because for you, it seems like the paths and milestones that you've taken have been so influenced by your goals.
00:34:04
Speaker
But again, we're talking about like a new designer here that as a new designer, you have to leverage different opportunities. Freelance is an opportunity. It's time for you to improve yourself. And then maybe that'll get you that corporate work as we're talking about now. I was telling my fiance this last night too, like you set goals and then you think about yourself in the future.
00:34:20
Speaker
And then you think about yourself in the future, looking back at your past self and being like that goal, I crossed that off my list. So it's kind of like a fun little exercise to think about, OK, in six months, what will I be looking back on at my list and crossing out like that's super cool to me and exciting and motivating.
00:34:39
Speaker
When I think about a student or someone who's just starting out and doesn't know where to start, just set some goals because then how fun would it be in six months from now you look back to that list and you're like, what did I cross off that list and what didn't I cross off that list and what's still important to me?
00:34:53
Speaker
Something that I know a lot of young designers, including myself from time to time, struggle with is finding a style that quote unquote works. yeah For you, you're well known for your super bright murals, your vibrant colors, your amazing collages. So how how did you find that and how may a new designer find that too?
00:35:12
Speaker
It's a good question. I mean, I don't even know. Like I remember when i was when I was in high school, I was always doodling in my notebooks and I was always really into this collage style. I think like just whatever feels right.
00:35:25
Speaker
mean, yes, it's good to try new things. I feel very strongly about that. You know when it's like, they always say like, oh, talk about what you know, cause you'll be better at it. but Like yeah it just feels right when I'm doing this style. Was it a lot of experimenting before that?
00:35:37
Speaker
Yeah, I guess so. And I think it took a little while to learn the digital art stuff. I was doing a lot with just like paper and pen and Sharpie. And then once I started to explore digital art and Illustrator and Photoshop and all that, I truly feel like my life changed. I love it so much. I think it's been so helpful for me have that digital background, I think is so important.
00:35:58
Speaker
And not all artists have that, but I truly think if you're just starting out, it's so important to have that digital background paired with the fine artwork. And not only having the digital background, but have the industry standard softwares that everybody uses. Because, yeah I mean, when you're handing off your artwork and your licenses, what files are you handing off?
00:36:15
Speaker
In Illustrator, because everything needs to be vector. And I talk about this a lot because when I do these large scale murals and i need to blow them up to 20 feet, you know, I wouldn't be able to do these projects if I didn't have those programs and have this experience.
00:36:29
Speaker
Is there any advice you can give to maybe a new designer that is mainly illustrating in Procreate or in a Raster artwork to go into vector artwork? Yeah, and honestly, I still do that too.
00:36:42
Speaker
Transparently, I still use Procreate and I love it, but I end up transferring everything over to Illustrator. From my experience, you're gonna run into issues where a client says I need it in in an Illustrator file or I need it vector-based.
00:36:54
Speaker
Today, I got a message, I need no flat anded nothing flattened images. you know Everything has to be an AI. AI as an illustrator. So yeah, I think it's really important to learn that. I think obviously you have to pay for a subscription, but I think it's so worth having that background because it's going to open you up to more clients when you know about that.
00:37:14
Speaker
Is there anything you've learned in the last 10 years, right? I guess so. Yes. ten I mean, almost yeah, it's going to be almost 10 years in October. Really? Yeah, because i started in like 2015 in October. Yeah.
00:37:26
Speaker
Wow. To sum it up, is there anything that you learned in the last 10 years that is crucial for a student and a new designer to know now? Well, I've also been thinking about this lately. It's kind of like to don't listen to the noise around you and don't really care about what other people think and just do it.
00:37:43
Speaker
You know, I'm sure that people who are trying to get into content creation get really nervous or self-conscious about what people are going to think about them. And the less you care, the more successful you'll be if you just focus on yourself.
00:37:59
Speaker
And another thing I thought about, someone once told me to stay in my lane. And I do not like that because like to try and do a lot of different things. So people- told you to stay in your lane? Some other artists that was threatened by me. So I like to do a lot of different things. when people ask me what I do, I literally will say like, I'm an artist, I'm a muralist, I do a lot of things.
00:38:17
Speaker
Like, I think it's cool to experiment and explore. You know, I do fine art, digital art. again I just think it's fun to explore, try different things, figure out what you like and what you don't like.
00:38:28
Speaker
and go from there. Wow. It's so funny that you say you don't listen to the noise because that's exactly what you've been doing. Sitting in a jazz band behind us. Again, I don't know if you can even listen to that.
00:38:41
Speaker
Corey, I thank you so much for sitting down with me and talking through your career. No, this has been such a fulfilling conversation for And you're such a good interviewer. I've been in situations where I've had to like come speak to their marketing group or whatever, and they do not know how to interview and they'll just kind of like ask me a question and move on.
00:38:58
Speaker
I think you've done such a great job and I am excited for other people to hear this and I'm been excited to keep listening to your podcast. Thank you. Thank you. course. What sets Cori apart are the very same traits that have let her business thrive.
00:39:12
Speaker
The same creativity she pours into her art shines through in the way she runs her business. With heart, vision, and as a creative problem solver. Where others might see a risk, Cori sees an opportunity, a chance to grow and connect.
00:39:27
Speaker
Cori, thank you for taking the time out of your day to talk to us here at The Creative Milestone. And I can't wait to see what goals you accomplish off your list this year.
00:39:39
Speaker
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00:39:55
Speaker
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