Motivation

So probably two years ago, I walked into a screen-printing shop with a few designs for my second attempt at a brand, which I was going to call Wild Bandit Golf. It was going to be inspired by a western, countryside vibe. I had about four designs and absolutely zero clue how apparel even worked.

I walked in there and started talking to the guy running the shop, trying to gain as much knowledge as I could. There is only ONE thing that stuck with me from that conversation, and I’ll never forget it. He basically told me that he has so many people come in with “brand” ideas — with a logo, an Instagram page made, and an idea. Exactly what I had at the time. He told me 99% of people who come in saying this end up quitting or giving up, and he NEVER sees them again or sees anything of the brand.

At first, I was like, wow, that’s extremely discouraging. There’s probably a good chance I’m not in that 1% of people who actually do something with it. And honestly, after that conversation, I did step back from it for a few months. I was like, “Damn, so many try and fail.”

However, a few months later, I started drawing again and posting on social media. I was starting to gain some traction and thought, maybe I can do this for real.

But a few months into selling product, I then asked myself the question: what is “for real”? Is it how many sales you make? How many followers you have? How much money you make? Does any of this really matter in the long run? Does it matter if I have 3,000 followers?

It soon clicked for me what’s IMPORTANT. It’s the conversations I’ve had, the people I’ve met, and the people I may have inspired. It’s the discipline that comes with doing something like this. You have to have so much discipline to continue. Some days I’ll come home from my day job, hit the gym, sit down, and work on a flyer for three hours — and it gets 20 likes. I used to get so discouraged. I’d think, “Damn, 20 likes, this must suck.” But no — not that perspective anymore. I could have inspired someone to learn how to make flyers, promote a product, or chase doing what they love.

It’s also all about perspective. Social media can skew you into thinking you need 20,000 followers or whatever. It does matter in the sense that you need people to see your product, but I NEVER stress over it anymore. I put it all out there, and if people appreciate it, it means the world to me.

The hours I’ve put in and the time I’ve spent on this — I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It means so much to me. I am so passionate about art, discipline, and holding myself accountable to CREATE and not CONSUME. I’ve basically wired my brain to consume things that will make me better as a human being and help me in my work. You can learn so much from others.

Peace,

Owen