How To Turn Life’s Silliness Into Your Brand Featuring Squidinki Co-Founder Max Mendez, Episode 136

Imagine being an illustrator with a studio in Sydney right next to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Australia, who gets to use their talent to give people a good laugh at the silliness of life?  This week’s guest is Max Mendez and his artistry is behind the Squidinki brand. 

Squidinki is a unique brand founded by Max Mendez and Kerry Findlay. With degrees in Industrial and Interior design respectively, Max and Kerry have had extensive experience working in design and branding agencies throughout the world, including England, Spain, America, Singapore, and Australia. Now after more than 10 years of designing brands and retail interiors for many prominent Australian and international brands, Max and Kerry decided to follow their passion for illustration and design, and create their own brand, Squidinki.

Inspired by the humor Max sees in everyday life, and a desire to spend life sketching it, Squidinki was born. Max’s witty and humorous hand-drawn illustrations are sold both as limited edition artwork and featured on everyday products with the hope of bringing a chuckle to your day.

In this episode, Max shares how he creates vs. thinks about promoting his creations. He delves into his sources of inspiration and speaks fondly about his co-founder and partner Kerry. 

In this episode, you will hear:

  • Reawakening your imagination by noticing the silliness around you as a creator
  • Stretching your imagination by bringing in a loving critique
  • How to see the viability of your artistry
  • How to come up with unexpected and more creative ideas
  • Depicting things in different ways so that you can build a reputation
  • The commercialization of art: creative vs. conceptual i.e. how to turn art into income
  • The whiteboard exercise to reawaken your creativity

Share this episode with fellow creative souls with a sense of humor or with anyone who dreams of being able to sell their art.

Supporting Resources:

https://squidinki.com/

https://www.instagram.com/squidinki/

https://www.facebook.com/squidinki

Similar Episodes:

From Teaching Art to Being Featured In Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crushing It!, Hear How Luis-Miguel Caraballo Is Accelerating His Goal Of Making Art History, Episode 13

How Do You Leverage Creativity To Reduce Anxiety With Sarah Spencer, Episode 80

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Melissa Llarena

Melissa Llarena is an author, imagination coach, consultant, speaker, and contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million + views. She is also the host of Unimaginable Wellness, the podcast for entrepreneurs, founders, and creators who are also moms. Featured guests include GaryVee and Beth Comstock. Melissa holds a psychology degree from New York University, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate. She is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons. Visit www.fertileideas.com.

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