Open for Business
First published on Substack November 27 2023
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I've been making art for about three years now. Mostly as a creative outlet and a way to relieve stress. Up 'til now, this has been a purely creative endeavor. During this time I've had people reaching out asking if I make prints or if they can use my art for their music. And every time I've had to turn them down. It's not that I haven't wanted to make my art available. However, as a guest in a country not my own, I have certain restrictions on my visa that prevent me from receiving income from outside my day job. Anyway, I started the process of applying for permanent residency about 2 years ago, which would enable me to start making money from side gigs. The whole process has involved stacks of paperwork, numerous hoops to jump through and many trips taken to the happiest place on earth (Tokyo Immigration Centre)
- stack of paperwork
Well, hoops jumped and paperwork stamped. Got my visa and now I can finally start making my artwork available for those who want it.
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This goal has actually been a smaller part of a big existential, philosophical change for me. Being an immigrant is not a secure existence, especially when you have family. Without wanting to sound cynical, COVID taught me it's not a good idea to place my self-worth or financial security at the mercy of others. A couple of strokes of bad luck and your whole life can go south in an instant. So this has a been a way for me to take back autonomy in my life.
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I'm kinda nervous. I feel like I've missed out on a lot of opportunities over the last couple of years and it kind of feels like I'm coming at the tail end of something that didn't quite reach its potential or got corrupted into something else. I also feel like a lot of the people who consume art prefer the image of the selfless, starving artist. Any talk of money instantly gets you branded as selling out and receiving the dreaded, self-indulgent 'blocked' comment; "We want to enjoy your work, but god forbid you make any money from it. My enjoyment of your art must remain pure and not be dirtied by talk of you putting food on your table." But I've got bills to pay and they don’t accept Instagram likes.
Anyway, I've opened up a store on ARTgrab. So if you like my work and you'd like to purchase an exclusive license to use it for your project - whether that's for your album, poster, YouTube channel, website - you can now do so. I've uploaded about 10 pieces so far and I plan to keep adding more.
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https://artgrab.co/art/tokyo_nomad_
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I've written before about how impactful album art was for me as a teenager, so it was a logical first step for me. A lot of my favorite albums have iconic covers, and I remember often spending time listening to the music while looking at the artwork and reading the lyrics.
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I hope to also open a merch store selling prints and clothes in the not too distant future. Eventually, I want to start accepting commissions for my work. Before I get to that point, there's lots of work to do.
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I plan to write about my journey too so if you've also recently started on a similar path, or are thinking about it, my next posts might be useful (probably in a "what not to do" kind of way), so feel free to subscribe and join me on this journey.
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tokyo_nomad_