I want to start off by saying THANK YOU for your support. It means so much to me that you bought a shirt, art print, or an original commission. It’s through your support that I stay motivated to draw and put art into the world. I could not do it without you. I hope to earn your continued support by consistently creating artwork that I enjoy and that you connect with. I also hope to produce content like blogs more regularly that peak your interest, tell a story, and offer either knowledge or entertainment.
In this first post, I want to talk about The Winged Man Art, what it is, and what you can expect from me going forward.
The Winged Man Art (TWMA)
The brand started after I sat down with an art and business mentor (Steve) back in 2019 who advised me that I needed to come up with a branding strategy if I wanted to sell my art. My first thought at the time, not having any real experience in branding, marketing—or anything business related—was to design a logo. But, first I would need to come up with a name for my brand. So, I did a lot of thinking. I thought deep about who I am, what inspires me, and the art I like to produce.
At first everything I came up with was Veteran related. Names incorporating things like “Wingman,” “Veteran,” and “Airman” were top of mind at the time. Pretty much all of which have been used by other Veteran artists and creatives ad nauseam. So, I started thinking more about the combination of things that inspire me like high-fantasy and things that I am—an Air Force Veteran and a heavy daydreamer.
That’s how I landed on “The Winged Man Art.” It’s a double entendre between the word “Wingman” and the theme of high-fantasy. Wingman is a term used in the Air Force when referring to someone who always has your back. This is the same thing as a “Battle” or “Battle Buddy” in the Army. So, again it’s a combination of who I am and what inspires me.
Once I settled on the name, Steve had advised that I create a logo that’s a self portrait. I didn’t completely agree since self portraits are typically large and not my forte. I am also a web-designer by day so I realized that it would be too detailed to view as an icon on a website. So, I opted for something in between. The image I drew is a simplified self portrait.
I had a beard at that time, hence the beard on the figure, which is also in-keeping with the fantasy theme. Possibly the most significant inclusion in the logo—the wings—are growing out of a chainmail hood on the head of the figure. This is because my mind is always in the clouds. Which I feel is the key to so much of my success as an individual because I’m always dreaming big.
The same inspiration for the logo is what I’ve gone back to while thinking through my revised Vision Statement which now includes three pillars—To Inspire, To Stay in The Clouds, and to Tell Stories. The meaning behind each of the pillars is still somewhat of a work in progress. It will be more clearly defined as I find my people, my audience, and those that connect with my art and brand.
What can you expect from me (and TWMA) going forward
It’s important for me to find people that connect with what I want to create, who I am, and what inspires me. In the words of David Bowie “I think it's terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people's expectations — they generally produce their worst work when they do that.”
Therefore, it’s important for me to find the people who are also impacted by or passionate about the topics which influence my work. Topics that include my experience as a Veteran, personal experiences I’ve had with depression, mental health struggles, and traumatic life events. Which is why most of my art has had dark undertones. But, I also plan to produce a healthy dose of fantasy, dark fantasy, horror, and maybe even some light hearted art works on into the future.
For now you can expect my final products to come in the form of t-shirts to the website, prints if you find me at a show, and commissions if you desire. You can expect me to release a new t-shirt roughly once a month or so and around some of the major holidays throughout the year. I also plan to release a new blog or newsletter (not sure what to call these yet) roughly bi-weekly. The daydreamer in me also wants to produce comics, but that is topic for another time.
In Conclusion
I hope that you all will continue to follow me along my journey. I hope that my artwork will inspire you in some way, that you will be able to connect with the topics I am interested in, or at the least you will be entertained if even for a moment.
You can continue to support me by keeping up with the blog, subscribing (free at this time), sharing my content with others you feel may connect with it, and letting me know your thoughts about my work, my vision, the brand, and the end products I produce.
What art pieces have you connected with the most? Is there anything I’ve created that you would like to see on a shirt up on the website? Are you more inclined to wear things that are Veteran aligned or would you like to see more of my fantasy art available on the shirts? Let me know your thoughts on anything I’ve discussed here. I would love to hear from you all.
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