• 0

Marketoonist | Tom Fishburne

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne. Marketing cartoons, content marketing with a sense of humor, keynote speaking.

  • Campaigns
  • Speaking
  • About
  • Cartoons
  • Contact
  • Book
  • 0

market your bliss

November 12, 2016 25 Comments

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

I recently hit the six-year anniversary of leaving my job to start Marketoonist full-time. It was the culmination of a childhood dream to become a cartoonist. It came after drawing a weekly cartoon for ten years, dreaming of the point when I could do it full-time.

Five years ago, I gave a talk about making that leap at the Do Lectures in Wales. The Do Lectures was started by David and Clare Hieatt, co-founders of Hiut Denim and Howies. I don’t know them very well personally, but their entrepreneurial journeys have had a significant influence on my journey.

One example is something David wrote called β€œThe Creators’ Code”. It’s been taped on the wall next to my drafting table ever since I read it, and I thought I would create an illustrated version of it to celebrate this milestone. It reminds me to just keep at the work and follow my internal compass.

I’m grateful today for my wife and co-founder, Tallie, who is equal partners with me on this journey. I’m grateful for the talented group of cartoonists and creative partners we get to collaborate with as we grow the studio. I’m grateful for our clients whose stories we get to tell with cartoons. And I’m grateful for everyone who reads and supports Marketoonist, week in and week out. It’s a privilege.

I frequently get asked for advice about taking an entrepreneurial leap, whether to start a new business, to make a living as an artist, or to figure out how to do what you love for a living.

When I was in college, I was motivated by Joseph Campbell’s famous line, β€œFollow your Bliss”.

What I learned is that if I really wanted to do what I love for a living, following my bliss meant that I also had to learn how to market my bliss. I had to find people who valued what I do enough to pay for it. It meant becoming a hybrid artist-entrepreneur, with as much effort spent on the business side of things as the art side of things. Entrepreneurial and marketing thinking is every bit as important as Bristol Board, Micron pens, and Photoshop. That duality is not always easy. But it’s incredibly fulfilling.

I’m working on a book idea called β€œMarket your Bliss” with some of what I’ve learned from this journey. In the meantime, here are a few lessons that I hope are relevant to others.

1) Discover what you uniquely do

It can be tempting to pursue every potential project, but things only started to take off for me when I found my niche. While cartooning as a hobby, the Wall Street Journal asked me to create a cartoon book to help describe how to get the most out of the Journal. There are plenty of cartoonists more talented than me. It was my unusual background of marketing and cartooning that set me apart. As Jerry Garcia once said, “You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.”

2) Don’t sell yourself short

If we think of ourselves as a commodity, clients will treat us as a commodity. After one early project, my client invited me to coffee to tell me that he loved the work, but that I had charged him too little. I explained that I had benchmarked my rates off of other cartoonists. He urged me to price instead on the value that I was able to bring him. Since then, I’ve held to a premium (and I always accept coffee invitations from clients). Some clients go elsewhere. But the ones that stay truly value my work.

3) Get hired by your fans

When I started building an audience with my weekly cartoon email, I did it for fun and I did it for free. I didn’t understand the value that it would eventually bring. Yet now that I work on the cartoon studio full-time, I find that nearly every client I work with has been reading my cartoons for years. It makes marketing my services a whole lot easier (and every client conversation a lot more fun). I learned that it’s never too early to start building an audience. The investment will always pay off.

I talked about some of this in a recent podcast interview with Xero Gravity.

Here’s the cartoon I drew when I took the leap 6 years ago to start Marketoonist full-time. This drawing is also taped next to my drafting table. Since then, I’ve had to rebuild the wings many, many times. That’s part of the deal. But the thrill of taking the leap is so, so worth it.

Making The Leap Cartoon

Filed Under: entrepreneurialism

Get a new marketoon each week:

Previous Post Next Post

digital transformation

PowerPoint-itis

Browse similar cartoons in: entrepreneurialism

Browse By Category See All Marketoons

25 Comments

Join the Discussion
  1. Ethel Pole says

    November 12, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    Congratulations!

    Reply
  2. Alexa says

    November 14, 2016 at 6:47 am

    Congratulations Tom. This is my favorite post yet. I’ve shared, printed, laminated and these cartoons are coming with me everywhere.

    Reply
  3. Matt says

    November 14, 2016 at 6:49 am

    I’ve loved your Marketoons for years. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep it up!

    Reply
  4. Brian Tockman says

    November 14, 2016 at 6:50 am

    Congrats Tom! Great post, great lesson. Here’s to many more. Talk soon.

    Reply
  5. Stephen Lahey says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:06 am

    Congratulations, Tom!

    Reply
  6. deb says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:11 am

    Great inspiration and advice for all consultants and entrepreneurs

    Reply
  7. Chuck Parker says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:12 am

    Great update! Your cartoon still pulls em in at our trade shows.

    Reply
  8. Luka says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:22 am

    Well done, and keep cartooning πŸ™‚

    Reply
  9. Kuldip Singh says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:27 am

    Many a time, I have been uplifted by your cartoons and the words of wisdom that accompany your cartoons.

    Reply
  10. Luke Seerveld says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:44 am

    Love this, Tom! Your posts are always wise and enjoyable. Thank you and hope to see you again soon.

    Reply
  11. Donn Conner says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:45 am

    Congratulations on your six years, Tom, and also on your heartfelt commentary about marrying your cartoons with business. What an inspirational story and what an inspirational guy! Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  12. Alison says

    November 14, 2016 at 7:54 am

    This cartoon would make a great ad for a coffee brand!

    Reply
  13. Judy Bernstein says

    November 14, 2016 at 8:10 am

    Congratulations! Market your bliss is a great mandate. I hope it sparks enthusiasm for related ideas. For example, more organizations should recognize how powerful intrinsic motivation can be. A consideration and cultivation of employee bliss can be tied to productivity and innovation.

    Reply
  14. Dane Hartzell says

    November 14, 2016 at 8:26 am

    Congrats!

    Reply
  15. Amy Laski says

    November 14, 2016 at 8:39 am

    Can’t wait to read more in “Market Your Bliss.” Congrats on six years.

    Reply
  16. Suzanne Pecore says

    November 14, 2016 at 8:45 am

    Congrats, Tom. In 2007 you did some amazing cartoons for us as part of the Pangborn Symposium. To this day I still use some of them. In fact, I just used one as part of another talk I gave at another sensory-related conference, and they still generate chuckles in the audience. Love your humor and how it connects us all. So thank you for building those wings!

    Reply
  17. Kim Lopez-Walters says

    November 14, 2016 at 9:13 am

    Tom,
    Your story has always inspired me and keep me thinking about how I can keep moving toward my passion! Thanks and keep em’ coming!

    Reply
  18. Tim Rosenbrook says

    November 14, 2016 at 9:17 am

    Congratulations, I have just hit the 3 year anniversary of going out on my own starting my own marketing agency. The cartoon you drew 6 years ago resonates very clearly with my own thought process at the time, and sometimes those thoughts continue, inspirational to be reminded of how rewarding taking the leap is.

    Reply
  19. Josephine Shaw says

    November 14, 2016 at 9:29 am

    Thanks. Really needed to read this today πŸ™‚

    Reply
  20. Carolyn says

    November 14, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    This post came at exactly the right hour for me. Thanks Tom. Taking the leap…

    Reply
  21. Angi says

    November 15, 2016 at 3:29 am

    Congrats Tom! So excited for you and proud of you. Love your cartoons and the amazing business you are building from your passion.

    Reply
  22. John says

    November 15, 2016 at 5:15 am

    Congratulations Tom. Not surprised by your accomplishments. Keep up the good work and sharing your insights. Thoughtful and inspiring. Look forward to learning more about your new book. Best wishes for continued success.

    Reply
  23. Caroline says

    November 15, 2016 at 10:35 am

    I read your story about 2 or 3 years ago and you inspired me to make my own move. A general marketing background and a love of cartooning – I’d never connected the two until then! It’s 1.5 years since I ditched the day job and went full time doing live cartooning and illustrations for businesses. Thank you!! And go us (all!) So you’re not only following your bliss, you’re sharing it ?

    Reply
  24. Doug says

    November 16, 2016 at 10:52 am

    Tom, congratulations. I love your work as it so concisely and coherently describes many of the marketing thoughts rattling inside my head. Your work gets shared constantly. Continued success!

    Reply
  25. DoSchu says

    November 16, 2016 at 12:06 pm

    Love it!
    Thank you for sharing & pleeeeeaaaaaase keep following your bliss πŸ™‚

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
Your Ad Ignored Here Book Image

15 years of Marketoonist compiled for your marketing pleasure.

Order Now

About Marketoonist

tom_image

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom FishburneΒ a career marketer and cartoonist. Learn More...

Subscribe

Get a new marketoon delivered to your inbox each week.

 

Browse Blog Posts

Most Popular Cartoons Browse Categories

Marketoon Campaigns

contentmarketing

Content marketing with a sense of humor.

Learn More

Keynote Speaking

speakingworkshops

Insightful, funny, and visual keynote talks and workshops.

Book Tom to Speak

Search Blog Posts

Interested? Let’s Talk!

Marketoons

Browse Categories

Get New Cartoons Weekly

About Marketoonist

Tom FishburneΒ is the Founder and CEO of Marketoonist, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons.

© 2023 Marketoonist