Welcome back to The Spark, IDEA GENERATION’s weekly newsletter and your source for all things creative entrepreneurship.
Spark Nation,
At the end of each edition of The Spark is a section called “Keep Shooting” (but you read to the end each week so you know this already, right?!). It’s an ode to the humble beginnings of “Idea Generation” guests, and a reminder to us all that persistence is key.
Artist Russ Rubin shot his shot when he slid into our DMs a few weeks ago. He shared his work, engaged in a convo, and, most importantly, once the conversation stalled… he followed up.
This persistence, and the fact that his page is full of eye-catching creations, led to us talking with him for this week’s interview.
Rubin’s approach is straightforward: “If they give you an inch, you get your foot in there and you do everything you can do to show them that you're worthy.” Sound advice, and even more so given the scary situation that prompted Russ to pursue his art full-time (more on that below).
And let this serve as a reminder that we’re always listening and ready to engage with our loyal Spark readers.
If you’re creating something, building a business, or just want to share your story, please reach out: thespark@ideageneration.com 📬
💡Thank you for subscribing, or if you haven’t already, please smash the button below to officially get Sparked.
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HOW'D YOU THINK OF THAT?!
Russ Rubin paints portals into another world.
Russ Rubin is a New Jersey based visual and performance artist who gives new life to discarded items by painting them.
Rubin fell in love with art early and started drawing and painting in childhood, but pressure from his parents led Rubin to studying business in college, before landing an unfulfilling job in the music industry.
It all reached a breaking point (no pun intended) when an accident left Rubin with a fracture in his neck. This was the wakeup call he needed to get back to his passion and find a way to make it his livelihood.
We caught up with Russ to hear his story, how he made his first sales, and how one of his pieces ended up in the “Jeff Koons Collection.”
What got you into the visual arts?
Anytime I would go to an art show or go to a museum, I would feel this vibration inside me. This sort of wordless language that I felt like I could understand and speak in a way.
But the creative stuff wasn't always encouraged in my family. I was actually actively encouraged to go every other direction but the arts. I ended up working on the business side of the music business.
When I turned 30 I had a near death experience and it made me realize like, “What am I doing?” I'm pushing other people's visions and not worrying about my own at all. I realized I had something to say and I might as well be an artist myself. And I needed to get going on that as soon as possible.
What was the near death experience?
I was exhausted on a rooftop at 3am after traveling. There might have been something twisted up after too many, and I just passed out at the wrong time next to the wrong flight of stairs.
I ended up with a small fracture in my neck. I got super lucky, it could have gone another way. A month later I was fine, but it just scared the heck out of me. I don't want to be too dramatic, but it was something like rock bottom.
I think a lot of people can relate to burning the candle at both ends for a job that wasn't perfectly aligned with what I wanted to be doing. I realized I needed to be doing something else.
“When I turned 30 I had a near death experience and it really made me think, ‘What am I doing?’”
Why did you choose to start painting?
I had always drawn and painted. But one day I stumbled onto a mirror frame at a tag sale. It was an interesting shape. The guy was like, “Oh, you could go and get a piece of glass cut for this and make it a mirror again.”
And I thought, “What if I cut a piece of wood instead? And then painted on the wood?” I cut a piece of wood to the shape, and I started looking at the grain of the wood itself. I started to see these sort of landscape elements pop out of the grain.
It was an epiphany to me, like, “I'm seeing a world in this piece of wood. Let me start picking it out.” I added my own shapes, and one color led to another, and one pattern led to another. It became this whole series of portal shaped paintings and the whole idea is to really lose yourself in it and picture yourself in these worlds.
I love the idea of taking discarded junk and turning it into high art. And by using a frame that's a unique shape, you already have something dynamic about the piece before you even get into it.
“I love the idea of taking discarded junk and turning it into high art.”
What was your first sale?
I made a painting and my wife was like, “I really love this piece. You can't sell it unless we get $3,000.” I don't know where she came up with the number. And I was like, “Why would that happen?” But I posted it anyway and said, “My wife says I can't sell this for less than $3,000.” And someone was like, “I need this piece.“ Someone I never met before, just out of the blue. That was my first significant sale.
And that really showed me that if you do your thing, present it the right way, and get lucky—luck's a big part of all this stuff—there are possibilities out there.
How did that person find you?
Instagram. Most of my wins have come through social, Instagram specifically.
Did studying business in college help with your art career at all?
If you're going to be an artist, you have to figure out the business side to some degree. I think I can see those advantages that helped me and I'm able to see myself as my own client.
One thing I learned working with bands and artists on the music side was that the more you can do by yourself, the better chance you have to win when you get into the room with the “big boys” because you can flex and show what you can do independently. They'll see value in that, hopefully. Not everyone can do everything, but the more things you can do, and the more tools you have, the larger world you can build.
“The more things you can do, and the more tools you have, the larger world you can build.”
How did you continue to build momentum after that first sale?
I had a show at the YouTube space. This was going to be like one of the first shows I'd done and Jeff Koons was there being interviewed for something else. I had this framed bandana that I made as part of the show and I gave Jeff one of these bandanas.
Then I updated my CV and put, “My work is part of the Jeff Koons Collection.” [Laughs.] After that show I applied to the MoMA to be an artist member. And then I added to my resume, like, “Acknowledged by the MoMA” or something like that.
Oftentimes as an artist there's this lull period where you're figuring out what to do next. And you need those moments of victory to keep you moving.
You have to figure out how to convey that you have something going on even before you do. Even if it's just your bio. If someone reads one line about you, you want it to be sticky so that they wanna read the next one.
How do you land opportunities at places like the YouTube space or at a gallery?
No one's just seeing you on the street and imagining the possibilities for you. You have to put it into the world to have a chance for that to happen. A lot of what comes to me is because of what I’m putting out into the world.
I know that there are a lot of people out there who lack this encouragement and I want to encourage them. I think that the smartest thing you can do is invest in the uniqueness of your work.
When you get those opportunities, you can't mail it in. You’ve gotta get people the shit they need on time and be responsible. If they give you an inch, you get your foot in there and you do everything you can do to show them that you're worthy and hopefully wow as many people as possible.
“No one's just seeing you on the street and imagining the possibilities for you. You have to put it into the world to have a chance for that to happen.”
For more Russ Rubin, follow him on Instagram.
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SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT
Looking at projects The Spark readers are working on.
Jevan Megbenu is a designer and visual artist based out of London.
His work recently landed on the radar of streaming sensation Kai Cenat, and lately Jevan’s been working on a new series called “3 Months 3 Materials” where he creates duffles and tote bags out of sporting good materials like soccer balls and tennis balls.
He recently just finished his first work for the Euro Championships, a duffle bag up-cycled from 10 soccer balls.
It’s hard not to think of Nicole McLaughlin when seeing Jevan’s work, but he still manages to add his own unique twists. We asked Jevan to share some advice for other young designers:
“Stay in the moment and get 1 percent better every single day! Don’t stress too much about the future or your plans in weeks and months time, simply focus on how are you getting better today and how have you pushed your art today! I learnt this from a Japanese mindset called Kaizen. You stay a lot more grounded and at peace with your work through the low times, hype, and the noise.
Check out more of Jevan’s work here.
📬 If you want to be featured in Subscriber Spotlight, email us at thespark@ideageneration.com and let us know what you’re working on.
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TAKE THIS JOB!
Cool job listings for creatives.
11e1even Group is a full-service entertainment group specializing in management, production, and marketing. They’re home to acts like Big Gigantic and Cherub.
They’re looking for a Freelance Social Media Manager who will be responsible for strategy, content ideation, calendar management, and post execution across multiple social media platforms.
Ideally you are someone who has:
A minimum of 2-3 years' experience in owning social media strategies and output.
Excellent knowledge of social media platforms, trends, technologies, and best practice.
Familiarity with the content creator space and culture (e.g TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, etc).
Your job responsibilities will include:
Collaborating closely with band and artist management teams to shape and execute a dynamic social media strategy across key platforms, driving audience growth and engagement.
Strategizing and implementing innovative tactics to expand their social reach, setting key targets for growth and engagement.
Curating and executing a content strategy and calendar across multiple platforms.
Sound like you? Apply here.
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KEEP SHOOTING
Your weekly reminder to keep going.
Starting as an intern at Reebok, Nicole McLaughlin eventually landed a full time job at the company. But while working there, she saw how much material waste happens at a brand of that size.
So Nicole started to make her now famous up-cycled creations from scraps, athletic equipment, and anything she could get her hands on. These pieces were still just a side project, but Nicole’s work began to gain real traction.
As she told us in our interview, she was in a meeting at Reebok when an outside marketing firm suggested the brand collaborate with a buzzing artist making up-cycled art out of athletic gear. The artist they suggested was… Nicole McLaughlin.
In that moment, Nicole realized it was time to go out on her own. And a few years after that she released her own official sneaker with Reebok.
From intern to signature shoe.