Meet Joey Howell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Howell.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was always interested in art at a young age. I remember being inspired by old movies and cartoons I’d watch as a kid. I had sketchbooks full of different cartoon characters that inspired me.

When I got a bit older and started to go to primary school, I would draw and often get called out by my teacher for drawing instead of paying attention in class.

It was probably around the 5th grade going into middle school that I started to get into skateboarding art. I really liked how eye-catching and exciting some of the graphics were. Around 2010 when I was 16, I sold my first graphic to a band.

It would go with them on a 9 state tour. Several other jobs for bands followed. I’d do Myspace profile coding and layouts as commissions during that time too. In 2012, when I was 18 years old, I was trying to reach out to bigger companies to work for in the skateboarding industry. I reached out to the company Rip N Dip around that time after seeing such big potential in them. I worked for them for about a year and a half or so.

Producing several graphics for the brand. While I was working for them they were featured in GQ Magazine, multiple webs, and printed magazines, and they had a graphic on the front cover of rolling stone. Working for them ended in a settlement but my time with the company has been one of my favorite periods of my career.

Later on, I’d work for, open, and run my own screen printing studio in Lakeland, Florida. This spawned a clothing company for me that I ran for several years along with my screen printing company. I would print for: schools, churches, restaurants, colleges, other small clothing companies, etc. During this time I was still doing freelance graphics for people and companies around the country.

Those freelance jobs consisted of Skate shops, bands, brands, clothing companies, etc. I would be designing: Skateboards, skateboard wheels, stickers, patches, hats, shirts, windbreakers, etc. After some time in Lakeland, FL I would do art shows in & out of town and keep generally busy with my work. It wasn’t until about mid-2020 that I was invited out to Las Vegas for a small vacation.

After my visit there, I knew that I wanted to stay and grow as an artist out west. I was luckily offered a room without having to ask anyone really and just a few months after this trip I was a resident of Las Vegas, NV. During my year in Las Vegas I would work as a manager of a brand new gallery on Freemont Street, and work as an art director for a floral company. As well as meet some really good friends of mine.

Coming from a small town in FL… Las Vegas, although inspiring, started to take its toll on me. Life events later lead me to Moab, UT where I have worked for many the companies there and have my products held in many shops. Here in Moab, I’ve done work for KZMU Community Radio, Desert Wild, Arteesian, Humane Society of Moab Valley, The Bureau of Land Management, Chile Pepper Bike Shop, and more…

Right now, I am currently working on a new book, Finishing up a commission for Joe Bradley who is Cheech & Chong’s Executive Producer for their art project “Homies in Dreamland”. I’m also looking to spread out into different states and counties with my art brand selling stickers, prints, postcards, etc.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a smooth ride for me in a way developing as an artist.

Because I love it so much, the frustrations of it not coming out exactly how you want it and wanting it to be as perfect as you can manage has been something that’s been very rewarding over time. It also takes a lot of patience and a desire to want to be good at it because you love it and want to say something to others.

Financially, it can be very hard to monetize your creations. You generally have to be business-minded as well as artistic. It’s not always easy to figure out how to live off of your art. Staying persistent and working toward that goal anytime you can only make progress.

It’s sort of a constant struggle!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in custom graphic illustrations for companies and personal projects, etc. I am most proud of the style that I have developed over a decade of working on my craft. I am also very proud of some clients I have worked for over the years.

I think what sets me apart from others is my style and concepts. It’s important as an artist to try to be as honest with yourself and listen to your inspirations and stay true to your craft. I’ve tried to do this and I think nature will set you apart from others.

Everyone is very unique and to put yourself in your work, and to find more and more ways to show yourself in it is to make it unique.

What matters most to you?
When working for a client or making a graphic at all it matters to me that I take my time and stay true to the initial idea or image I see in my head and to not think too much about what belongs in it and just look and listen to the idea. Oftentimes, it’s not the best way to make a piece. The ideas will come!

This is important to me because I want people to look at it and see themselves or attach a memory to it if it’s being sold around a National Park or bought in a clothing store. It’s very powerful to me to know that people choose images I design to express who they are or to preserve a memory.

I think I achieve this most when staying true to my ideas.

Contact Info:

• Email: Jhowellart@gmail.com
• Website:www.JoeyHowellArt.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/JoeyHowellArt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Howellart
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeyHowellart 

Image Credits
Abby Leighton and Joey Howell