Domonique Brown: Elevating Black Art in Retail Spaces - An Artist's Tale

00;00;10;14 - 00;00;37;22
Rob Lee
Welcome to the truth in this art. I am your host, Rob Lee. Thank you for tuning into my conversations at the intersection of arts, culture and community. Today, if you could probably hear it in my voice today, I am thrilled to share my next interview. It's a pleasure speaking with my guest, who is an art director, designer and marketing professional who serves as a hands on creative leader, helping brands scale good design for good business.

00;00;38;03 - 00;00;46;19
Rob Lee
My guest is a Los Angeles based artist and the founder of Domo Ink. Please welcome Domonique Brown. Welcome to the podcast.

00;00;47;12 - 00;00;48;07
Domonique Brown
Thank you.

00;00;49;01 - 00;01;13;17
Rob Lee
So, you know, and I did that for this purpose. I like to open up the pod like like this. I always like to show appreciation for the guests coming on. But also, I like to give them the space to introduce themselves. And this is why there's always something that's left out, you know, and that sort of artist statement or that online bio is like, Oh, no, praline, do that no more.

00;01;13;19 - 00;01;19;20
Rob Lee
I do something different. So I like to give the guests the space to introduce themselves authentically. So if you will, introduce yourself.

00;01;20;10 - 00;01;34;18
Domonique Brown
Okay, let me do it. Okay. Hello. My name is Domonique Brown. I'm a creative. Based in. Well, I know what I'm trying to figure out. I should just say he's single from her group of. I hate saying that sounds random. It's.

00;01;34;18 - 00;01;38;23
Rob Lee
You know what? Where is that? You're. You're in Los Angeles later.

00;01;38;26 - 00;02;06;26
Domonique Brown
I was like an hour away. I really do say. I you need to see where my hometown is. I need to read my hometown. So. Okay. All right. I start all over again. Hello? Okay. Hello? Okay. We're trying. We try. We try gloopy, though. Don't mind me. Okay. It's okay. I'm ready. My name is Domonique Brown. I am a creative, be simple mourner.

00;02;07;12 - 00;02;09;20
Domonique Brown
Oh, God. Totally messed up.

00;02;12;08 - 00;02;13;07
Rob Lee
This is what is authentic.

00;02;13;23 - 00;02;45;24
Domonique Brown
Is authentic. I know. Okay. All right. Hello. My name is Domonique Brown. I am from Born in California. I am an artist, a designer and a medical professional. I will say that my biggest accomplishment is founding Domonique. Its mission is about making sure that there is black art and home décor are retail shows. With that, I've had retail strides with Target, Walmart and Urban Outfitters, Macy's, Wayfair, Nordstrom.

00;02;45;24 - 00;03;15;26
Domonique Brown
You can find my artwork anywhere. As an artist, I do content creation where I have done campaigns with Samsung, Bath and Body Works Practice, Procter and Gamble, you name it. But this year I made a focus into doing traditional artwork where I recently exhibited my work with the Los Angeles Lakers and Man devices. So that was a huge accomplishment because Bed Devices is one of the top galleries in Los Angeles.

00;03;15;27 - 00;03;34;20
Domonique Brown
And to have Anthony Davis near my artwork, like who could have thought that? So I'll say my career has doing really well, but this year I really want to start dabbling more into my traditional life because I haven't been able to do much gallery work. I've been able to do a lot of digital work and do all these campaigns.

00;03;34;20 - 00;03;39;27
Domonique Brown
But I really want to get back into being in person and in showing my work to the world.

00;03;40;24 - 00;03;57;14
Rob Lee
Thank you. And I love but also, you know, there's a lot of names that work in this. NAS And then we will be diving back in there a little bit, but also Big Shadow Band of. Torres has been on here twice. So they shout out, you know, I got some, you know, tentacles over there in the West Coast.

00;03;57;14 - 00;03;57;28
Rob Lee
You know, you.

00;03;57;28 - 00;03;58;08
Domonique Brown
Go.

00;03;58;17 - 00;04;22;26
Rob Lee
Close by. So so thank you for that. And, you know, definitely it's your tease and those few nuggets that I'm going to dove in a bit further as we go along. But let's step back a little bit and talk about where for you the creative journey begins. I think we have sort of that well, this was maybe the first gig and then we do that thing of now.

00;04;22;27 - 00;04;33;05
Rob Lee
I used to do stuff when I was younger and it was this was this this, this gallery experience that really had an impact on me. So for you, where where does the journey begin?

00;04;34;00 - 00;04;52;15
Domonique Brown
I'll say, like when my first memories was when I was in preschool, I remember I was drawing on a plate, like, that's all I remember. I don't know what I was using. I remember it was just like from my vision that I have now is that I do this lady with some long hair and my teacher was like, Oh my God, it was so beautiful.

00;04;52;24 - 00;05;13;06
Domonique Brown
I mean, I see it now. If I looked amazed by a stick figure to scribble, but I was like, Oh yeah, I'm Picasso. I'm not even a little Picasso was. But I was like, Yeah, I am. I'm the best artist. But I think like, that sparked the like so like I'll do my grade school. I was always drawing, scribbling in class because I never was the best like I can I can I focus to see my life.

00;05;13;13 - 00;05;32;05
Domonique Brown
So some drawing drawing on my nose was the best thing I could do. But I'll say, like, the thing that kind of like sparked that thought of like, maybe I should focus on being an artist, but really, really know what I really want to do. After high school, I was like, I wish I was being like, Okay, I want to be in advertising.

00;05;32;18 - 00;05;49;00
Domonique Brown
I want to do marketing. I really don't know what. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do, you know? Um, but I like one of my, I took an art class, I was getting kicked out. I got, gotta tell you, it was funny. Like, my teacher just did not know. I knew how to draw. She just was like, this girl.

00;05;49;00 - 00;06;10;25
Domonique Brown
This talks a lot like this. Shut up. So one day I did my whole I guess I did my class work and then he, like, picked it up and he was like, what is your good? Okay. I mean, yeah. So then he feels like you have to apply for this program is called Rhyming Arts and it was so the program is for like inner city kids.

00;06;11;04 - 00;06;31;05
Domonique Brown
They get to go to USC to study fine arts. Wow. So I was like, okay, but like at this time I'm in Pomona for one, it's like an hour drive. So I'm like, tell my mom, are you gonna have to sacrifice your weekend, your off days? Let's go to USC. But this is really cool. So I do the application.

00;06;31;07 - 00;06;49;06
Domonique Brown
I have to like draw this skeleton in. Never did this before. I'm drawing this. I'm like sitting in a dark room for my one hour class like everyone else is doing their little homework. He's like you once in this dark closet. Totally weird right now. He'd be like, Your teacher told you to sit in the dark closet. But at that time, I was drawing in my closet.

00;06;50;18 - 00;07;13;22
Domonique Brown
So I, but I, I put the application in, they sent me. And then for a whole year I'm at USC taking classes, doing like study courses. Illustration is getting college education and we're able to like meet with people at Disney. They have like opportunity where they had opportunity where we got to go to Disney Animation Studios and they can critique your work.

00;07;13;27 - 00;07;33;08
Domonique Brown
Yeah. So I'm nervous. This is like I'm a kid. I don't know nothing about portfolio work. Like, I'm like I really picked up this big old suitcase of work and drug with me down there and do it on the table. And I was like, This is my work, look at it. And they were like, Oh, this is great.

00;07;33;08 - 00;07;58;02
Domonique Brown
So that's another thing. I'm like, Disney thinks I'm good, okay, maybe I should study this, but I always kind of had that mindset like, like I can't really be an artist like I was because, you know, the, the, the thoughts of like, your art is you're broke, you're not going to have anything kind of things out. Okay? What I would do is to fulfill that artist craving.

00;07;58;02 - 00;08;25;05
Domonique Brown
I'll go to Mount SAC, the Mount San Antonio Community College. I'm in California, so it's like I took art classes, got me in graphic design, and then I was like, I'm going to do my plan B now. Yeah. So I Plan B was advertising. Marketing. So I got my bachelors I Cao pipe Mona in communication with a minor PR and then I went to Cal State Dominguez and got my MBA marketing.

00;08;25;16 - 00;08;43;19
Domonique Brown
Plus I was able to get like I was able to go to UCLA to study UX design and then I got a scholarship to go to Otis. So I got to Otis College Art Design, so I got to study finance illustration, and I think my school doesn't see it, that's all. My school and it didn't do robust background.

00;08;45;08 - 00;09;02;05
Domonique Brown
I, I know I very kid I never liked school but for some reason in college I was able to just make it through. I don't know how I look back on like, how did you do it? But yeah, I did all these things and then after I finished, I was just like, All right, I'm just going to do the 9 to 5 office life.

00;09;02;05 - 00;09;20;18
Domonique Brown
I wasn't thinking like, okay, I'm with I'll start drawing. I was like, I don't know how to do that. Like, yeah, I didn't understand it. So I was like, instead of trying to learn and I was like, I know how to go to work. I know how to go to 95, I know how to show up. So in my cubicle, I like this is simple.

00;09;20;18 - 00;09;30;00
Domonique Brown
I would check every two weeks. This is easy work. But then I ended up going with my fiancee. It's a story too long. I'm like, No, please.

00;09;30;23 - 00;09;34;21
Rob Lee
Because the thing is, as I'm going through, I'm like checking off, like, all right, she answered that one.

00;09;35;07 - 00;09;38;14
Domonique Brown
Oh, okay. This is all right. Let me finish.

00;09;38;14 - 00;09;40;21
Rob Lee
Has taken on another job, mine and.

00;09;40;25 - 00;09;59;03
Domonique Brown
Okay, there you go. All right. That makes sense. Okay. So, okay, I guess, like, it's a little bit before I met my fiancee, so something just tells me one day I'm like, I'm me. I'm still making artwork even though I'm at work and stuff. And I was like, I want to see if I can do a gallery show.

00;09;59;03 - 00;10;19;15
Domonique Brown
Like, I just want to our work in a show. I just wanna see how it goes. So I start putting my work in shows in Pomona. Like one piece there, or am I put like a piece in another nearby city just to see. And then I one day I wrote this gallery in Pomona called Progress Gallery. At the time, and I was like, Hey guys, we have an exhibition.

00;10;19;16 - 00;10;38;27
Domonique Brown
I want to do it. Yeah. And I go down there and meet them, everything. I show my work and he's like, Oh, no, no, no, no. You need a solo show. And I was like, So low, I only got a couple of pieces and he was like, Oh, I'll give you a year to start drawing. I was like, Okay, so like this whole year I'm drawing.

00;10;38;27 - 00;10;55;04
Domonique Brown
I mean, my fiancee, he's like just supporting me. I'm literally just in his in his place, just markers everywhere. And cause I was like part of the rules, I was like, because I told him, because he want to date me. And I was like, I told him I was like, well, I was I go to I go to school full time.

00;10;55;04 - 00;11;13;21
Domonique Brown
I was like Cal State. Dominguez Plus I'm still working full time and I'll do like show sounds like you can we can date but please do not get in my way You get in my way is over. I just need to get this work done. I didn't either. That's all I care about. And so we got. So he just okay with me just trashing his place.

00;11;13;24 - 00;11;30;15
Domonique Brown
There's markers everywhere. I'm just. I'm just trying to get this work done for this thing. So at the end, he is so funny. So then at the end, he kind of became my assistant or unpaid assistant. I'll say, Oh, I'm sorry. He basically put up the art show for me, hung up everything, just set it up for me.

00;11;30;28 - 00;11;44;13
Domonique Brown
And from me doing that art show and seeing people talking to me in person, I will say, Tell me your work is good. Like where you been all this time? And why do models.

00;11;46;04 - 00;11;47;09
Rob Lee
At work, at school?

00;11;47;21 - 00;12;02;05
Domonique Brown
Right. You know, like I was like, I don't know. It just did it really clear to me to be like, Oh, let me go. We're going to go out in the world like I was. I just never I felt I always felt like to be a famous artist or to get that kind of shine, you have to know somebody.

00;12;02;20 - 00;12;22;11
Domonique Brown
So me not having a huge social media following, I don't know how to get a following. I post my work, I'm like, getting the likes. I'm just. I'm just living my life. I don't know nothing. I'm like that sort of people you lucky. That's not for me. My life is to go to this office job, do everybody to be a designer, create something, do some gardening.

00;12;22;11 - 00;12;24;05
Domonique Brown
I'm done for today. I'm going to.

00;12;24;19 - 00;12;25;00
Rob Lee
Get out.

00;12;25;09 - 00;12;52;00
Domonique Brown
Of here. Yeah. I didn't think there was some Addison. No, you know, but then I guess the other spark was then we ended up buying a house, so we. So we got money. So I was like, we put a deposit, Nancy, For deposit out 3000 on this house. And they're like, obviously, this is California. So they're like, okay, well, they're like, Well, you need a down payment of $50,000.

00;12;52;00 - 00;13;09;12
Domonique Brown
And I was like, Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it, you know, oh my, oh, my. In a house is built to get built. And I'm like, I can do this. We can figure this out. Like, this is this is manageable. All I don't know is somehow so. So he has it just causes me. He's like, okay, well, we can figure this out.

00;13;09;12 - 00;13;35;14
Domonique Brown
Yeah, I believe in this. Yeah. So we literally go through this crazy cycle to where I my personally I'm working, I'm working on a, at a, at an RV dealership doing marketing for them. And we're I'm doing whitening for a toothpaste. Please. I can. It was just the idea they were designing, just doing stuff, just nature. And then he's working at a furniture store at the same time.

00;13;35;14 - 00;13;56;27
Domonique Brown
He still he he he works in engineering. So he's taking on random jobs like we're just doing. So to just accumulate this money. So once we finally get in that we were able to put the down payment down and we move in and then I was still working two jobs and the second job just pissed me off. I was like, I'm so tired of this.

00;13;56;27 - 00;14;02;27
Domonique Brown
Like I was in my limit. Like working two jobs is not normal. Like is a lot.

00;14;02;27 - 00;14;04;29
Rob Lee
We're trying to make it normal there for a while.

00;14;05;08 - 00;14;26;22
Domonique Brown
No, I'm not. It's not. I will say it wasn't drive me up the wall because I was tired enough. So one day I it was like in April I march. I was just I just hit my limit. I was like, I can't she does not like this is not like I'm doing two jobs I don't care about. Like I need a happiness, you know.

00;14;26;22 - 00;14;45;05
Domonique Brown
So my fiancee name is Dante. So Dante was like, you need to just quit. I was like, I'm gonna quit. We just bought a house like the pandemic. Like, I woke him up, quit my job. I don't know what's going on. Like, well, I can't, you know, and he was like, just do it is doesn't make a store to just sell your artwork.

00;14;45;05 - 00;15;08;24
Domonique Brown
The other girls and I was like, okay, no know does he's like, Yeah. So he told me and then I was like, I just started posting on social media. I kind of got more serious. I start like looking at other art is like I'm like, okay, use this hashtag or maybe I should videotape myself drawing. I guess people want to see that it's yeah.

00;15;08;24 - 00;15;09;16
Domonique Brown
That yoga they.

00;15;10;06 - 00;15;11;28
Rob Lee
Didn't the strategy and all of that.

00;15;12;04 - 00;15;23;18
Domonique Brown
Yeah it's funny right. I work in marketing, but I never thought about marketing for myself. I never it clicked to me be like, oh, maybe I should post like this. This is how people will like me a little bit more.

00;15;23;18 - 00;15;42;09
Rob Lee
But my first job out of college was a marketing job, and I'm a terrible marketer, just like it's like, I don't have the time for it and it changes. Like I, you know, as soon as I feel like I have some rhythm and some system of, okay, what's pop? And this is the move. And then it's just like, yeah, we changed that this week.

00;15;42;09 - 00;15;43;03
Rob Lee
I Cool.

00;15;43;26 - 00;15;46;11
Domonique Brown
Yeah, that sounds about right. It's both.

00;15;46;21 - 00;16;09;29
Rob Lee
So in, the thing is you got through like one of the questions I was going to ask you actually, which is really, really good. And I want to talk a little bit about the who and the what as it relates to like influences, because I'm looking at this is your work behind you, which I'm like, Oh, I'm out here, I see you.

00;16;09;29 - 00;16;11;11
Domonique Brown
This is Oh.

00;16;11;11 - 00;16;34;15
Rob Lee
I love like, you know, sort of the the use of color in here and so on. So tell me a bit about the who in the world that are your influences that show up in like your work necessarily the brand stuff. Because I think that, you know, that's that's sort of like you're working with them but your your work like the work that you're like, this is me, isn't this okay?

00;16;34;15 - 00;16;51;23
Domonique Brown
I would say I think that the funniest story, I guess I guess that's not really funny is but I guess it depends whether you laugh or not. But if it was like when I when I was taking this art class, the teacher that told me games where I'm an artist, I literally I was drawing I was doing a portrait of Rihanna.

00;16;51;23 - 00;17;14;27
Domonique Brown
It doesn't look like her at all. Like if you see it now, don't even x. But this is me thinking I'm drawing her and he like comes up to me and he's like, you know, you know, people have color in their skin, right? And I yeah, it's like it is. Jada Like you feel you just using too much brown like she was like, you know, people have pink in their cheeks.

00;17;15;16 - 00;17;26;05
Domonique Brown
Put some blues like huge like we use like I think the like stuck to me. He was like, we are not pancakes. And I was like, oh, I.

00;17;27;09 - 00;17;29;28
Rob Lee
That's the title of this episode. We are not.

00;17;30;14 - 00;17;31;00
Domonique Brown
You're not.

00;17;31;26 - 00;17;33;18
Rob Lee
Following in your brown, you hear.

00;17;33;22 - 00;17;36;03
Domonique Brown
La la la. Yeah. It's like.

00;17;36;15 - 00;17;39;20
Rob Lee
Yo, that ain't it right there. That's not that point where it needs to be.

00;17;39;20 - 00;18;02;18
Domonique Brown
And you're right and it is stuck to me. So like that kind of started teaching me to like start adding colors because like, okay, I guess we don't use browns. I'm just you then. Brown all over and over and over. But and it went from colored pencil into me start using like oil pastels. And then I saw somebody doing some market.

00;18;02;18 - 00;18;18;17
Domonique Brown
I don't know who it was. I saw someone on Internet and I was like, Marcus did it. Those are not the markets that we buy from Crayola. And then I so then I ended up like going to the local art store and I saw how much it cause now mind you, like this was back when I was in college.

00;18;18;17 - 00;18;35;11
Domonique Brown
I don't know, it might be way more expensive now, but I brought a huge pack of these markets. Copied markers were like 300 bucks, huge problem. So I was, okay, I will do this, you know, so I would buy low street ones. So like if you look at my earlier micro pieces, I'm really working with like 12 markers.

00;18;35;11 - 00;18;49;09
Domonique Brown
Like I don't have anything like my budget, my, my like well now, which is my, I don't even buy copying markers. I really just use off brand markers off the internet. I like that's how I work. Like, yeah, I.

00;18;50;01 - 00;18;52;00
Rob Lee
Cheapo ones that have really obscure.

00;18;52;15 - 00;18;54;09
Domonique Brown
Yeah.

00;18;54;09 - 00;18;55;04
Rob Lee
As much as you.

00;18;55;04 - 00;19;01;22
Domonique Brown
Got right I'm like I might use copy of Comet wants to sponsor me but as of right now we we run on Amazon right now.

00;19;02;04 - 00;19;05;24
Rob Lee
Ever the hustler I hear you right you know if I want to cut the check.

00;19;06;00 - 00;19;06;18
Domonique Brown
All right.

00;19;06;19 - 00;19;08;20
Rob Lee
Scribble, scribble, marker, marker.

00;19;08;20 - 00;19;32;18
Domonique Brown
But right. Well, right now. No, but yeah, it just started I once I was I was like in the off ramp so then I started using more colors are pushing more but I guess my inspiration is kind of like just looking at other artists and galleries. Obviously you see artists on social media and stuff, but is is not the same as when you see a art piece in person.

00;19;32;18 - 00;19;56;06
Domonique Brown
There is something so, so much more captivating. Like I feel like the internet can't show how beautiful a piece looks to you actually. So I try to go to museums all the time, especially when I travel. I really like I went to Dallas. Like I don't I don't like, I don't know, Dallas got all the artwork in the world, but I was like, I'm going to the art museum, you know, anywhere I go, I'm going to art with them.

00;19;56;07 - 00;20;00;11
Domonique Brown
They don't matter where I am. I was in Japan a while ago. I was an army then I'm oh.

00;20;00;22 - 00;20;02;24
Rob Lee
By the way.

00;20;02;24 - 00;20;21;20
Domonique Brown
You have to go. I miss it so much. I talk about it all the time. I'm like, I want to go back again. It was so much fun. Obviously you got to go to museums in Paris. I went in the UK, everywhere, anywhere. Legally I'm gonna go in there because it's just something, it's just really cool to see people like how they use different material.

00;20;21;20 - 00;20;41;05
Domonique Brown
Like someone clearly made a piece out of glass or or literally just anything. I don't know, it just this the way everybody creates is so captivating compared to like what you see on social media or something. I, you know, I do get inspired by social media, but I don't know something about art museum just pushes me to be okay.

00;20;41;05 - 00;20;43;02
Domonique Brown
I'm going to get up in like draw.

00;20;44;00 - 00;21;11;28
Rob Lee
The you're right. Like when the opportunity to to travel or the opportunity to be there and experience the art, if you will, whatever that art might look like. I was talking with someone yesterday about an interview that I've done, you know, in the past, but I was kind of going back over to the interview and I was like, look, the work, maybe the musician and I'm like, I rarely do this.

00;21;11;28 - 00;21;29;14
Rob Lee
I always have like a notepad, always get that thing on me. I got something on my notes and you know, and I was like, Oh, I see. I was like, I wonder if I'm going to interview this dude will see. And I'm listening to his music and seeing him perform. And I pretty much wrote and scripted all of my questions for an interview that I would eventually do with him.

00;21;29;23 - 00;21;53;22
Rob Lee
Yeah, I could. I did the sort of remote thing and got the whole watered down version of the experience. But being there, being in the presence, being there in front of like live music, it felt the same way. I imagine you were describing something. Being around and experiencing the art in person is something different about it. That social media pictures can't quite capture the picture.

00;21;53;22 - 00;21;58;07
Rob Lee
They fake it. Having the experience, he reignites the experience, but the experience is key.

00;21;58;26 - 00;22;16;18
Domonique Brown
Yes, I think it's like obviously on social media, you don't know how big this piece is. It's just you just don't see all the layers and everything. So I see that you're like, holy cow, like, oh, my God, this piece is like six feet tall, like, on Internet. It looked at me. Oh, so that's what makes it so much fun.

00;22;16;19 - 00;22;31;06
Domonique Brown
Like, I lost my, like, wanted. I have to go to art gallery, like, I go to any art gallery. I'd be, like, contemporary. I will. I was I was in Dallas and went to a sculpture museum. Like, I don't even do sculpture, but it was just cool to see. Thank. Yeah.

00;22;31;14 - 00;22;43;19
Rob Lee
And I'll even say like, you know, when I do this so people just think it's just me floating like this, right? And I guess I've been posting a few more of the videos, but when they see me a person, I'm 64, so they're like, you know.

00;22;43;19 - 00;22;46;01
Domonique Brown
You're want to see I feel it, I feel it.

00;22;47;02 - 00;22;49;10
Rob Lee
So it's like I'm like, Oh.

00;22;50;09 - 00;22;52;00
Domonique Brown
You look the way you look on the video.

00;22;52;00 - 00;23;07;08
Rob Lee
No, no. But it is definitely you know, what I'm hearing is, you know what I do like I said, you know, there's two things. When I go to a new place, I'm looking for coffee. I'm looking for where the arts, the culture is at. But coffee first because it's just the reality.

00;23;07;19 - 00;23;08;16
Domonique Brown
It's this is.

00;23;10;04 - 00;23;37;06
Rob Lee
So also I'm reading in there's this background of yours, this extensive creative and I'm jealous of background of yours. So it's sort of like the creative side. You had this background of helping brain scale, good design for for good business and kind of being very hands on in this, this marketing role, this designer role, art director sort of role.

00;23;37;25 - 00;23;50;21
Rob Lee
I How has your concept of like crafting new ideas and, and being that sort of creative Sherpa, if you will, changed as you've gone deeper into your art practice?

00;23;52;12 - 00;24;15;26
Domonique Brown
I will say me doing these kind of collaborations and stuff, I really do believe it changed me as an artist because I feel like I never get I always say I never get lucky with these campaigns. I feel like every campaign I get brought on and most times they're asking me to do something I never did before. Like, Wait, why can I just get the one where I just draw, like the one with one marker and scribble?

00;24;15;27 - 00;24;17;15
Domonique Brown
I can I just do that with as, Oh, now.

00;24;17;16 - 00;24;18;08
Rob Lee
Rihanna, please.

00;24;19;22 - 00;24;38;16
Domonique Brown
Bring her back. You know, never simple is never simple. Like really Samsung. That was a time when I was not I never really talked on the Internet or nothing and like, oh, you're going to shoot that commercial and then we want you to draw on a fridge. And, and for me, I'm a portrait. Art is like, okay. They're like, nope, no portraits.

00;24;38;16 - 00;24;59;29
Domonique Brown
Like, we just want you to do landscape. All right, who we where? I'm like, I'm I'm nervous. I'm creating all these different draft, I guess, like my draft, like, concepts and everything to them. I'm just nervous. I'm a nervous wreck. I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing. The Samsung, how do they call me? Why do they wait?

00;24;59;29 - 00;25;31;24
Domonique Brown
Like what is going on? And I feel like that's like most these big campaigns is always that kind of way for me. But then I'm happy for these moments because then it taught me how to step outside of my comfort zone, be uncomfortable. And I'm really in the middle of Buffalo, New York. I like by myself. I think if I got myself all the way over there and he did shoot this commercial and is by myself and they're just like, Yeah, justice, act like that's your fridge over there and make you some chips.

00;25;31;24 - 00;25;53;23
Domonique Brown
And all this stuff is like, I'm gay or like, this is weird. Like it was, it's, I think is what makes it a lot of things insane for me is like how art can get me into these worlds that treats me out of like a lot of times like for, like the Laker thing was like I never, I would have just gave up on drawing.

00;25;54;11 - 00;26;11;06
Domonique Brown
I would never have been in the same space as these players, all these different people like art collectors or making friends with new people. Other art is can make them a band of ice is like these are things that just won't happen. So it just chips me out of how far I can go.

00;26;11;06 - 00;26;29;25
Rob Lee
And that's great. And, you know, I think in in being able to and I definitely got a question about time that's coming up. You know, being so you know I was telling you before we got started like how long I've been been doing this and in the day job I'm a data analyst. That's what I do in the day job.

00;26;29;28 - 00;26;52;25
Rob Lee
So they kind of serve each others like the system thinking as far as, all right, how are you going to plan this out? How are you going to execute? What's the strategy? And then as far as the day job, the storytelling component of like, what does this data mean? What what is it telling? You know, all those things kind of line up together, but they're having a little sprinkle, you know, of the marketing background being charismatic to sell it, you know, and kind of get it over.

00;26;52;25 - 00;27;13;00
Rob Lee
And I find that the majority of the folks that I interview, especially doing this, I think they kind of like, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is it allows me to connect with with people such as yourself and really engage in a conversation because, you know, the worst is when you this is you know, as I was saying before we got started, this is almost a collaborative thing.

00;27;13;00 - 00;27;31;02
Rob Lee
Like this is sort of my creative outlet and inviting someone. Oh, let's let's ride. What let's see what we did. Yeah, you know, and all always getting engaged. Like, I knew you were going to be fun just based on one your work, but then also your temperament when you get on, you know, you're like, Oh, okay, cool. There's something like, I don't care bro.

00;27;31;02 - 00;27;34;23
Rob Lee
What you got, what your questions as like this and you're.

00;27;34;23 - 00;27;36;04
Domonique Brown
Trying to keep trying.

00;27;36;11 - 00;27;55;01
Rob Lee
To sort it out and that's they're kind of the client in that regard. And I definitely have clients that will reach out and ask me to do sponsored podcast. And the more that I've done, I'm able to kind of reason through which relationships don't quite work, whether it be with the guests or whether we with the sort of client relationship.

00;27;55;23 - 00;28;10;27
Rob Lee
So I say all of that long winded thing to kind of get to this. The designers, creators, when they're approach by brands, we kind of fit a certain model. Sometimes we kind of would we might be, you know, a strategic initiative, if you will.

00;28;11;09 - 00;28;11;21
Domonique Brown
Yes.

00;28;11;23 - 00;28;26;16
Rob Lee
You approach that when you're working with the brand. Like what are those? What are those red flags, if you will? What are those green flags? What do those relationships look like that you're like, No, this is where I want to put the 2 minutes of time that I have towards.

00;28;26;16 - 00;28;46;13
Domonique Brown
Okay, I see what you mean. Like which, which ones you want to put effort in I think is the way the I played, like the way I play, the trapping of what was the best way. Step one is the compensation. I'll see that you're a big brand. I know you have it. Pay me.

00;28;46;13 - 00;28;49;08
Rob Lee
Yeah. Market companies now they're even off brand, right?

00;28;49;09 - 00;29;13;15
Domonique Brown
I think that's what it is like. That's number one is a value my time you know I feel like I do not want to be approached for something very small. I don't want I like, like one brand had asked me like, can you do a coloring book for 500 bucks, $500? I that's a lot of work. And it was not bargaining.

00;29;13;15 - 00;29;31;02
Domonique Brown
It was like $500 plus a gift card. It was only to display for average before. So I had to say no. It was a big brand. It had been cute to put on my portfolio, but I was like like how? Like all I always try to look at time is like instead of taking on this project is to be like, Oh, well, I worked with this company.

00;29;31;18 - 00;29;49;19
Domonique Brown
I could have built my own platform, I could build my own table like I could have made some new artwork predominantly. I could have done something way more beneficial for my time of saying, Oh, guess what? I got to work with this company on social media. I want to do something a little more beneficial. I'll say to is the campaign.

00;29;50;18 - 00;30;08;09
Domonique Brown
I thought you can tell a lot if you're being used as I guess you can see like a token. You can say like a diversity voice, you can tell the the project doesn't align with you. It just doesn't make any sense. They don't know your artwork. You just tell it what they're asking of you. So you can say that's a red flag.

00;30;08;09 - 00;30;36;08
Domonique Brown
Like you just tell like they just found you randomly to to to meet quota. You say it. But I think like the green flags is when they actually truly want to collaborate with you like you actually even if it's just the email, you can just tell the way that they give you that creative freedom. I mean, those are like the best campaigns when they actually believe in what you're trying to do with the project instead of just saying like it needs to be this way, this way, this way, this way.

00;30;36;16 - 00;30;53;28
Domonique Brown
I don't care what you think. This is how I feel. Do it. That's when I'm like, Oh, this sucks. Is this the horrible campaign? I feel like when I get put in that position, I already know it's going to bomb. Like, I'm like, You don't know me, don't really care to use my voice. You just want to use me for what I look like.

00;30;53;28 - 00;30;57;01
Domonique Brown
Yeah, let's. Let's have this horrible campaign. Let's do this.

00;30;57;21 - 00;30;59;05
Rob Lee
Let's bomb together.

00;30;59;09 - 00;31;01;21
Domonique Brown
Yeah, let's go. You know, you're.

00;31;01;21 - 00;31;23;01
Rob Lee
Right, you're right. Like, you know, I've had similar things and is podcasting. Everyone wants to do it. There's a lot of bad ones. I teach in that field now too. I'm teaching like high schoolers, like podcasting. So I'm listening. Yes, it's fun then revisiting some of these steps and try not to be cynical about it, but also being real about it.

00;31;23;01 - 00;31;45;02
Rob Lee
I saying there's a lot of stuff out there is kind of made and when I get those similar approaches because like sort of the visual like work people have known that a bit longer than let's say was this podcast thing. Anybody can do it right. And it's like, sure, anyone can draw to anyone can illustrate, but then there's good better or bad grade.

00;31;45;02 - 00;31;48;12
Rob Lee
Excellent. And there's a lot of MIT out there.

00;31;48;23 - 00;31;49;04
Domonique Brown
Yeah.

00;31;49;27 - 00;32;12;08
Rob Lee
You know, so when folks approach me, they get really weird sometimes and I fit, you know, as the token thing or, you know, this. But then it's, it's odd because, you know, it is the disrespectful thing. You're right. I think that that is is odd. I've had the well, we can pay you an exposure that's like indoors for 15 years.

00;32;12;08 - 00;32;30;18
Rob Lee
I don't audition no more like what are we doing? Yeah. And now, but then there's this sort of line where if I really want to do it and it's just like this is of interest, like I work with, like PR firm sometimes and it's just like, all right, this is a situation that I can't get to because it's like this.

00;32;30;18 - 00;32;48;24
Rob Lee
Yes, I really want, but I can't quite get to them because there's all of the gatekeepers I cool. Maybe having that relationship is important, but some of those other instances where, Hey, Rob, we want to work with you to do like a series of interviews and we know your rate is this, but how about we pay you an exposure?

00;32;49;13 - 00;32;51;16
Rob Lee
So like, I don't know. Brown over those clicks.

00;32;51;16 - 00;33;08;14
Domonique Brown
Me Yeah, that's true. No, I get you. Sometimes the exposure could be worth it, you know, like especially to you're doing like an article or something. We're not going to pay you. But you know, like we get posted to, like you say certain things, but most times you should try to get compensated.

00;33;09;03 - 00;33;19;09
Rob Lee
100%, especially, you know, I'm going to put a very fine point on, especially as a black woman trying to make your thing. It's it's you guys get overlooked. It's just kind of what is it?

00;33;19;21 - 00;33;27;01
Domonique Brown
Yeah, it is true. And then I said, statistically, we get paid less. So I'm always trying to make up that extra, extra penny that I lost. So.

00;33;28;25 - 00;33;47;11
Rob Lee
So, so actually I forgot to ask you this earlier and you've mentioned it twice, and I feel like a bad interviewer for not asking you to earlier demo and tell us about it because you mentioned it. I didn't really ask about it, but I should have. And because that's, you know, that's your your your your business. So some of it.

00;33;48;14 - 00;34;02;06
Domonique Brown
Okay. Okay. Domonique was started officially in April 2020. I had ran under the name of Domonique when I was selling on Etsy, but I was really selling pins and keychain. So it just wasn't it just wasn't me. Like.

00;34;03;01 - 00;34;07;04
Rob Lee
It was it was those kinds of keychains. I was like, Yeah, where's that? I'm a need, though.

00;34;07;05 - 00;34;25;21
Domonique Brown
Oh, you don't. You don't want the you know what? This that was definitely just that was a different lifestyle. So that was not the real Domonique. That was me. That was pins and pins and keychain. This is Domonique, the art brand. What, 2020?

00;34;26;21 - 00;34;27;06
Rob Lee
That's a real.

00;34;27;07 - 00;34;36;14
Domonique Brown
One, right? I think they might look at it like, wait a minute, I want Etsy. It was, are you selling keychains? And I like that. Different life, different demo.

00;34;36;22 - 00;34;42;19
Rob Lee
Everything was shaped like a pancake for some reason that was going on right?

00;34;42;19 - 00;35;02;19
Domonique Brown
Oh, my gosh. So, yeah. So I started I only started selling my work and I wasn't thinking nothing of it. It was just during the pandemic. I'm just on my way like nails and hair money. One day when the lockdown is over, we even go to the nail salon, you know? And then people don't catch it online. It's like getting comments.

00;35;02;19 - 00;35;22;09
Domonique Brown
People are like, hey, like, this is really dorky. Put it on a T, can you do this? I really like this. Can you make this a print for me? And I was like, Oh, okay. But I honestly like that. Like, I guess I rewind it back. So I'm doing really well started because I moved into my house and I couldn't find anything, I guess like nothing black.

00;35;22;18 - 00;35;38;19
Domonique Brown
I never was a kind of person. I was shop for my like before I moved to this house. I live at home. My parents, I'm not decorating my room like was not looking to decorate my, my, my little room to be all fancy. And so that was not what I was doing. Like it was a place to leave my head and watch TV.

00;35;39;17 - 00;35;57;02
Domonique Brown
So I moved to the house, I was inspired to be like this interior designer. I want to be well, my house to be TV worthy. I was like, all of a sudden I got this bike and I started going into stores, going into HomeGoods, everything. And I'm like, Where is the black statues? Like, where is the black art?

00;35;57;02 - 00;36;13;07
Domonique Brown
Like, it just it was just her like, I was like, I don't really want to put this in my house. Like, this doesn't represent me. Like, I was only buying it. So I was like, Well, I am an artist. Just draw your own stuff, you know? Like just do your own thing. And it was me, create my own stuff.

00;36;13;07 - 00;36;29;28
Domonique Brown
I was happy to share it because I'm all about like, I just want a house. Look at me decorating this look. We did it in my kitchen. Look at me decorating my dining table and me just sharing the experience online brought a lot of attention from people like like, oh, can, can I have this in my house, too?

00;36;30;11 - 00;36;51;08
Domonique Brown
So, all right. So I started posting more of my prints of my artwork. I started getting the digital word. I never did digital artwork. You know, as a designer, I was just making posters and stuff like that that was like that side of that. But I started seeing like other digital ideas and I was, I was like, Wait a minute, I see that you're doing well doing that.

00;36;51;08 - 00;37;12;15
Domonique Brown
I think I can learn that. So I got me an iPad, start drawing on my illustrator, on my computer and everything, and people really started connecting with my work and I started seeing that other people had the same struggle as me. Like, like, hey, girl, I don't I can't find Black Decker at my store either. Like, you are my plug.

00;37;12;15 - 00;37;34;24
Domonique Brown
So I was like, okay, is so doll ing do blue up out of literally from my own struggle to where now I'm helping other people with their struggle to where Domonique has grown into a brand, to where we're not just online, we are in stores as well. Last year I came up with Target's Black History Month, where I even have my own own home décor line.

00;37;34;24 - 00;37;45;10
Domonique Brown
Absolutely insane where I was selling plates, mugs, tumblers, coasters, paint, kids, art prints five forgot something on mugs. I might have said it, but.

00;37;45;25 - 00;37;51;20
Rob Lee
Would you revisit the scribble you did as a young person? It's like, Yeah, I'm going to put that on these plates for Target.

00;37;51;21 - 00;38;05;09
Domonique Brown
Oh, right. No, just. Oh, you know what was funny? It was a line art. So maybe I'll look at it that as this full circle moment it was, it was looking at scribble it was a scribble of I got a podcast.

00;38;05;09 - 00;38;06;05
Rob Lee
To two, you know, a little.

00;38;06;05 - 00;38;26;14
Domonique Brown
Called where you go. There you go. I appreciate that almost. I next make social media posts. I'm like, I had this full circle moment. I won't give you no credit really with classic marketer, but it just came to me randomly and full circle like this. Please. This is like a.

00;38;26;16 - 00;38;27;15
Rob Lee
Bad record deal.

00;38;27;26 - 00;38;29;22
Domonique Brown
Right? Yeah. You know, I have.

00;38;29;22 - 00;38;31;16
Rob Lee
This new artist, you know?

00;38;31;27 - 00;38;35;26
Domonique Brown
Yeah. You see it? That's business, right? Well.

00;38;36;19 - 00;38;53;12
Rob Lee
I've been playing with this idea because we're in a I call it an idea economy. And I was like, look, you know, all your ideas, you better start trademarking them because, you know, you start doing these pitch meetings, your ideas become someone else's because.

00;38;53;12 - 00;39;05;03
Domonique Brown
Yeah, yeah. True. That's why you should make sure when you send those emails have a military tractor. So see that we opened it so they can't be like, I know, I know you are, but what is that? And my also my email.

00;39;05;18 - 00;39;09;09
Rob Lee
Is great idea that just came to me. Really. Yeah. Give me your email.

00;39;09;23 - 00;39;22;08
Domonique Brown
But right. I'm like, why did Domonique some random copy of my brand somewhere? The domino was Domonique I work with. I know I created this face statement again.

00;39;22;08 - 00;39;27;16
Rob Lee
You know, it is like just taking your own legacy brand like, yeah, this is the vault.

00;39;28;00 - 00;39;36;01
Domonique Brown
Right? Oh, my gosh. I know you mad. You used to have the art, the pins and earrings. That's offensive.

00;39;36;01 - 00;39;42;24
Rob Lee
So, so so I want to give you sort of the the last the last two questions that I have. And I got these Rapidfire questions for you.

00;39;42;29 - 00;39;43;21
Domonique Brown
Oh, okay.

00;39;44;01 - 00;39;52;10
Rob Lee
So I kind of touched on this one a little bit earlier, so I'm definitely curious about it. And I think it's a very advantageous talent. Ask this.

00;39;52;22 - 00;39;52;29
Domonique Brown
Look.

00;39;53;05 - 00;40;17;07
Rob Lee
Is your relationship with time? Is it never enough? Are you like sort of cramming for the debt towards the deadline? Do you struggle with time management? Because, you know, as a person that works with brands, you have your own stuff that you're working, you're an entrepreneur, you have a day job. You are all the different things. Yes. And I relate because, you know, one year I did 300 plus interviews and a job and all of that.

00;40;17;07 - 00;40;20;11
Rob Lee
And there's a couple of hours to go to each podcast. So you can imagine.

00;40;20;11 - 00;40;20;22
Domonique Brown
Yeah.

00;40;21;25 - 00;40;24;05
Rob Lee
How does that relationship with time work for you?

00;40;25;00 - 00;40;46;01
Domonique Brown
I honestly, I don't think it's time management. I feel like this I it's a it's a double edged sword, obviously. It's amazing to be busy like for brands that you have all the time to do campaigns and everything. But then what these short deadlines of brand to literally hit me up tomorrow and be like so we need this Monday like emails.

00;40;46;10 - 00;40;49;14
Domonique Brown
Okay. Yeah, this is what.

00;40;49;14 - 00;40;53;00
Rob Lee
Coming from kristen is hard. I got this brand campaign right?

00;40;53;00 - 00;41;13;11
Domonique Brown
Rich Yeah, we want out of it. So it's like that's like the, like I guess for me, for time management, it feels like I never have enough and I just never enough time because there's always something new happening. But I'm happy for it. But some, I guess the days we ain't got no sleep. It sucks.

00;41;13;11 - 00;41;13;24
Rob Lee
I hear.

00;41;15;08 - 00;41;15;10
Domonique Brown
The.

00;41;15;17 - 00;41;20;17
Rob Lee
Term system, you know, it's that thing of what is it? I rather be overbooked and underpaid.

00;41;21;02 - 00;41;22;06
Domonique Brown
There you go. Yeah.

00;41;22;16 - 00;41;42;22
Rob Lee
It's sort of that. And, you know, I, I had to change the philosophy because you're right. The you're not getting enough sleep. And, you know like, do you have all of these other things because you also in that whole mix of your own personal life, too. Yes. That needs to have its time like I have. Mine's luckily I don't have any kids.

00;41;43;00 - 00;41;43;13
Domonique Brown
That is.

00;41;44;10 - 00;41;49;10
Rob Lee
This. Look, just what all of this is like. Yeah, I'm going to go travel for this art show where.

00;41;49;16 - 00;41;51;15
Domonique Brown
We right now.

00;41;51;15 - 00;41;53;01
Rob Lee
It's all the question stuff.

00;41;53;01 - 00;41;53;10
Domonique Brown
Yeah.

00;41;53;17 - 00;42;15;11
Rob Lee
Gretchen But, you know, I try to in having the bandwidth like, you know, and I'm always appreciative of when folks actually are down to reschedule and communicate which like, again, you know, going into this, I knew you were going to be going to be tight because, you know, I have folks that just I put in a couple hours of research before each one of these.

00;42;15;11 - 00;42;44;02
Rob Lee
I've already invested that time into each interview. Yes. There are some folks who they just don't show up and. No, no, no, no, nothing beforehand. So I don't get those that time back. So, you know, in theory, it's like I've lost that time. Yes. It's gone towards what? Because even if we eventually circle my bad. Right. And see that email and when we eventually get back to it, it's like I got to redo the questions because now those old questions are outdated.

00;42;44;21 - 00;42;45;08
Domonique Brown
Yeah, but.

00;42;45;09 - 00;42;56;19
Rob Lee
A new thing that they're working on or whatever the case may be and you know, for the most part you're not tracking it. But when you're an entrepreneur and when you're an independent creator, when you do all these things, you got to track everything.

00;42;56;29 - 00;42;57;16
Domonique Brown
Yeah.

00;42;58;00 - 00;43;06;28
Rob Lee
I want to sit here and watch reruns of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I can't watch those. If I'm putting time toward writing these questions of research in this guest, that's not going to show up.

00;43;07;10 - 00;43;25;13
Domonique Brown
Yeah, yeah that's true. I can relate. There's been is before honestly contractors told me when I was younger younger artists now draw something for somebody and then when it's time to pay they're like, oh, I ain't got it. So I was like, all this wasted time, you did all this work. And then I they're like, I don't got it.

00;43;26;27 - 00;43;46;26
Domonique Brown
Or even you can just me or you said, like, you're you're practicing for this for this moment with this interview, I guess would be the same thing to get you like someone hit you up for a campaign. So your mindset, it's all right, let me start studying for it and start getting ready for this. And the next minute you get an email saying actually re canceling it or moving in direction.

00;43;47;06 - 00;43;58;23
Domonique Brown
That's that's that's like you say it's like time wasted but I try to look at it as like, okay, this is more like me practicing my crap time. That's like the healthier way of looking at it.

00;43;59;18 - 00;44;16;21
Rob Lee
So you got a good mindset? Oh, that's good. That's good. Because you have this, this concept. If I move into this, this last question, I have this, this concept, I call it like riding the wave. Like I'm like, man, I got this creative energy. Let's just ride with it. When I'm tired, I'm tired, but yes, I can do this.

00;44;16;21 - 00;44;37;24
Rob Lee
And at one point I am. My high watermark of interviews in a week was 18 so right. And luckily I don't edit my podcast anymore. I have an editor and that frees things up. But you know, also I do have to vet the podcast, I have to listen to it, all of that stuff. So it's just kind of taking those resources.

00;44;37;24 - 00;45;02;20
Rob Lee
So I always would put things in a very binary set of like two buckets of like is either money or it's access, you know, and if the access is, there has to be real like touching on what we've talked about earlier a little bit. Yeah, I really want that access. If that access matters, don't try to, you know, push access towards me because the things that I have that I have to attend to and be responsible for, they're important.

00;45;02;20 - 00;45;17;26
Rob Lee
And I remember I was a client that was doing a ghost podcast for I did not put my name on it. I was like, I don't know about this, but the money was real though. So was like, but you know, we did it. And then midway through is like they decided to cancel the second half of the project.

00;45;18;11 - 00;45;36;14
Rob Lee
So. All right, cool. I was paid for half. We did half. I say feels like I should have got my full bank because you guys canceled, but whatever. Yeah. Come back to me a year later those does podcast can you think you can cut those up until like best of segments and we kind of pay you what we didn't pay you last year.

00;45;37;00 - 00;45;55;23
Rob Lee
I was just saying your let's go with it. But during that time I got staff to pay for, you know, sort of like figure it. I was, I was kind of banking on it and all of that. But it was a lesson learned to your point about this is practice. This is looking at that silver lining, that healthier way of kind of approaching it.

00;45;56;13 - 00;46;11;08
Domonique Brown
Yeah. And they also do that. I feel like those moments allow me to be like way more serious in regards to like contracts and making sure you want to commission by me. I need a pause. Like, I'm not just working just because all of your trust, like. No.

00;46;11;28 - 00;46;31;18
Rob Lee
Yeah. When? Once I found out what an email you was or having some semblance of a contract, I also this is what we have and I find like the moment is anyone who's a creator or creator or Jason or whatever that that it is, you were doing something that's creative, that moment that you seem like you have some business savvy or a head on your shoulders.

00;46;32;12 - 00;46;39;17
Rob Lee
Yeah, I wasn't expecting that from you. Mm hmm. Let me let's let me get back to you on that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00;46;40;01 - 00;46;40;10
Domonique Brown
Yeah.

00;46;41;12 - 00;46;42;24
Rob Lee
Yeah, yeah. We'll talk about that later.

00;46;43;04 - 00;46;44;20
Domonique Brown
Right.

00;46;44;20 - 00;47;06;24
Rob Lee
So in this this last question and I'm because I think I think we're speaking a similar language like there, you know, the highs are really high you know, the lows can be really low on this sort of creative journey when you're entrepreneur, you know. Right. And, you know, a lot of times where you were driven by ambition, we're driven by that next check, that next opportunity.

00;47;07;04 - 00;47;18;09
Rob Lee
And sometimes it can be a hassle for many reasons. It's just like, man, I got conflicts, I got to figure it out. So in doubt, how do you get back to sort of your factory setting? So I like to call them.

00;47;18;09 - 00;47;20;08
Domonique Brown
Like that.

00;47;20;20 - 00;47;42;20
Rob Lee
The next right thing because you know, I remember I got this like notoriety of like, you know, being, you know, award winning podcast. I got that. And I had a buddy who's an artist, the visual artist, and he was like, Don't get too high right now, bro. It's like, I have no I have no plan to anymore. It's like a bad thing, like a bomb, a podcast or campaign buy bomb a podcast.

00;47;42;20 - 00;47;49;12
Rob Lee
And it's just like, you know, it's not my worst. It's not my best. We'll we'll get back. How do you return back to your factory settings?

00;47;50;04 - 00;48;12;17
Domonique Brown
Oh, that's like saying, okay, I will say I feel like I'm a crybaby. I will say that like the come through honestly. I'm like straight up for the day. Like I'd be lying to just be like, Oh yeah, next time. Like now I'm like, I just want to go back to my native vibe. I want to go back to my cubicle coop.

00;48;12;22 - 00;48;37;19
Domonique Brown
Why did I start this? I just stayed just the three. Get the art. Why don't you stay there? You know, pin pins and keychains, you know, like. Like what made me decide to step outside of myself. But I feel like this new thing I've been doing lately is that you have, like, I guess it's like in the thoughts of, like, I like when it rains is a rainbow afterwards.

00;48;37;25 - 00;49;01;06
Domonique Brown
So I think of me crying or whining for the day is me getting it out to where my rain will appears. So every time one of my best related with like like oh my gosh, like am I doing right? Like is this right for me to be taking on these campaigns, doing these retail partnerships? Am I putting too much pressure on myself?

00;49;01;06 - 00;49;35;21
Domonique Brown
Like work starts to self-doubting, like, am I actually that great of an artist or whatever? All of a sudden something just happens. Oh, it always happened. Let me something so simple. I took like this week, this mother sent me a picture of her daughter in Walmart and the daughter had like so I have like I have a hair accessories line with at Walmart is like goody true another one so right now so like hairbrushes hair pics, elastic bands hair, eclipse, all the fun stuff.

00;49;36;23 - 00;50;01;12
Domonique Brown
So that was a super hard campaign to work on, but it was like, like just seeing that moment of does it just really just to picture that this little girl and she just smiling like this is a big kind of thing. It like, I guess like it kind of like you said, like it kind of brings you back like just brings you back to what your what your purpose is.

00;50;01;12 - 00;50;29;12
Domonique Brown
So, like I to about myself, like my purpose is to push this artwork out because when I was a kid, I wasn't seeing these things couple of years ago, I wasn't seeing these things. So if I can just make a couple pieces to put out in this world to where another kid can see themselves, to where when they get to my age or even younger, they understand what their purpose is, that there is space for them.

00;50;29;12 - 00;50;54;25
Domonique Brown
I just I like that my artwork allows people to feel seen and to know that they're wanted. So those are my that's my reminder of when I'm like, let me close this laptop. Let me throw these markers away and go find me a cubicle to go sit in and and just give up. But no, I that's my reminder.

00;50;54;25 - 00;51;01;22
Domonique Brown
Like, little, little moments like that. Like you're like, okay, I'll. Okay, I'll draw again. Okay, that's great.

00;51;02;10 - 00;51;18;09
Rob Lee
So that's almost a perfect way to kind of close out the real podcast with that. And it definitely a neat little button. Tighten it up. Thank you. That was great. So I got five Rapidfire questions for you.

00;51;18;18 - 00;51;19;28
Domonique Brown
Okay.

00;51;19;28 - 00;51;21;13
Rob Lee
Do not overthink these.

00;51;21;23 - 00;51;26;00
Domonique Brown
Okay. All right.

00;51;26;00 - 00;51;32;07
Rob Lee
You should never ask an artist this, but I'm going to ask them to start out with this one red color right now knows I put that caveat at the end.

00;51;33;02 - 00;51;36;15
Domonique Brown
Right? Orange is random. Okay. But I like red orange.

00;51;37;02 - 00;51;44;09
Rob Lee
All right. So far, one for one, because usually the way this is played, it's almost like, man, I got an answer. I was like, that's a demerit.

00;51;44;26 - 00;51;47;00
Domonique Brown
All right.

00;51;47;00 - 00;51;48;15
Rob Lee
What are you currently watching?

00;51;50;08 - 00;52;13;13
Domonique Brown
Oh, my God, I don't watch TV. Oh, no, I know it's not a crazy person, like. No, but I mean, like, I love a TV show. Like, I'm. I'm pretty like, okay. I would say with me watching these typical walls, I know right in my free time, like, well, I'm not on social media. I'm just saying it. Well, no, I, I, I worry so much.

00;52;13;13 - 00;52;29;07
Domonique Brown
I really don't want to, but let's see, I'm trying to think my last show, I'm a documentary watcher. I'm those kind of people I like watching, like other people's lives and stuff. I like watching those kind of things. But I will say I've been getting into YouTube like I call myself an iPad kid now, like almost like I'm a big iPad.

00;52;29;08 - 00;52;53;22
Domonique Brown
You know, I'll say my favorite YouTube channel is called Watcher. This is this guy is from BuzzFeed. I used to like watching like true crime and stuff. So they're like easy humor. And then also I've been binge watching on The Simpsons. I it's a give me like all the nostalgia. Like I feel like I'm like this kid in elementary school laughing at The Simpsons after school again, like it's all the wives.

00;52;54;11 - 00;52;59;27
Rob Lee
So so you're two for two now because you thought you didn't have an answer, but you did have an answer. I knew that.

00;53;00;12 - 00;53;00;18
Domonique Brown
It.

00;53;01;08 - 00;53;35;24
Rob Lee
This one is a little more opaque. What is a skill that you value in other people that you think is just often unappreciated? Like I like people who are really good conversationalists. I think that's a that's a lost art these days about engage in conversations. It's just hashtags. And here's a meme. This is how I feel. It's just like you articulate that, please, what is a trait that or skill that people have that, you know, you might not have it yourself, but you really appreciate it when you see it from other people.

00;53;35;24 - 00;53;54;26
Domonique Brown
I will say writing, I know that's always been like very amusing to me. Like, I don't think I'm the best writer. I never like so, like, so right now I work as a designer at Forbes, so I work with editors a lot of times. So just to see that every day, to just wake up and write, like I just it just trips me out because it seems it doesn't make sense to me.

00;53;54;26 - 00;54;03;26
Domonique Brown
But now we have an idea where I feel like it allows me to become this writer. This writer becomes someone else. Look right in the.

00;54;04;03 - 00;54;08;08
Rob Lee
Eye thing like losing jobs.

00;54;08;20 - 00;54;11;26
Domonique Brown
And they are. But I'm this that's how I always feel like whatever.

00;54;11;26 - 00;54;15;11
Rob Lee
Is creative so it's just like really even better start playing with it.

00;54;15;23 - 00;54;16;13
Domonique Brown
Yeah, yeah.

00;54;16;14 - 00;54;25;16
Rob Lee
Have to use it all the time. And I'm just waiting. Like I said earlier, 700, over over 700 podcasts I know is going to be the air of my voice. It's like, here's the truth. It is art.

00;54;25;25 - 00;54;26;09
Domonique Brown
All right.

00;54;26;18 - 00;54;28;00
Rob Lee
0001.

00;54;29;17 - 00;54;42;07
Domonique Brown
It is. Air is definitely scary, obviously right now, it's it's kind of like obviously is fooling a lot of people already. But it's great to where it allows me to write emails.

00;54;42;26 - 00;55;08;03
Rob Lee
100%. It's it's a it's a good copywriter it's good to do certain things I've verified code with it is but I will say because we have like this work shortage and you know, like I'm not the biggest reader, you know, it's like I'm not a voracious reader. Like I listen to audiobooks mostly, but when I go through something right it, reading it, and then I see factual inaccuracies.

00;55;08;25 - 00;55;27;18
Rob Lee
I get really upset cause it's like, I read this and it's wrong, and it's like on a reputable site, it's like ESPN, I remember. So for context, when Carl Weathers passed away, I'm on ESPN and it's like, you know, Carl Weathers from these movies. I'm like, okay, okay. And I'm like reading. And it's like in from Rocky from 1984.

00;55;27;18 - 00;55;34;10
Rob Lee
And I'm like, Well, Rocky, he, his character, Apollo Creed, died in Rocky from 1985.

00;55;34;21 - 00;55;35;05
Domonique Brown
Yeah, that's.

00;55;35;05 - 00;55;48;07
Rob Lee
One of my favorite movies. And then it came out in 86 and it came out 84. And this movie that was released to end in November of 85. So I was like, That's almost two years and accurate.

00;55;49;15 - 00;55;50;07
Domonique Brown
Yeah, I.

00;55;50;07 - 00;56;10;04
Rob Lee
You know, and I remember the story with ESPN. I mean, I'm not not ESPN a Sports Illustrated where it's just like, yeah, we found out a lot of these things were inaccurate because it would start using like the same sort of terminology and it's like unveiling the truth in this art. I'm like, Oh, what is this? And you start testing it out.

00;56;10;04 - 00;56;13;06
Rob Lee
It's like, now you got to update this. This is not good.

00;56;13;10 - 00;56;30;25
Domonique Brown
Yeah, yeah. It's not. It's not clean. I use it. I would it trusted it, right? Like a school essay or something but like like sometimes I feel like it's like, I guess it's like thinking block, I guess, or something. But they, it'd be something as simple, like someone to send me emails or something so simple, like a customer.

00;56;30;25 - 00;56;41;19
Domonique Brown
I'd be like, Where's my order? And my mind is like, I don't even know what to say. Like, I know I please just be like, here's your tracking information. But I'm like, I'm in the air to make it look nice. Like, I can't.

00;56;41;27 - 00;56;45;03
Rob Lee
Write a word email basically saying, I don't care about your.

00;56;45;03 - 00;57;00;17
Domonique Brown
Audience. That like something so simple little example, but like, because, like, my mind is like, I guess like me as like my insecurity like is my like am I like, is my grandma right? I just want to sound clean, like, okay.

00;57;01;11 - 00;57;18;16
Rob Lee
I think what it should be and what I think it's the most effective it is being that second set like it's is for the brainstorming piece of I need to write an email that's this long that accomplishes this. Can you make a draft of it and then you edit after. I think that's.

00;57;18;16 - 00;57;19;17
Domonique Brown
The way it yes.

00;57;20;01 - 00;57;22;13
Rob Lee
Because just filling it out in a universe is like.

00;57;23;05 - 00;57;32;21
Domonique Brown
Oh, you're in trouble. Yeah, it's I'm like, oh, I'll put it out. I guess I'll give it a prompt and I'll read it and be like, That is not what I adds.

00;57;33;19 - 00;57;40;08
Rob Lee
You didn't get that, that or that. What is it they charge? GPT Pro, have you that right? Yeah. All right. Why is this better?

00;57;40;26 - 00;57;41;08
Domonique Brown
Right.

00;57;42;07 - 00;58;00;25
Rob Lee
All right. Let me each of these last two, you guys, I could just talk about it, right? Right. So I thought this was was a clever one. This is a full circle. I know you're going to. But what is something that's always in your refrigerator? Maybe. Maybe it's a sample refrigerator. I don't know. Who knows? But what's always that's in your refrigerator?

00;58;02;01 - 00;58;06;24
Domonique Brown
Oh, my God. I guess where myself as we chat the random but.

00;58;06;27 - 00;58;08;06
Rob Lee
Gary California then you just.

00;58;08;11 - 00;58;09;00
Domonique Brown
Said that it.

00;58;09;14 - 00;58;09;28
Rob Lee
It is.

00;58;10;26 - 00;58;18;21
Domonique Brown
Wow I know and I ran out so my mind is like okay I got to get my which I think I reboot is.

00;58;19;02 - 00;58;29;16
Rob Lee
Fueled by hot topics I this is the last one this is the last one. And you know, this is this falls into that vein of, you know, sort of the you check in with your creative friends.

00;58;30;07 - 00;58;30;19
Domonique Brown
Uh huh.

00;58;30;28 - 00;58;35;08
Rob Lee
How many hours of sleep do you normally get? Not talking about like right now because it's so.

00;58;35;08 - 00;58;35;10
Domonique Brown
We're.

00;58;35;10 - 00;58;43;17
Rob Lee
Going to have to. So how many hours sleep do you generally get? Is seven a good number? Four years and more like five man.

00;58;44;14 - 00;59;05;20
Domonique Brown
I'll say I'll start with you like like that 6 to 7 because, because I, I want to go to sleep early, but then it's always like this random thought that clicks in at night where I'm like, Oh, I should do this, I should do this. Let me set this up. It's always bad. But right now I've been trying to like, tell myself, like, girl, you could you could do this tomorrow.

00;59;05;20 - 00;59;29;17
Domonique Brown
Like, you don't have to because you're hurting yourself in the long run by making yourself get up half awake and trying to get through the day, like do that all morning. So I've been getting better at it before. I used to be just doing like 3 to 4 hours, just waking up angry at the world. But if when you have more time to run but at least I got my work done kind of thing.

00;59;29;23 - 00;59;35;29
Domonique Brown
But it's like, what cost? You hate the world, you hate everything. Especially if it's.

00;59;35;29 - 00;59;55;21
Rob Lee
One of those things like especially like you don't get this in Cali, but you know, like it was there, you know, it was 28 degrees this morning. I get up at like 530 and I usually go for a run and then go to the gym. It didn't start the day, but yeah, the only way that that was actually going to work for me for the long term and I've been sticking with that sort of vibe for the last six months.

00;59;56;07 - 01;00;13;04
Rob Lee
I had to just get up earlier and I find that, you know, go to sleep earlier. I did. I am able to get up earlier. I find that a bit more refreshed that when I get to this part of the day, when I'm doing the interviews, which is sort of, you know, my desert, if you will, during the interviews with folks talking to lovely people such as yourself.

01;00;13;13 - 01;00;15;05
Domonique Brown
Oh, thank you. Yeah.

01;00;16;02 - 01;00;24;05
Rob Lee
I'm able to actually be engaged, do the active listening verses. I said, What's your stuff about again? Like your face like that.

01;00;25;08 - 01;00;33;00
Domonique Brown
You know, at least you had told me this earlier that I would just took on that persona, just been just mean mugging you the whole time. You're lazy.

01;00;33;00 - 01;00;51;24
Rob Lee
The video comes out, it's like it's just two people bugging each other, right? So so that's that's pretty much it. You got to the hot seat. You have to the rapid fire. You get the real questions. And in these final moments, one, I want to thank you for coming on and making the time to to be a part of this podcast.

01;00;51;24 - 01;01;11;09
Rob Lee
It's been truly an honor to to have you on here and want to invite and encourage you to be your your marketing self shameless plugs telephone folks, social media website, all of that good stuff. They want to check out your work and have that as a more robust full version of this to check out your work. So please, the floor is yours.

01;01;11;09 - 01;01;33;12
Domonique Brown
Okay. Thank you. It was really nice chatting with you. Thank you so much for reaching out. This has been deadly. I feel like this play my favorite podcast, so thank you for making this so fun. So my, my shameless plug is my name is Dominic Brown to remind you and my Instagram is Snoop Doggy Dogg. So Snoop Doggy Dogg switch it out too.

01;01;33;12 - 01;01;57;18
Domonique Brown
Down deal. M You want to follow me on TikTok? My username is Dumbo inc so domo i n k am currently right now so I am in walmart. I am selling here. Sesame is legally true. There might be some stationery left over from Black History Month that was at Walmart as well. We want to shop other items for me.

01;01;57;18 - 01;02;21;16
Domonique Brown
I'm currently selling on Urban Outfitters Target. I have my work at home goods, but the best way to support me is through my website, which is domo i n k dot com, which is link. So that's what I'm currently doing. If you want to see like you want to shop like my artwork, home decor, apparel and give options.

01;02;21;16 - 01;02;47;04
Domonique Brown
I got everything from pillow to puzzles to everything that you need that that allows you to celebrate. You and celebrate you in elevate your space. Honestly, outside of the shameless plug, if you want to follow me, you'll be able to see my journey. This year as I continue to do more retail. I have a few more retail launches coming up, which I haven't been able to tell.

01;02;47;28 - 01;03;01;16
Domonique Brown
Also, as well as campaigns and also to see me get back into doing traditional art work because I really want to get back to drawing with my kids in paint. So I want to get back to originality in trying to not make people look like pancakes.

01;03;02;18 - 01;03;29;25
Rob Lee
It's a great way to close up, plug it. And there you have it, folks. I want to again thank Domonique Brown of Domo Inc for coming on to the podcast and sharing a bit of her journey with us. And I'm Rob Lee, saying that there's art, culture and community in and around your neck of the woods. You've just got to look for it.