#231 Art Made Easy: How Project Joy Studios Is Breaking Into The Toy Industry
What if I told you that you can easily create museum-quality art? This week, the Making It In The Toy Industry podcast hit the road for an in-person interview with Jessica Joy London at her studio space. Jessica is the founder of Project Joy Studios, and she's on a mission to make art accessible to everyone.
Joy’s story shatters the myth that only a select few are born with artistic talent. She proves that with the right tools, thoughtful techniques, and an open mind, anyone—yes, ANYONE—can create beautiful art.
Throughout this podcast Joy takes us through the evolution of her consumer-facing art kits, from the initial Daily Joy concept to the more affordable and user-friendly Weekend Joy version. She reveals how simplifying the product and reducing the price point led to a surge in sales during the holiday season, cementing her belief in the power of art to bring happiness to people's lives.
As Joy shares her experiences with playtesting and selling her products at local events, she highlights the importance of gathering feedback and understanding your target audience. Her success story is a testament to the value of perseverance and adaptability in the face of challenges, as she navigated the art scenes in Michigan and Philadelphia while juggling motherhood and personal health issues.
Watch this Interview On YouTube: https://youtu.be/o3mwThcFj7w
Key Moments:
Learn how Project Joy Studios is making the creative process accessible to everyone. [13:45]
Discover the inspiration behind Joy London's unique art kit that encourages daily creativity and reduces stress. [7:15]
Find out how a challenging personal experience led Joy London to develop a successful business helping others create joy-filled lives through art. [27:30]
For links mentioned in this episode visit thetoycoach.com/231 and scroll down to the mentioned in this episode section.
Episode Cliff Notes
The power of art to overcome personal challenges and find fulfillment.
Simplify your product and consider pricing strategies to make it more accessible to your target audience.
Playtest your products and gather feedback to refine your offerings and marketing approach.
Consider licensing your ideas rather than focusing solely on mass production to minimize risk and maximize profitability.
Believe in your mission and let your passion drive you forward, even in the face of adversity.
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Support this week's guest! Click here to visit Project Joy Studios
This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.comHere are the links to the products, services, and websites mentioned in the episode:
Shop Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty on Amazon
Philadelphia Fashion Incubatorwhere Joy London developed her jewelry products.Joy London appeared on
"The Blocks" TV show this show which led to the creation of her infinity puzzle product.
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Joy London [00:00:00]:
I don't know if this is too much, but I'd rather die than not bring to life what I know I'm supposed to bring to life. I'm on a mission to help everybody feel like they can create beautiful art. Because creating beautiful art gives you the tools to create a beautiful life.
Azhelle Wade [00:00:22]:
Welcome to making it in the toy.
Joy London [00:00:25]:
Industry, a podcast for inventors, entrepreneurs, and makers like you. And now your host, Ajel Wade.
Azhelle Wade [00:00:35]:
Hey there, toy people. Ajel Wade here. And welcome back to another episode of making it in the toy industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com. for the very first time on this podcast, we did a live in person interview where we visited our guest at their studio. Our guest today is Jessica Joy London, the founder of Project Joy Studios. And I'm telling you, toy people, as I was going through the footage, I got chills all over again. Joy and I connected in a way that I have not yet had the chance to connect with my interview guests.
Azhelle Wade [00:01:15]:
And we have already said we are now lifelong friends. This interview is going to take you on a bit of a journey. You're going to see me arriving at Project Joy Studios looking for Joy, discovering her in an unexpected place, and then diving into our actual interview, learning more about her brand and mission behind it. The mission behind Project Joy Studios is to make the creative process accessible to everyone. Joy has met so many people who didn't believe that they were capable of being creative, and she, as an artist, wanted to challenge that. If you are listening to this podcast, I encourage you to head over to our YouTube channel to watch the full video of the interview and get the full experience. So, without further ado, this is my interview with Jessica Joy London of Project Joy Studios. Where's Joy? I know we were gonna meet here.
Azhelle Wade [00:02:12]:
I'm just not sure where she is. Wow. Look at this space. Hmm. Joy. Can you guys help me find her? I don't know where she is. Today we're gonna interview Joy about her studio space, but I just can't pay them.
Joy London [00:02:29]:
Welcome to project Joy studio.
Azhelle Wade [00:02:31]:
Joy. What are you doing in there?
Joy London [00:02:33]:
I'm sorry that I. I kept you waiting. I just needed a little breathing room.
Azhelle Wade [00:02:36]:
Is this a product you're working on?
Joy London [00:02:39]:
It's actually an experience that I'm working on. It's a biofeedback experience. And this right now is covered in these really fun streamers. But I'm actually creating a facade that will look like stained glass.
Azhelle Wade [00:02:54]:
Oh, so this is like your breadboard mock up?
Joy London [00:02:56]:
That's right.
Azhelle Wade [00:02:56]:
Can I try it out?
Joy London [00:02:57]:
Yeah, get in there.
Azhelle Wade [00:02:59]:
Okay. There's cushions. Is it? Ooh. It's a vibe.
Joy London [00:03:07]:
Isn't it nice?
Azhelle Wade [00:03:08]:
So what inspired this?
Joy London [00:03:10]:
When I started creating my color cells, I started building on domes, like, translucent domes, and playing with light and taking photos. And in the photos, it looked like you could go inside of it. When I saw those photos, I was like, oh, I wish there was some way I can go inside of my artwork. When I was in high school, I one time said to myself, one day, I'm gonna make art so big you feel like you can go inside of it. This is my first prototype of installation that I will be able to go inside of when it's done.
Azhelle Wade [00:03:44]:
I know you have another material that you're thinking about using for this, but what made you start with this material?
Joy London [00:03:48]:
I had somebody else that was in my studio a couple of years ago, and she had this on the wall one day. I was getting ready for an event I was doing, and I just saw it sort of, like, in the corner of my studio after she had moved out of. And I thought, let me throw it over there to have something bright and colorful and kind of make this colorful, fantastical cave. And so that's what I did. And I come in here, and it, like, is really nice to have a space where I can just breathe.
Azhelle Wade [00:04:16]:
Sometimes you just need to be less stimulated. I mean, okay, this is stimulating, but it's like a controlled. I don't know how to describe it. It's like a tight, cozy hug, right?
Joy London [00:04:25]:
Instead of, like, a vast, expansive space. It feels safe. There are sweat lodges where people that are just like the. I mean, without the colorful stuff, I'm sure, but where people come into a little dome and they pray and they, you know, have silence. It's a space for silence, which helps you hear, like, your inner self. Right? Infinite possibilities.
Azhelle Wade [00:04:47]:
I love it. All right, let's get out. I need to see the rest of your studio space.
Joy London [00:04:52]:
Okay, let's go.
Azhelle Wade [00:04:52]:
Hey there, toy people. Agelle Wade here. And welcome back to another episode of making it in the toy industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com. my guest today is Jessica Joy London of Project Joy Studios, and we are here in her studio for this interview today. I'm so excited. Thank you so much for having me, Joy. So we were sitting next to each other at the licensing expo Vegas.
Azhelle Wade [00:05:16]:
You can go to these events for networking opportunities, and you don't know what they'll yield. And this is an example of what was yielded from that event. We met at, like, lunch on the last day. We were talking about arts and crafts and how her whole business is arts and crafts, how I worked in arts and crafts in the toy industry. And she said, you should come to my studio. And I was like, okay. And here we are. And it is the coolest studio space ever.
Azhelle Wade [00:05:39]:
You have a thousand square feet studio space dedicated to your art and to your arts and crafts projects, to your products you sell, to installations that you're working on. How did you get here?
Joy London [00:05:50]:
Well, it's been a slow journey. So I have a master's degree in fine art from the University of Michigan. And after I graduated, I was showing in museums and galleries, and my art was taking off over there, and it was surreal. I was like, me, wow, it's happening. Like, my dreams are coming true. And then I moved over here to Philadelphia with a new baby, and I had to start all over, and Michigan was still having me send work. Like Mocad had me do a show after I came over here. But slowly, if you're not there, it's hard to continue doing these shows.
Joy London [00:06:27]:
So I had to go back to my heart, to my center, and say, what is it that I like that really excites me? And that's, like, really true and clear for my mission, like, in this world, because my art was not selling here in Philadelphia. Interesting. And I was having a really hard time breaking into the art scene here.
Azhelle Wade [00:06:45]:
And when you say your art was doing really well in Michigan, was it the same style of art that we kind of see in the background here?
Joy London [00:06:50]:
Yes. So I was doing ten foot by ten foot paintings, five foot by 19 foot paintings. Like, in museums, like, solo shows, giving talks in museums. Like, I just had show after show after show. And to be really candid, like, I made $18,000 off of my artwork in six months. And that's with the 50% commission that galleries take.
Azhelle Wade [00:07:11]:
Wow.
Joy London [00:07:12]:
So I was doing really, really well. And so you could imagine my sadness when I came over here to Philadelphia as a new mom, new house, everything new, and crickets. I had gotten married in 2013, had our baby in 2015, and my now ex husband is adopted. He finished his residency, and we thought Philadelphia would be the perfect place for an artist to be in Philly and near New York, and we were going to be near his parents, who lived in Virginia. And we just thought it would be a great new start. It was tough, but there was a silver lining to every sad situation. And for me, that silver lining was the fact that I had to dig deep and say, okay, what is it that I'm really meant to do? Because if I just came here and just kept selling work, I would have just kept making my artwork. But if I think about my childhood, ever since I was a kid, art was so important to me.
Joy London [00:08:08]:
Cause I had a really tough childhood, and art is what helped me be a creator instead of a victim. And so because making art was so important to me, I would ask everybody, what do you make? What do you make? What do you make? And I've had thousands of conversations at this point with kids, adults, people, anybody who I encountered, I would ask them, and from one conversation, I would get them to start making art or to pick up an art hobby that they used to do.
Azhelle Wade [00:08:34]:
I really like this because when I first started out my business, I also got, like, a ton of press, and it was, I think, due to, honestly, black lives matter. So when those things change, I, too, had this awakening of. Hold on. Like, okay, all of a sudden, I'm not getting this press. I have to really focus on what I really love. It's not just about wherever they want me to come talk or speak, and they're gonna pay just because they feel they need to bring more black people into this space and whatever. So now it became. It was scary.
Azhelle Wade [00:09:01]:
It almost felt like, am I good enough to be in this space? So did you go through that?
Joy London [00:09:08]:
100%. The imposter syndrome came right back, rolling right back in. But again, silver lining, because I had to go back to my center and find my center, which is inspiring other people to create. So when my son was two, I had him start doing the process that I used to make my giant paintings that were in museum, and it was so easy for him to do.
Azhelle Wade [00:09:32]:
Oh, interesting.
Joy London [00:09:33]:
And so I was like, oh, anybody could do this. And I went through different stages to get to where I am. At first, I was like, oh, man, this is so easy. People are going to steal my stuff. And then I was like, wait a second. No. So I went from, anybody could do this to. Anybody can do this.
Azhelle Wade [00:09:50]:
Oh, that's so interesting how a reframe could do that.
Joy London [00:09:53]:
Yeah.
Azhelle Wade [00:09:53]:
Okay, so talk to me about that. You teaching this to your son. He recreates your art. He recreates museum quality art. And you're like, well, hold on. So you get to this point where you're like, anybody can do this. What was the first thing you did? Did you teach classes? Did you create a product? Did you have workshops? What did you do?
Joy London [00:10:10]:
So I actually sat down and I was like, how do I even translate this into a workshop so that other people can do it? Cause I was using, like, big bottles of ink that I mixed up, and I was like, this doesn't scale in a way that is, like, sustainable the way that I was doing it. So I first wrote out this plan for what would my first workshop even look like? And then literally two weeks after I wrote this down, I was in a show at a corporate space called a Xavier here in Philadelphia. And when I walked into the space, somebody was like, somebody who works here loves your work so much, and they really want to meet you. So I met him, and I invited him to come to my studio, and I said, I'll show you how I do it. And he came, and he was like, you should do workshops. And I was like, well, as a matter of fact, I just wrote down a plan. So he got four people in here. My first workshop was free.
Azhelle Wade [00:11:01]:
Wow.
Joy London [00:11:02]:
And I just wanted to see if my plan would even work. And not only did it work, they had such a good time that I immediately got my first corporate workshop from, like, a bigger group from the company that he works for.
Azhelle Wade [00:11:17]:
Holy cow.
Joy London [00:11:18]:
And it was awesome. And then somebody from there had a yoga group, and they brought their yoga group in, and then the ball started rolling. And at the same time, I started working on my first art kits. And I did a beta test with 20 people, like, around the country of the product. And I have, like, a Facebook group so that we could all interact and share what we were doing and what materials we were using. And it was a big hit. But my zest for this process made me want to get people to do it every day. So I was like, I'm doing it every day.
Joy London [00:11:50]:
You could do it every day, too. And I quickly learned that that is not the case, especially, like, as somebody who's starting out.
Azhelle Wade [00:11:58]:
Yeah.
Joy London [00:11:58]:
And so I scaled back and made a more stripped down version of the product.
Azhelle Wade [00:12:04]:
So when you say you were trying to get everybody to do every day, does that mean the product you were selling Washington designed for?
Joy London [00:12:10]:
It was called Daily Joy.
Azhelle Wade [00:12:11]:
Oh, okay. Had enough to keep you going for, what, like, a month?
Joy London [00:12:15]:
Yeah.
Azhelle Wade [00:12:15]:
Okay.
Joy London [00:12:16]:
So it was like, this really cute little box that looked like it was smiling, and it had a drawer that had, like, your materials, and then you stuck your ink inside, and there was a tray on top to make your art on top of and a little slot to store all your paper in. It was adorable. Okay, but fast forward to now. Now that I'm doing more and more corporate workshops. So I'm working in hospitals, and big nonprofits are bringing me in. They are loving it, and I don't want anything I do to ever be a one time thing. So now I'm creating something called joy at work that gives you a little kit so you could have it on your desk to do just in little breaks between the stress to help you use a different part of your brain.
Azhelle Wade [00:12:58]:
You could tie that in with the Pomodoro technique or something, right?
Joy London [00:13:02]:
100%. That's a great idea.
Azhelle Wade [00:13:04]:
Okay, wait, so go back. I really like when people come out with a product idea, and then they re envision it and reinvaluate it based on what their consumers are saying. So you had daily joy, and you realized nobody wanted to do it every day. So then what did you create after that?
Joy London [00:13:20]:
I walked into somebody's house that I knew who tried out my daily joy, and I saw it sort of buried, and I'm like, you know, what if it's on a table, it's likely to get buried, and, like, people have limited space. What if I make a version that sits on the wall?
Azhelle Wade [00:13:34]:
Okay.
Joy London [00:13:36]:
And this one was a little different. The front was a frame, so you could put your latest piece in, but the frame part that stored your latest piece also stored all the other paper behind it. And then you lifted it up, and inside was everything you needed that you can slide out and put on the table.
Azhelle Wade [00:13:52]:
Interesting. So, when you change from daily joy to weekend joy, did it also lower the price point of the product?
Joy London [00:13:58]:
Yes.
Azhelle Wade [00:13:58]:
So it made it a lot more affordable. So what was the old price point for?
Joy London [00:14:02]:
It was $60.
Azhelle Wade [00:14:04]:
That's a high price.
Joy London [00:14:04]:
Yes.
Azhelle Wade [00:14:05]:
So a lot of artists and creatives come into the toy space and make expensive products like that, and I'm like, that's not gonna work. But what was the price point for the weekend joy?
Joy London [00:14:14]:
It was $40.
Azhelle Wade [00:14:15]:
That's much better. Yeah. That's like, people can wrap their heads around that family activity for soul activity, whatever.
Joy London [00:14:20]:
Exactly.
Azhelle Wade [00:14:21]:
Okay, so that's great. Well, I'm curious to know about your success while all that was happening, because there are a lot of people, when they start their own companies, they find they run into a snag where they're not enough sales, or they think their customers aren't happy, or they're seeing their product not being used, and they just feel like, oh, my gosh, I failed. Or they're hearing feedback, but they're too invested to listen to it. So they just feel like, I can't. It's not working. So how did you find the strength and to not give up and to be, like, I just need to re engineer it? What gave you that?
Joy London [00:14:50]:
I mean, as an artist, I think, like, we're natural problem solvers, and we really take in all of the variables of input from the world to inspire us. And so I love talking to people and hearing, like, their true experiences with things. Like, I'm not shy of the truth. Like, I want to know. Cause I want to make it work for you. And to tell you the truth, weekend joy. I think, like, during that time, there was a lot of upheaval in my life, so I was having a hard time with that one, too. So the next version is, I just did a really stripped down version where you just got three pieces of paper, two small, one big, like I do in my workshops, because the workshops were working right.
Joy London [00:15:32]:
And then I made them $20, and the first time I put them out there was during the holiday season. I think I sold 100 in, like, a couple of days. Wow.
Azhelle Wade [00:15:40]:
What? Okay, so let's talk about when you got product out into the world. Did you sell it on your website? Did you get it into stores? What did you first do?
Joy London [00:15:48]:
So I did it on my website first and through social media, and that's what got me my sales.
Azhelle Wade [00:15:53]:
Awesome. Are you in stores right now?
Joy London [00:15:55]:
I am not in stores currently, but stores want me.
Azhelle Wade [00:16:00]:
What are they. Who wants you? What are they saying?
Joy London [00:16:04]:
So, I've been at Longwood Gardens, which is a really high end, beautiful garden experience, and then there's stores in Philadelphia that want to have my work, but I'm really trying to think very carefully about what route I want to go down. What do you mean? Well, because with wholesale is a beast. When you're, like, not in 400 stores, even then, it's a beast. And I don't know that I want to be a manufacturing machine.
Azhelle Wade [00:16:33]:
Really?
Joy London [00:16:34]:
Yeah.
Azhelle Wade [00:16:35]:
Like, you want to stay doing the workshops.
Joy London [00:16:37]:
So right now, I want to license my stuff, and then I have one product, which we'll share with you later, that I'm keeping and I'm developing. And then I have a slew of other products that I'm licensing, and then some of my products come with the workshops. So it's like an add on to that, because I make way more money doing corporate workshops than I do trying to get individuals to buy a product.
Azhelle Wade [00:17:05]:
And way less risk. Yeah, that's interesting. Okay, so now that you are coming into the toy and toy industry as from the license perspective, so what people listen to this podcast know that I refer to three paths in the toy industry, inventor, entrepreneur, and corporate. So you are going on what I call the inventor path, where you're licensing your ip. I want you to finish this sentence. The thing that surprised you most about the toy industry was, good question.
Joy London [00:17:31]:
That you really could access people and companies to sell your ideas. For years, I used to say, I wish I could just sell my ideas. I call myself a good idea machine. I've been like, I can invent like 50 products in a day. They just keep coming and coming and coming. Prototype them and put them out there. People love them. But I don't want to be a manufacturing machine because I feel like the minute I try to manufacture a couple of products, the minute I'm saying no to all of the other inventions that are continuing to come into my head.
Azhelle Wade [00:18:07]:
And that's why toy companies like to work with inventors, because their teams are bogged down with producing and creating and getting the product out there to the retailers or to Amazon, and then they don't have the time to do the invention that you're having time to do. Most people don't do the second step of what you said you do, which is prototype and test. Most people say, oh, I want to sell this idea, and they have a drawing. But you might be undervaluing how your research and experience is a huge part of the product development process that you are doing for these companies. And that's why they will buy your ideas, because you're doing the work of, like, teams of people on your own. And that is such a huge value to the arts and crafts companies that need a product like this.
Joy London [00:18:51]:
And the way that I playtest my products is that I go to vending events so that I can actually see what sells. So I'm manufacturing small batches and I'm having versions of it out on the table. A lot of parents will see their kids playing with my toys for 45 minutes, who they say won't sit still for a second. And then they end up buying, like, four of the same toy for their kid and all their kid's cousins. I've been doing really well at Little park shows like my local park. I just set up a table, like, who cares if it's not prestigious? I get really good feedback there, and I end up making, just in a couple of hours, $500.
Azhelle Wade [00:19:30]:
So what's so smart about that is now you can get into a situation where you're talking to the toy company's ideal consumer and you're asking them, oh, why did your kid grab your toward this and all those notes you could bring back in your pitch meeting or get your rep to bring back in your pitch meeting to say, oh, we've tested this, and parents love this. So if you move forward, you should put this on the packaging. This should be the imagery, because this is the imagery. They were drawn more in the toy industry with arts and crafts specifically. There's always, like, a finished piece on the front of the box. So if you have proof that the butterfly color cell is what kids are always drawn to, you could tell them that and that what they put right on the packaging.
Joy London [00:20:08]:
How did you know? Our butterflies sell out the most for my color cell product. 100%.
Azhelle Wade [00:20:14]:
Wow. I got chills.
Joy London [00:20:17]:
You're on it. No, she must be doing something right.
Azhelle Wade [00:20:20]:
I know a little bit. Okay, that is amazing. All right, so I want to hear more. So where are you at now? What? You said you come to the studio five days a week. This is your full time job. Now, when did that happen?
Joy London [00:20:32]:
It happened in 2021. So during the pandemic, like, I went through a lot of, like, health stuff. I couldn't walk for two years, and I found out I had bilateral hip dysplasia, and I did kickboxing to, like, empower myself after my divorce, and the kickboxing made me not able to walk for two years. So, wait. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade [00:20:52]:
First of all, I like kickboxing. Please share the warnings.
Joy London [00:20:54]:
Right.
Azhelle Wade [00:20:55]:
What happened?
Joy London [00:20:56]:
I was born with hip dysplasia and didn't know it. So basically, like, if this is your femur and you're, like, the head of your femur, and then this is your hip, normally, the hip is supposed to go over it like this. And if you have hip dysplasia, it's like this. So I. And, like, my bones are not, like, the way they should be, and so whatever is holding it together is just my muscle because I don't have the bone support. And so I guess that, like, stretched out the muscles or whatever was supporting my hip. And so after I started doing the kickboxing, like, a month later, I started limping very slightly, and I was like, why am I limping right now? And then it just got worse and worse. And so during the pandemic, I couldn't walk, and I did a lot of drawing.
Joy London [00:21:42]:
Thank God for art.
Azhelle Wade [00:21:44]:
Whoa.
Joy London [00:21:44]:
So, again, silver lining. Like, because I had such a tumultuous life that was two years away, helped me come back in 2021 with a sense of hope, and I wasn't working out of a space of fear anymore. So, like, when I was developing, like, project joy, the daily joy, and weekend joy. I was, like, in a bad relationship, and they didn't believe in me, and I didn't believe in myself, so I left that bad situation, and then after being forced to get out of the dynamic that I was stuck in, I came back, and things started working. And so before, I used to put out stuff just during the holidays because I didn't, like, it was so hard to sell anything otherwise, and I didn't believe it was possible. And now I sell stuff all year round. This is possible. Everything's working since September 2021.
Joy London [00:22:35]:
I came back in. Yeah. And I just started doing more workshops, selling more of my products, developing more of my products. And last summer, I was on a tv show called the blocks blox, and they treated me like I was a genius. Maybe I am. And it just gave me a lot of confidence to take more risks that I wasn't taking. So I invested in a giant laser cutter that's over there. And I expanded my studio into the space next to this space, and I just started going after it more because I believed more.
Joy London [00:23:10]:
And the more that I believed, the more that happened. One of the judges from the blocks said, you have to go to the licensing expo. And I was so busy with my events that I was like, I can't do everything. But then things started to slow down after Q one. The first three months of this year, I was like, okay. And she just kept, like, gently pushing, and I was like, okay, okay, let me go. I went, not knowing what would happen. And not only did I meet wonderful Agelle, the toy coach, but I got a licensing agent, and I got to talk to Walmart, and I got to talk to moose toys.
Joy London [00:23:45]:
And one of the other really big things that happened is that I ended up meeting Aaron from crazy. Aaron's thinking putty.
Azhelle Wade [00:23:52]:
Oh, awesome.
Joy London [00:23:53]:
Yeah. So he did. He loved everything, but he especially love my color self. And he happens to be right outside of Philadelphia.
Azhelle Wade [00:23:59]:
Oh, wow.
Joy London [00:24:00]:
So he said, come to my headquarters next week, and he's been meeting with me and helping me.
Azhelle Wade [00:24:05]:
Oh, he's helping you?
Joy London [00:24:06]:
Yeah.
Azhelle Wade [00:24:06]:
Has he told you his story yet? His story is pretty cool, too. He's, like, self made.
Joy London [00:24:12]:
That's why I wanted to meet with him. I thought, I gotta meet with him.
Azhelle Wade [00:24:14]:
At what revenue point were you comfortable enough to be like, all right, I'm gonna quit my job.
Joy London [00:24:19]:
So I had a job when I was in Michigan, but when I came to Philly, I was, like, a full time mom, and I was actually baby wearing my son into my art studio. So I was still, like, making stuff, still developing stuff, and then I got into something called the Philadelphia fashion incubator. I was, like, one of the six designers that got in there. And so that's when I developed my first products, which were actually jewelry products.
Azhelle Wade [00:24:43]:
Oh, interesting.
Joy London [00:24:44]:
So one was the revolving exhibition necklace where you can trade out your art in your necklace and wear it, and it's very high end looking. And then I had another line that I created, but that, like, again, like, I went to New York, and it wasn't picking up. And I don't know if that's my own expectation, is that when I do the thing that's most aligned, like, things will just kind of work.
Azhelle Wade [00:25:07]:
So, like, you go through this divorce, you're a mom of two. So how did the strength and the confidence to do it scared, man.
Joy London [00:25:16]:
Do it scared your own business and.
Azhelle Wade [00:25:18]:
Know you have to sustain yourself. I mean, now I have a husband, so it gives me this sense of confidence and comfort that, all right, if I mess up, he's got me. Would I have started this and gone as deep in as I did in my own business? If I was on my own? I want to believe that I would, but I don't know. It's so scary. Where does that come from?
Joy London [00:25:38]:
All the jobs that I worked before I started working for myself, I felt horrible in those jobs. I have so many ideas of my own that when I'm not working to actually bring my own ideas to life, I feel like I'm not following my path. Like, I'm totally missing my path, and that doesn't feel good. And when you work in that way, I feel like it makes you sick and it makes you depressed, and I just could not do it. I don't know if this is too much, but, no, I'd rather die than not bring to life what I know I'm supposed to bring to life. I'm on a mission to help everybody feel like they can create beautiful art, because creating beautiful art gives you the tools to create a beautiful life or a joyful life.
Azhelle Wade [00:26:25]:
Do you remember the single moment when you realized that that was your mission?
Joy London [00:26:28]:
When I started project joy, within the first couple of months of doing workshops, there was somebody who. So what I do is when I do a workshop on a Friday, I text you pictures of your paintings on Monday. Cause it develops. You leave it as a beautiful, colorful puddle, and then as the water evaporates, details magically form on the surface. You're literally collaborating with natural phenomena to create incredibly detailed photo realistic paintings. So that's my magic. That's, like, where I started. And so one of the people that came to our workshop on Friday, I sent her pictures on Monday, and she told me, honestly, I don't know if this is weird, but after I left her studio, I just cried for 20 minutes.
Joy London [00:27:10]:
I had such a stressful week, and I feel like it just helped me let it all out. And I was like, it's real. I know it's powerful for me. But starting to get evidence from other people that it was so powerful for them, I was like, oh, I have right now. Yeah. And then she said, because I was so excited to see my painting on Monday, I didn't have the Sunday sads.
Azhelle Wade [00:27:39]:
Oh, my God.
Joy London [00:27:40]:
And I was like, yeah, I still have the screenshots of these.
Azhelle Wade [00:27:43]:
I put that up on the screen.
Joy London [00:27:45]:
And I was so, like, amazed and so happy that I was able to help somebody, like, release stress. And, like, that is so beautiful.
Azhelle Wade [00:27:56]:
And I am so inspired. I wanted, like, that is. I want to make change in that way. That is so beautiful.
Joy London [00:28:05]:
I was amazed. And that was like, during the early days when it was tough, but I kept getting more and more of that from people. People were telling me I didn't know how much I needed this. So many people tell me that's the line that everybody who doesn't know, like, these people don't know each other. But I get workshop after workshop. I didn't know how much I needed this. And now hospitals are bringing me in to do this with their doctors. Nonprofits are bringing me in.
Joy London [00:28:28]:
Museums are bringing me in to do this for their wellness initiatives with adults. And then other museums with kids, and families come in with kids that are 3619 year old boys, like the parents, grandparents. And they're like, this is the only thing we've ever done together where everybody genuinely had a good time because it engages curiosity and everybody has the ability to be curious at any age. I've had 80 year olds come in here and do birthday parties. I did an 80 year old birthday party in April. This is a very old building that I'm in the elevator. You literally have to pull a rope to call the elevator. They slowly went down the stairs, but she had been here four times beforehand, and she was like, I want to do my 80th birthday here.
Joy London [00:29:16]:
I love inspiring people and helping people to find clarity and achieve their true goals. That is what I do.
Azhelle Wade [00:29:24]:
Yeah, through art or just on the side?
Joy London [00:29:27]:
On the side and through art. Like, I mentored people when I was in grad school and just everybody I meet, I end up having these very genuine conversations to get to the heart of who they are. And I have a saying. The people you tell your dreams to are the universe.
Azhelle Wade [00:29:43]:
Really? Why do you say that?
Joy London [00:29:44]:
Because I feel like a lot of people want to hold onto their dreams because they're scared to put it out there. They don't want the person they're telling to tell them they're delusional or negative vibes. Right. To put out or to say, you could do that, and then you fail and feel embarrassed and shameful about your dreams. And for me, I find that the more I tell people my dreams, the more I get the missing puzzle pieces to the dreams. If people can help you, they're likely to help you, because it feels really good to help people, and I love helping people. So I feel like I get it back, right? It comes back to me. So the people you tell your dreams to are the universe tell people your dreams, no matter how big and scary they seem.
Azhelle Wade [00:30:29]:
Okay, on that note, we're gonna go make some art for the second half of our interview, and, yeah, so let's go over to the other side of the studio.
Joy London [00:30:38]:
So we've got my infinity puzzles.
Azhelle Wade [00:30:40]:
Ooh, these.
Joy London [00:30:41]:
Yeah. So what's cool is that you can color on them and then take them apart and solve them in a million different ways, and then you can erase it and do it again.
Azhelle Wade [00:30:52]:
Are you serious?
Joy London [00:30:52]:
Yeah. And as you feel, it's not dry erase material. It's a very high end art material that I use to make all my paintings. And I have found that the crayola ultra washables, literally, when you draw on them, once they dry, which is pretty quickly, they're not going to rub off if you're touching it, but you could literally wipe it clean with a wipe.
Azhelle Wade [00:31:15]:
Interesting.
Joy London [00:31:16]:
Everything I do is with the intention to get through people's barriers to their creativity.
Azhelle Wade [00:31:21]:
I literally just had an art show with my best friend who's an artist, and I told her, I was like, I just want to find my style. I think I would like to do art, but I don't know what my style is. And she was like, I don't think that's important.
Joy London [00:31:30]:
I think in one sense, she's right. It's not so much about your style, but about your process.
Azhelle Wade [00:31:36]:
Oh, interesting.
Joy London [00:31:38]:
So when people think about making art, they think, I have to know what I'm going to make before I make it. And then they think like, well, am I drawing? Am I painting? Am I sculpting and what's my idea? And do I have the technical chops to pull that off? And you set up an expectation for yourself of trying to match what your idea is in reality. Before I graduated from grad school, the way that I approached art was drawing with micron. I really love detail, and so I would go with my tiny little micron markers. But I found that it took me forever to make my work because I was so judgmental of my work and so worried about what other people thought, because of the way that I grew up, and because that's just, you're baring your soul when you're making art. It's connected to your core sense of self, which I think is why people are so intimidating, sensitive and intimidating, and why people, if they don't believe they're good, just shut that part of themselves off. Because everybody that creates, whether they think they're an artist or not, creating is a way to bring outward what is in your very core being. That's why it's overwhelming.
Joy London [00:32:56]:
So when you come up with an idea and you have to try to do it justice with paint and markers or whatever material that you want to use. Very overwhelming. And for me, that was very overwhelming. And I was good. Like, I had my work in the Smithsonian in my early twenties, and it was a giant oil painting of a designer baby. When my work for these shows, like, when the curator opened up the box with my art, she bought it right away and was like, you should do a bunch of these. Instead of being like, wow, I could sell a bunch of these. I was like, I don't want to do this over and over and over again.
Azhelle Wade [00:33:34]:
Process wasn't enjoyable.
Joy London [00:33:36]:
It took me so long to put out a painting. That's the only way I knew how to make art or thought that I could make art. I was beating myself up. I was like, you're not prolific enough. You're not making enough. You're too slow.
Azhelle Wade [00:33:47]:
Your art has a lot of joy in it. So I wonder if that comes through when you do find the right process.
Joy London [00:33:53]:
That you love 100%. So if you set out not to be a technician, but you design your own process and you become an expert.
Azhelle Wade [00:34:04]:
Okay, well, how do I start exploring? Because I'm already thinking, like, I'm trying to make a plan, right?
Joy London [00:34:09]:
So one way that I designed this puzzle to sort of help you not be so intimidated by a blank page is that they're individual pieces, so you can approach it in different ways. So you could either draw one picture and then take it apart and put it back together in a million different new ways to discover new possibilities. Or you could just do designs on each one. You could come up with a theme if you're doing it with friends, like, we could create, you know, a summer theme or, like, a beach theme and just, like, start drawing. Every product that I put out, too, has a different level of helping you to start, and so what people do who aren't ready to, they just turn over the pieces and make patterns with the wood and the white. So what I did to combat the fear of coloring is I made a coloring book sticker.
Azhelle Wade [00:35:02]:
Oh, it's a sticker.
Joy London [00:35:03]:
So this? Yeah. So this, you could just color on it, then take it apart, put it back together. But when you're ready to color on your puzzle, you can then peel it off. So this is the only infinitely playable puzzle.
Azhelle Wade [00:35:15]:
Could you just do a coloring version on the back?
Joy London [00:35:18]:
And you could color on the back.
Azhelle Wade [00:35:19]:
Because in that way, it's one product you're selling with cheese.
Joy London [00:35:22]:
Yes. But again, I would love for it to be able to be peeled off and replaced. You know, replaced.
Azhelle Wade [00:35:29]:
I see.
Joy London [00:35:29]:
That way, you can redo it over and over again, and then on the back is wood, so you could also paint on it with paint or color on it with paint pens or.
Azhelle Wade [00:35:38]:
So I want to draw on it.
Joy London [00:35:40]:
Do it. Go for it.
Azhelle Wade [00:35:40]:
What do we do?
Joy London [00:35:41]:
Should we come up with a theme?
Azhelle Wade [00:35:43]:
I don't know. Maybe I will focus on a love and home theme.
Joy London [00:35:49]:
Okay.
Azhelle Wade [00:35:49]:
That's where I'm at right now.
Joy London [00:35:51]:
There you go. Well, focusing on where you are in life is a great way to inspire what you're creating in art. Whatever you're obsessed with, make art about that.
Azhelle Wade [00:36:02]:
Oh, interesting. I'm definitely obsessed with my husband right now. Oh, man, this is gonna be fun.
Joy London [00:36:07]:
I think that also makes me think, like, if you were doing this with your husband, like, he could do half the pieces, and you could do half the pieces, and then you could put your art baby together and see what it means.
Azhelle Wade [00:36:17]:
I actually know what he would draw if he were here, so. That's so funny.
Joy London [00:36:20]:
Oh, really? What would he draw?
Azhelle Wade [00:36:21]:
He would definitely draw SpongeBob. So he worked for Nickelodeon for a few years, so he drew a lot of SpongeBob. So now whenever we go on dates, like, to eat, he always draws a picture of SpongeBob or Patrick on the back of the receipt, and then I add the accessory. So, like, he'll draw them and I'll draw. Like, are they eating cake or.
Joy London [00:36:43]:
That is adorable.
Azhelle Wade [00:36:45]:
Much better. Artist than I am in a sense of skill and confidence.
Joy London [00:36:50]:
Well, I feel like the skills really come in when you figure out what your process is like. For instance, there's an artist that I love called. His name is Tim Knowles, and he attaches pencils to tree branches and then lets the wind make the pencils, make markings on the paper, and the drawings are really cool, so you don't have to do the drawings. You can collaborate with the wind. Exactly.
Azhelle Wade [00:37:20]:
Why do I feel like that's an upcoming product for you or something?
Joy London [00:37:22]:
I'm working on something called the project Joy lab.
Azhelle Wade [00:37:25]:
What's that?
Joy London [00:37:25]:
It will have stations. And so when people come and do an event, each person starts at one station, and each station is designed to help you make your piece of art in a different way.
Azhelle Wade [00:37:38]:
Okay. You have a lot of creative ideas, and they're amazing, and you're successful. So I'm assuming you're able to reinvest in these ideas. But who is your business mind? Like, is it you that is looking at every problem and saying, okay, if I invest this much, I'm pretty sure I can make back this much, these ideas you have?
Joy London [00:37:56]:
I'm my business mind. I've been a business person since high school or even before, actually.
Azhelle Wade [00:38:01]:
You know, I have to say, coming here to see you, I was like, oh, I haven't been this excited about doing an interview in a long time. And it's not necessarily the person, just to not offend anyone who's been interviewed by me recently. It's just the in person ness of it all. I'm like, oh, I'm so excited to see her space. And what kind of conversations will we have there? Normally, it just feels very regimented, like we have this time. We set it up. You come to my zoom call. I do the interview.
Azhelle Wade [00:38:31]:
I have the questions, like, the pre questions I've planned, but this just. I was so excited about doing something new. So I wonder if that's, like, a sign, like, maybe I should.
Joy London [00:38:38]:
Yeah, no. If that's. If you're feeling the energy from this, then that could be it. And I think there's, like, the unexpected, like, going to another place. And again, that's what excites me about my art, is the unexpected.
Azhelle Wade [00:38:51]:
So tell me a little bit more about this infinity puzzle.
Joy London [00:38:55]:
The one that you're working on right now is the version that you can draw on and erase and rearrange whatever design that you create. But, like, all of the things that happen in my head, I like to combine different ideas and see what happens. So I combined one of my original paintings, that was a puddle painting, with my infinity puzzle and created this piece. And it's made to go on your wall so it's magnetic, and you can actually move the pieces around to solve it in a million different ways.
Azhelle Wade [00:39:29]:
How did you come up with this infinity puzzle? Is this a mathematic equation? Like, where'd you come up with this?
Joy London [00:39:35]:
So, this product stems from a product that I came up with a few years ago that I called BYOp, which stood for build your own painting. I designed basically the most simple puzzles, and then people were buying, snapping them up, and so, like, my most simple one had six triangles that you could fit in in multiple different ways, and they were all made with original artwork, and then I had more complex versions. So over time, the idea got a little bit more complex in my head, and I went on tv show the blocks, and I had one puzzle that was this, but one side was my art, and the other side was blank so that you can make your own art. So the idea was that when you get this, you can play with my art first, and then when you get brave enough, you can start doing your ideas on the other side, and then you can erase it and do it again and again again. So you're not worried about, am I gonna ruin my puzzle? I love that you've figured out that you can actually, like, play around and use your fingers to smear it.
Azhelle Wade [00:40:41]:
Yes.
Joy London [00:40:42]:
It's a really by accident.
Azhelle Wade [00:40:44]:
And then I was like, you know what? Happy. I should just lean into it.
Joy London [00:40:48]:
Yeah.
Azhelle Wade [00:40:49]:
I'm like, you know what? It was like it wants to be smeared, I think.
Joy London [00:40:52]:
Happy accident.
Azhelle Wade [00:40:53]:
Yes. This is so cool. So how much is this, the small.
Joy London [00:40:57]:
Puzzle, this infinity puzzle? So this one is $40. Now, what does it include for this one? It includes a blank. A beautiful blank puzzle canvas for you to discover infinite possibilities.
Azhelle Wade [00:41:09]:
And you said, I can wipe this off. Like, completely wipe it away?
Joy London [00:41:11]:
Yes.
Azhelle Wade [00:41:12]:
Really?
Joy London [00:41:12]:
Yes.
Azhelle Wade [00:41:14]:
When you do workshops with this puzzle, what do you have people draw on here with?
Joy London [00:41:18]:
So I haven't done workshops with the puzzle yet, but I'm working on designing that, because when I go and do the vending events, I have people who work in corporate saying, oh, my gosh, this would be amazing for a corporate workshop. So I'm ideating on that right now. If you want to be able to wipe it clean the best, I suggest the ultra washable crayola markers. But it is not a whiteboard. It's actually a very high end art material on the surface of this puzzle. So you can use watercolors, you can use paint pension, you can use acrylics. You can use any material that you would use on a canvas. Some things may wash off easier than others.
Joy London [00:41:59]:
I've actually taken off a colored pencil off of it, but it definitely took a lot of elbow grease. This wipes off effortlessly.
Azhelle Wade [00:42:08]:
Why did you decide to not just use a whiteboard material?
Joy London [00:42:13]:
Because you can't make something really beautiful with a whiteboard. I want people to really be amazed by what they create.
Azhelle Wade [00:42:23]:
Thank you so much for having me at your studio today.
Joy London [00:42:27]:
Thank you for being here. This has been such a fun day.
Azhelle Wade [00:42:30]:
This has been so cool. My closing question I love to ask in my interviews is this, what toy or game blew your mind as a kid?
Joy London [00:42:37]:
Oh, I think I'm gonna break a rule here.
Azhelle Wade [00:42:40]:
Why?
Joy London [00:42:40]:
And say that. Art supplies.
Azhelle Wade [00:42:45]:
Oh, art supplies.
Joy London [00:42:46]:
Art supplies. Art supplies in general, because it allowed me to create whatever I was thinking of. And that's really interesting because everything I create, I created, in a way to where you can imprint yourself. That's like an issue that I have with certain toys is that, and regular puzzles is that they give you them and they don't let you figure out who you are and what you love and what you want to create. So I love anything that helps you imprint yourself on something and collaborate with the toy.
Azhelle Wade [00:43:26]:
Well, I'm really glad you're coming into the toy industry because I did arts and crafts most of my career, and I that space needs more people like you creating product that allows people to create the kids and adults to create something beyond what's printed on the box. What supplies did you play with when you were a kid? Which ones come to mind when you think about those art supplies that blew your mind?
Joy London [00:43:49]:
I loved watercolors, and even when I was, like, really young, we did not have a lot of money, and I remember wanting colored pens and not being allowed to get them. So I literally just drew with pencils and, like, pads of paper that my grandma had from wherever. And I would draw Mickey Mouse and draw, and then I would draw, like, Disney character, like other, like the Lion King. I would, like, open up my VHS tape. Oh, my gosh.
Azhelle Wade [00:44:21]:
It looks young, but no.
Joy London [00:44:25]:
Art keeps you young. Seriously.
Azhelle Wade [00:44:27]:
VHS tape.
Joy London [00:44:29]:
I would open up my lion king VHS tape, take a big sheet of paper and copy it. Oh, wow.
Azhelle Wade [00:44:36]:
What's the strongest memory you have with art supplies, good or bad?
Joy London [00:44:40]:
So the one thing that comes to mind is, and this is a little bit sad, everything that I created as a kid, my parents made fun of. So I wasn't encouraged. But the art making art was so important to me that I kept going anyway. And so when you say. And when you've been asking me, like, how come you keep going despite all of the challenges? Like I say, art literally saved my life, because when I was creating, I was a creator and not a victim. So it helped me imagine a new reality instead of the one that I was being shown. And it gave me the confidence and the power to create my own story. And so that's why project joy exists, to help other people play and create their own joyful story.
Joy London [00:45:32]:
But a more specific sort of answer is, one time I did this little watercolor painting, and I still have it, and I painted a very calming underwater scene, and I have layers, and it's all pastels. And I wanted the fish to look, like, not detailed because they were far away. And I was so excited about this painting because it really did what I wanted it to do. So I went and showed it to my mom and dad, and my dad said, what are the fish swimming to the plastic surgeon? They weren't like. They were, like, they weren't detailed. They weren't, like, perfect.
Azhelle Wade [00:46:10]:
Oh. You know, they were, like, nip tucked and.
Joy London [00:46:13]:
Right, like. But that's what I was going for. I remember, like, drawing a frog with pastels, and it was, like, one of my earliest, like, memories of using that material. And I thought the frog looked amazing. I was so proud of the frog. And when I showed it to him, he came up with a disease for, like, a frog with, like, one too long leg or something. He thought the leg was too long. I still don't think the leg to this day.
Joy London [00:46:40]:
Right.
Azhelle Wade [00:46:40]:
I know my leg.
Joy London [00:46:41]:
That leg is perfect.
Azhelle Wade [00:46:43]:
I'm so glad you were able to overcome all of that. Do you remember the exact brand you used to use? Like, does that hold your memory at all?
Joy London [00:46:51]:
I think, like, just, like, crayola. At first, I used crayola, like, watercolors or crayola colored pencils.
Azhelle Wade [00:46:58]:
Yeah.
Joy London [00:46:59]:
Yeah.
Azhelle Wade [00:47:00]:
Wow. Okay. Crayola. Interesting. I wonder if you could license them one day that would be full circle.
Joy London [00:47:06]:
I do have a very cool product that I'm working on that I want to pitch to them.
Azhelle Wade [00:47:10]:
Okay. Crayola. She's got something to pitch to you. You ready? You heard it here first. And then we have to end with, the explanation of Project Joy is also Project Joy.
Joy London [00:47:22]:
Yes.
Azhelle Wade [00:47:22]:
Right?
Joy London [00:47:23]:
Yes. Because I want everybody to project their joy out into the world and spread the joy so everybody can be happy creating joy.
Azhelle Wade [00:47:33]:
Thank you so much for having me at your studio, Joy. This was awesome.
Joy London [00:47:39]:
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Azhelle Wade [00:47:43]:
Oh, this was awesome.
Joy London [00:47:44]:
Oh, I love it.
Azhelle Wade [00:47:45]:
Thank you, thank you. Oh my God, we did so good. Well, what did you think? Did you love it? I hope you loved it. Well, there you have it, toy people. That was my interview with Jessica Joy London of Project Joy Studios. If you found yourself in the to create something with Project Joy Studios, check the description where you're listening or watching this episode for the links to connect with Joy and Project Joy Studios. If you're driving, if you're busy working, you can't stop to do that right now. All you need to remember is to go to thetoycoach.com 231 and we'll have all of the links waiting for you there.
Azhelle Wade [00:48:23]:
To end today's episode, I'm going to read one of our awesome reviews left for us on Apple Podcasts. Pitterfew says, excellent advice for those in the toy industry. I've been listening to every episode, taking notes and following her guests on social media because the information is so valuable. From how to design toys to finding a factory to sharing on social media, you'll find a wealth of experiences on this podcast. Yes you will. That is so right. If you love this podcast and you haven't left us a review on Apple or Spotify, what are you waiting for? The links are below to get you started. If you're watching us on YouTube, welcome.
Azhelle Wade [00:49:00]:
Subscribe. Leave a comment below. I will message you back. As always, thank you so much for spending this time with me today. I know there are a ton of podcasts out there, so it truly means the world to me that you tune into this one. Until next week. I'll see you later, toy people. Thanks for listening to the making it in the toy industry podcast with Ajel Wade.
Joy London [00:49:22]:
Head over to thetoycoach.com for more information, tips and advice.
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