Guillaume Wolf — October 2015

I was wandering through shops in Atwater Village recently when I came across a book called You Are a Message: Meditations for the Creative Entrepreneur. I picked it up initially because of the glossy black and white cover featuring a triangle, which looks iconic, even though the book itself is fairly obscure (for now!). So when I came across the passage below, I knew I had to get it:

“New luxury is time and space. New success is the realization of your true potential. New wealth is the cultural legacy you leave behind. As you can see, none of these has anything to do with bling.”

Amen. After I bought the book and read more, I liked it so much I tweeted about it, tagging the author, Guillaume Wolf, AKA “Prof G,” in the post, and then the next thing I knew, I was interviewing him at a coffee shop down the street from the Silver Lake reservoir.

Guillaume has also written another book, You Are a Circle: A Visual Meditation for the Creative Mind, and both of them are a one-man show — written, designed and self-published by the author — which is impressive but not surprising when you consider his background. You can check out his Instagram here, website here, and a recent (and inspiring!) TEDx talk here.

How did you start writing these books?
I think the idea came as a reaction to what I was seeing around me. The world has changed dramatically in the past years, and 2008 was a huge deal for everyone, obviously. But right after that, things started to change in many many ways. So I saw there was a new landscape arising.

As I was seeing these changes, I tried to figure out: “What is this new space?” I wanted to write about creativity in a way that was contemporary. At first, I wrote two longwinded books about creativity…and they were not really working. And later, I wrote a novel. But this did not work either. I didn’t like any of the feedback I was getting. Next, I was exploring with woodblock printing, and I started making circles. I thought these circles were really beautiful, so I thought, “Well, what if that was the concept?” This is how I came up with the idea of a writing a book with short quotes facing woodblock prints. I tried to boil down everything I knew into little sentences. Saying things that I believe are really important as directly as possible.

The first book, You Are a Circle, is about owning the fact that you have a creative desire to make something new in your life, and trusting you can do it. This is an important first step. Understanding that being creative is in alignment somehow with the big picture of life — that life is about change, and creation and so on. Regardless of outcome, the fact that you are doing a creative gesture will change you. You will grow exponentially. So that’s basically what I’m trying to say with You are a Circle. It’s a very positive and encouraging book for people who are on the fence. Or maybe they’ve tried something before and they’ve failed. This book is really about creativity and never giving up. I’m very keen on the discipline that comes with creativity. The message that I have is: “Dream big dreams, but you have to work extremely hard.” So I’m really clear that there’s no magic pill.

I’m also a teacher at Art Center College of Design, and I have been teaching this philosophy to my students for years. I’ve been doing it long enough that I’ve seen it making a difference. This stuff works. So I’m confident that I’m not teaching complete nonsense; which is important! [laughs]

That’s nice to have some validation.
Yes, feedback is key. So the next book, You are a Message, talks about the moment when you’re ready to trust yourself to do something: How do you go about it? It’s for creative entrepreneurs. My specialty is branding, and here I apply branding principles that can be used by people whether they are freelance or they are creating a business. These principles are universal, so you just need to tweak them according to whatever you’re doing.

One of the things I really love asking people about is their journey. How they got from being a kid who maybe made art or wrote or whatever, to here. So you alluded to the fact that you do have an interesting background — I read that you were born in Africa — so can you tell me about how you got from Africa to LA and being a writer/professor?
It’s a really long story.

That’s OK.
So essentially, I had very little opportunity when I was young. It’s almost comical.

Why was that?
Because when you’re a little bit creative and different, and the climate isn’t interested in that, you are set aside. At some point you have to laugh about it, and start doing your own thing regardless of what anybody says. So when I was 18, I lived alone in a minuscule Chambre de Bonne, a maid’s quarters.

Still in Africa?
No, this was in Paris. I was born in Dakar, Senegal, but I grew up in Paris. But I really had nothing going on. Like nothing, nothing, nothing. And again, everyone was in agreement about me being “up to no good.” I was someone who had very little hope to succeed at anything… but, deep down, I refused to quit or settle for what everyone had in store for me.

Did you come from working class people?
No, my parents were middle class, but my mom was an alcoholic, and my dad was never home. Nothing special, just very little support. I did not know what to do so I just started reading books, trying to figure things out “What do I want? What are the resources for that?” And I started taking my readings really seriously. Extremely seriously, actually. I started educating myself through books (this was before the internet). My focus was on visual communication, which was something that interested me. And I got lucky, because I found really amazing mentors. My first mentor was the father of my best friend, who was the top executive in Paris for Ogilvy & Mather, the advertising agency.

I was casually trained by this guy for years, because I was always hanging out at their house, you know? I was just a sponge, listening to every bit of wisdom, etc. And one day, he told me, “You need to read Ogilvy on Advertising and look at the recommended list of books at the end, and get all these books as well. Read them too.” So I did that. And I remember how hard it was because books were so expensive for me at the time. Then I got into the habit of following this routine. Without knowing it, he had taught me how to become a self-learner: Get a book, look at the reference page at the end, read all of these books, and so on. And I still do it to this day. And that’s how I developed my career and grew as a person, starting from nothing.

Next, I had friends that were throwing rave parties, and I asked them if they wanted me to do a logo, and they said yes. And I did a really cool logo and their visual identity, and flyers for the raves, and I started to get paid immediately for that job. We got recognized and people started asking, “Who’s the guy who does this art,” and “Oh, it’s Guillaume.” And so I got my first client, a record company and I started doing record sleeves and so on. And I would really do the best I could on these record sleeves, and I got noticed and bigger labels started talking to me. That way, I gradually built a career as a graphic designer and then an art director as well. And then it went upward really, really fast. To the point where, before I came to the States in 2001, I had a lot of clients in the fashion business — cool fashion brands. I also worked at the French Vogue, etc. Very interesting considering where I was coming from. And now, going back to 2008, it was interesting because it was the second time in my life where things had changed dramatically, and so I had to go back to a different state of mind because I had gotten too comfortable.

What had brought you to LA?
Just a sense of adventure. Wanting to push myself and live a different lifestyle. I got bored by Paris, to be honest. I’m not sure people know about this, but France is a really racist country and I don’t like that at all. I thought it was not a healthy atmosphere, and I was correct, because now it’s getting worse and worse. I simply wanted a different life, hanging out with different people. I liked the idea of America, I think it’s a very interesting social experiment, and I’ve been really happy living here. And now I’m American, by the way.

Oh, congratulations! When did you get your citizenship?
This year. I just got it. And it meant something for me. I cried at the the ceremony. I was the only one crying. But for me, it was important. This stuff is serious. I’m happy being here. I like the principles this country was built on. It really means something to me.

Yeah. Well, I feel like L.A. is a good place to come, because as a city it’s just coming into its own. I moved here ten years ago, and I came from New York. And it just felt so much freer and more diverse. Maybe not in a racial sense, but in terms of economies and types of people living in different ways.
Yeah, because New York is in many ways, in my opinion, similar to Paris. Sometimes I feel Paris is a small New York. Yes, I like L.A. I think it’s great.

So now I’ve realized that there are a lot of people out there who want to do something creative, and I found out that I also have this talent to encourage and inspire them — which is something I was not aware of previously. Originally I was a very shy person, and it’s really bizarre now when I look at how I was when I was 19 years old. I could not even look someone in the eye — I would never be able to look at you. So it’s kind of hilarious that I work with a lot of people today. I think it’s because I like to constantly challenge myself to grow. And if there’s an area where I see I can do better, I will go at it. I think it’s interesting to live like that.

Well, one of the things I really liked about You Are a Message is that there’s a lot of generosity in it. It resonated with me because you have such a commitment to being true to yourself, and speaking the truth being the way to connect with people and audiences. I think that’s fairly clear on a personal level, but I think what you’re hinting at is a new frontier where companies and brands have to do it, especially to reach a younger audience that is used to having so much access to other people via social media. Like they just can smell bullshit a mile away.
That’s right. I don’t know if there’s another way that’s possible. There’s a high level of intelligence in every audience now. They smell the BS from miles away.

But I think right now, and it could be because I’m coming from a perspective of having represented many brands for many years from a public relations standpoint, there is a real fear at opening up. I think it’s going to take a long time for companies to feel more comfortable giving more access. Some companies are naturals at it, especially ones started by younger people, and internet companies tend to be a bit less guarded. But everywhere else there is still a sense of really needing to drive the narrative, which is just not effective anymore.
Right, because we moved from a top down situation where you have total control at the top of the pyramid, and you can filter what people perceive, to something that’s bottom up. There’s not even an “up” anymore — everything is interconnected. So control is an illusion. I say it in the book — you can’t control an audience. You can’t control anything. But you can connect with an audience. And moving from control to connection in a way that’s meaningful is where it’s at. It’s obviously not a genius idea — it’s stating the obvious. But sometime the obvious is not seen, you know? Or people are fearful. Companies are fearful for sure. But they’re making a mistake, because they’re leaving the door open for competitors who understand the value of authenticity versus control.

So changing gears a little bit, when you came here, did you carry your work as a designer over to the U.S.? When did you start going the teaching route?
I started teaching about five years ago. So around 2010. I always wanted to teach — I really liked the idea of being part of an exchange with someone. You spend time with them, and when they leave you, they get something from it and it’s going to impact their life in a positive way. So I’m trying to do that, and supposedly I’m an inspiring teacher, but I’m also very, very hard. Because the backbone of what I teach is always connected to hard work. I want students to understand that there are no shortcuts for anything. I give them a lot of strategies that will make a difference, if they’re ready to work hard for their results.

That being said, I like the idea that once you understand the structure of something, there might be a way to hack it. When you think differently, you start getting different results. But you have to do things that no one is doing in order to stand out. And that takes some courage.

I started sharing these strategies with others, first with my students; then, with my wife. She’s a fashion designer who is part of the Echo Park Craft Fair. Her name is Jo Abellera, and she has a company called Kkibo.net. And she does beautiful things, from knitwear to macrame. When I met her, she was not doing any of it, and we had a lot of conversations about trusting that she could do it. She was the first telling me I was really inspiring, and I was like, “Are you sure?” And she said, “Yes!” In that sense, she pushed me to share my strategies with a larger audience. So now I’m opening up a little bit and trying to reach out to new people that maybe are looking for inspiration or guidance on how to launch their creative businesses. And I’m trying to give them cool strategies that can make a difference. I first started with the books, and I also have in the back of my mind an idea to do some kind of online class for next year. We’ll see.

I think right now we’re in a moment of creativity really being a buzzword, and there’s a lot of momentum building in culture for books like yours, books like the Elizabeth Gilbert book that just came out called Big Magic. And I think it’s all really positive. I also think there’s an element of cynicism at play, where people might think, “well, that’s only for the elite,” and wonder if following your dream is a road to disaster. So I definitely think there’s more room for more discussion about that as well.
Yes, the potential for failure is a real concern. But there’s a way around it. The way I talk about it is to set yourself up for success through small steps. Start experimenting in a way that, regardless of outcome, you will not have any problems. Because failure, which is the big thing that everybody fears, is a necessary step to grow and take yourself to the next level. I’m from the school of, “let’s start very, very, very small and risk-free.” Put $1,000 here. Never more. See what happens. But how do you get $1,000? Well, cancel your TV subscription! Sell your big screen TV! And you have $1,000. That’s how I did it [laughs]. I’m so bored in my house; and it’s by design, there are only two things I can do — create or read books. That’s it.

The way to start is to have nothing but a willingness to try. Understanding that if you fail it’s ok, it’s just feedback. That’s why you need to start small. And then you build on it, and build on it, and I believe that’s the healthy way to do it. I would never say to anyone, “put $20,000 on your credit card to do this.” It’s the worst idea ever, because most of the time — 99% of the time — you’ll fail. It’s a learning curve. I like the idea of the slow build. You don’t need to start big to become big. It’s important to encourage people to take chances. I like the “little ones” no one sees coming, because I think they are the people with the most interesting things to say. And they should express themselves. We just have one life.

Well said. One other thing that occurred to me — you self-published your books. What made you decide to go that route?
That’s a great question. First, I looked into the available options: Self-publishing versus “legacy publishing.” After a long time researching the field, I found out, today, there’s a profound crisis in traditional publishing. Publishing is a very strange business because bookstores can return books that don’t sell. Therefore the risk is always on the publisher — they can’t afford to make mistakes. So naturally, because they are under so much pressure to make money, they don’t take risks on new authors. They live in constant fear. So they are looking to see if something is popular first. Like, “Oh, Lady Gaga is telling her life story? That’s popular!”

But this is just one aspect. It gets a bit more complicated. There’s also something extremely dysfunctional in how they treat their authors. Contracts for authors are possibly the worst thing you’ll ever find in any creative industry. The deals they offer are just horrendous. For a small author, if you’re lucky, they’ll give you an advance of $5,000, but in exchange, they will get total ownership of your work. Which is a very big deal. If the book doesn’t sell, you will have to pay back some of the advance. Yet, they will retain the rights of your book. It’s crazy bad. No one in their right mind should ever sign a contract like that.

And so the alternative option is to publish a book yourself. I’m a graphic designer by trade, so I know print very well. So let’s be clear: self-publishing it’s not easy. It takes a lot of patience. I had to hack the system in order to be able to have these images and make them look good. I had to figure out a lot of things. It’s a lot of work because you have to do everything yourself: writing, publishing, sales. But I did it, and now I’ve passed the $5,000 mark a long time ago. As a new author, I’ve experimented and discovered that self-publishing is superior to legacy publishing. But again, it’s really hard to do.

As I mentioned before, I run experiments all the time, that’s how I look at the creative process. If it works, great. If not, I’ll tweak it until it works. That’s always my approach.

Yeah, I think that’s the field of marketing in general right now.
Yes, just try and try again. But when it’s your own project, this is sometimes really hard to move your mind into that direction. You really have to do a lot of work in order for readers to discover your book. It’s hard but it’s a “good hard,” because it makes you fearless. When You Are a Circle showed up on Amazon, there were no sales at first. I was like, “OK, what do I do now?” I realized I needed to have the book in physical stores as well. So I went to Individual Medley, and I had to overcome my natural shyness. I just had been to the gym, and was in my gym outfit. I literally forced myself to walk in. I said “Hi, I’m a local author, I have this new book. Maybe it’s a good fit for you. I’d like to leave a copy with you, take your time to look at it. And if you’re interested, let me know.” This is quite simple, really, but that took a HUGE effort. And I did it. A few days later they called me and said, “Actually, yes, we like it. Let’s try five copies.” Next, they called me a week after and said, “We sold out, so we need five more books.” And it became this weird thing because they kept calling me to restock it because the book was selling so well. They were selling more and more. To this day, the book sells non-stop.

Since then, I’ve been nurturing these relationships, because that’s how you get discovered: through stores, much more than Amazon, actually. The reason is simple: Stores create a curated environment, and when they carry your work, they put a “stamp of approval” on what you do, so to speak. I really value the support I get from these stores. And to make it work, I always price my books higher on Amazon (as they always discount everything) so stores can still be competitive. This strategy has worked great for everyone.

I feel like I’ve seen You Are a Circle in other stores. Where can you get it in L.A.?
First, Individual Medley, and also Reform School, Surfing Cowboys, Tavin and I think that’s it for Los Angeles. They are also available at Field Trip in Portland. Have Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Where else? Needles & Pens in San Francisco. It’s growing organically, at a nice pace. I feel very blessed because these books resonate with the readers, who are all creative people. I think they get that these books are different. They see that’s these books are a labor of love. My readers are the best in that sense, they really support the books: they share them on social media (#youareacircle and #youareamessage), and they even buy them for their friends. It’s incredible to see the books having a life of their own. I think I’ve accidently tapped into something that readers really enjoy. I feel very lucky, and I’m really grateful for it.