Daily Inspiration: Meet Cliff Moore

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cliff Moore.

Hi Cliff, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Resulting from a recent decision to set aside time devoted strictly to bringing design ideas to life, The Maker’s Easel brand emerged in February of this year. The journey from idea, to brand development, to realization was both personally challenging and rewarding.

I was always a deep thinker – finding meaning and inspiration in the simple things often overlooked by most people. Also, I was always aware of my creative ability, but through self-imposed suppression, I left my creative potential untapped because life happened. Becoming a husband and father, my focus shifted onto the job at hand – providing for my family. Creativity became a luxury I couldn’t really afford. Somewhere in the “hamster wheel” I realized the value of having a creative outlet, and I became intentional about devoting time to creating. What started out as basic graphic designs for flyers and invitations eventually turned into logo design, album art, and ultimately product design. Fun fact, eleven years ago my wife very happily allowed me to design our wedding invitations, so her approval let me know that I was growing in graphic design.

Fast forward to today, with the support of my wife, I have been able to deep dive into brand creation and product design while still working on my primary job. Artistic expression has been a therapeutic break away from the monotony of the “hamster wheel.”

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been some challenges along the way – welcomed challenges though, as they present opportunity for growth.

One of the biggest challenges as a new brand is developing enough social proof to turn potential customers into actual customers. Social media is definitely an effective tool for building social proof in e-commerce, but because I had taken a long hiatus (a few years) from all social media after having an account hacked, I am essentially starting from scratch.

Another challenge I encountered when I first started out was loosing hundreds of dollars from my marketing budget trusting a so-called “e-commerce expert” who operated from a well known Freelancer platform, but failed to deliver any results.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The Maker’s Easel, in short, specializes in color-rich, nature-themed, inspirational designs with products ranging from shoes and apparel, to coffee mugs and writing journals.

“What are we known for?”
We are still in the beginning stages, but our animal print/theme designs have marked engagement across our social media business profiles.

I am most proud of the fact that I went from suppressing my creativity, to taking a leap of faith to explore and ultimately display that creativity to the world without full knowledge of how it would be perceived/received.

What sets The Maker’s Easel apart from others is our desire to evoke artistic expression from our ideal customers, encouraging them to not only avoid suppressing creativity, but to also create their unique designs in whatever their area of expertise exists for themselves.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
For luck to play any role in my life and business, I would have to believe in happenstance – I do not. I believe all things happen as a result of intention, reward or consequence, or fate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.themakerseasel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themakerseasel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themakerseasel