Today we’d like to introduce you to Duncan Jones.
Hi Duncan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The origin of this entire project was a childhood spent with National Geographic, Steve Irwin, The Discovery Channel, and Rudyard Kipling. Wildlife became an obsession. Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Lion King, The Jungle Book, etc.
I loved exaggerated stories, and by that I mean romanticized. We all know the realities of the world, but as a writer, if you can dance on the line of truth and “maybe” then you’ve really nailed it. It’s the way children see the world: they want to know the truth, they really do, but they don’t know the limits yet. They don’t know what is or isn’t possible. In their world, the lion really could be a king. He’s still a lion, so why not the king? The wild dogs really can run forever. They hyenas really are laughing. The parrot and the peacock really are jealous of each other.
All that said, in 2006 I began to sell a themed set of animal illustrations on t-shirts and babies clothing. I called the business “Wild World,” and I sold at festivals here in Austin, stores here in Austin, and a few stores across Texas and out of state. Everything was good, but I was working a full-time job outside of this and in time, I decided to pull back and focus more on online sales. At this time too the print-on-demand ability for websites was really getting good. Other than the clothing, I had also begun to write and illustrate children’s stories and poetry. The ability to self-publish was also getting much more accessible and better, so it seemed to make sense to put more and more effort into the website.
A few years ago, I relaunched it all under the name “Twenty Four Wild.” Here is a snippet from the website that probably says it best…
“What began as Wild World is now Twenty Four Wild and has expanded over the years to include more than 100 rhyming stories, multiple children’s books, and countless other products. Whether you met us selling t-shirts on the streets of downtown Austin, TX or found us in a store, we are glad you’re back. Twenty Four Wild is the relentless pursuit of conservation, of teaching everyone how to be ridiculously obsessed with wildlife. It’s about the rangers who literally stand guard watching the last of the rhinos, it’s about the first biologists brought into the gorilla’s circle, it’s about those who swim with the great whites. It has been a long-time goal to use Twenty Four Wild as a way to support conservation and the ongoing protection of wildlife. Nothing is cooler than the wild. So let’s get to it!”
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?
Yes and no. Getting started was much more accessible than I had thought. Even approaching stores was fairly simple. The real issue is the middle ground where you’re making sales and you’re needing to put full-time effort into it before it is making you full-time money back. That’s certainly not a story that’s unique to me, and I’m not complaining. I think the ability to sell exclusively online is a borderline miracle.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Words that have been used to describe and compliment the printed art and illustrations include “innocent,” “charming,” “so simple,” etc.
I would never claim that my style is above and beyond anyone else, but I think I’ve done a good job sticking to a theme. The puns and one-liners that accompany the illustrations really seem to resonate with some people.
Regarding the children’s books, I think it’s simply the rhyming that sets them apart. I also like to add twists to the endings. The messages and stories are age-old tales, but telling them with a rhyme brings them to life in a different way.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think about that a lot, and the honest answer is that I have no idea. In 5-10 years, I think people will still be buying children’s books, and I’m willing to bet we’ll still need t-shirts too (haha).
We’ve seen the explosion in podcasts, which in my mind is the same as the old-time radio hour. The specific delivery might be completely new, but I think storytelling and illustration will always have a place in the world.
Contact Info:
- Email: greatwhiteshark@twentyfourwild.com
- Website: https://twentyfourwild.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twentyfourwild/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGdO2ysz4yWhWchw8NCLdEw/videos
