Why Mike Stewart Writes
When I came to Korea in 2003 to teach English I was only planning on staying a year.
- I needed an adventure
- I needed a change of scene
- I needed an escape from the grind
- I needed to pay off student loans
There was adventure.
There were beautiful things to see.
There was some paying off of loans…eventually.
But the grind?
They grind hard here.
Real hard.
But that one-year plan turned into two and then three and so on.
The low cost of living (at the time) along with all the fun I was having made it hard to leave.
I taught ESL to children for a while.
- I was good at it. I’ve always been good with kids.
- I have the right combination of goofy and creative.
But… after six years of that I needed a change of scene again.
- The kids were cute but exhausting.
- And I hated being part of their forced education that kept them glued to chairs all day.
So I moved into teaching adults.
At least with adults, for the most part, they were choosing to study.
It was a lot better as I could still be goofy, but the level of conversation was more stimulating.
The artist in me
Around the same time, I started teaching art as well.
Yes, at my core, I’m still an artist.
I never stopped making, exhibiting and occasionally selling art.
I visited an art academy to see about using their printmaking equipment and they invited me to join their classes and soon after offered me a job.
I became “the foreign art teacher.”
I began writing about my classes online and in the classified sections of local magazines.
I did pretty well at getting attention, and soon was being interviewed on the radio and in papers.
People started coming to my classes.
From there I moved on to other art teaching opportunities while also exhibiting my work in galleries throughout the country.
Jankura Artspace
In 2012 I opened Jankura Artspace, Seoul’s first foreign owned and operated art academy.
Jankura was an artist share-studio, a figure drawing center, and a place where art classes and workshops were held.
This was my baby.
I put all my energy into it.
All my love.
I spent hours each day getting the word out about the studio’s classes and events.
This was mostly through Facebook and Craigslist (yeah that used to be useful) and many other websites frequented by expats.
I also plugged away in Korean, translating and posting in all the popular portals used by the locals.
All those hours typing up event descriptions and writing blog posts worked.
I was successful in building a community space where people could come together through their shared interest and love of art.
Art was made, people learned how to “unleash their hidden Picasso’s” and friendships formed.
Lots of friendships.
That’s what I miss most.
Yes, the studio had to close in 2019.
The environment had changed and the economy wasn’t helping.
It was never a profit engine. I probably should have listed it as a non-profit in fact.
It was about the art and community, not money.
But of course, money would’ve helped it keep going…
Live and learn.
This sentence may seem odd, and I’m not even sure how to put it, but when Covid hit, I felt a sigh of relief.
Not relieved that the world was caught in the grips of a deadly virus…
But I was selfishly grateful that I had closed the studio just in time.
I was lucky to have already closed right before the pandemic hit.
I wasn’t one of the nearly 800,000 businesses in Korea that shut down.
Paying rent on that space during social distancing would have destroyed me.
Fast forward to 2024
Life has changed a lot.
Both personally and professionally.
I’ve been working in the ESL industry while doing art stuff when I find the time.
But the grind…
The work hours are long.
The pay isn’t enough.
Much of the joy is gone
(ok, honestly, all of the joy is gone).
So it’s time for a change of scene once again.
We have a plan.
My wife and I (and our pet(s)) are packing up and heading to my hometown in Connecticut.
I never thought I’d return there.
I was actually living in Massachusetts before coming to Korea, and I’m not sure exactly how long we’ll stay in my sleepy little suburban town of Southington, but I want to see how it goes.
In order to accomplish this major move, I’ve been focusing on a career change.
I’ve been typing away all my adult life.
I’ve always loved writing.
I know how to do it.
People say I’m good at it.
Jankura’s social success and the success of all the promotions I ran for various other events in Korea were proof of that.
I never realized all that time that what I was doing was marketing, or copywriting.
I was just trying to get people to come to my exhibitions and to my art classes.
The newsletters I’d been writing, the press releases that caught media attention, the constant social media postings, they were effective.
So, I’ve been studying copywriting.
I’ve been taking courses, reading the books and putting in the hours.
I’ve put together a decent portfolio.
Heck, I’ve been doing copywriting for decades unbeknownst to myself.
Now I’m just making it official.
What is copywriting?
It’s basically the act of writing in an effective way to grab attention and often encourage a sale or other call to action.
Congrats to me if you’ve gotten this far down the page. 😅
I guess I haven’t completely failed.
It includes everything from
- the ads you see while scrolling through social media
- the product descriptions in catalogs and websites
- the scripts used in video sales letters
- pretty much anywhere you see written words in public.
What do I want to do with copywriting?
I’m looking to work as a freelance copywriter,
but would also take a post at a good enough agency.
Many copywriters recommend choosing a niche.
Others say “don’t ‘niche down’ right away.”
It’s hard to choose a niche.
This might seem like a cliche, but I have a lot of interests.
I thought about art, and may go in that direction at some point.
But that little voice in my head keeps reminding me that most artists are starving.
I feel bad, as I’m also an artist, but it means artists might not be a breadwinning niche…
For now, I’m happy trying my hand at being a “generalist.”
My niche will show itself to me at some point.
For now, I’ll help anyone who needs someone to type away for them.
From real estate agents to tattoo artists to car dealerships to bakeries, everyone needs copy.
Words as Art
I love the idea of crafting sentences like a piece of art.
Each word is a single brushstroke.
Words are powerful.
With the right combination, or should I say, composition…
An idea is passed from the creator to the viewer
Business is work
Running a business is a labor of love, but it is a labor first.
The grind again, yeah.
I remember sitting in Jankura at my little desk by the door hunched over my laptop.
It was an old hand-me-down piece of trash laptop,
but I’d spend hours tapping away at that thing.
I wanted to be painting or drawing.
I wanted to turn to the nearest easel and make some artwork.
But I had to get the word out.
I had to pull the people in.
I had to promote…
Yes, I loved running the studio, inspiring and teaching
but all that typing took a lot more time and energy than was healthy.
I know other business owners feel the same.
They want to spend their time doing what they love
- Perfecting their menus
- Designing their tattoos
- Talking with their customers
- Providing their services
They don’t want to spend their time online saying “We have great food here!”
They want to make great food and see people enjoying it.
That’s where a copywriter comes in.
That’s where I come in.
Some people have great writing skills and can promote themselves pretty well.
Others don’t, and can’t.
It’s hard however, to hand the keys over to someone else and say, “write this for me.”
but…
If you have a business, you need “copy”.
You need words that interest people.
You need sentences that pull them in and entice them.
You need posts that grab attention and convert directly to sales or growth.
OK, Sorry,
That’s enough sales talk. Blah!!! 🤐
The Plan
I’m going to keep working on this goal.
And I’m confident.
I’m reaching out to businesses of all shapes and sizes to see who needs a copywriter.
From Seoul to Southington and everywhere in between.
All shapes and sizes.
So if you know someone with a business, and if they need a hand getting the word out…
Send’em my way
Or if you need someone to type away for you… I’m here.
And I love it.
That’s why Mike Stewart Writes
Mike Stewart Writes 