Joe Chiocchi is a NEPA native with an artistic background. His primary focus is on digital art and graphic design. He currently works in the insurance field but finds commission work on the side, even going as far as to partner with different local breweries to design different branding pieces.
From Game Design to Graphic Design
Joe’s artistry started with drawings and evolved after he graduated from Wallenpaupack high school. After finishing high school, he attended college and spent some time studying game design. It was there that he found his creative focus transition from traditional media to digital art.
Joe credits his artistic abilities as traits he inherited from his mother:
“She’d just doodle. Every once in a while, you’d find a note she took down while on the phone and there would be a floral pattern along the side.”
Additionally, he credits his mother and his childhood friends as major inspirations and sources of encouragement in his early artistic exploration:
“When I was young, she kind of always helped me along and encouraged me to do creative stuff. For instance when I was very young, before I could write, I used to draw ‘books’ and narrate them to my mother. She would transcribe the story to go along with the pictures I drew. I moved on from that and later my friend and I made our own trading cards a few times. We’d take poster board and turn them into cards. We drew a lot of monsters and stuff like that.”
Always Wanting to Do Better
Joe expressed some of the internal feelings he faces as an artist:
“I think they [artists] probably fall into two different camps, but I’m the type to always see what could be better about my work. … You get to share a piece and people tell you how much they love it, but at least for myself I just look at it and think ‘oh my God, I could’ve done this so much better,’ but that allows me to improve upon my craft and do better next time. … my biggest inspiration is thinking about what something could be. I’m a bit of a dreamer in some regards.”
Not long ago, Joe was involved in a motorcycle accident. He’s made serious progress in his journey of healing, and he cites the time he spent recovering as a contributing factor to his artistic development and thought process. It could be said that his art and his perspectives have evolved as a result.
Bright Colors and Mental Health
Today, Joe’s art is primarily digital. His art has very unique, colorful, somewhat psychedelic, and macabre influences. Right now, he runs an Instagram page @im.fine.co where he shares his art. Joe also promotes undertones of mental health awareness through this concept of “I’m fine.”
“My art page is a little bit of a passion project called ‘I’m Fine.’ It’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek joke that I feel many people my age can actually kind of get behind. Many times, we find people asking us if we’re alright for whatever reason, and no one ever answers with ‘oh yeah, I’m fine’ and really means it.”
Without revealing too much, Joe made it clear to us that he has big plans for this project’s future, including a possible clothing brand and product line. Stay tuned to Joe’s Instagram profile to see how his art evolves and his project progresses. We’re excited for him.