Subjectivity is what makes art unique. Remember that scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when Cameron has an existential moment while looking at Georges Seurat’s, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte? That’s what happens when a creative piece strikes the right chord and speaks to us on another level. Some might see an impressive painting; others might have a cathartic moment, even though they’re looking at the same thing.
In a roundabout way, this is why you won’t find examples of JXM’s creative work on our website. While other firms offer up portfolio pages and case studies showcasing their creative abilities, we opt not to put examples on display. We want to be certain that our creative sparks a profound moment—something that’s rarely possible when it’s offered up without context.
Don’t get us wrong: our creative abilities are top-notch. We’d just rather deliver meaningful examples to prospective clients, instead of hoping they find meaning in a vacuum.
With context comes meaning
While we all experience art differently, context can help ensure the power of a piece comes across to a broader audience. Let’s revisit A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, for example. On the surface, it might seem like any other neo-impressionist painting. But let’s dive deeper.
This painting was created one tiny dot at a time—more than 220,000 in total (estimated). It’s widely regarded as the first example of Pointillism and was completely unique at the time. And, perhaps most interestingly, painter Georges Seurat specifically developed the technique to rebel against the prevailing technique at the time: Impressionism. Given a moment to appreciate this context, you’re now likely to have a deeper appreciation for A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte—more than if you were to arbitrarily walk past it in a museum.
We’re not saying that JXM is on the pioneering front of an artistic counterculture. What we are saying is that given the right context, it’s easier for potential clients to appreciate what we do and how we do it. We don’t want our creative examples to be just another painting on the wall. We want you to connect with what we create—and that demands context.
Avoiding a reputation as “the X agency”
Let’s shift gears to an artist you’re probably more familiar with: Michelangelo, a man so famous he’s a mononym (his full name is Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, by the way). Some people might know him as Michelangelo the painter, who gave us the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Others know him better as Michelangelo the sculptor, creator of the Statue of David. He was also Michelangelo the architect, poet and orator. In short: a true renaissance man.
What does JXM have in common with Michelangelo? Admittedly, not a lot—other than a passion for working across many different mediums. And while we wouldn’t think to put our creative in league with history’s most versatile artist, we do take cues from how to showcase our abilities.
JXM might work on a high-end film production or some animation, or put together an omnichannel ad campaign for a client. Our approach is agnostic to form; we let the story we’re trying to tell—along with who we are telling it to—dictate how to tell it. We don’t just do a one-size-fits-all creative campaign approach: we choose the medium that best-delivers the message. What we want to avoid is becoming “a high-end video agency” or “an animation specialist” or “an omnichannel creative agency.” Instead, we aim to be our own mononym: JXM.
A creative approach we can appreciate, together
If you’re skimming our website looking for examples of client creative campaigns, we’re sorry to say that you won’t find them. We do what it takes to meet the goals our clients set forth, and generally sharing our recent work doesn’t do this concept justice. Our creative is customized, and it deserves context that provides perspective.
That said, if you’re looking for samples, we’d love to show you some that fall within the scope of your goals. We want to share work that resonates with you and your goals, and that means taking the time to understand your brand and your focus first.
Reach out to us, and we’ll take the time to curate creative examples that truly appeal to you beyond a surface level, so you can have an existential moment like Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
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