“Rather Than Stability, I Want the Freedom to Breathe and Create.”
1. Escaping the Cubicle: The Courage to Paint on the Streets
In 2021, A-Jin quit his job at an education training institute and set up an easel on the streets of Chengdu.
“The first time I set up a stall, I charged ten yuan per portrait. My hands were shaking as I finished the first one,” he recalls with a smile. At bustling weekend markets, he sketched girls’ profiles in blue lines, earning over a thousand yuan in a single day. But he also endured scorching heat that wilted his paper, leaving him with zero income. Over three years, he accumulated thousands of sketches—and a clear understanding: “Markets are like opening a blind box. But freedom has always come with risks.”
2. An IP Universe Grown from Sketchbooks
Keywords: Little A-Hua / Bullhorn Grape Hand / The Red Line Storm
“My first IP was born in a sketchbook full of doodles.” A-Jin pulls out his phone and shows “Norm”—a round-faced boy with green hair and oversized pink feet. Initially a casual sketch, this character has now transformed into stickers, phone stands, and glass cups, filling his suitcase stall.
From an art school graduate to a “deserter” of product design, he eventually found peace in IP creation: “Blue lines felt too melancholic; red was more vibrant.” Blending a girly art style with practical merchandise, he quietly amassed over 10,000 followers on Xiaohongshu.
3. A Floating World of Markets: 1,000 Days and 1,000 Faces
Survival Rules of the Market
💥 The Toughest Battle
- A 40°C heatwave melted his paints, ruining a couple’s portrait order.
💡 Hidden Business Insights
- A fixed exhibition spot in a trendy bookstore is more “life-saving” than a roaming market stall.
🎭 Ultimate Philosophy
- “Being neighbors with a tarot and perfume vendor only makes my IP stand out more.”
4. The Reality of an “Unstable” Life
💰 Income & Expenses
- Peak earnings: 3,000 yuan per day.
- Worst days: Losing money just to afford meals.
- No more “Client Aesthetic Kidnapping”: “I can redo it—but it’ll cost extra.”
5. A Wild Vision for the Future
A-Jin plans to cycle across the country with his IP merchandise:
“Earn travel expenses by selling art during the day, paint the starry sky at night—this is what real ‘on-the-road’ creation looks like.”
