John Hinckley’s Cat Paintings are Marketing Art

Every business revolves around one currency, and no, it's not money. It's attention. Attention brings money, money is the happy conclusion of attention. The good ending. The other ending is nothing. You had attention from your audience and didn't provide enough value for it to become money.

This is what economists call the "attention economy." Herbert A. Simon came up with this concept back in 1971. In a world drowning in information, attention becomes the scarcest resource. Businesses that master the art of capturing and keeping attention are the ones making the most profits. That explains the huge amount of money big brands put on ads.

A good marketing strategy is like a three-act play. Act One: catch attention. Act Two: keep it. Act Three: transform it into money. Lots of people are great at grabbing attention, some among them manage to keep that attention long enough, but few know how to transform it. If you want to know more about that, I have an article where I explain how to do it.

There's a man out there who managed to transform attention received in a very interesting and unique way. His story might help you understand how to make money with your audience.

Who is John Hinckley?

John Hinckley Jr. is famous for trying to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He shot Reagan and three others outside a Washington, D.C., hotel. Hinckley was arrested and later found not guilty by reason of insanity, which led to his commitment to St. Elizabeths Hospital.

Hinckley spent decades in that mental institution under medical treatment. In 2016, he was released under strict conditions to live with his mother in Virginia.

Not long after being released, John Hinckley launched a YouTube channel. He used the media attention surrounding his release to attract viewers. On his channel, he shared his music and thoughts. He quickly gained a good amount of followers and monetized his channel through ad revenue and donations.

But that's not the interesting part. If you're famous, it's pretty easy to make a living on social media without adding any value. No, the interesting part was what he started selling later.

John Hinckley’s Paintings

John Hinckley started painting during his time at the hospital. It began as a means to help with his mental issues, but with time it became a passion. When he got out of the hospital, he kept painting and started selling his works on eBay.

He almost exclusively painted the same thing again and again: his cat. The orange looking creature sitting in front of a blue or green background. The price was also the same every time: $500. Every piece was the same, but every one was unique. Hand painted.

He started painting a few of those every month, keeping the available stock low. And it sold, every piece, every time one was out it was right away sold.

Why? Because it's a piece of history. You're not buying the painting of a cat, you're buying something painted by the guy that tried to kill Reagan and then spent decades in a hospital. You're buying the process that helped him overcome his mental issues. You're buying a piece of redemption.

That's why it sells so well. Of course the cat is cute, the style is simple but gives that feeling of mid 20th century painters from Germany. But people aren't buying it for this reason.

Storytelling and Speculation

This is where the science of storytelling comes in. Psychologists call it "narrative transportation." It's when people get so absorbed in a story that it changes how they think and feel.

But it goes even deeper. There's this concept called catharsis. It's basically emotional release through art. By buying Hinckley's paintings, they're participating in a story of redemption. They're processing their own emotions through his journey. This is all hypothetical, you don’t need to remember this part, just know there are a lot of unconscious mechanism in every human being, and that catharsis is very powerful. Maybe a bit underrated in marketing.

Storytelling sells. When you can connect personally to an object, you want it.

John Hinckley didn't start selling shoes, or tote bags. He managed to transform the attention he was receiving in an authentic way.

It's important to mention that paintings have another very specific characteristic that makes them such a valuable choice: Speculation.

A lot of people buying those pieces know that there is a high chance they'll be worth even more later on. When the artist dies and the stock stops growing, prices go up.

Storytelling sells, but the idea that the money you're putting into an object is an investment, that's nuclear power in marketing. You're not spending money by buying this piece, but actually investing it to earn more out of it.

Attention is a currency, and John Hinckley managed to make the paintings of his cat a must-have. He found a way to enable his audience to feel a sense of connection and participation in his story. By purchasing a painting, Hinckley's customers get to feel like they're part of his journey in some small way, almost like patrons supporting his rehabilitation.

Finding ways to make your audience feel invested in and connected to your narrative can be very powerful.

Of course, most people will not have a story as dramatic as Hinckley's to work with. But it doesn't matter. The idea is what matters, use everything that is unique about you and your life to connect with your audience.

Bad is Good

There was that movie I watched as a kid, it was called Gremlins. There were small creatures with fur and long ears and if you put water on them or fed them after midnight they would transform into those hideous green creatures.

What made the movie good was that crazy, weird and ugly transformation. It's what made the movie unique. What makes the story of John Hinckley enticing is how dramatic it is. We connect to pain, delusion and bad decisions better than we connect to virtue and beauty. That ugly side of the world 'sticks'.

There's a reason for this. Scientists call it "negativity bias." Our brains are wired to pay more attention to negative or dramatic information. It's why news channels are always blasting doom and gloom, because that's what keeps us glued to the screen.

But there’s more to it than that. Transformation, we love that concept. Change. Whether it's cute furry creatures turning into monsters, or a would-be assassin becoming an artist, these transformations grab us by the guts and don't let go. That’s why I talk about how important those aspects are in a good story, on my article about how to make money by writing a novel.

That's why you shouldn't hide that part of you from your audience if you want to transform attention into money. You need to be authentic.

Every small business and ordinary person has stories to tell that can make their products and services more meaningful than their generic equivalents.

Charlotte Tilbury, Beyonce and Rihanna’s Brands

The key is to find your authentic voice and use it to make your audience care.

When Beyonce launches a brand of sportswear it flops because it doesn't feel authentic. Many big YouTubers made the same mistake.

You know who launched a brand and had crazy success? Rihanna with her make up brand Fenty. Because it made sense, because you could feel she was actively working on it and promoting it as HER creation.

Another example: Charlotte Tilbury. A famous make up artist that took care of many big stars. After a few decades in the field, she decided to launch a make up brand. How did she market it? As the fruit of everything she learned, everything she found out, everything she created. It's value in a pot. You don't buy a product but decades of experience.

Sell value and you transform attention.

Sell a product and your product will be one amongst many others.

End Words

Let’s go over it once more. Attention seeks value. Value is not always concrete and objective. It's more than anything else, a feeling.

When you sell your product, you need to make your audience feel.

John Hinckley's paintings are carrying the weight of his story, make your product carry yours.

Yeah you didn't try to assassinate a president (I hope so), but it's not about how crazy your story is, what matters is how relatable it is. No need to open up too much to your audience, just show who you are, that your problems relate to your audience, and sell value through the solution to this common problem. But that's just an example.

Just keep in mind John Hinckley next time you're trying to market a product, or even to create one.

Keep his orange cat in mind.