We recently connected with Justus Keaton and have shared our conversation below.

Justus, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I would say my most meaningful project to date has been our Sewing 101 Classes. We recently launched a 4-Week series dedicated to teaching the foundation of Sewing.

This accomplishment means so much to me because, learning to sew was a childhood dream of mine. I grew up on the west side of Atlanta of “humble beginnings” to put it nicely. Around the age of 10, I begin to have an interest in fashion. My dream career as a child was to be a Graphic Designer and Fashion designer. I pestered my mom for a sewing machine and sewing lessons. She never said no, but never quite a yes. She was supportive but classes and sewing machine just never seemed to happen. As a young child, I didn’t understand that we simply couldn’t afford it.

Once I realized this and it made my mom sad, I stopped asking. I decided I would have to find a different way to become a fashion designer. Eventually, I had the bright idea to just pick up a needle & thread, some fabrics, and a single zipper I begged my mom to get me, then just start sewing. I figured, “it can’t be that hard”. My first attempt at self-teaching was a vest with a zipper. I took the scrap fabric and cut two armholes in it, took my zipper that was entirely too long and just handstitched it on the edges where it looked like it belonged. As you can imagine, my handmade vest looked absolutely atrocious, and wounded my ego a bit. Eventually I began sketching out dresses and outfit designs. There a whole slew of fashion designs made by little me tucked away in storage. As the years went on, I let go of this dream and thought: it’s just not going to happen, might as well let it go. Sometimes, it hard to keep hold of a dream, when it seems like it impossible to achieve.

Fast forward to my senior year of college, I discovered the most amazing course: Graphic Design for Fashion. I thought, “this course was made for me. It combined the two things I’d loved since I was a kid. It was a full circle moment that reinvigorated my passion for fashion design. I’d let go of the dream years ago, but now had the opportunity to pursue it again.

Fast forward to 2022, I took the plunge and bought my first sewing machine. Fast forward to 2023, I took my first sewing class. And Fast forward to June 2024, I launched my first Sewing Class in our design studio: J.Keaton Designs.

The journey to getting these classes up and running, was long and hard. I had to fail, regroup, fail again, and regroup. Eventually, I took the lessons of those failures and built a better strategy and stronger program. Even to this day we are evaluating, assessing, and innovating. As it currently stands, we offer monthly Beginner Sewing Classes in three different formats: 4-Week Cohort, Accelerated, and Day Classes. We offer flexible payment options. We contract skilled and seasoned sewists to lead our classes.

My journey from a young girl who couldn’t afford a used sewing machine to a business owner providing flexible and affordable sewing classes to others who have the same dream I did is what makes this accomplishment rise above the rest.

Justus, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

J.Keaton Designs is a Creative Design and Development agency. We are situated in the cross-section of Marketing, Design, and Business Development. We have created our own niche to serve small businesses in a unique and innovative way.

We break our services into 2 Tiers:

JKD Services:
We provide Marketing & Design Services such as Graphic Design, Web Design, Email Design, Instructional Design, Brand Design etc. Our Creative Business Development service include unique services such as Setting Up Online Stores, Email Funnels, Subscription Boxes, and developing and implementing unique business strategies that result in innovation and/or additional revenue streams.

JKD Workshops:
Our Workshops are a way to interact with the community and inspire creativity. We coined our workshops as Design & Crafts workshops because we incorporate design practices into the crafts we teach. For example, we love hosting Soapmaking workshops. In addition to the actual soap, we design and produce labeling for the soap products.

Problem-Solution
Our company bridges that gap between a Standard Company and an Innovative company that will stand the test of time.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the idea that I needed to fit into an already established profession. I thought, I either had to be a Designer or a Marketing Specialist. I used to think, my business has to provide either x or z; never both. To some extent this notion is accurate. There must be an element of cohesion in the brand; otherwise, your audience will be confused. But I had to balance this understanding with the acceptance of novelty and interdisciplinary professions.

I started a business so I come help businesses in a way that I know how and could enjoy the process. I built my brands services, and offerings around what I love, not what every other business similar to mine is doing. I enjoyed designing graphics and designing strategies, so I created my own niche where I could do both.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Getting in front of as many of the “right” eyes as possible. I make sure my business is visible everywhere online that is possible and relevant to what we offer. Marketplaces, forums, social media, mailboxes, etc. It not enough to just get 10 thousand views, we must get attention from the people interested in our services.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jkeatondesigns.com/home
• Instagram: @DesignedBy_Justus
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justus-keaton/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@createdby_justus
• Other: Portfolio: https://jkeatondesigns2024.s3.amazonaws.com/content/index.html#/