We recently connected with Brian Taylor and have shared our conversation below.

Brian, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Nearly all of us played paper. rock, scissors as kids and some of us deploy this ritual of chance to this day to decide who buys dinner or who will be the designated driver. But what if rock ultimately beats paper? For me, I believe, it has.

A passion was born in me by pure accident. I began making jewelry during the winter of 2019. Clumsily, at first, and just for fun. But I loved making those initial resin pieces and eventually progressed to metal. With copious amounts of study and practice, I grew into a bonafide metalsmith. I joined the vendor’s circuit and have had some success. It was a truly enjoyable side hustle.

That passion fueled a growing dream. And that dream continues to expand as pieces of it materialize. I recreated a business plan to see if I could afford a brick and mortar, which seemed more and more necessary to scale my operation and provide customers with a full experience. Turns out, I could do it, even if I had to subsidize it during slower months with my full-time income.

In April, I secured a brick-and-mortar store. I scoured the city (Greater Cincinnati) on foot and online for locations that matched my size and budget. After many exhausting weeks of finding spaces (but no ideal ones) I decided to grab a cookie at a bakery one neighborhood over from mine. There it was. The ideal location. But it was in the midst of being leased. I called the landlord and said “if anything goes awry, call me. I’m in.” He said that rarely happens, but ok. Just as I was going to sign a lease at a less desirable spot, he called and I immediately took the opportunity.

IMGBAT Jewelry, Art & Engraving, is now nestled into a lovely nook of Historic Glendale. That accomplishment was a direct result of trying to keep a fluid mind, open to seizing on chance. “Luck,” as explained by individuals of a certain mindset.

Jumping toward that opening was not without cost. It meant that I now had two demanding jobs. I had done one of them for so long, it was second nature. Over more than 30 years I have worked in virtually every aspect of newspaper and magazine creation, training, and dissemination. I have eaten and breathed writing, graphic design, photography and the wonderful marriage (orgy sometimes) of the three.

Both jobs coexisted — for the most part — though my jewelry and art business always bore the sacrifice if push came to a shove. Because, I swore to myself that those monthly publications would always be the absolute best they could objectively be, with the resources and personnel available. Two others I worked with for 15+ years shared a similar commitment.

For reasons deserving of its own separate story, the monthly cycle of those publications came to an end and will now print quarterly. As all information in paper form — to the great lament of some — withers from society, did our community project die too young as a monthly or was the plug mercifully pulled? Alas, subjectivity and a lack of deep self-reflection by too many may forever obscure the reality. So, with a certain uncertainty, I moved on.

Meanwhile, this rapid turn of events forced my move to become a full-time artist ahead of schedule and stripped me of a safety net. Should I look for another part time job or go all in on MY business. Exciting….and frightening. I had to shrug off all hesitations and fully accept what I had become… What many of my customers and friends have been saying I’ve become.

And so, the precious and semi-precious rocks I have come to love; that I have turned into art; whose beauty I have dedicated myself to amplifying and augmenting; have gracefully, but firmly, settled atop paper.

Had I known earlier I would experience a shocking layoff with a mere month to figure my life out, I would have begun reducing frivolous spending sooner. I would have made two capital investments for my business, that I can no longer responsibly make until I am a bit more profitable. I would have also more thoroughly explored setting up a business structure different from my current LLC. I would have likely also researched financing options more thoroughly.

Brian, 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?

IMGBAT is a black-owned jewelry, art and laser-engraving business with products available in his new brick and mortar store, as well as at public events and online. I am an artist and metalsmith who works primarily in silver, gold, copper and brass. Many of my pieces are inspired by science fiction, fantasy and mythology. I forge, solder, wire wrap, engrave and cast my pieces; often in combination. Each piece has its own unique name and origin story, written and illustrated on laser-engraved metal collector cards that accompany the piece. I also invested in a professional fiber laser engraver in 2022, which affords me the capacity to mark metal, leather, stone, wood and many other materials with highly detailed images and text. In early 2024, I began offering permanent jewelry. I have begun painting again and soon will sell my work at my shop. I also offer professional graphic design services for print or digital use.

I think a factor that makes my work in this industry special is that each piece is unique. Each piece gets its own name and its own illustrated origin story. I also do 60 percent of my own lapidary work.

I am most proud of creating a product I haven’t seen anyone else making. One that takes all my skills earned through work, school and life and incorporates them into one offering of love.

I want people to know that the names and mythologies for the pieces I create have purpose. Like many science fiction and fantasy creations, they subtly (or less so) provide social commentary, address injustices, acknowledge the complexities of the human condition and try to be interesting, relevant and visually striking. I do all of this while resisting the industry pull to inflate pricing. All I want is to make a living wage doing what I love while maintaining a price point that most wallets or purses can access.

I have been a coal miner, a railroad worker, a machinist, a meatpacker, an airline worker, a janitor, a cashier, a journalist, a publisher, a soldier against apartheid in South Africa, an organizer for social justice and a person without a home in my 50 years of life. I want this rich set of experiences to find expression in my newest chapter as an artist.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

One of the largest obstacles artists face, in my opinion, is the lack of some kind of universal healthcare that is free or very low cost. Monthly insurance premiums, even on “The Marketplace” are fairly expensive for a person trying to build a business from nothing. The fear of getting sick and then falling deep into debt is 10-times more scary than loosing whatever you invest if a business is unsuccessful. People spend their lives in jobs, when they’d like to try something else for this very reason.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

When I decided I needed to re-evaluate how I was doing business and what my opportunities and limitations were, I happened upon some promotional material for The Urban League. They said they offered consultations for growing entrepreneurs and could provide some form of mentorship. I felt like it was a longshot and probably of minimal use, but I filled out the questionnaire. Some weeks later, I got an email from an individual named Eric Williams asking me to come down to the office for a meeting. Eric, who was previously a jeweler in Northern Ohio, changed my whole outlook. He gave me some things to think about in terms of growing my business. He gave me some tools to help me rebuild my business plan and he gave me some criteria I had not even considered for finding a storefront. He explained to me the nature of financing and advised me on how to and how not to use loans. It was profoundly eye-opening and it set me on the track I needed to be on. He also gave me some hints on grant applications. He helped me with better inventory, raw materials and pricing practices. Those things opened the door to further research and study. I am forever grateful to the Urban League and Eric for those lessons.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imgbat.com
• Instagram: @imgbat
• Facebook: @imgbat
• Twitter: @imgbat
• Other: TikTok: @imgbat

Image Credits

Photograph of me behind my store counter is taken by Christopher Washington. All other photos taken by me (Brian Taylor)