We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Devereaux Clark. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Devereaux below.

Alright, Devereaux thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I give all praise to my Mother.
My mother is my number one source of inspiration in many aspects of my adulthood.
At the protest of her own father, my mother found love between herself and the man who would become mine. This man was black, and my mother, white.
I sometimes forget how recently the ideology of “Modern” American culture has shifted. Though I wasn’t born into an outwardly racist timeline, the echoes of one have remained.
From a young age, I knew that I was different. So was my sister. Some of my earliest memories are the contrasting attitudes I had received from kids my age, and the occasional adult.
Daily life for my sister and I as children had a filter over the lens in which it was to be viewed.
See, my mother did an amazing job of keeping my sister and I in a safe space. She was gave us a home, she gave us love, she brought us peace amongst chaos, and she did that on her own.
By the time I was cognizant enough to learn that before the thick iron gate in front of you opens, the one behind you must close first. I observed this phenomenon every Sunday after church while walking the maze of the penitentiary to greet my father, getting to know and spend time with him over snacks my sister and I would buy from the visiting room vending machine which took “Chuck-E-Cheese” style coins you’d trade your real money in to get.
To my sister and I, this was normal. What I didn’t understand at the time was the toll it was taking on my mother, or the reality it foreshadowed and had shaped for me.
The facade of normality can only be mirrored for so long.
I would run out of the ink in my pen or space on this page before ever compiling enough words to describe in detail the amount of hardship my mother has survived. As I think about the living legacy that is her, one thing has been more apparent than any other ingredient comprised in the storybook of our lives; she has taken everything thrown at her and turned it into a beautiful display of her love for her family and life itself. I only wish to live a life as meaningful as hers has been.
In the highest form, I regard her for showing me that the beauty, art, and love we see all around us is created and inspired by adversity.
She taught me to take that pain and design a magnificent image of myself in the face of the unknown, and I couldn’t thank her enough for it.

Devereaux, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

If I were to start anywhere I’d say that I’ve always had a knack for “making things”. As a kid I would come home with pockets full of rocks, screws, nuts and bolts, or any shiny object I could potentially fasten together for an unspecified purpose. I drew pictures, I folded intricate paper planes, made “inventions” with my friends, and probably took apart every bike and electronic device I ever owned to learn how it worked. You could say I had a fulfilling childhood in that respect. Things were just so fascinating to me.

In grade school I discovered my love for music. I played the Viola and Clarinet for a brief period, but had more of a fascination with the music I would secretly download onto my first Mp3 Player, using an age old program called Limewire. My mom would probably have a heart attack if she knew the stuff I was listening to at that age. But I was hooked. Listening to these songs gave me a new understanding about the ways I would come to identify myself as a young man.

As time went on and my creative mind was being fueled, the pressure of high school and teenage angst combined into what would be the lyrics of my first song. The song was horrible (you couldn’t tell me that then) but it lit a fire that hasn’t gone out since. Not many people understand the feeling one gets when completing a piece of music. It’s invigorating. It’s as personal as personal gets, and it leaves a notion in the air of endless possibility.

This went on for some time. I’d write songs onto instrumentals I owned no rights to, record them with my longtime friend Shayne, then revel over what we had made with nothing but our heart and soul, and a lot of marijuana. I learned a lot about myself, having the ability to express my thoughts freely on this canvas, but something was missing. I craved more. I couldn’t write songs fast enough to display the thoughts I was feeling. I needed another way to touch the few people who tuned into my recent creative endeavors.

I picked up a job and worked long hours at the factory far down the country road outside of town and saved up to buy my first camera. This was a new way for me to put my own spin on how I viewed the world around me. I could do so with almost instant gratification. From that point on I never put the camera down. Years have passed and I’ve settled into my role as a Professional Photographer. I specialize in Portraits but have a strong love for Street Photography as well. I’ve worked many events and gatherings, and have found myself in the strangest yet most amazing places, all while following the sound of the shutter on my camera.

As of this year, 2024, I am also working very closely with a friend of mine making custom clothing. Yet another outlet for my need to create. We help smaller or larger brands and other entrepreneurs bring life and substance to the entities they wish to build upon. Our shop operates using a variety of printing platforms and mediums such as Direct to Garment Printing, Direct to Fabric Printing, Vinyl Printing, Embroidery and more. Our customers have an idea, and we put it on clothing for the world to enjoy.

Through my own struggles, I’ve managed to make a life and living for myself and those closest to me, doing the things I love. I’m most proud of my never ending ability to persist in the shadows of uncertainty. Things haven’t always been rainbows and unicorns. Life still has its curveballs I’m sure, but for now, things seem to be going relatively smooth. What I believe sets me apart, or possibly adds an advantage to the work I perform, is my understanding of the creative joy my clients experience when completing a project, that I fortunately get to have a roll in helping be accomplished.

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

One lesson I had to unlearn, is that those you collaborate with will always have your best interests in mind.
This has proven time and time again to be quite the opposite. I have lost friends, clientele, and money over this very issue.
Sometimes, when two creatives are put together, what they may initially think to be an equally beneficial opportunity, can turn into a nightmare for either party.
Early memories of this are riddled in the stories of some of my first paid jobs.
The word “Contract” has always given me the mental picture of some large man standing over your shoulder and watching your every move. In the photography world, the term can send shivers down a clients spine. Though I never thought I’d be the one to employ them so heavily at this point in my career, I do cringe at the thought of my frivolity and carelessness in the past.
The thing I didn’t understand at that point was how important something as simple as a loosely-jotted note, or better yet, a meticulously sculpted contract could be. I learned quickly that taking clients in this fashion would not get me far.

I wouldn’t say it was my first photoshoot that I had planned with a “friend”, but it was near that time. I remember this “friend” of mine asking to have their photos taken for their Senior Yearbook. I was stoked that they would think of me when it came to capturing something of what seemed to be of so much importance. We discussed the parameters of the shoot, I let them know how much I was going to charge them, and that was that.

The shoot went well, and my friend expressed their gratitude towards the photos. Everything had gone according to plan. All except one thing. I still hadn’t been paid. Now of course when somebody tells you they are going to pay you for the work you do, you give them the benefit of the doubt. I knew I still had some editing to do before sending them the photos so I had already assumed a short delay. In hindsight I wish I had know earlier the importance of a deposit.

We parted ways and I got to editing. I was really impressed with how the photos were turning out. I made sure put my all into these because they were for a “friend” of mine, plus I knew they’d do great for my personal portfolio. I finally got around to sending the images out and couldn’t wait to hear what they thought of the finished product. I was proud of myself and what I’d done.

They loved the photos and had even started posting them to their social media within minutes of me sending them over. I was flattered, but I still had yet to be paid. I texted and asked my “friend” about how and when I would receive payment for this, but was immediately shocked when they responded telling me that they couldn’t pay me and were having another photographer do the photoshoot again since his parents didn’t like how the ones I had taken turned out. I couldn’t believe it. I was furious and didn’t understand how I could have been so trusting. More than anything I felt betrayed.

Unfortunately this wouldn’t be the only time I ran into issues surrounding my lack of knowledge pertaining to contractual agreements. Since then I’ve learned there are many more matters less simple than getting the money you deserve for the work you do.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

If I could go back in time, I would make sure I spent more time in my local library. To be honest, until recently, I hadn’t stepped foot into a library for years. The amount of material on just about any subject you can think of that rests at our disposal is insane. I now understand the old librarian woman from Elementary School completely. Since picking up my library card, I’ve returned non stop to teach myself things that you just can’t find on the internet. There’s a novelty, or something about the feeling you get when reading a physical book. For me, I can retain the things I read much easier this way, plus the atmosphere is well suited for studying.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.caliprintclub.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northwestraisedme/
• Twitter: https://x.com/lumpsumgigs
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@devdoesit
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-299056559
• Other: I would really appreciate my instagram account and printing website to be featured on the article.