Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kwami Lee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kwami , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In Winter 2023, I took a risk that almost ruined me. My back was against the wall and much of the business I had coming in was drying up. The clients I had at the time were trying to box me in and I was looking for my pivot. I was down to my last few thousand after paying out my team on a small campaign I did for FootLocker ( shout out Latese and Tannis), and figured the best option I had was to reinvest it into myself.

I mean shit, thats my number one rule anyways: Always invest back into the business, no matter what.

I felt at the time that the studio would be the most calculated risk and give me the best return up front, so that’s what I went with. So I’m looking around for spots trying to find something that I could work out of that allowed me the space, but also room for monetization ( i.e., somewhere I could shoot but charge others to shoot in as well). I had a few potential partners who expressed interest, but ultimately backed out after I signed the contract. And that shit had me down and out, without the extra partners it was all on me to handle furnsihing the space, marketing to potential clients, and to shoot my projects outside of other work I was doing.

It ended up becoming a money pit real quick; I was paying damn near 3k a month for the spot including utilities as well as my apartment+ overhead for my business and paying out my team on pending invoices

After month two, the landlord started peeking his head by the studio every couple of days and I realized I had to think quick and flip this situation into something that would benefit me long term.

The next week became almost a perfect storm; I went viral on social media for a wedding I shot in Bed-Stuy and a few editors from WSJ and New York Times reached out. I remember speaking to my accountant, Chris, and he was like ” you got a space, you might as well throw an event,” and that’s when it hit me.

I called my brother Ron and we got to work. We organized a list of attendees, designed merch, and began printing for my private studio show titled, Severance.

That show sparked a realization for me around showing my work and made me realize that creating space to present my work in person was an important part of my business. Not only did it result in me making enough to exit out of the studio situation unscathed, but it also presented a new market for me that I wasn’t really that aware of.

I learned 3 other things:

1. After running the numbers, the 4 months I had the studio more or less of added up to the same cost as my first exhibition “A Time In Space Vol I” which involved me partnering with a gallery in Soho. The situation seemed horrible when I was in it, but turned out to be more efficient than things I’ve done in the past. (especially since I was able to shoot my work in the space)

2. Calculated risks are still risks and shit could go wrong so you have to literally plan for things to go wrong.

no matter what, you can’t fold. You have to flip every situation into a lesson if not a win. thats how you keep yourself in the game.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Kwami Lee an artist and entrepreneur. I blend visual arts( photography and film) with music and fashion and overall just want to make dope work. I’ve spent the last 5 years in NYC but I’m originally from Broward County Florida . I’ve always been into art, it kept me out of trouble as a kid growing up where I did. That being said, growing up how I did, shaped my eye and gave me an understanding of life that I apply to everything I do. When you don’t have much, you have to make sure to find the beauty in the struggle. Things that people find undesirable or mundane could be the most beautiful thing in the world if you present it right. i think Virgil made a reference about a bent up tin can being in a garage vs a gallery.

That perspective and just my story as a person are really what I want to continue to bring to the world. I survied a lot of homies who died to a lot bullshit growing up how we did and I wanna make sure I do it big for all the kids who come from where I come from. I want them to see that they can do whatever their heart desires and I want people on the other side of all of that to understand that we can do it bigger than they have ever imagined. if i could say it one word, i’d say im just here to inspire.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think people who don’t use their creative muscle as a source of income don’t realize how stressful it really is. I mean first and foremost, I think everyone is a creative, but I think it’s easy to undermine or romanticize what artists go through. Between net payments ( which are often 10-30 days late), the constant anxiety around when the next job will come, and the horrible feedback loop of validating oneself based on people’s reaction to your work, it can get dark.

For a lot of career artists, it’s a labor and a majority of the work is done without pay or proper compensation.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think NFTs are just the Web3 version of getting it out the trunk with physical items. They are useful, but you still need the same level of community and social credibility. Honestly, it might even be a little harder since you need to make sure that the consumer you are targeting is already fully invested into the Web3 space.

I’m excited to see how NFTs evolve with the next crypto bull cycle, but I think all artists eying that market should focus on building relationships first.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kwamilee.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kwamilee
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwamimerzier/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kwamilee

Image Credits

all images were shot by Kwami Lee

Artist Gr8ness is featured in the first photo, followed by Liyah James, Ron Anderson, Samars Joy, Angel Reese, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Kayra Theodore