We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Georges Etienne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Georges, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Yes I’ve definitely been able to earn a full-time living + more with my creative work. I design the visual identity for businesses of all sizes so my services are always in need. This started as a side-gig so I was creating graphics for party promoters and low-grade logos in the beginning. But once I noticed that my clientele started was increasing by the week, I knew I was gifted and I decided to quit my full time job and do this full time. It wasn’t paying enough at first, but I was fortunate enough to have support as I was living rent-free with my in-laws so financially, I was doing ok. The biggest milestone or hurdle that I had to climb over was to stop thinking like a creative and start thinking as a business executive. I had to learn how to speak the language of business owners and show that what I do is of great financial value to a company. I had to also learn how to price myself effectively to separate myself from the cookie-cutter designers on online-platforms. The majority of it was just confidence. Had I had the confidence early, this would have sped up my earning potential.

Georges, 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?

I’m a graphic and web designer. Believe it or not, I’m all self-taught and a graduate of Youtube University lol. I earned two degrees in IT and MIS so this helped me in the corporate and business structure, but as a creative dealing with color palettes, proper layout compositions, effective logo styling, and user interface design for the web…I had to learn all of that on the fly. I’ve always been a creative at heart, I just didn’t know it could be a lucrative career. I was always told anything in the creative or “art” space wouldn’t make money.

I help create the visual brand of businesses, from ideation to implementation. I consult with several business owners in creating logos, graphic assets, print templates, designs for social media campaigns, and web design and development. What makes me the most proud is seeing a company “look the part” within their industry and knowing that I made it happen.

I aim to make your brand look professional, cohesive, and damn attractive!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Most of my clients are Black or Brown business owners and I take pride in that because we’re often seen as incompetent in the business space. My goal is to design or help improve the brand visuals of every Black or Brown -owned company in South Florida. If I could put a number on it…my goal is to work 10,000 businesses.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

In the beginning, my business cost me $75/month and $150 to set up an LLC. That’s it. My monthly costs paid for Adobe Creative Suite, GSuite, and my website, and that was all I needed to get started. I worked from home (5 years before Covid) and I had a good working computer, so it didn’t take much. Just hustle and an open mind. I got most if not all of my clients from word-of-mouth and my inner sphere of friends and family. Too many times, we think we need an investor or a huge amount of capital to start a business and that’s not always the case, especially for service based businesses. Use your resources and use what you have in front of you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://84studios.net/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/84studios
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/84studios
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/84studios