We recently connected with Tyra Grayson and have shared our conversation below.

Tyra, appreciate you joining us today. Are you 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?

As TGD was slowly getting off the ground, I was a Barback at Top Golf, and a Court Monitor at Urban Air Trampoline Park in Homewood, AL. I quit Top Golf because my business was slowly flourishing and gigs were happening a lot more often on the weekends, which is when they wanted me to work, and I kept requesting weekdays but it was a thing, where they didn’t really need me then, we had a meeting and tried to come to terms and it all really came down to sacrificing my weekends with work, or fully being focused on my business because they saw I had passion for it. I prayed about it and I made the decision to quit. I made so many relationships at both jobs and some still support me to this day, back when I was rapping and was a nobody, those co workers knew me. The day I quit was kinda scary because I was like , if I go straight freelance, every stream of income I have to do on solely my job and I was with Urban Air & Top Golf when they were still getting built. There was really no “speeding up the process” I just kept promoting my services, reaching out to companies and doing what I could. Fast forward years later, I’m able to fully function off my services and it’s a blessing.

Not telling anybody that a 9 to 5 isn’t good because it is. But I would highly encourage keeping it until you feel comfortable to freelance around. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.

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

So, My name is Tyra Grayson, known as TGD/TGDShotIt. TGD stands for Tyra Grayson Designs, which signifies my graphic design/creative services. I’m born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. I was a basketball player from 5th grade to 11th grade. Started becoming a writer on the side, and a rapper my senior year. As 2017- 2018 started to approach that’s when my love for photography started, when my late grandad and blues star Art Grayson, encouraged me to use his camera because it was accumulating dust and he wanted me to put it to good use, and the rest is history.

I offer creative services for the music industry, cooperate industry, real estate, and the sports world. I’ve done work for Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Music Midtown Festival, BET HipHop Awards, Whataburger, SiriusXM and much much more. I’ve done content for people such as Da Baby, Lil Baby, I’m Boosie Badazz’s Personal Photographer and Graphic Designer, ive also shot for artists such as Yelawolf, Key Glock, Young Dolph, Moneybagg Yo, Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Scott, Billie Eilish, Jaden Smith, etc. The list goes on.

I’m mostly proud of having my own billboard advertisement in my local mall here in Birmingham, being featured in Forbes Magazine, my Voyage ATL fam and much much more. I’m always open to work with anybody, I’m very open minded and willing to listen, learn new things about myself and my career.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Making my family proud. My mom and grandma have done so much for me and things that they didn’t have to. From driving me to gigs and waiting on me, to giving me advice on how to handle somebody or something in my business. I feel like they deserve a certain amount of money or a house and I work hard everyday to do that and work with people they would love to see. They have always mattered first. Another mission is to land a gig / partnership with companies such as Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions , Netflix, Hulu , Spotify , Live Nation and more. These companies ive been researching and studying for a while and it would be good to get the chance to do something with them. My overall goal/mission is just to bring my friends, family, & significant other to the top with me. Everybody that has served a purpose in my life deserves to eat with me.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When my grandad passed away in 2017, and my good photographer partner suddenly passed in 2021 and another one of my close artists/friends was murdered in 2020. Death is never a good thing, when it happens close to you, thats when you have to stop and actually think. My grandad’s had such a mental and physical impact on me, because 2 weeks before he went into surgery, we discussed finally getting his music career back to the top again and me managing his Facebook, Spotify and any social platform and it made me realize that now I had to go extra hard in my career for him, and do stuff that made him proud, and keep my grandma afloat, thats why making her, my momma and family happy all the time Is a major priority for me. I take time to mourn, as everyone should , but as days went on , the only way to stay out of my head was to create. That’s why I always say “Create Like Your Life Depends On It” Because it really does.

Contact Info:

• Website: tgdofficial.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyraisme/
• Facebook: Personal: https://www.facebook.com/tyra.nicole.grayson/ , Business: https://www.facebook.com/ArtByTGD
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyra-grayson/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLWsHTfDoxqCo33srGLEhfA

Image Credits
Profile Photo: Tyrell R. Hood (Royal Dynasty Photography) All other photos: Taken by Myself