Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Harris

Hi Shawn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

My journey as a creative started at a young age – around pre-k. As a child, I was consistently awarded with accolades around arts & crafts partaking in different mediums of art like drawing, painting, and musical instruments. My passion for the arts was my calling and growing up I always saw the world in abstract subjectivity.

I landed on focusing my energy towards design and fashion after taking an aptitude for sneakers and clothing during high school. Continuing to test and learn around things like sewing and drawing to learn the basics of fashion & designing started to elevate my skills. Before I knew it, I found myself making clothes in college and continuing to refine my processes. Once I met my business partner Damani in college, The Raritan Gallery actually had solid bearings to grow into a legitimate business. Looking back after 10 years, I would say the things that got us here we’re being dynamic and adaptable, taking feedback as a gift, and being able to learn on the go. As we continue to reach new heights for our business/platform, being able to keep it simple and focus on what you’re good at

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

I don’t know anything rewarding in this world that wasn’t challenging. With that being said, Flying the plane while building it is probably one of the main themes or how hard it is to zoom out and understand challenges that are happening within the business. Business operations and foundations are some of the hardest yet simplest things to establish. When you roadmap how you’re going to accomplish goals and marrying that to the “why” you’re doing it, everything becomes a lot easier. I find myself looking back at the infrastructure we’ve created and notes sometimes which helps to complete tasks I might find challenging. The biggest factor is understanding with that structure, what is necessary and what isn’t. Everything else are normal things that happen. You might experience things like production delays, a pipe can burst in your studio, etc – these are things that you can’t control. The things you can control or do to mitigate as much risk it’s what’s important.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I am the Co-Founder of The Raritan Gallery which is a multifaceted studio & production company based in Jersey City, NJ. As artists, we understand the barriers to entry into creative endeavors can be too high, difficult to navigate, or tough to have any impact upon entry. So we wanted to be a conduit and create a vehicle that we wished was available to us when we first started our artistic passions – a platform that aims to build the infrastructure around ourselves and other artists to continue to create. Thus, The Raritan Gallery was born to be the springboard for all artists like ourselves to give a better lens and access into the art world.

We’re know for commercial visuals for our clients, merchandise & design, and creative & curatorial services. The fact that we are artists propelling other artists or helping clients tell a story from and artistic POV makes me most proud. The joy of bring an idea to life from concept to execution is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?

Put in your 10,000 hours! What I mean by that is the more you block out distractions and focus on your craft, the more exponential growth you will see. You have to be able to balance the things in your life you deem is necessary or extracurricular. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, but remember why you’re doing what you’re doing and continue to pour into it because you’re ultimately pouring into yourself and your passions/happiness.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shop-theraritangallery.com/
• Instagram: @trg.studios
• Twitter: @thergallery

Image Credits

@mcfleezus_ Cory Fogg
@PhotosbyLoredana Lordeana Vicari
@Brianwinstonfraser Brian Frasher
@Jushin.xyz Jushin Gonzales