Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aja Cobbs. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Aja, thanks for joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose?
The most interesting investment I made was The Art Trap House. The Art Trap House is a traveling music and arts festival that acts as a springboard for creatives. We provide a platform where it is easy for creatives to ‘trap’ their artwork or creativity to make some quick cash. The Art Trap House assists creatives by offering some tools for marketing/promotion, business tips, presentation/set up and we send them home with content to post to their social media accounts. Many of the creatives will utilize their social media pages to sell their creations or broadcast their work. The Art Trap House has even expanded into podcast, and radio!
The Art Trap House has been a very fun, yet challenging business to take on. Planning is not always easy and it takes a team of great minds who work together well to accomplish the goal. It’s been a journey for me, I began this business at the age of 23 and I am now 31. I have learned a ton on my way. I would most definitely say that investing in The Art Trap House is a WIN! I’m also really happy I choose to invest in myself as well. What I love most about the return on my investment in The Art trap House is that I get to meet so many different creatives, I get inspired by their creations, I get to work with outstanding artists, I get to travel, and so much more. Running a business has its challenges but all that I have been through has been well worth it.
Aja, 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?
Hey Everyone! Let’s meet officially, if you don’t know me already. I’m Aja! My name is actually pronounced, Asia. I was named after the famous Steely Dan Album and song entitled, Aja. I am a 31 years old Aries and I am the humbled founder and C.E.O of The Art Trap House. Trap is an acronym for T.aking R.eal A.rt P.laces. The Art Trap House is a springboard for small businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, and creatives to be able to gain exposure, network with other brands, and build up their confidence for business as each person moves forward. The Art Trap House is an opportunity that engulfs many different areas for the ultimate creatives career. We love to spend time nurturing our creatives and community, providing a healing spaces and resources for families, live entertainment, and so much more. I absolutely am blessed to be the owner of this outstanding company. The Art Trap House began as a three city tour but so many people asked me to keep going. I thought it would be a great idea too. The Art Trap House event has become; The Art Trap House traveling music and arts festival. The Art Trap House provides confidence, it is a creative hub for creators in a plethora of ways, we hone in on each creatives unique situation to offer them whatever assistance or guidance they may need. The Art Trap House began in 2016 and we have been growing! Our next venture is radio! The Art Trap House has a new radio show coming out based out of New York called, Rizz Radio. You will be able to listen in on RhythmAndSoulRadio.Com in September 2023.
The problems we can solve for our creatives is that before, during, and after festivals, events, interviews, etc through The Art Trap House, we provide you with tools to make sure that you are successful during their experience. We provide marketing tips and social media marketing content to promote to your viewers, after we review what your brand is all about we give specific details on what businesses should look like via social media and websites. The Art Trap House is designed as a one stop shop for creative resources and opportunity.
Learning to become a boss wasn’t much of a challenge, I feel like I was being prepped and prepared for this role since I was a young girl. One of my favorite memories about my life was how I was supported by family, friends, and teachers to exercise my creative abilities. I almost landed a lead solo in the church choir once. I was about four years old, the only reason I couldn’t get the solo was because I kept saying the words in a mixed up order; after growing up and hearing that story told to me, it’s pretty funny and cute how terribly I rearranged the lyrics. As I continued to grow I was in the spotlight a lot. I was trying out for the Snuggie commercial and featured in several magazines and children’s activity books along with my sister Betty. As I continued to grow I was singing solos in our school’s production, it was amazing. I was even an Oscar Myer Weiner. That was an interesting time. Our school entered into a contest to film a commercial for Oscar Myer Weiner where you had to come up with a concept for the commercial and sing the Oscar Myer Weiner song, we came in second place, scoring $25,000 for our school. We got to perform the song in front of our entire school, and the Oscar Myer Weiner Mobile came to our school. Throughout this time I played sports like soccer, basketball, cheerleading, and track. With all this combined and being an older sister, it really helped me develop my discipline and skill for paying close attention to detail, strategizing, quick thinking, conflict/problem resolution skills, and a plethora of other gifts. I usually held leadership roles amongst my peers, always called out of line to be the example of how something should look or go once I got it down. I didn’t always like that.
I am most proud of the trials turned to tribulations in my journey. Even when things seemed hopeless for me, blessings always seemed to be on their way. I am proud of myself for clinging to my faith. When times got hard for me, I always turned to God. I appreciate our friendship. I am very proud of myself for all the hard work and hours I put into my craft.
The main qualities I look for in potential clients depends on what I am assisting with or what program they join. In general I look for creatives or employees who are passionate about studying their craft and actually wanting to be great at it. I love working with people who I can collaborate well with. We can bounce ideas off of each about the direction of projects, we can hit deadlines together, etc. I am very team oriented. Positive attitudes, good vibes, business minded, motivated, thankful for the opportunity at hand, I want everyone that I work with to be ready to put in work! I would love The Art Trap House supporters to engage more with posts. For many creatives the interaction helps us to know what you like, what we did well on etc.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part about being creative is that it is a vital coping skill for me. If I am unable to paint, I create stories or vlogs for my social media accounts, make a playlist and more. I’ll just create something in my head if I can’t get to my laptop.I think it’s super rewarding when you think of something fire, then you feeling all good about acting on your idea, you know? That always makes me feel really good. Being creative is just rewarding in itself. It’s really rewarding to be a part of my community and seeing people progress when they stay the course for what they have learned through my companies opportunities. I love to see when people have open hearts, an ear to receive pivotal information and then apply it to their career! It’s so exciting to watch. I’m super thankful that people trust me with such a delicate part of their life. My intentions have always been very pure when it comes to working with creatives because I am one myself. Of course I have to make money doing this but that’s clearly not all of my motives. My real reward is working with creatives and assisting in nurturing successful careers.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I love social media! You can spread awareness about your brand. The community that you build can help support you by sharing your post with their social media community. I enjoy using it as a tool to promote my brand. I enjoy chatting with my friends on social media, it’s definitely a fun way to connect and make new friends. Social media is literally what you make it. If you’re messy and like drama, that is what you will attract. If you enjoy doing business and networking, that’s what you’ll attract. Just remember to be careful on social media. Keep some things private.
Also, a pet peeve of mine is to see artists who are actually trying to make it big time have their social media profiles private, or only have three images on the page (those three images on the page make it extremely difficult for brands to want to work with you because it doesn’t really show your true portfolio or passion for your craft, in my eyes). I enjoy seeing social media pages that appeal to the eye of the consumer; I enjoy even more when creatives are freely expressing and feeling confident. I’m always wanting to support. When I see artwork I like on social media and I like but can’t share it, it makes me sad. Lol! I’m always hoping to share other creative’s art with my supporters. We need more people sharing art! Art is cool!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @AjaCobbs @TheArtTrapHouse
- Facebook: Aja Cobbs – The Art Trap House
- Youtube: TheArtTrapHouse Tour
- Other: Email Us At: [email protected]
Image Credits
@creatorofthexart of Charlotte/Monroe, NC DJ from Atlanta aka “F U Scotty”