We recently connected with Alaysia Jetter and have shared our conversation below.

Alaysia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is my Two & Fro mentorship program. This website/platform was designed during my senior year of college (Spring 2019) so it was at the start of my business. This project was created because I observed that in my college, specifically in my major (Graphic Design), there was a lack of people who looked like me, especially in creative spaces. In my class alone, I was one of two Black individuals represented. Two meaning me and you and From symbolizing Black individuals, this initiative was designed by myself in order to increase the amount of younger Black aspiring creatives in these spaces while also teaching them of all the options and resources in order to even be able to consider a creative career. Myself along with a good majority of the creative Black population were “pushed” for a lack of better words to get into STEM careers thus moving any creative desires to the back. It is not right to sacrifice the things you love because either it “isn’t making enough money,” you cannot see the future in the creative space being successful, or from family pressures etc. I hope to connect Black individuals with other well-known Black creatives in the space so that they know that the possibilities are endless and it CAN be done. It’s better to become knowledgeable sooner rather than later which is why I focused on high school students; if it became a success I would focus on younger age groups such as middle school when students are finding themselves in things they are becoming interested in. Without representation, there is no determination truly. It was and still is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on because it also inspired me to create knowing that I could possibly be influencing others around me through my work. It helped to push me to exceed my own expectations with the work I create and continue to strive and experiment with different techniques, subjects, colors, etc. I hope that people who look like me can get in these creative spaces with ease and are able to express themselves wholeheartedly without care.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well hello! My name is Alaysia Jetter and I am currently a Graphic Designer/Digital Artist trying to figure out where her talents would be best suited in this world. I graduated in May 2019 with my BFA in Graphic Design and began experimenting with creating digitally during this time. I currently make photoshop pieces using the photo manipulation technique and my pieces are usually otherworldly fantasy based with emphasis on color. I don’t have anything that I cannot do technically, but anything design related I can do. I am a fine artist at heart since that is where I started so that’s where most of my creative background comes from. In my current role as the Graphic Design Lead/Production Artist for my job, I have gained experience in creating pixel-perfect files ready for production, having responsibility as the lead designer for all custom designs, and gaining more knowledge in print and clothing design along with the processes for certain finishing methods for garments. I was able to achieve new skills that have strengthened myself as a designer by pushing my design capabilities one design at a time. This is especially true due to owning my small business, AJetterDesigns, where in each design piece I incorporate a new technique or experiment with a style that I have not done before. These things are important to me because it is important to challenge yourself in order to grow, and without growth you are stagnant! In general, my life is nothing but color and I love to showcase that through my original designs for individuals to see to hopefully add some color in their lives as well. Aspects of other methods such as painting, drawing, photography, etc. have all had an impact on how I do my current art style and learning art history has influenced my work as well. In general, my overall life goal is to continue to inspire and educate aspiring creatives especially designers to fulfill their calling of creating wonderful pieces whether it be a sticker to a whole campaign while doing it confidently. Whether I know something or not, I am always willing to learn and/or find out how to achieve what I am envisioning for my plan and I love to inform others what I learn as well so that we can ALL grow. I am efficient in creating print materials, visual aids, marketing materials, photography, editing, and any other design needs if asked. Visual communication that is executed with extreme conceptual detail is a dire necessity to me because if the communication is not clear for me, how will it be clear to the consumer?

The one thing that I can say is that no one on this earth is like me nor you reader and I wholeheartedly believe that what I can contribute to anything in life is an individual experience specific to me that people can learn from just as I will be learning from people/things around me. Experiences being unique to each person is something I resonate with. I love to learn and grow as a creative while vocalizing visually a story for the work I produce, but also contributing with my own through what I create in general. The opportunity to be the creator of original and relevant concepts for different brands, campaigns, and everything in between is something I strive for as life progresses and I hope to do this with people who are on the same mission as me. I ultimately want to create experiences for other people that stick with them forever whether the experience is five seconds or five years. I am also a person constantly swimming in references whether it’s a Spongebob reference or a commercial reference, it’s powerful in my mind that something you may have seen decades ago can be remembered. I strive for myself and the work that I do to hold that same type of power and I know that the more I create and push myself that I will achieve that.

I’m most proud of my will to stay true to myself despite anything anyone has ever said to me to deter me from this journey. The amount of times I’ve heard that I should not be doing this or that my work should focus on other subjects would have put me out of work a LONG time ago. In my digital art, I wanted to showcase true beauty in other forms to captivate my audience in ways that are not too common along with showing that these beings I focus on can provide an experience that is not your usual normal. One of the biggest things that sets me apart from others is my color usage and how I create these images because (not to toot my own horn) I haven’t seen anything like it before honestly. I shock myself sometimes at how these pieces turn out because I honestly never know what the results will be since they are constantly changing as I create. My work is unique on its own and my mindset is even more unique. I say this again not to “toot my own horn,” but to emphasize that the way I think is becoming more vast everyday and I hope to inspire someone else out there to work on bettering themselves and their mindset so that it reflects in everything you do and touch. AJetterDesigns is me wholeheartedly and is a good representation of me. At first I was worried because my work doesn’t say anything therefore doesn’t “speak” for me; however, I now realize that it embodies everything that I am. The main point of my work is to provide an ethereal experience for the consumer. I want people to actually look at the details and take in the theme(s) of the piece and what it contains. My work is unique and only continues to push boundaries with every piece I create! It took a long time to accept that I am a funny, “kewl,” colorful, child at heart, determined, creative individual and that’s okay. LIVE IN YOUR TRUTH!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I learned that just because someone is doing the same thing or something similar to you does NOT mean you have to stop doing it or that you will fail at it. There isn’t a backstory, but more so it’s what I’ve observed within my overall journey. It’ll be a constant inner battle to compare yourself to others doing the same thing and it’s important to remember that what you do will be totally different than someone else. In addition to that, you may be even in the same niche as someone else but that doesn’t mean that you’ll both produce the same exact things along with producing the same results from these creations. It’s okay if your journey is slower or that you aren’t getting speedy results, just stay consistent to the cause. It’s important to remember your goals with your business or as a creative and strive for that one step at a time. I had a hard time coming to this conclusion and I almost quit my business along with creating altogether. After a while, my confidence has boosted and I had to keep telling myself that I am literally THE kewlest out here. As the people say nowadays, “being delulu is the solulu,” and I do believe that. You have to have a healthy level of delusion (as my favorite music artist/producer Ye Ali has stated) in order to strive for things that are not in existence and I hope that if you have a dream that you reach for it no matter how ridiculous it may seem to yourself or to others.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In the beginning social media was my preferred way of growing my clientele because you can just “post and go,” but that is no longer the case for me. I think that “word of mouth” referrals have done WAY more for me in the long run. These referrals have gotten me bigger and more meaningful opportunities to showcase my work in large settings in comparison to just relying on social media. Establishing real-life connections with people holds on stronger than being social media mutuals etc. because it feels more personal for me. I’ve been putting my digital artwork into art shows which prompts the discussion of me being a graphic designer in general. Social media for me has become more taxing mentally especially in regard to coming up with content for viewers because it has to be something that will hold the attention of the consumer for at least five seconds in the finger scroll of constant entertainment. I think that meeting people feels better for me where I can learn about the type of people who love my work and I can discuss my work more effectively in person. I will say that posting consistently will do you justice truly; however, relying solely on social media to get your work out there won’t be enough in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ajetterdesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajetterdesigns/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajetterdesigns
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaysia-jetter-graphicdesigner/
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajetterdesigns