Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Albert Patterson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Albert, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I had been downsized from my design agency job shortly after college. I had a F/T retail gig at a modern furniture store, but was also attending a few small business and management classes at West L.A. College part-time. (Shout out to West L.A.!) I was trying to gain the knowledge and confidence to work my way up to take on small-scale design projects. But I needed a name that was dope and was going to get clients talking! And something I could create a really cool brand around of course. Back then, I was leaning towards the name, Mama’s Boy Studios. The name achieved the goals of being unique and something personal that had a nice backstory, but I felt it was somewhat limited. One of my co-workers from the furniture store had a friend and we would all hang out sometime after work. This was during the pretty early stages of Instagram and I remember the friend of the friend posted a very unassuming picture of a bottle of juice. It was a shot of a bottle of orange juice she held in her hand with a sticker on the cap that read, “Fresh from California.” I remember having an Eureka moment like, “Boom! That’s it!” I took a screenshot of her picture and began to think about all the things that were fresh, that California had to offered. Among them, I thought, was myself being a California native. But also my ideas, my approach, the fashion, style, and music this state produced… the possibilities seem endless! Los Angeles is my home, but I began to think of ways to highlight all the beautiful cities of Cali, and pay homage to our history, traditions, different cultures, famous celebrities, sayings, etc. Fresh From California would be the name of my studio where I would do my freelance design work, but it would also be a brand to create awesome merch Californians could be proud of. I wanted to evoke some of the same emotions Milton Glaser achieved with ‘I ❤️ NY’.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I had a huge ‘village’ of aunts, uncles, and cousins who helped raise me, but for the most part, I was a quiet kid who kept to myself. I grew up watching wrestling and cartoons, playing with action figures, collecting basketball cards, and drawing comic book characters. However, early dreams of being a karate instructor, NBA superstar, and/or architect dissolved by the end of high school. I wasn’t pressured to go to college, but ultimately knew if wanted to be successful doing something I enjoyed, college was one of the most proven ways to get there. I went to Cal State Long Beach where I studied graphic design. While in college, I had a neighbor who was a former architect turned web designer. He was in the beginning phases of opening a design studio and took a chance, hiring me as a junior designer.

Our goal is to provide quality branding and creative services to entrepreneurs and small business owners, particularly those of color, through captivating creative execution. There’s a certain stigma attached to businesses owned by Black and Brown people. Fresh From California takes a collaborative approach to provide design to confidently position business owners to feel they belong, and set them up for success. Simply put, our job is not to work for you but rather to work with you, to produce fresh ideas.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I was thankful to have my in-house job at a studio that was building from the ground up. I’m talking about logistics and spacing, buying supplies, and putting together furniture. That junior designer position was an introduction to the ebbs and flows of owning a business. I was there when it was thriving, and I was the first one to be let go when things took a turn.

While in school, I took decent notes and picked up some key things in my those business and management courses. But now, I look to a few figures online for advice. They’re pretty much all creatives who’ve managed to build amazing brands and portfolios doing work they love. Aaron Draplin is first and foremost! He’s a successful designer from the Northwest. His book, “Pretty Much Everything,” is filled with humor, inspiration, and advice. Made By James (James Martin), Chris Do and the sisters of Hoodzpah have countless videos about managing your business, presenting to clients, following up, etc. Hoodzpah also has a book titled, “Freelance, and Business, and Stuff.” Author and motivational speaker, Simon Sinek, is filled with tons of insightful information and his book “Start with Why,” is still relevant and necessary for anyone in a management position.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The pandemic really did a number on everyone’s day-to-day routine. Pre-pandemic, I stumbled into the field of education. My design background led me to teach middle school students art & design after-school and work on various print projects for select schools in LAUSD. That, then led to coaching sports, being a teacher’s assistant, teaching elementary school P.E., to overseeing the whole after-school program.

During the pandemic, kids were removed from school, so after-school instruction was a wasteland! A lot of busy work, shaky webinars, and P.E. classes on Zoom had me wondering if I was in the right business. I spent a lot of time in front of my laptop and began revising old projects and connecting with fellow creatives. I connected with an entrepreneur and was invited to present at my 1st pop-up shop. There, I also connected with an organization that helped small businesses with resources and microgrants. Never fully abandoning my craft and adapting to the challenges of the pandemic allowed me to find new ways to get my brand in front of people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.frshfrmca.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshfromcalifornia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertpatterson