We recently connected with Jahrid Barker and have shared our conversation below.

Jahrid, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

JB Designs & Creations stemmed from my first launch, JB Designs. The JB stands for Jahrid Barker. It tells you that this is more than just a business but my identity. Being a creative is more than being able to coordinate the details of a visual and instead convey a message through the work. Designs & Creations attributes to the various crafts in which I have a skillset in. Whether it be taking a picture of a moment or cultivating someone’s logo for their brand, it’s an experience that should be enjoyable through and through. The tagline, Capturing Moments. Crafting Masterpieces. speaks to how I market myself as a One Stop Shop for all of my clients. The purpose is to be synonymous.

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

My name is Jahrid Barker, I was born & raised in Queens, NY. As a young child, I was always creative in the things that I did, whether it be problem-solving, drawing, coloring, etc. I took a true interest into Graphic Design during my high school years as a tech-savvy kid, it peaked my interest of how to create visual pieces. From here, I was able to take off, taking inspired design from my everyday interest. This included fashion, music, gaming, and drawing. During my college coursework, I decided to pursue a BFA so that I could be a multi-faceted artist. My photography interest took off from here as well. In the beginning, I never took it too seriously because I wanted to excel at my design work. The struggles I faced in my design work mostly came from not having the exact image I wanted or simply, the proper resolution. As I began to build my business in college and explore the various avenues that I could explore, I decided that becoming a ‘media’ agency would prove to be different from the industry standard. I always wanted to be different from the normal crowd. While it is always recommended that artist focus into one speciality, I always believed that you can excel and multiple things at once. This allows me to provide a number of services such as flyers, menus, brochures, cover art, business cards, logos, social media posts, etc. just as the graphic design portion then within photography being able to incorporate the two and create unforgettable pieces that you wouldn’t get from the normal designer or photographer. I think this really will set me apart from the rest of the service providers in my area. This will also solve the issue of a consumer having to find multiple people to provide creative services when I could provide them myself! Long-term, I would love to open a storefront so that I can then turn all my digital work into physical products by hand. Additionally, I would love to be able to create a college program where students can gain the experience that they need to for credits or work experience as they grow in their careers.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the genuine reaction from the client. Being able to bring their vision into an everlasting piece. Also, knowing that there is always room for improvement as well because either myself or the client can bring a new idea that could enhance or better portray the message that is intended. In this as well, I believe that being able to go to other creatives and ask for their feedback or advice to see where you can build on weaknesses and maintain your strengths.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think that the largest struggle is that not everyone is going to like your work and that’s okay. I believe that art speaks to certain people. Throughout my journey, I have also noticed that you can’t make everyone happy at times and you’re going to have to be stern with your work as you should believe in it more than anyone else. There have been times that I was told that I wouldn’t make it within this industry and that my work was trash. Knowing that there were times that people actually appreciated the work that I do made me want to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://jbdesignscreations.mypixieset.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbdesignllc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahrid-barker-333b19161/