We recently connected with Jesse Caid and have shared our conversation below.

Jesse, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Risk is everything. Without risk nothing would ever get done. As a creative I had to come to terms with the fact that there was no predetermined path. Building from ground up is essential.

The first time I took that so called “leap of faith” was when I was working at a sign company. I had hit my plateau at the company. Every time I asked for a pay raise I was met with tons of resistance. I had done research on how much designers and sales reps average in pay and was astonished at my findings. 18-20/hr was the going rate and I was capped out at 12.50/hr. I needed to make a decision, build my own clientele and business or forever be bound by the restrictions of a 9-5. I knew almost every aspect of the sign business and had enough confidence to take the plunge. I opened a sign company with a couple of partners. My lack of business knowledge was still a huge factor so I figured partnering up with a couple of people who knew the business as well was a great idea. Needless to say, it did not work out. I proceeded to do sign installations since I could manage that alone. Jobs kept coming in until one day I was asked for a million dollar insurance policy to install signage for a city owned business. I was stumped. That put the brakes on that business for me. I continued to research and get quotes for insurance with no prevail. I was stuck. There wasn’t a single insurance company who knew how to insure my business. Frustration hit and I eventually moved on to other ventures. I had to recalibrate.

I had hired a few friends to help with sign installations and they were impressed at how I was able to do business so well. We all got together and opened a creative space called Co-Lab Entertainment. We were a one stop shop for artists of many disciplines. Music production, graphic design, screen printing, photo/video and event organizing. Unfortunately I learned another tough lesson about people and greed. We ultimately had to shut our doors a few years in. This was all training. Every hard loss was merely a lesson and another step towards my entrepreneurship. As the years went on the lessons kept coming in.

The biggest lesson was, with great risk comes great reward. With great reward comes great responsibilities. Ultimately, I am grateful for all I have learned and look forward to future lessons. The confidence and skillsets acquired make all the risks worth while. It takes a long time to build from ground up. There’s a lot of hardships, stresses and sacrifices but they all lead to the light at the end of the tunnel. All there is to do is keep on keeping on.

Jesse, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a child I was always playing on drums and carrying around mini guitars. I was an avid drawer. My grandmother was a phenomenal pastel painter and her son, my uncle, went on to be a Disney illustrator. The influence was thick. Even my dad was a wonderful artist. I began playing the saxophone when I began middle school. We played tons of shows with the school band and I was one of the youngest members in the school jazz band. Going on to win multiple awards for my performances. The thrill of performing was captivating. In high school I took up acting and fell in love with the performing arts. It was then I realized I was made for the stage. As I started to hone my skills as a musician I found that money was my biggest barrier, Studio time and music production have always been huge financial hurtles for me. As time passed and I spoke to more musicians I realized this was an issue for many. That’s when I began building skill sets in every trade possible so I could eventually build my own space for artists just like me.

Fast forward to today, UpRyz is becoming a space where artists of all disciplines can come to get coaching, services and collaborate with others to help them build the necessary skills to ascend the proverbial mountain of success while retaining integrity and authenticity. One could call upon the team to pay for services or get one on one coaching by people who have perfected their crafts. We offer a plethora of different services. Graphic design, photo/video, writing, music production, mixing/mastering, branding, merchandise printing, live shows, dj and more.

Knowledge is power and we pride ourselves on not only having that power but also empowering our clients with as much knowledge as they can handle. To fix our society, first we must fix ourselves. I believe that starts within. We are not a company, we are a movement. Welcome to the RYZ! Stay UP.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

There is no right or wrong way to accomplish goals. There’s always a new way that can be discovered. Living outside any boxes that society tries to place us in is imperative. Most creatives that I have met who have succeeded in their lives have stepped outside the bounds of society and challenged the “norms”. That’s what it takes to do something innovative. Without risk there will be nothing new. Normal kills creativity and hinders the creative mind from thinking outside the boxes.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Support them at the root. If you want to support a musician, go to THEIR webpage and purchase their music directly from them. Streaming only supports the corporate entities and the artist only gets a fraction of a penny. If it’s a visual artist, buy the art directly from them. Share the artists info with your inner circles. In this day and age it is easy to reach out to creatives and have one on one interactions with them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @caid_upryz
• Youtube: UCynZN7E05XEjFAkqlCja0ug
• Other: https://upryzrecords.bandcamp.com