We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kheprisa Burrell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kheprisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I’ve taken thus far is my 2018 move to Atlanta, GA from NYC. I knew the city would always be my home, and that it’d hold a special place in my heart – but so much of it’s culture was shifting at that time, especially cost of livelihood. As a 20 something, I felt stifled. On a whim, I packed one large suitcase, moved to GA and stayed with a close family member for a few months. In my opinion, this was how I chose to challenge myself- everything of familiarity was back North, and I knew the discomfort of a new environment would motivate me to build something new from the ground up.

I’d worked at retail jobs my whole life, and was burned out from how exhausting it was to constantly be of service in fast paced environments for unpredictable customers, so I thought about what could spark my inner happiness. I simplified my answer to creativity, and evolving through creativity. I remembered a photoshop class I took in undergrad during college and how much I enjoyed creating solutions through design, and my journey began there.

I taught myself photoshop and illustrator within a few months time, and when I felt comfortable offering services, took a leap of faith. I’ve been offering freelance design services since then.

Kheprisa, 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?

I’m a self taught designer, and I find that when you teach yourself, you don’t design from a standard rulebook or principles but you still gain exposure from experiences that teach how purposeful designing is. You stand out, in a good way.

From a unique point of view, I focus on branding identity, illustration, and UX/UI design with the intent to fulfill needs for brands and audiences in an impactful way. Most of my emails from clients start with a “hello”, and that’s what birthed the Hi Pri Pri concept.

Saying hi is always the first step.

Design is identity, with a backstory and a sprinkle of emotion, so I pride myself on approaching my work intuitively. I like getting to know clients, fleshing out creative direction for them and creating an open and productive space for collaboration to feel natural. The less confusion, the better.

We live in a world where consumerism and immediate access to anything we can get our hands on takes the cake- but how I deviate from this is by honoring any service I provide as a step by step process. I design at a steady pace, but I don’t rush the process.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Non-creatives should know that a lot of energy, effort and perspective goes into design. When I’m designing for fun, I think less, but when I’m designing for somebody, the thought process drastically increases.

It isn’t a simple copy, paste and rotate method. Designers have the responsibility of creating an end product for both small and large brands. We have to ideate, and in some cases mind read our way to the finish line that can take weeks, and sometimes months to reach. I feel that the term ‘ designer’ is so lazily thrown around, that on the outside looking in, design isn’t taken as seriously as it could be.

There’s large investments made as a designer, freelancer or not. To be at your best, you have to invest in the best design programs and tools to provide for yourself and your projects. You have to be willing to upgrade your skills and your toolbox to stay progressive and evolve.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew about sustainable graphic design earlier!

Sustainable design is when you recycle graphics, lessen ink waste and sustain details like color, sizing and even your work environment to reduce your carbon footprint. You can ensure that you print projects on eco friendly paper, using eco friendly printing companies as well.

Practicing this now definitely supports me in feeling self aware while designing, and adds complexity to my creative process.

Contact Info:

• Website: sayhipri.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kheprisab/
• Twitter: @supriima
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
Birthright Business Card Credit: Donette Lowe Brwn Beauty & Co Credit: Yusra Hasan Go Fund Bean Bottle Credit: Adam JacksonBey and Valorie Clark