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

Hi Shainae, thanks for joining us today. 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?

The question, ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ has always haunted me. I always gave an answer, but honestly I’ve never been certain of what career I wanted. I had a very loose idea of what I wanted to pursue and once I attended university, the uncertainty was even more apparent. I switched my major from Philosophy to Psychology, I switched schools, and by the time I entered my senior year… I was even more confused.

A few months before I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology, I decided I did not want to be a psychologist. What did I want to do instead? I had no idea. I just knew it was not that. I even tried my hand at event planning. I completed internships while in college and even became a wedding planner’s assistant for a short period post-graduation. As we can guess, that did not work out. All I knew is that I wanted to pursue my passion, whatever that may be (because I had no idea) and I wanted to have flexibility in my career. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, set my own schedule, be my own boss. I did not have any desire to climb any ladders, much less the corporate one.

As an unemployed, post-graduate feeling lost in the midst of the pandemic, I decided to start my own small business. I quickly made a plan and created an ecommerce website to sell fashion jewelry. It worked well for a time, but after having to move back home to the USVI, I soon realized it was not what I wanted. Back to square one. Well, so I thought. After lots of self-reflection, I realized what the period of time of having my own business taught me. That I’m a creative. I did not care about the selling aspect of my business. I loved creating social media campaigns, designing my brand identity, creating my website, and taking product photos.

Before my small business, I did not truly believe that I was capable of doing those things. With this new enlightenment, I decided to quit my first full-time job. A HUGE risk. I wanted to focus on gaining knowledge to pursue my true passion… design (plus my job was negatively affecting my mental health). I used my savings and the help of my family to support myself. I knew I needed to take that leap because the comfort of that job would’ve held me back and I would not be as far along as I am today. I would not have had the space to grow in my skills as quickly as I have and maybe even gotten the opportunities I’ve been blessed with. After having to constantly switch, change, try different things since college… pivoting became second nature to me. I no longer feared the backlash of things not working out the way I wanted. I learned that I rather take a risk than remain stagnant.

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?

Honestly, I stumbled upon my graphic design journey. I started my own small ecommerce business during the pandemic and I wanted to lay a solid foundation for it. After doing some research and noticing on my own accord what brands did to be successful, I realized and I needed to create a brand; a logo suite, colors, fonts, etc. I also had to learn to market my brand to make sales. This included social media campaigns, ads, email marketing, product photography, and my website. I did not have the income to hire someone nor did I know anyone who would help me for free (rightfully so), so I had to learn to do all those things on my own. Which then lead me to graphic design, branding, marketing, and creative direction as a career.
As of right now, I provide graphic design services such as album artwork, social media content & graphics, branding, poster design, merch & apparel design, and marketing, campaign & event materials.
I consider myself a visual storyteller. Sometimes, it is easier for us to think of the concepts we want to convey but not be able to translate it visually. That’s what I am here for. I also help clients conceptualize if they haven’t gotten that far. I love to collaborate on ideas and help clients see their vision more clearly and be able to create something that can reach their target audience.
I am most proud of the trust my clients give me. Based on the work they have seen, they trust in my creative vision and believe in the suggestions I give. I want people to know that I heavily believe in collaboration and communication. Most of the best art, if not all the best art, is made through the vision and ideas of multiple people, perspectives, and experiences.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Generally, I love to see things start from nothing and become something. That’s why I love watching HGTV because the show you the house before all the finishes. I loved Beyonce’s movie of her Renaissance tour because she gave insight on how long it to create the album, the behind the scenes of the creative direction of the tour, the lighting, the sound, the stage set up. Seeing the production of something amazes me and it does even more if I did it. Witnessing a concept that just lived in my mind, come into fruition? One of the best feelings I experience.

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

I had to unlearn (and I’m still unlearning) that things have to be perfect to be worth putting out into the world. As a child, subconsciously, I believed that I had to make little to no mistakes to be loved. As I grow older, now that belief has become a limitation. It has been hard for me to finish things because they don’t start out perfect. It has been hard for me to start things because perfection is not immediate. Sometimes I hold back on showing my work to others because I am afraid they will not see it as I do and not love it as I do… so that will equate to it not being loved. When in actuality, I love it, so it is loved. Even if I don’t love it though, it is still worthy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shae.in.digital/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shainaeanthony