As a part of our ongoing Member Spotlight series, we recently had a chance to talk with member, designer, and photographer Jared Beasley.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Kansas City where I was raised to love BBQ and sports. The former always brings joy, the latter has mostly wrought misery upon my soul with brief moments of jubilation. Go Chiefs!
Everyone has a different path to design, can you describe your journey?
I started fiddling with Photoshop in high school as a means to create promotional material for my hobbies. Eventually, friends started paying me to create graphics and websites. Then came clients and a corporate marketing gig. Shortly thereafter I started my agency, Istoria.
Looking through your body of work you seem to do it all–photography, running a digital marketing agency, rapper. How do you manage everything?
I try my best to stay responsible for my client work while exploring personal creative projects. I’m innately driven to make stuff, but the balance can be tricky. I’m very fortunate that my personal projects often times lead to monetary gain, but that isn’t the goal or so I tell myself.
What is the most memorable moment of your career?
Shooting the music video for my rap song about donuts was a beautiful confluence of a few of my favorite things–the creative process, hip-hop, and donuts.
Why design? What inspires you?
I adore the process of creating. There’s something about making a thing and then letting it loose in the world.
What are you excited to learn or work on next?
I’m about to kick off a photography workshop series through 757 Collective, an Instagram account turned brand that I manage. The workshop starts with fundamentals and builds to advanced studio photography.
How long have you been an AIGA member? Why did you join?
Three years. I joined to be a part of a local community of other folks on a similar journey as myself. We’re better together.
You can find Jared’s work at jaredbeasley.net and Instagram
AIGA Hampton Roads strives to highlight its members. If you have any ideas for our next spotlight, please contact us at info@hamptonroads.aiga.org.
