Meet Jaiven Harris | Graphic Designer & Entrepreneur
We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaiven Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jaiven, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued a creative career due to my love of art and fashion growing up. It has always been my main outlet when it came to expressing myself, blending so many elements of creativity, identity, and culture. As someone who is not a very talkative person, they both allowed me to convey emotions and tell a story without speaking a word.
I learned early that art and fashion are ever-evolving, often unpredictable, and deeply personal while also being incredibly communal. By high school, I knew I wanted to take this passion and form of expression and turn it into a career.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work has a strong influence from sports and pop culture, representing my life experiences and passions. I would describe my style as expressive, urban, and dynamic. What sets me apart from others is being able to draw inspiration from an enormous range of sources and then push boundaries in ways that fuse aesthetics to convey a message or feeling.
I’m most proud of how far I’ve come as a designer, seeing how my work looked like when I first started to how it looks now. The growth and knowledge I gained over time is a testament to that as well as my love for design and hardworking mentality. There were tough points in time when I felt like my work wasn’t being valued. However, I stayed consistent in creating and putting myself out there. One of the main ways I did that was by posting my work on Behance and Instagram. This created a larger audience for me and presented new opportunities to potential clients and employers.
The main lesson I’ve learned is to be intentional and consistent. No matter what it is in life, you have to go and work for it if you want to achieve it. It may take time but it’ll be worth it in the end. I want the world to know that I’m just getting started and the best is yet to come. I plan on creating many great things and leaving my mark on the world as a creative.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had friends visiting Atlanta, I would start with a fun place like Your 3rd Spot. It offers different activities and games to play, whether you’re into arcade games, bowling, big Jenga or Connect 4, cornhole, etc. It’s a nice setting to connect and have some competitive fun. Another thing we would probably do is catch a local game, such as the Hawks, Falcons, or Braves. I think watching a professional game in-person would be a fun experience to enjoy together with friends. Then, for food, we would go to Fox Bros Bar-B-Q, which has a great assortment of BBQ, or Grindhouse for some burgers.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a major shoutout to Georgia State University’s Graphic Design Program, faculty, and the 2024 cohort. Their knowledge and encouragement have been crucial in assisting me becoming a great designer and reaching the goals I have set for myself. They consistently challenged me to push beyond my limits and showed me that with hardwork and a will to learn more, I can achieve anything I put my mind to.
Website: https://jaivenharris.com
Instagram: (@jaivencreates) https://www.instagram.com/jaivencreates/
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
