Meet Derrick Whitfield Sr. | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Derrick Whitfield Sr. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Derrick, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
My favorite quote is by the late rapper Nipsey Hussle. “Instead of trying to build a brick wall, lay a brick every day. Eventually, you’ll look up and have a brick wall.” . While I’m not sure he was the originator of the quote, I love the realness of the saying because the world has become obsessed with speed and “Easy Bake Oven” success. But unfortunately, not realizing anything worth having is a process that takes considerable time.

I have affirmations. I’ve said five of them to myself for the past two years. I’ll detail what they are and how I perceive them.

First Affirmation: I am the greatest designer in the world.

I’m not in competition with other designers, nor do I think I’m better than other designers. I say this Affirmation helps combat my insecurities, anxieties, shortcomings, and ego as a designer.

Second Affirmation: I’m the CEO of a Fortune 500 company rooted in diversity.

Before leaving the Navy in 2014, I studied the demographics when I decided to pursue Graphic Design as a career. I saw that only 3 percent of minorities were hired at the time. In addition, zero minorities held leadership positions in Graphic Design. So, I also walked into my business when I walked into college. When I was about to graduate college, my teacher went around the room asking us, “why do we design” When I responded, “my goal is to fix the diversity issues in design,” he replied, “you better shut your mouth if you want to get a good job.” That inspired me to create my lane as a designer and business owner.

The desire to be a Fortune 500 company is to employ people who are overlooked or not hired because of their cultural differences. Whether in school or the military, I have always been around diversity. Plus, my family taught me to have a great deal of respect for people, no matter their gender or background. So, I have this crazy idea that I would love to show up to work with people that do and don’t look like me.

Third Affirmation: God has appointed me for leadership.

My Aunt (my mother’s sister) is a unique Christian woman. She used to drag me to all her church events when I was a child, although I hated it. There was a church service she took me to when I was 13 years old. A pastor preaching at the church service made me stand up in front of the entire church (which was embarrassing), and she said, “Young man, God has a calling on your life; you will be used to do his work majorly. Honestly, I thought the lady was crazy, but leadership has chased me down over the years and has been pretty disruptive in my life. Often, I’ve run from being a leader because I felt I wasn’t worthy. Lately, I’ve learned to stop running and accept that what that pastor said all those years ago might be true.

Fourth Affirmation: I am debt free.

I have a business and am committed to my craft to pass down generational wealth to my children. They may or may not grow up to be business owners, but I will ensure they have the resources necessary to have a head start in life. The head start is by being debt free.

Fifth Affirmation: I am in the greatest shape of my life.

While you don’t need to be a fitness model, I believe maintaining a level of fitness is the catalyst for everything. I read somewhere having a consistently active lifestyle will solve a high percentage of mental/physical issues (70 percent, I believe the number was). I’m a busy individual with running a business, being a husband, and being a father. While it is rewarding, it is taxing. My fitness is my “me time,” so I can show up at my best for others!

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.
Two main things set me apart in business. First, the relationships with my design clients are great because I worked in customer service in the Navy for nine years, which translated pretty well to business. Second, I can talk to a small business owner starting on their first day or a fortune 500 CEO. .
Another thing that sets me apart in business is that I’ve never worked for a design company or studio. Graphic Design has a lot of rules which are good and bad. I heard some design studios could have too many design rules, which I feel stifles creativity.

What sets me apart artistically is I’ve been drawing for over 20 years, and I received a lot of encouragement from my family along the way. As a result, I have a pretty recognizable art style which I call Afrodelic. The art style consists of my hobbies/experiences as a kid; movies, comics, traditional African masks, and music.

I’m most proud of one of my logos featured on B.E.T. Growing up as a kid. I remember rushing home to watch Rap City, The Basement, and 106 & Park. So to have one of my logos featured (if only for 10 seconds) on a program that brought me much happiness as a child, it’s something I’ll never forget.

How I got to where I am today? “I just didn’t quit. That’s the only distinguishing quality from me, and probably whoever else is going through this, or went through this, or is gonna go through this, is I didn’t quit.” – Nipsey Hussle

No, my journey wasn’t easy. To give some context to Nipsey Hussle’s quote on staying the course and not quitting. In the past seven years since I’ve been in business. I started my business in 2015 with no knowledge of Graphic Design programs. I went broke more than once. I practiced honing my skills in design in between making Uber deliveries. I’ve been evicted and had to sell my cars for food. I’ve had to move to a new city, and through all of that, I didn’t quit!

I overcame the challenges by having a solid reason why, although it sounds cliché, my son is my reason to keep moving forward to provide a better life for him.

I’ve learned to always expect the unexpected in life.

I want the world to know that I’m just a man with an “against all odds” attitude to succeed despite my circumstances. We all have that capacity within us. An “against all odds” attitude can put you in the position to do some amazing things.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Although I live in Atlanta, I haven’t been out much to give anyone trip info. My hometown is San Diego, CA. .
As soon as we got off the plane, we’re going to the taco shop to get California Burritos. After that, you would want to be in the Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego, a 16-block area full of restaurants, bars, shops, and museums.

The place to see the most exciting people are at the beach, mainly because most of the beaches in San Diego have weekly farmer’s markets. San Diego’s diversity is shown through the crowds at the beach during the farmer’s markets.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out to my son, Derrick Whitfield Jr. You are the source of my inspiration to become better in all areas of life. .
To my daughter Amaya, You are also the source of my inspiration to become better in all areas of life.

My wife Dominique supports me tremendously as a spouse. I genuinely think I wouldn’t be as successful if it weren’t for you.

Thanks to my Mother, Bonnie, who raised me to be tough and loving. Thank you for enrolling me in magnet school when I was eight, so I could pursue my talent as an artist. Thank you for literally bending over backward to give me what I needed.

Thanks to my Father, Steve, Although we aren’t connected through blood, thank you for stepping up and being the Father I needed.

Thanks to my Aunt Barbara, who taught me the importance of staying connected to my spirituality. I appreciate you picking me up every Friday and taking me to McDonald’s and Blockbuster Video. What I can appreciate about you most is despite your beliefs, you never judged how anyone chose to live their lives; you loved everyone as they were.

My Uncle Christopher, thank you for being an incredible example of what a man is supposed to be. Your lessons were harsh; I tried my best to rebel against your lessons. I didn’t understand that you were concerned with how I would turn out as a man. Thank you for opening up your home to me for the past 30 years. Thank you for the weekly Wednesday night dinners. Your example is what I closely follow now with my own family.

My Aunt Julia, Thank you for investing in me through education. Thank you for teaching me it wasn’t good enough to talk about what you intended to do; only action matters. Thank you for making me your world-famous Gumbo during lunch and for making me practice my art at your kitchen table.

Website: www.whitfielddesignsco.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whitfielddesigns

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-whitfield-sr-b046b01b7

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Whitfielddesigns

Image Credits
Headshot image photographer: Jonathan Aguirre – Timeless Media Co.