Meet Devonte Holt | Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Devonte Holt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Devonte, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When it came down to starting my Tattoo shop, the goal was to have a space for myself and the people around me who’d also started tattooing to be able to coexist in a positive environment while also being able to display our work professionally. In regards to the clothing brand, even as a kid I wanted to have my own clothing brand, and I would draw mock ups of popular clothing brands for fun money. As I started to think about it in adulthood, I was able to take money from tattooing and invest in my clothing brand, Strapped. I wanted to CREATE, being able to do exactly what I wanted to do and actually get paid for it!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What i am most proud of is being able to do this as a career! Just being able to CREATE as much as i’d like. I got where I am today professionally from consistency and being humble. I really care about my craft, and still it’s nothing easy about it. any of it, being an artist, tattoo, having a clothing brand, owning a business, it’s all still very difficult. The learning part is easy, staying consistent is the hardest part. I don’t think you can ever overcome difficulties, because once it gets easy it means you’re not working hard enough. I have learned many lessons along the way, but the most important one is being open-minded! Being able to see both sides of the spectrum, because it no matter how strongly you feel about something, there can be the possibility of you being wrong. Seeing that making mistakes is ok, and it’s ok to be wrong because we are all human. The thing that you don’t want to do is find out that you were wrong, and not learn from it.

I would want the world to know that my story is the story of a person who didn’t have things and overcame obstacles to have everything that i could possibly want, while being able to do what i want to do. Not allowing my past to block what my future could be. My story and my Brand is literally the same thing. Strapped means to overcome any obstacle that comes in your path. I wont allow anything to hinder my success regardless of what i feel like what success is.

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.
My friends are all a group of creatives, so honestly, I enjoy anything I can do with my People! A good movie, Paint balling with my son and friends, going out for drinks anywhere in the city, or grabbing a bite (Because Birmingham has the best food). Hanging out at the shop also!

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?
My Mother and my uncle Rodney was a big inspiration for me.

Website: https://artbytay.com/ ; strappedbrand.com

Instagram: @art_bytay @strappedbrand

Twitter: @artbytay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetArtByTay

Image Credits
BOSS Photography