Meet Georgette Blay | Creative Designer and Artisan

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

Hi Georgette, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I learned how to process risk at a very young age. I was brought to the U.S. at the age of nine and had to dive in and take risks to figure out how I was going to fit in and thrive in my new environment. That process taught me valuable skills in viewing risk. I see risk as a type of unexplored investment in oneself. There is usually a positive outcome one seeks in taking a risk. Whether you are risking one job for another in hopes of more financial stability, or walking away from a long-term relationship in hopes of finding one that better suits you, it is a moment of recognition that you want better for yourself.

For me, the sliding scale for risk is this: the higher the risk, the less knowledge I have about what I’m taking the risk on; the lower the risk, the more knowledge I have about it. Once I framed risk that way in my mind, whenever I take high risks, I educate myself to reduce the risk down to size. It’s like a baby learning to walk. Every step feels like a massive risk until they learn to trust themselves and learn from their falls. In no time, they are walking without hesitation.

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.
I’ve had a non-linear journey to becoming the creative I am today. I have always been a creative person, but cultural forces early in my life halted my progress in the creative space. Starting in high school, I had to pivot from the arts to math and sciences, which led to me majoring in biochemistry in college. After almost four years, I found the courage and awareness to pivot back into the arts.

In my opinion, when it comes to the arts, you can have all the talent in the world, but if it isn’t fostered early, you have to play catch-up for a long time, if not forever. You have to put in the hours to refine your skills, so when you start and notice you are years behind your counterparts, it’s a big hurdle to overcome. Knowing I had taken a huge risk, I wasn’t going to give up and started putting in the work. I soaked up all the art experiences I could and took on any project just to get the practice.

Now, I’m at a place in my career where I have honed my skills and am now having the real fun of making home furnishings, decor, and women’s bags in an artful way. Being Ghanaian and raised both in the U.S. and Ghana allows me to mesh and pull inspiration from both cultures. I create under the ethos of enjoying the little things in life. If only one person loves something I’ve made, then I was making it for them and for me.

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?
I would take them to the West End area first, which has a chill vibe, then to East Atlanta, because, to me, it is one of the neighborhoods that still holds on to its original vibes. On Thursday or Friday, we would go to the west side, start at a rooftop bar, then head to ‘Little Trouble’ (RIP), and end the night at—yes, I said it—’Northside Tavern’. Strolling the Beltline on a weekend from Ponce/Old Fourth Ward to Inman Park is something to experience. Ending the night at BeetleCat when there is an awesome DJ will have you screaming at the top of your lungs to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’.

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?
They say your friends are your chosen family, and the success and progress of my business have truly come from the support of my friends. They listened to my wild ideas at every turn and encouraged me when I lacked self-worth and doubted my work. They allowed me to complain about all aspects of my business, responding only with continued support and urging me to keep going. They see the bright light in me that I sometimes don’t see. They were with me in grad school as the process broke all of us, and we leaned on each other to pick up the pieces, knowing that the hard work would pay off. I’m forever grateful for my small but mighty tribe

Website: https://www.blaydesign.com

Instagram: https://blay.design

Image Credits
Cristy Quinones, Georgette Blay, Kristen Holbrook, Amanda Layton