Meet Jermaine Clark | Artist/muralist/entrepreneur

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

Hi Jermaine, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Other than deciding to work for myself, moving to Atlanta was the single most important decision I’ve made. It was necessary for me to get out of my comfort zone and explore new opportunities. I’m from a small town in St. Louis where I didn’t see any African American men pursuing a career in the arts. I’m a firm believer that representation matters, so to come here and not just see thriving black artists, but successful African Americans in every field is not only inspiring but aspirational. The move took some adjusting, but I soon learned being here validated my vision and although my heart will forever be in St. Louis, Atlanta is home.

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 received my bachelors degree in fine art from Alabama A&M University and moved to Atlanta shortly after in 2011. Upon getting here, I started with a DIY approach to getting my art seen. I rented spaces and hosted pop up art shows to showcase my work. Doing it this way helped me develop a community of supporters and allowed me to network for opportunities. This was a pivotal time in my journey that I gained confidence and learned to take control of my own career. Today I make a living as a freelance artist/muralist where I help consultants, businesses & individuals bring their artistic visions to life. l also have a studio practice where I create paintings that I sell to private collectors and showcase in local galleries.

Taking this route was not easy. Being an entrepreneur has its own set of challenges and with no blueprint on how to be a professional artist, I’ve faced a lot of adversity. Although I have formal training, they don’t teach you how to make a living from art in school. The trial and error phase of monetizing my work is where my biggest lessons were learned. Understanding how to run a business while creating opportunities for myself was a big challenge and it wasn’t until I sought out mentorship that things started to make sense for me. Getting to know people in the art community was a big help and having a network of artists to share experiences with showed me the value of surrounding myself with like minded individuals. It has been very helpful getting advice on business related topics and having someone to call when navigating new ventures in the art world. Ultimately what I learned is not to be afraid to ask for help and learning to take the positive out of any situation.

What I want the world to know about me and my story is that I represent anybody who has a dream and the passion to pursue it. Despite your circumstances and environment, you can be whatever you want to be. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make art for a living, I have a passion for creating and sharing, even though I didn’t know what that looked like, I knew as long as I believed in myself, everything else would work itself out. This is what I’m most proud of. I truly believe that my limits are beyond the sky.

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?
One thing I love about Atlanta is there is something here for everybody. I’m more into local vibes where I can bar hop and grab food in my neighborhood. My favorite areas to hang out are Little 5 points and the North Highland area. I’m a regular at the Hudson grill on Moreland where I go to grab a beer and watch games. Corner tavern is cool too for a late nite bite and to play pool. The north highland area is nice. I grab coffee and do a little work at Inman perk during the day and at night I like to hang out Char grill or Beetle Cat. I’m also a fan of cigars, Highland Cigar company is perfect for me. It’s really laid back and the music is always on point.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a lot of people I would say contributed to my success. There’s too many to name but I’ll give a few. Starting with Jabari Graham and Dwayne Wright. They were the first people I connected with in Atlanta. They introduced me to the local art scene and have since become friends and mentors. Between Jabari’s business savvy and Dwayne’s experience being a professional artist, seeing them in action was the example of successful black men in the creative world that I needed to see. I’d also like to shout out my good friend and artist Peter Fararri. He’s a wealth of knowledge and has a great work ethic. His selflessness has opened my eyes to opportunities I didn’t know existed. Lastly, I’d like to shout out my biggest inspiration and the reason I’m here. My mother. She is the most resilient person I know and instilled in me early what it means to have faith. These life lessons are what I carry with me on my journey and is what I believe has brought me this far.

Website: www.xmainestudio.com

Instagram: @xmaine

Image Credits
Chuck Marcus. Fred Daniels. Luis207