We recently connected with Jainai Jeffries and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jainai, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
No one else is going to achieve my goals but me. I always preferred to do things on my own, so it never crossed my mind to rely on others take the risks I need to take in order to reach what I want. “Risk” is just taking responsibility and giving myself a chance to live as I please.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I specialize in eradicating the mediocre through my own creative voice.
I’d say my career is, “storyteller”: in which I use various mediums: character design, comics, illustration, fashion design, concepting, tattooing, and etc.
My main bag at the moment is tattooing, in which I’m always told by clients, that they never experienced such methods before. And then there’s my ‘Benefit program’…
It’s better if I just break down what sets me apart (from either ALL, or most, as there are other peers that do a few of these), other than my own creative voice: I’ll focus on the tattooing side to keep it sweet:
-‘Benefit program’: which helps clients save for their tattoo/commission, among other benefits (for everyone wanting or not wanting a tattoo): lowers the hourly/day rate, acts as an art fund, even better deals during tattoo events, priority access to pre-made designs (‘flickers’), lower flat rate for pre-made designs, Monthly and Annual memberships options, 7 membership levels, and so much more: http://fydbac.com/benefits
-Multiple concepts (sketched live in front of the client) for the client to choose from.
-I don’t allow outside images (“inspiration”/”reference”) in consult. Just the client and their own description if what they are hoping for (or even if they have no idea).
-I’m exclusively freehand, I don’t use stencils (thankfully, some others do this too!).
-I LOVE full freedom on a project: I’m very quick with my imagination: One don’t even need an idea before coming to me: they just need genuine love for my work, genuine desire for a tattoo from me, and full trust!
-I NEVER repeat or reuse; everything is “custom”. (when an exact design is taken, it’s gone FOREVER. They enter what I call “fam”: in which the subject matter and style can be the same, but the design is completely different (pose and everything)
-No “flash” designs: I call my pre-mades, “flickers”, as the medium to large scale are fully original wall art pieces that the client takes home after their final tattoo session. OR, they can just buy it as wall art and the tattooing is optional. Either way, gone forever.
-When one chooses to finalize a concept before tattooing: I finalize the design as it’s own wall art version, in which the client may take home after their final tattoo session.
-One client a day (no matter if a tattoo session or a consult): the whole day belongs to said booked client. Only time I take more than one…
-Monthly tattoo events: which lower the rate/price on everything: I take up to 3 clients a day (consult or small tattoo (no more than 3 hours). If a consult, then they may lock in the lower rate for the project (reschedule would forfeit the locked lower rate tho).
-I draw without reference: even if I do need reference, it’s actual reference and not “copy reference”. No tracing, no mimicry, no imitating.
If I’m leaving anything out, feel free to take a look: http://fydbac.com
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Strong sense of honor, cognitive empathy, and Respecting my own self worth: those have been the biggest driving force of my journey. The only advice i’d have to develop/improve” such things, is to treat others as you would want to be treated.
Despite too many in the world not agreeing.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
My main bane these days is, still, making traction: I find myself seemingly doing all I need to do, yet still not reaching the right folk who’d put that spotlight on me: the game changer one. Which I feel is needed in getting the most reach, in order to get more clients.
Also, I suspect people do not believe that I am the sole artist behind my work, no matter how well I present myself. A majority of the time, when I’m doing leg work (randomly meeting people and promoting), they seem too surprised that the work is actually mine. Even at past events, where I had some pre-mades on display, AND I was actively drawing something, folk would be flabbergasted that I’m the artist. Incredibly disheartening to consider I’d probably get more bookings if I was not Black and woman appearing. (I’ve heard other black femme appearing artists, doing conventions, have too many instances where visitors initially assume their non-black booth helper is the artist.).
One of the reasons that inspired me to put “black”and “she/her/they” on my IG, is from how a person came in and it took 2 tries before I convinced them I was the artist: 1st I corrected that I was the designer, then I had to correct them that I was the tattoo artist as well. They thought I was an asian man.
One thing that may be simultaneously a positive and a negative, is my unorthodox ways. Even before I added tattooing to my services, I never operated the same as most; and that was a real surprising problem in the beginning, most folk would compliment how I wasn’t like most commission artists. And now it’s the same for tattooing. “New” is overwhelming /confusing for most folk: feels like I have to tone down my professionalism in order to appeal to the most folk.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/fydmiink
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/fydbac
- Other: http://fydmi.ink
https://cara.app/fydbac
Image Credits
flo 34 design mock: model photo from @dwam
“exit tense” pg.03
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
