About Me

Welcome to my digital corner!

Jay9Designs is a marriage of my love for art and functionality.

I went to the Art Institute and majored in Graphic Design because in high school if you excelled in the yearbook club and art class that's what you did.  I had every intention of pursuing a career in graphic design, I had a childhood closet full of magazines and editorial spreads to prove it.  Also, I was born with a self confidence and delusion that if I think I can do something, I jump in and do it.   Needless to say, I graduated top of my class.

                     

Immediately after graduation, I got a job with Essence Online and realized very quickly I loved LOOKING at editorial spreads, but not making them full time.  There was more typography kerning than creativity.  Go figure.  I switched my career focus to sales because I was good at it and it paid the bills.  Something was still missing though.  

Throughout those years, I lived in multiple cities in SC, GA, NY and even moved to Nicaragua for two years following my desire to experience life to the fullest. 

                         

I was fully prepared to eat mangoes and live simple for the rest of my life but a political unrest in Nicaragua forced me to move back to the states.   A few months later after moving back to the States, COV-ID happened.  This was my lowest moment, I was Nicaragua rich, but US broke.  I was renting a room and teaching English, finally saved enough for a car to DoorDash and InstaCart 12 hours a day.  Nothing creative or artistic was brewing until I went to an virtual art show by Simone Agoussoye where she spoke about pouring resin over her artwork. 

I did some extensive googling and after watching a few YouTube videos of people making items with resin.  My delusion and self-belief told myself, "I can make that".  So I used money I didn't have to buy the supplies to see how it would look.  The first piece I posted was a toothbrush holder that people loved it and asked for it in a different colors. 

            

 

Orders flooded in.  Once I started creating again, I fell in love with the process and kept creating.  Whatever people asked to order, I did it just to see if I could. My toothbrush holder evolved into coasters, then jewelry trays which turned into wall art and eventually refinishing countertops and floors.  I felt like everything I learned with graphic design, experiences with moving, 19 years of experience in marketing/sales was for a reason. 

  

Eventually as you may have guessed, I still had no real direction but was having fun editing videos for social media (skill I learned with Graphic Design) and creating pieces.  Then I applied and was accepted in One Million Black Woman with Goldman Sachs.  The program  showed me how to channel my desires, dig deep, find your purpose and make smart business decisions.  

       

 

After graduating from this extensive program, I realized I wouldn't enjoy making certain items long-term and I wanted to focus on what I did enjoy making and can provide.  Which circles to today... I loved making wine stoppers, wall art and refinishing tables/countertops.  So I decided, as an artist how to niche down to three items which are Mobile Countertops, Wall Art (textured, geode style and abstract) and wine stoppers. 

  

 

Throughout this journey, the same can be said with all my transitions... I love to create beautiful things that is functional and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.