Today we’d like to introduce you to Urian Booze.
Urian, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been an artist since childhood. Always drawing, painting, singing, dancing, collaborating, building. My mom noticed my passions early on and helped me nurture them all. She provided any tool I needed to do what I loved so I’d have no excuse but to be great. We spent about 10 years in Hawaii where I got a lot of naturally colorful inspiration. Then, we moved to Atlanta where I did the rest of my growing up.
I studied Graphic Design at Georgia Southern University where I met a lot of other successful creatives I still kick it with to this day. Fun fact though: I didn’t make it into the design program on my first shot. My professors didn’t believe I was good enough. I got a speech from one teacher that I’ll never forget. He said, “You are black, and you are a woman. This is a white man’s world. You will have to work a hundred times as hard to do anything in this industry.” That talk in itself fueled me to finish college, even though I hated it.
When I graduated from GSU, the US economy was plummeting hard, and it turned out nobody was hiring new designers. I ended up teaching English in Korea instead. Outside of my gig at the private school, I started a party promotions company there with a couple of other Georgia girls. I didn’t really look at myself as an entrepreneur until then but seeing some people travel by train for three hours just to experience and support what we were doing sparked something different in me.
After my Korea contract was up, I returned to Atlanta, but still yearned for the international experience. I was freelancing as a graphic designer when I got the call to be a private charter flight attendant. This was perfect because I could still do my art on my off time and get paid to travel the world. I saw over 30 countries, fell in love with aviation, and learned how to fly planes myself. While it was all really fun, the lifestyle was tiresome, as I only got 10 days or less at home per month and missed most major holidays with my family. When it was all said and done, I opted for a more conventional work/life balance that landed me in Las Vegas.
Vegas was a place I never saw myself even visiting for a vacation, but somehow there I was designing for Fortune 500 companies, doing weekend gigs with icons like Stevie Wonder, and lending background vocals to other amazing Grammy winners in a nightly show on the Strip after I clocked out of my day job. A few years in, I left the corporate scene and started my own marketing company, Firebrand, which focused largely on printing and graphics. Firebrand did very well out west, but after seven years away, it was time to come back home and reconnect with my real support system in Atlanta. I’ve recently moved back to the A, and have decided to step away from the computer for a bit and focus more on tactile, hands-on art forms I can share with my community. Atlanta can expect murals, music, fashion, and a couple of fun wildcards from me in the near future.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No road is ever completely smooth. Lol!
Any entrepreneur who tells you it’s been easy is either lying, hasn’t experienced any real success just yet, or both. When you work for yourself, especially in the arts, creativity, and ingenuity are key. Some days, you’ll make $1000.00 plus; other days, you might end up with -$432.50. Filling in the gaps is the fun part, and finding a smile in the ‘Wtf am I doing?’ moments makes for a much more gratifying life story.
I’ve struggled with accepting boxes from others. Especially the “Graphic Designer” box. That’s not the only thing I do professionally, and it’s definitely not the only thing I want to do in this life. I’ve been naturally good at so many things but kept doing something I was tired of just because other people wanted it to be my ultimate calling. Sometimes, you have to swerve on the ideas others want for you just to be happy and succeed on the highest level.
My advice is to have faith, be consistent, and do what you know is right for YOU. If you’ve been given any type of extraordinary gift, it’s for a big reason, Let what comes the most natural sustain and propel you. Treat yourself well, but don’t be dumb with your finances. Treat others well, and don’t be reckless with your relationships. Live life with an open palm, always ready to give, and the receiving will come as it may. There’s a lane for everybody, and sometimes the slowest lane is the best one to hang out in. You get to observe, grow, and still get things done in the slow lane.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’ve done a lot in the marketing realm, and have worked on some really cool design initiatives with brands such as Coca-Cola, MGM Resorts, and Allegiant Air. I still enjoy the anonymity of having a lot my design work hidden in plain sight around the world.
I’ve switched it up a bit, and am now working on a lot of fashion, modeling, music, painting, and photography. Real artsy-fartsy stuff that I find the purest joy in.
What sets me apart is a free spirit and unique eye for the extraordinary. It’s all fueled by my unconventional collection of life experiences and the beautiful people who’ve contributed along the way. I think this would be a pretty hard path to re-create, but I definitely try to impart a little bit of myself into whoever wants a similar shot.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
I think whatever barriers, once were are clearly diminishing now. It’s a real blessing to see women killing the game across the board these days, and it’s about dang time. Now, that’s not to say people still don’t doubt us and think we shouldn’t be able to do certain things at high levels of visibility, but we are getting a lot more room to prove ourselves, and that’s really all we needed.
Contact Info:
- Email: collabwithher@gmail.com
- Instagram: @divasaurusrex
Image Credit:
Yahz Chyld, Jenny McBride, Tenile Pritchard, Urian Booze (myself), Carolyn Jean, Janessa Wright, Kellen Wu
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