Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Ricks.
Hi Antonio, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At the age of 19, I graduated from South Atlanta High School. Shortly after that, I attended the Art Institute of Atlanta. After three short quarters I dropped out and life happened. I had my first child at 20 years old with my college girlfriend and I was working two jobs. The idea of A.R. Creations started when I re-enrolled into the Art Institute of Atlanta in 2010.
By this time I met my wife Tae, who is also my business partner of A.R.Creations, LLC and I was raising my daughter full time. With a family and a career as a full time police officer, I was determined to achieve my goal of being the first of my family to graduate from college and start a business.
After graduating in 2014 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Illustration, I immediately started working on developing my business concept. This was tough because I had reached the level of police sergeant which paid well but was turning into a dangerous career due to a large amount of police shootings of unarmed black men which was highly publicized through social media and mainstream media. Also, my wife and I were on child number two (three children total), so it was difficult to budget time between working overnight, sleep, family time and doing a few hours of design work before clocking in on duty. Not to mention, in 2016 I attended Profile Institute of Barber Styling in Atlanta, GA to complete 1500 hours of Barber/Cosmetology courses. I graduated in 2017 and opened up a barbershop in the community of Jonesboro, GA with another talented barber.
Ultimately, in 2019 before the pandemic started, I quit my job to pursue my dreams full time. Sliced Up Barbershop, LLC is my hustle but A.R.Creations, LLC is my heart. A.R.Creations is a design company geared towards small business owners who need logos, promotional stationery’s, labels, t-shirts/uniforms; anything that involves graphic design. I also do traditional and craft art. Sliced-Up Barbershop was created back when I was in the eighth grade cutting my own hair. I was very bad at cutting my hair during that time but when I had sons I was able to practice on them and perfect my craft. In 2016, I decided that I wanted to obtain my license to cut professionally and the rest is history.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. Needless to say, It would have been easier for me to complete college when I was younger without a family to support and bills to pay.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in illustrated logos, business branding and conceptual business ideas. I have a knack for hearing someone’s vision for their business and expanding upon that with my own creative thought process. It makes me proud when I can see a truck wrap designed by A.R.Creations, LLC ride through a community. I’m known for my patience with a client during the logo process. I will not stop until the client loves their design.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned along my journey is be patient with yourself, the client and the process of personal growth. Don’t take every critique/constructive criticism personally and strive to be the best version of yourself through your craft.
Contact Info:
- Email: arcreations50@gmail.com
- Website: www.arcreationsllc.art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcreationsllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ARCreations50/
