Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaja Banks.
Hi Jaja, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My mother visited her friends in Atlanta one day and ended up falling in love with the amount of successful black people that lived in the city. So a couple of years after her trip, she decided to move my family from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Atlanta, Georgia, in hopes of a better life.
I ended up moving at the beginning of my ninth-grade year and attended Booker T. Washington high school in the westside of Atlanta, where I took classes in design and entrepreneurship. After High School, I attended Syracuse University to major in Industrial Design with a minor in Entrepreneurship. Although I loved being at Syracuse, I realized that attending school and getting a degree wasn’t the right path for me so I dropped out and moved back to Atlanta.
While being back in Atlanta, I came up with a plan to redesign my 2 bedroom apartment. So I painted the entire space black and added a bunch of leds and plants. Luckily I recorded the entire process, so I was able to turn the recordings into content for Youtube, Tik Tok, and Instagram. A few of my videos ended up going viral on Tik Tok, and now we are here.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s actually been a pretty smooth road, the toughest part about the process has been just having patience. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a pretty steady trajectory. Since I shared my designs on social media, my life has only changed for the better. My first design client was a huge Tok Tok star who goes by the name of “Justmaiko”, whom I know consider to be family. My second client was 2 Chainz, and I just wrapped up my third client project with Revolt Tv.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At the moment, I am a designer who documents their process in hopes of teaching others how to do what I do. I build furniture, lights, sets, etc.
I am known for being the guy who lives in an All-Black apartment.
I am most proud of my ability to inspire others to pursue the passions.
What sets me apart from others is my infinite creativity, I never seem to run out of unique ideas, that’s why I feel so comfortable sharing them all.
What’s next?
AS of now, I’m focused on launching how-to tutorials on Youtube so that I can teach others how to do what I do. After spending about a year on Youtube, I will be focusing on creating a rap album. Becoming a musician will allow me to combine all of my talents into one project.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.byweleve.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejajabanks/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thejajabanks
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejajabanks
Image Credits
Image 3 and 4 shot by Essence Ransome Instagram: @essence.ransome
