Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Merritt.
Joseph, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It’s hard to even say how we got to where we’re at today, the road less traveled. I always wanted to be an artist. I remember skateboarding through the city, looking at all the graffiti. Telling myself I could do that. Eventually, I would become a graffiti artist. However, graffiti comes with its own troubles. After some trouble with painting on private property, I would take the walls to canvas. I guess my story really is just a story of non-conformity. I did not want an ordinary life. So, I saw a different way. I’m not going to say it was an easier way. Through many years of ups and downs and struggles, we would eventually find our niche. After some time in the Marines, I would move to the City Of Barnesville, Georgia, where Jmerritt Studios would become Blue Jay Customs. An artist’s life is not easy we create. We give a part of our soul in each of our pieces. Art to me was not what I saw; it was the life I lived. Every emotion thought that’s what we put in our art. Rejection, it’s all part of the business but it hurts. They’re not just rejecting your art. They’re rejecting the piece of you that you showed. It was not a glamorous life. It is trying to have a voice in a world that doesn’t want to hear what you are saying. It was trying to sell a piece to live, eat, and sometimes that just didn’t work out, I would not change any of the struggles that got us here today. I loved every second. Eventually Covid slowed us down so we went in a new direction and became a full custom sign shop.
Blue Jay Customs, we specialize in hand-painted signs and a whole lot more. We took our creative art skills to the Sign world today Blue-J Customs is striving and doing well. I don’t have to worry about where my next meal comes from anymore. This is a blessing in itself. We still do mural work, as well as other artistic endeavors; that’s what sets Blue Jay Customs apart from everybody else. Signs are one aspect of this creative company, but we strive to help businesses have creative and innovative visibility. We want people to see your company sparkle, just like the graffiti I saw when I was a kid. Our mission is to give you
the best visual presence we can offer using our knowledge of design, our artistic ability, and the skills of the artists that we employ. We don’t always get to create the thing we want for our clients, but we give them everything they want. Our story really is still at the beginning and is still being told.
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?
There have been many struggles along the way. I was addicted to drugs for many years. As an artist, life was tough. I went through a time of living on the streets with nothing. I remember those times being really hard but peaceful at the same time. Drug addiction was a whole other beast for many years. Even through the military, I was addicted to something. Be it booze or some other things, it had me shackled. Sobriety was the best thing that ever happened to me besides my family. The road less traveled is not an easy road. Sometimes we are our own roadblocks but all this can be overcome. Any struggle that you’re going through can be beaten down by just moving forward. In my younger artistic days, I was my own worst enemy. Through time, I would eventually find a better way. That way I just let go ride the wave. I wouldn’t take anything back. We had some really rough times, ups and downs, but the bumps in the road are what tested us. Covid was what caused us to change our ways from an artistic studio to a full custom Sign shop.
We took all our sculptures and spread them out through the city, having a two month-long scavenger hunt. This was my wife’s idea; she wanted to get people out of their houses and give them something to do. We decided to change to a Sign shop because it was needed. A good friend of mine, Andrew Patrick Henry just committed suicide. He did all the hand painted signs around town. People were asking if I would help with their signs, but I had made a promise to Andrew that I would never do signs. Eventually, I would break this promise because too many people were asking. This is where we’re at today. These days graphics are the business. I am a lucky man to be married to my beautiful wife, Jessica Merritt. We have two beautiful girls, Aubrey and Autumn, and life is still a mystery every day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a sculptor and a painter by trade. These days I specialize in hand painted signs and custom vinyl cut graphics. We try to give clients a little bit of both. We offer a creative restoration packet. Where we come in adding new signage, sculptures, and other forms of art to help your company be more visible for its client base.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
COVID-19 wasn’t a terrible thing for us. It’s what got us to where we’re at today. The only thing I really learned from Covid was how much I did not like wearing a mask.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
COVID-19 wasn’t a terrible thing for us. It’s what got us to where we’re at today. The only thing I really learned from Covid was how much I did not like wearing a mask.
Contact Info:
- Website: artpalcom/jmerittstudios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088337811884&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Yelp: Blue Jay Customs
Image Credits
Sims real estate, hand painted sign by us. The Barnesville Buggy company hand painted sign by us.
