I was born in Trelawny, Jamaica in 1974. Since the age of five, I can remember having an interest in the arts. I was inspired by the drawing my father and uncle were doing while they were attending William Knibb Memorial High School, I can so clearly recall the self-portrait my uncle Earl had done of himself. At the age of eight, I got really interested in comic books which definitely played a part inspiring the early stages of my interest in drawing.

In 1986, I came to New York and attended Walt Whitman Junior High School in Brooklyn and was selected for the arts program at Erasmus Hall Academy of Arts, where I attended highschool. I think that the creative process began for me in highschool. I was very fortunate to have met an art teacher who responded to my first drawings I had done at school by telling me, I had a potential to be a great artist. She encouraged me to keep drawing. I was also fortunate to have been part of the yearbook staff where I learned the concept of working with a creative team, and discovered my interest in design and fashion. That's also when I started to think of pursuing my study in art, going to college for art. So - I went to Pratt University and my mother provided me with the art supplies.

I launched RasStars because there are only a few established Rasta organizations based in the New York City area offering more to the community, to the youths in our communities, to the community as a whole. RasStars originally started as logo design project I did while attending Pratt institute of Brooklyn. The idea was to design a logo for a Rasta soccer team (also my main passion as a sport I have played all my life). In 2010, I began to taking notice of the skateboard culture emerging throughout the streets in Brooklyn, those skaters endlessly skating everywhere, I started calling them “Brothers on Board”. It then came to my mind that the “RasStars Brand” could represent these skaters, with designs that would inspire and represent their culture, empower the youth, all happening in the borough of Brooklyn.

For RasStars, skateboarding is like a rebel sport or activity, RasStars' skaters are rebels with passion for a cause. The RasStars vision is to be a voice for that passion, talent and energy of the future generation around the world.

To be honest, skateboarding has not been as significant part of my life in terms of a sport like soccer. My main passion is soccer. “Football is Freedom”. I feel more alive when I play football. For me, it's not just a game, it’s a lifestyle, it’s the way my creative process works when I design. I try to set a strategy before working towards my goals. I did have a skateboard as a child while living in Jamaica, but there were not many good surfaces for skateboarding with the exception of the basketball court. What really inspired me was the movie called “Dogtown and the Z Boys” a documentary that tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of skateboarding (and to a lesser extent surfing) culture. I was so inspired by the dynamic of each skater in this movie, the choices and decisions they made for their skateboarding careers, the dedication, the drive, the focus.

As a Rasta, I’ve work as an Graphic Designer/Art Director in corporate design, across agencies ever since college. I’ve was received by some with open arms but by many with a screw face at times. To some, it seems strange to work with a talented rasta who dresses well, worked as a team member and produce good work. Rasta is my cultural identity, I never shaved or twisted my hair neatly to please my boss or co-workers. However, after more than 10 years working under design and creative agencies (babylonian stereotypes), such as Disney Publications, I set my mind on building my own creative agency “Rasstars” that offers insightful urban design and an authentic rasta apparel brand made in Brooklyn, USA. Rasstars is my light that shines all over the word. A Rasstars is one who is determine to reach is goals and vision by any means necessary.

Some may have or think of a Rasta image - the Bob Marley (the god of all rasta), one who only smokes ganga. Rasta is so much more and for that reason, I have set one of my goals in life to represent rasta as creative, inspiring and community leaders. I always reflect on the important role the teaching, words and life of Marcus Garvey have had in shaping my vision, Garvey said, “Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will”. So if I didn’t fit into a babylonian stereotype, the Babylon system, I was determine to open my own doors and build my own foundation to make better for the youths of tomorrow.

While working as an assistant teacher, some of the challenges I saw were domestic difficulties and vulnerabilities that children are facing day to day. What I know is that we need more parents, especially fathers, to play more active roles in bringing up their children. We need need more individual mentors for our youth, men within the community to say “Uplift yourself” when they see a young man with his pants bellow the waist. We need the inner-city community to remember 'it really does takes a village to raise a child'. The RasStars brand will reach out to youth in the communities by facilitating leadership opportunities, offering internships, mentoring and coaching. We are now setting the way for hosting competitions and community engaging events, such as, skateboarding competitions, sports and skills-training workshops, and inviting artists across the design spectrum to speak at our events to inspire the youths of tomorrow.

A definite objective of RasStars is to build a foundation with global reach, a foundation that will welcome, mentor and train, empower and inspire the youths of today to shine that inner light within, to keep that light bright by thinking positive, self believe and reach for the stars. “Let Ras be your guiding Star”

Challenges...

Over the years since I started to building out RasStars as a brand, I have been trying to find the balance integrating a Jamaican/Rasta experience with Brooklyn, New York vibes or vise versa. As freelance designer, most of my clients have a design problem which needs a creative solution, and presenting a design concept to solve the problem is always a welcomed challenge. One of the challenges I have found as a designer is to be in the discovering of the creative process that will produce authentic designs.

With RasStars, I always wanted to move beyond offering only unisex apparel and launch a female line, one that is uniquely RasStars. Recently, I've found a solution to this challenge by collaborating with a stylist who brings a fresh style to our brand. On a personal level, I am always challenged in being completely happy with most of the designs I have done since the beginning stages, it has really taken until now to feel totally confident with the creative direction.

When you dream – what is the experience, where do your thoughts, your heart, gravitate?

My dream is to return to Jamaica to build from within the community. I always believe in giving back to my community/Jamaica, sharing the experience and knowledge I've gained while studying and traveling the world. My heart gravitates to less fortunate children of the world. Real in my purpose is to see RasStars serve as a lighthouse of empowerment, establishing community presence to help guide the next generation towards a better future.

Have you tapped a purpose, a calling – your life’s work?

Yes, I believe I have tapped into a calling.
My calling is to be a messenger of love and empowerment.