Today we’d like to introduce you to Raven Boone.
Hi Raven, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Raven Boone and I’m a multi-disciplinary artist that her turned her passion into a business. Some people spend their entire life trying to discover who they want to be and what they want to do. I have known since birth. Since grade school I’ve always had an affinity for art and entrepreneurship. I remember blending my aunts houses, painting nails and even doing hair for money as young as elementary school. I continued to develop my artistic talents and decided I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was in middle school. Me and my cousin came up with a clothing line, but I became serious about it. I recall back in the old days when we still used phone books. I got another one of my cousins to help me dial random numbers and survey the community on what type of clothing they would like to see in stores. Little did I know this was something called marketing which I would later discover when I went to school for graphic design. My journey has been a wild one and it has been a continuous process. I persisted on my dreams and took up every form or artistry and craft through my grade school education. When I turned 19, I packed my clothes, shipped my belongings, and hopped on my first ever plane ride to live in Chicago, Il. There I attended art school, and pounded the pavement going door to door showing businesses my fashion sketches I had been working on since I was 11. During my time in Chicago I had many adventures and met many types of artists and business persons. They all helped me grow and develop I continued to travel through the east coast? Midwest and even found myself in London Heathrow airport. From all of that chaos and adventure, I returned to my home time where I tooo up graphic design at the community college. At this point all of the skills and disciplines I learned melted together and I formed Raven Boone Design. My speciality was logos, business cards, flyers and marketing. For many years I independently worked to establish myself and eventually formed an LLC in 2016 called Draven Design Co. it’s a combination of my first name and the letter “D” for design. Draven is also the name of a nephew who passed after birth. He was named after me. Present day, I’ve branded myself as a one stop shop for customs and stationary items. With the use of free programs like Canva and Ai the demand graphic design services have decreased. I’ve adapted and learned to utilize my artistry, craftsmanship and graphic design skills to create functional art that people love! Growing is a process that never ends and I’m learning something new everyday.
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?
The road to entrepreneurship is anything, but glamourous. As an entrepreneur I am constantly faced with challenges. When you’re a small business in a small it can it’s difficult to obtain funding which leads to shortages in ways that I am able to advertise my services. Other challenges I’ve encountered center time conflict. I do not have a large amount of resources at my disposable. I self-fund and work full-time in order to have funding for my business. It’s very challenging to juggle working and putting your all into your business. I appreciate each challenge because they teach me to be stronger. They’re is monetary without risk.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have a polymathic brain and I’m skilled in numerous areas of art, design, crafting and more. It can be difficult being a multi-talented creative, but this is what sets me apart from others. My expertise across several fields allows me to be innovative, For example, since I’m a graphic designer and artist I can create my own templates, vector art and clip art to use as decals on a product such as a custom pen. I have my own eco-system affording my designs to be one of a kind. My speciality is custom work and I have become most known for my pens! Pens were something I tried out for fun, but they were easily the most popular product I’ve ever created. I’m proud of how far I have gone. I’ve gone from selling a single pen to custom desk sets and gift kits that include staplers, custom mouse, notebooks, planners and more! I started out with only two pen holders to currently having two full tables of beautifully hand-customized items. I’m proud to say that people have something I made in their home!
What’s next?
The future is bright and I have so many plans! My ultimate goal is to scale my business. I have a lot of products I plan to launch in due time. Eventually I would like to have a permanent location that revels my experiences of shopping in accessory stores like Claire’s when I was a kid. Vibrant, unique , functional artwork that pulls customers in through the window! Mini shopping baskets I design to shop mix and match discount sections galore!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dravendesignco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dravendesignco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dravendesignco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dravendesignco
