Today's article is about two different young individuals I've had the pleasure to meet or work with. Both of them are currently trying to make a name for themselves in very different fields. With all the drama that's currently happening in Haiti, I figured my first article for the month of September should be light and pleasant to read.
Normally, the first post of the month is when I publish a short article but today I decided to put two short posts together because... why not?
Plus this title is extremely clever since I'm making two articles fit in one and I'm writing about a future Architect who's also a Graphic Designer and a Med student who is also a Public Representative for local artists, so again… Two In One.
Sebastien Malebranche
Our first interviewee is Jean Sebastien Malebranche, he is 21 years old, born in Haiti and has spent all his life there. Sebastien is in college studying Architecture at Quisqueya University, and does freelance Graphic Design work on the side as a hobby since he loves everything related to the creative world.
Here are the questions I've had the chance to ask Sebastien and the answers to them.
Something that not many people know about you?
Well, I have no idea, I don’t easily open up, but the closest people in my life know most things about me so it’s really hard to say. All I can think of are obvious things about me. I love drawing, sketching, working and engaging with creative people even though I’m reserved (shy/introvert) and chilling with my friends. Also, I’m a huge football (soccer) fan, I enjoy working out and I love reading but I’m a really lazy person.
What made you start drawing & Graphic Designing?
I’ve always enjoyed drawing, as far as I can remember, I have always spent my time drawing. For graphic designing it just happened, first when I was a kid, I used to draw for the "Imagine... Studio Theater", backgrounds for their play, then friends asked me to do illustrations and logos, from there I started getting more work from strangers or other people I knew.
Favorite artwork you've made?
Well that’s a really hard question. I love most of my drawings since most of them are really personal and express how I see life, through song's lyrics and sketching.
Maybe this one, because it expresses our relationship with time and how we walk through life, not being able to get back the time we’ve wasted.
Who do you look up to (in that field)?
Honestly I don’t really have models or idols in drawings nor illustration. I just spend my time looking at designs, see what I like and then get inspired from them to build my own style. Most of my idols are architects since Architecture is my career goal.
Where do you expect your art to be in 5 years?
Well in 5 years, I hope I’ll still be drawing, done with my studies and maybe working, traveling to see more of the world. Get inspiration on how to become a better artist and architect but, all I really want to do is keep improving and being able to do what I love and make more than a living out of it. Work on lots of projects in both field and succeeding.
What made you want to do a logo for My Haiti, My Vision?
I really liked your idea of having a blog talking about Haiti and trying to show another “vision” of our country because many media and social media promote what’s wrong and ugly instead of showing the good and beautiful side, in order to attract more tourists, investments and so on. After seeing your blog, I wanted
to bring my own small contribution since I know visual identity can really help a blog to succeed and also I wanted it to have something people can identify themselves to, especially Haitians, hence why I used the island to make the M and the ibiscus flower for the Y because it’s related to tourism in Haiti.
Who is your biggest supporter?
I’m blessed to have way more than one, my parents always support me in everything I do, and my closest friends and family always show support and promote my work to help me but they are also my main critics as they’ll be the first to tell me what I’ve done wrong or what can be improved. But special thanks to Christian, Kim, Vero, XO, Nicko (lave le), Seb, Gamal, Mily, Nana and Jay for always being there for me.
Do you think you could manage to give back to the Haitian community with your future projects?
I really hope so, especially through architecture, I want to work on social projects such as social housing, schools and public spaces. I really want to help improve the community’ s life through these projects plus if I can add my drawings and art in it, I’ll be the happiest.
What is the most difficult part when starting a design?
The client… well mostly communication, there’s a lot of talking and sketching before understanding what they want and being able to deliver but, on personal projects it’s really taking what’s in my head and put it on paper. Sometimes no matter how clear of an idea you may have, taking it out of your head is challenging. But
that’s also what makes it fun because through sketching and doodling you always come up with something totality different and often better than your first idea.
I thank Sebastien for taking the time to answer my questions and I'll forever be grateful to him for giving my blog a "Face" I LOVE the logo and I really enjoyed working with him. He listens to the client's needs and he is truly efficient. If you wish to follow Sebastien's work or book him for a project you can contact him on Instagram- @sebastienmalebranche or you can send him an email: sebastien_malebranche@outlook.com
"Partie Deux"
EEG Collection
My second interviewee is Naïké Clara Bélizaire, she is 21 years old and is in her third year studying Medicine at the University of Notre-Dame, in Haiti. Her favorite classes back in high school were Science and Entrepreneurship. Naïke always thought that her future career would always include these two subjects hence why she was really excited when she had the opportunity to develop her entrepreneurial skills.
Naïke became a Public Representative (PR) for EEG Collection in January 2018 while she was in Winter Break, she met a shoe maker which didn't have much visibility. Since she really liked his products, our PR then started selling them on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.
Who is this shoe maker?
Gary is a 33 year old Haitian artisan. He started in the shoe making and bracelet business, three year ago. Gary used to work on his products while working in Geotechnical Engineering, however with the great amount of orders he has been receiving since January, he concentrates more on his collections and ways to grow his business even more.
The price range for the shoes vary from 750 to 1,500 Haitian Gourdes (HTG) which converts to US$ 10 to 20. They don't currently have a store but, if you are in Haiti, you can place your order and it will be delivered to you.
The sandales are mostly promoted through social media and Naïke participated in many fairs, she also goes "Door to door" to potential buyers.
The next step is to create a website for the company and grow the jewelry ligne also.
Usually, when I make these interviews, I always ask how the companies give or plan to give back to the Haitian Community. Naïke explained she got the opportunity to give a percentage of her sales to the Pediatric Anti-Cancer Haitian Fondation, which fights for children with cancer. Plus she allows the shoe maker to improve his financial situation while promoting our local artisans.
What is the next step for Naïke ?
She plans on being a PR for other local artisan who got in touch with her.
I wish Naïke the best of luck in her future projects and I thank her for agreeing to do this article. If you are in Haiti and wish to place an order you can follow the business on Instagram - @eegcollection.
If you don't live in Haiti and would like to purchase something, I am going to Haiti in December, I could place the orders for you and ship them once I'm back home. This way you can have your cute sandales waiting for summer 2019.
Feel free to get in touch with me on:
Twitter - @Urfavblogger
Instagram - @myh.myv_
Email - myhaiti.myvision@gmail.com
I thank you all for reading my first article for this month and since I know school started for many of my readers I wish you a wonderful semester.
This was "Two In One...", written by Tiff
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