Today we’d like to introduce you to Datus Short.
Hi Datus, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
On November 25, 2011, I lost one of my high school best friends, Jarrett Willis, due to asthma. This tragedy made me think of life differently, so I quit playing basketball and focused on pursuing this idea we had which was to start a clothing line & sneaker store. January 16, 2012, I entered in a Bizfest Young Entrepreneur contest and was selected as one of the finalists in Illinois for my clothing line PHRESH. Later in the summer, I was sent to LA to compete against other finalists from other states. In LA I fell short in the competition, but the experience gave me all confidence I needed to take my line to the next level. After the competition I received a lot of support and an audience to help me grow my company.
In 2013 I graduated from high school and I went to study Fashion design at Southern Illinois of Carbondale. After my first semester, I moved to Dallas to attend Wade College which focused more on Fashion Design. After moving to Texas, I grew out of my old clothing line name and logo, and decided to rebrand. In 2020, I started a Marketing & Design Company called Artsy Fartsy Workshop, where I help others who want to start a brand or need help growing their brand. I always like to help so I felt it was need to start the brand. As we are approaching 2021. I will be releasing my new urban clothing brand called Mind Your Art, which be sold online and select stores. And would opening my first store within the next year or two. Stay tune for pop shop coming soon in 2021.
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?
It has not been a smooth road, I am a perfectionist and I won’t release anything without me loving it, which why it took me so long to release another brand. Thru out the road, I faced many challenges such as different environments, age, love, losses, heartbreak and school that can put your dreams on hold. But even thru the struggles, I wouldn’t change anything because it shaped me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an upcoming designer, ready to show the world my skills. I specialize in Graphic design and Marketing. In my spare time, I like to make shoe concept designs, models and graffiti. I believe what sets me apart from anyone else is that when I design, it’s basic of feelings or what’s going on at the moment like a song. I can take how someone feels and make a design out of it.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I feel like being Self-motivated is important to my success because I had this same dream since high school and it hasn’t changed. Like sometimes, I can be down, but I will always think about where I wanna be and pick myself up.
Contact Info:
- Email: Datus.short@gmail.com
- Website: https://datusshort.wixsite.com/portfolio
- Instagram: Personal page: @MINDYOURART / Marketing and Design page: ArtsyFartsyworkshop
Image Credits
Photographer – Jamal Aaron Photographer Company – Jay Reverie Instagram – @Jayreverie_
