Last Updated on July 2, 2024 by BVN
Joseph “J Pash” Patrick
There are many creative ways to make a living. I chose the route of using my God-given talents, building skill sets, and demanding that my art form become my main source of income.
What is a creative economy? When you think about the word economy, what comes to mind? Community? Partnerships? Spending money? Sharing resources? These are a few that come to mind for me. I wholeheartedly believe that with all of the creatives we have in the Inland Empire, the fastest-growing population, we can achieve one of the most stable economies in the nation, maybe even the world.
Where do we start? Let go of judgment. We have to trust in creatives. A lot of people believe the false idea that creatives can’t boost the economy when, in fact, the main reason people visit various regions — Atlanta, New York, and LA for instance — is because of the arts (even the Louvre in Paris!). There are different attractions that, without creatives, wouldn’t exist including museums, concerts, galleries, plays, festivals, and other events that require creative experts across various industries to achieve success. Developing more programs, like the Inland Empire’s Creative Corps, can infuse funding into the ecosystem to financially support the work of the region’s creatives.
The Inland Empire has work to do… Based on my experience as a Black father in the Inland Empire, I have been able to serve my family as the sole income provider for the past six years through my art. I started with a vision of what I needed equipment-wise to build my business, Passion Net Pro Headquarters and Art Institute. I believe every pathway is your own, and you can be in control of it as long as you commit to believing it is for you.
So… How do we build it? Incorporate! Make your brand a legal entity. Collaborate with other Black businesses and corporations, elected officials, city, county, and community leaders to achieve the creative economy we desire to see in the Inland Empire. We must unite.
Ways to achieve a successful creative economy:
- Creatives: Create educational curricula and community programs that deal with social impact so that different areas of the region thrive.
- Well-known and established corporations: Give Black creatives an opportunity to work alongside you and pay them what they are asking.
- Politicians and community leaders: If you need campaigns, documentation, and headshots, book Black photographers, Black marketers, and Black filmmakers to take your brand to the next level.
Overall, make sure you aren’t sticking with the same group of people without evaluating to see if your business is still growing with who you choose as your creative for your project. Do at least a quarterly evaluation with the creative to ensure that there is progress in your business and/or program. Make sure contracts are written to understand both parties’ perspectives and give the same respect to someone who hasn’t had the privilege of the same training as you in whatever creative field. Collaborate and be open to industry mentorship.
Focus: Building a village of advocacy for artists.
Bringing the siloed artists in the Inland Empire together to educate and build a new normal of how to collaborate effectively: through creativity in social impact projects. This gives creatives opportunities to learn how to share resources, coach business principles such as branding/marketing, build rate sheets, spend money together, and build community to create the creative economy in the IE.
I have two boys, and a huge drive of mine is to be an example of a Black man in America feeding his family through his art and having more people pursue what they desire to build a creative economy, which will yield a thriving community.
J Pash is a multifaceted creative in pursuit of social impact projects. His work and experience covers the industries of film, audio, photography, and design, exercising these skills across branding, events and teaching. Through the years he has always had a passion for people in pursuit of there desired career. As an artist himself who came up without resources, he is driven to become a resource to people through providing mentorship and coaching in their desired crafts, young and old. His philosophy is every one can do what they desire, as long as they pursue it with passion.
Passion Net Productions LLC, founded by Joseph ‘J Pash’ Patrick, is a business who’s goal is to find a pathway for creatives to make their passion their career. We represent all of our collaborators and need to portray them in a positive, respectful and accurate image. We will keep them in mind as we conduct business so we all win.