Meet Don Jeaux

Today we’d like to introduce you to Don Jeaux of the Losers in the IE.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Don. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born on Jan. 24th in San Bernardino, CA. I don’t remember much of my early days in the Dino. It was very much of a blur. My family & I moved around quite a bit, going from SB all the way up to Victorville for some years and back down to Moreno Valley around middle school. I jumped around friend groups a lot, all the way up to high school I kind-of always just found myself following just whatever what was popping to fit in but still a class clown all way through & through. I enjoy just trying to have the most fun all the time… even if it got my ass in trouble. I just felt like I needed to be the center of attention at all times. I don’t know if it’s middle child syndrome or what but I just always wanted eyes on me.

From jokes to dress, I had to make sure I was the flyest dude at school. I took pride in my style & fashion even before photography, I was definitely respected in that regard. It’s where I honed my confidence. Photography found me pretty early in my youth. I was 13 visiting my uncle for his wedding and literally on the day of the wedding my dad gave me this silver point & shoot camera and says, ” I need you to capture this wedding”. Now I don’t know if he was drunk or he just saw some potential but they came out dope and very candid and are what my photos are like now nine years later. It’s funny when photographers are asked, “what made you choose photography”? Because it’s always typically the same answer… “It chose me”. And it’s true it did! I would’ve never thought in a million years I would be chasing this as my purpose in this life. Haha, I just wanted to be a singer like Chris Brown and it’s just so crazy how something so random could spark something that has grown to be so important in my life.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been easy, not one bit. But at the same time nothing good comes easy. It can be tough trying to chase your dreams and all at the same time try to work a full-time job, juggle bills, family, relationships, a well-balanced diet, & a healthy social life, and still try to find the energy at the end of the day to be creative before I have to do it all over again tomorrow could really take a toll on one’s mental health. There’s been times where I would have whole breakdowns at my warehouse job because of the constant stress of wanting to make something of yourself and not being in the position put your all into your craft. One thing ive learned to get through that as well is to literally focus on YOU. Once you start looking at what people around you is doing, you lose sight of your purpose. Things take time and all seeds grow at their own pace. So take your time & water your seed.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Don Jeaux or Donportfolio is my name, it’s the brand, it’s who I am. The name alone stems from the name “John Doe” which just means regular, generic, mediocre. I just flipped the name with Jeaux (Joe) because the collective I stem from “The Losers” just stems from that whole message. It’s cool to be generic, it’s cool to be just average. It’s all about making the best with the cards you’ve been dealt to the best of your ability and thats dope in itself. I am a photographer, designer, & creative director. So I basically take photos of my friends to post, create ideas for potential shoots and scenes, and I also make and design clothes. What sets me apart from others is that I’m an Outlaw. I don’t follow rules or standards, I do what I want, I push boundaries and never limit myself to what I can do period. Plus its my last name so its pretty on brand to how I live.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The IE is home. It gets a lot of hate but this area has a lot of dope people from all walks of life here. Moval in particular is pretty bleak though. It has way too many warehouses now so it just all industrial now we need more community centers and better housing. One thing about the IE I say I like the least is probably the lack of support of its creatives. We don’t have much of a culture here like LA, New York, or the Bay Area does. So by that, it’s hard trying to get the people from the city backing you behind your art like L.A. & New York does so that can be pretty frustrating. But at the end of the day, it’s home.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 9514787479
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donportfolio_
  https://www.instagram.com/jeauxdon
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/donjeauxx; https://twitter.com/LosersTaliban
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/loserstaliban

Image Credit:
All photos are shot by @Donportfolio_

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.