Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Harris.
Hi Joshua, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was 20 my girlfriend at the time worked for a small clothing brand in Fresno called “The laundry Room” During that time I was in need of another source of income although I was already working two jobs and going to school full time. I needed to save up to move from Fresno to LA because I felt stuck. My girlfriend was able to hook me up with a part-time job through the laundry room where I worked in their local warehouse printing digital graphics on t-shirts. This was unlike anything I had ever done and it was very fascinating that you could make simple graphics, print them on shirts, and sell them. So I began to do exactly that. Luckily I was taking a class on adobe photoshop and illustrator at my local city college so I had six weeks of design experience under my belt. The following week I went to the owner of the laundry room and asked him if I could trade off a few hours and use the printer for my own designs. The next six weeks were exciting. I came up with the brand name “Lightyear” and started printing very armature designs on shirts but my friends seemed to love them. I would buy blank shirts from a wholesaler and print them before my shift started. When I got off I would post them on my Instagram and by the end of the day, they would be sold. I drove around selling t-shirts out of my trunk and ended up saving enough to cover my first three months of rent in LA. This was my first time experiencing passion and at one point, I remember not sleeping for 48 straight because I was designing and coming up with shirt ideas.
When I got to LA, I planned on continuing my brand and taking it to the next level but that quickly changed. I let the stress of adjusting to a new school, finding a job, making new friends put a pause on my passion. I ended up at Cal State LA where I studied graphic design and worked as a graphic designer on campus. School was cool but I still wanted to do more than be employed. I wanted to be a boss. My last year of school, I was introduced to a fitness talent agency through a high school friend that wound up in LA shooting music videos. He told me he was a retainer with a fitness company that was paying pretty well and they needed a designer. Once I got in with the agency, I developed this ego amongst my colleagues. I thought I was better than them because we were all studying the same thing but I was the only one getting paid for it. I would even use client work for class projects. So with one semester left, I discontinued my education and accepted a pay raise and more responsibility from the agency.
I was living the dream! No more early classes. No more 45 minute commutes to east LA. No more assignments. Just clients, work and money. I even got to go to Miami and vegas for work trips. It stayed that way for two years. During that time, I was introduced to many Instagram celebrities’ in the influencer space and got to create a cool network. Things were going great until I began to develop a chip on my shoulder… While I worked with the agency, I was forced to sign a non-compete contract which refrained me from working with any 3rd party fitness personality outside of the agency. Because I was money motivated and a contract didn’t mean much to me at the time, I breached my contract by working with another fitness influencer and was immediately caught and fired. “How could I be so careless/stupid” I thought to myself.. but little did I know. This would be one of the best things to ever happen to me. Lucky I had some money saved up from all of my side hustles so I had a bit of time and freedom. The few months were pretty remarkable. Instead of servicing a machine(agency), I had to build my own. I started a content creation agency with my business partner Jlew and we were able to land contract jobs with Guess Jeans, Monster, CES, and more. This was a grind and I was having to make some serious adjustments to the contract world. Was this for me? The pay was good but I was still lacking something. During this time, I was investing a decent amount of my job earring into bitcoin and then the crypto market boomed! I backed away from work and did some soul searching. I asked myself what more can I create? What’s next. Everyone in my circle was involved in music. My brother is a phenomenal beatmaker and girlfriend is from Seoul but can sing like Lauryn Hill. Maybe I should try songwriting. I went to my friend Tylor’s house because he had his own studio and I told him “I wanna start making songs” He of course laughed… No one knew me as an artist yet alone a rapper. But when I got in the studio, I got that same feeling again. The same feeling I got when I was selling t-shirts out of my trunk. The same feeling that kept me up for 48 hours high off life. That feeling is passion and I had just discovered a new one. I spent the whole next year seriously being an artist. Spending hours in the studio, paying for features, shooting music videos, and even performing at live events. I was learning so much about myself and my capabilities.
Eventually, I blew through all of my savings and I couldn’t keep focusing on music at the same caliber if I wanted to pay my bills. I wasn’t ready to step back into the freelance world and take on demanding clients so I picked up a restaurant Job on Fairfax at Pho Saigon Pearl to supplement the bills. Working on my feet for 8 hours was exhausting. Props to all of the servers out there but I’m not built for that. I was already designing my cover artwork for the singles I was releasing so I decided to start a separate IG account where I would design cover artwork for hire. So I worked at the restaurant for 15-20 hours a week and on the side, I would design cover art and record music. Eventually, I was hired by Atlantic Records To create some Single release assets for their artist Sueco the Child. This really boosted my cover art business and allowed me to permanently step away from the restaurant. As of today, I am a full-time cover art designer and actively pursuing and developing my music career. I plan on adding team members to the @coverartgod account and expanding in 2021. As far as music… I have some dope features and singles on the way. I’m also creative directing for two clothing brands that will launch this year.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
– Surrounding myself with the right people
– Money (Los Angeles Is pricey)
– I overthink A Lot
– Fear in general
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m known as Jfont aka the cover art god. I specialize in designing cover artwork for singles and albums. I’m also an artist and my most popular song is “No Romancing feat. Nessly” I’m most proud of my 900+ followers on my coverart page. Doesn’t seem like a lot but they get all my bills paid. What sets me apart is that I’m a musician too so I understand both sides.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was good kid in my parent’s eyes but they don’t know half of the sh*t I was really up to. My personality was and still is very chill. I’ve always gone at my own pace. What’s the rush? We’re all gonna die. I played sports mainly because If I didn’t, I would have to work construction with my pops. I loved being on a team but my mind was always somewhere else. My interest were music. Specifically hardcore metal, indie rock, and hip hop. I used to play drums and I still dream of having my own band.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jfontjfont/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/coverartgod/
Image Credits
Photos taken by @createdbyeyes
