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We had a conversation with three Black customers to talk about their individual experiences, their mentors who led them to where they are, and their dreams and hopes to shape our future.

       Karl Ferguson Jr.  

Karl is a believer in the belief that your work should fund your passion, until it can become your life. Karl has done precisely that, through balancing work along with his passion for portrait photography. An easy look at his website will make amazed by the amount of celebrities he's photographed in the entertainment industry. Karl's digital presence has helped him showcase his work to a plethora of clients with ease. "One of the most helpful features offers is the dynamic way that I can just drag and drop images and arrange them at a second's need," Karl says.

The community has played an important factor in Karl's growth in photography. The sharing of ideas among other Black photographers allows him to feel an underlying sense of community in this field which can feel lonely sometimes. Karl is hoping to give back through his career in order to foster a similar type of community for the newest creatives in the space. "Paying it forward involves that I am accessible," Karl says. By openly sharing his experience and expertise, Karl hopes to help more creatives be the best that they could be.

In response to a question about what he could tell his younger self as a person just starting his photography career, Karl's advice is this: "Don't get so intense that you stop yourself from making. Being patient and enjoying taking part in the process is perhaps the most important thing you can do as photographer."

For more details about the work of Karl, go to his website.

        Black In Corporate  

Social media expert and ambassador Candace Marie is the founder of Black In Corporate, a community who champions Black individuals in corporate spaces. The inspiration for Black In Corporate was born through her personal experience of navigating work environments where systemic racism is making it challenging to Black employees to achieve. "While Black In Corporate was born out of my own personal experiences," Candace says, "a key reason for starting the organization was that I realized that there are several Black members of my community whose experiences were similar if not identical to my personally."

One of the numerous pillars Black In Corporate has to stand on is their Virtual Mentorship Program, which offers Black professionals access to possibilities, resources, and collaboration. The Black In Corporate website is a key tool in helping spread the word about the program to their target group of customers. "While news media and social media are the major drivers for visitors, the gorgeous layout and the ease of navigation keeps our audience engaged and coming back," Candace says about the effectiveness of their website.

The expression "it takes an entire village" is especially true for Candace as she embarks on her path to the launch of Black In Corporate. Her success has been bolstered with the assistance from mentors, sponsors, friends, and family who have helped her along her journey. There are many ways that Candace offers this same level of support to Black professional. "This experience isn't easy enough on its own," she says. "Whenever I can offer a word of advice or even sit on a panel, or make an introduction to a contact for a colleague--I'm really intentional about nurturing the other Black persons in this community."

Learn more regarding Black In Corporate on their website.

       Elton Anderson Jr.  

For nearly 14 years, Elton Anderson Jr. worked as a photographer which included shooting celebrity photographers and of the most popular brands. He decided to pivot when he realized that the profession he'd always been passionate about was no longer as fulfilling. After a serious case of malaria while traveling in Brazil, Elton vowed to commit his whole life towards improving his own life and the lives of others.

In the present, Elton is doing just what every day: In addition to taking on new roles like producers, director of creative, and travel show host, Elton also launched Creators of Color which is a platform dedicated to telling the tales of Black creators across various industries.

For Elton the changes is a crucial aspect of creative processes. Elton's advice for younger Black creatives seeking to change career paths is to go with their gut. "If it's not a Hell Yes, then it's a no," Elton says. "This mantra has helped me make my numerous career transitions significantly more productive and authentic to me."

When you're a creative person like Elton who is juggling numerous projects on his plate digital marketing plays an important role in telling his ongoing story. The goal of Elton is to be a "Master Storyteller." Both of his sites and his social media accounts let him do precisely this. "I consider my site to be an area where visitors can enter, have the time to sit down, and come to know me," Elton says. "My social media is where people can continue the journey along with me in real time."

Find out more information on Elton and his life through his site.