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We had a conversation with three Black customers to find out more about their personal adventures, the mentors who have helped them to get where they are, and their hopes and dreams to shape our future.

       Karl Ferguson Jr.  

Karl is a believer in the philosophy that your job should be able to fund your passion until it can become your entire lifestyle. Karl has managed to do just that: By balancing his work and his love of portrait photography. One glance at his website will make you awestruck at the number of stars he's captured within the world of entertainment. Karl's presence on the internet has enabled him showcase his work to a plethora of customers with ease. "One of the most helpful features offers is the dynamic way that I can just move and drop pictures and change them in a flash of notice," Karl says.

The community has played an important part in the success of Karl's photography. Bouncing ideas off of other Black photographers allows him to feel an underlying sense of community in an industry that can be isolating at times. Karl wants to pay it forward through his career so that he can create the same type of community for the newest creatives in the space. "Paying it forward means being accessible to others," Karl says. In sharing his knowledge as well as his knowledge, Karl hopes to help others become the most creative that they could be.

In response to a question about what he could advise his younger self as someone who is just beginning his photography career Karl's recommendation is: "Don't get so intense that you stop yourself from taking pictures. Taking a beat and enjoying your process is probably one of the most essential things to do as a photographer."

For more information about his work, head over on his website.

        Black In Corporate  

Ambassador and social media specialist Candace Marie is the founder of Black In Corporate The Black In Corporate community who champions Black people working in the corporate world. The concept behind Black In Corporate was born through her personal experience of navigating workplaces where racism is a major factor that makes it hard to Black employees to succeed. "While Black In Corporate was created from my personal experiences," Candace says, "a major reason I decided to start the nonprofit was that I knew that there were numerous Black members of my community that had experiences similar, but different from my own."

One of the numerous pillars Black In Corporate stands on is the Virtual Mentorship Program, which gives Black professionals access to possibilities, resources, and collaboration. The Black In Corporate website has played a major role in helping spread the word about the program's benefits to its target audience. "While the press and social media are the major drivers for visitors, the gorgeous design mixed with the simplicity of the navigation on the site keeps our audience engaged and coming back," Candace says about the positive impact of their site.

The phrase "it takes an entire village" particularly rings true in the case of Candace as she embarks on her path to launching Black In Corporate. It has grown immensely with the assistance from mentors, sponsors as well as family members and friends who helped her along the way. There are many ways that Candace has now extended this same level of support to Black professionals. "This process is difficult enough doing it alone," she says. "Whenever I'm able to offer a word of advice, sit on a panel, or even make an introduction to someone who is a friend, I'm committed to nurturing the other Black persons in this community."

Learn more regarding Black In Corporate on their site.

       Elton Anderson Jr.  

For nearly 14 years Elton Anderson Jr. worked in the photography industry as a photographer, shooting famous people and of the biggest household brands. However, he decided to pivot when he realized that the job he'd always been enthusiastic about wasn't so fulfilling. After experiencing a life-threatening case of malaria on a trip in Brazil, Elton vowed to dedicate his life work in improving himself and others.

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

For Elton, making these adjustments is an essential part of the creative process. Elton's suggestion for youngsters Black creatives seeking to change career paths is to go with their gut. "If you don't feel it's a Yes, then it's a Yes," Elton says. "This motto has made my many career pivots much more effective and true to my experience."

For a creator like Elton who is juggling so many different tasks to complete Digital marketing is an important role in telling the story of his life. The goal of Elton is to be a "Master Storyteller." Both of his sites and his social media presence let him do just this. "I consider my site to be a place where people can come in, take a seat, and get to know who I am," Elton says. "My social media platforms are where people can continue the journey along with me live in real-time."

You can learn more on Elton and his story on his website.