I was working four jobs at the time, not because I loved the grind, but because I wanted a recording studio bad enough to sacrifice sleep for it. I got the studio. I taught myself how to write a song: drums, guitar, keys, vocals, production, all of it. I became obsessed. That obsession turned into over thirty licenses and syncs, HBO, Netflix, Hulu, ABC, NBC, the CW, even a Google Travel ad. It was proof, but it wasn't enough to survive.
A friend mentioned investing and getting into the markets to make more money on the side. Being the younger, more foolish version of myself, I dumped all of my savings into the market—only to watch it completely disappear. I was broken. Sure I could have walked away, but the stubborn side of me said no. I spent four years teaching myself the ins and outs of the markets. In there, I found a hidden passion for the psychology attached to trading. I studied my patterns, habits, emotions, reactions, and the reasoning behind my decisions. I turned a couple thousand dollars into a half a million in four years. I was set. Until I wasn't.
As with all entrepreneurial endeavors, I hit a bad streak. I had seen them in the past, but this one was different. It was death by a thousand tiny cuts. The stress was compounding over time. In the next eight months I wound up giving back about thirty percent of what I had made. On top of spending to sustain a life, it felt like double. This was rock bottom, the darkest point in my life. I felt detached from my art, I was letting down my wife, nothing was working anymore - my world came crashing down around me. I had lost my spark to live. I was still technically up, but it wasn't much, and I felt like a total failure. A fool. So I walked with what little money I had left. No plan. No prospects. An entrepreneur without a solid resume. I had no idea what my next move was going to be.
Design was the only thing consistent amongst all of those years. A friend needed a logo, a website, a flyer—I had the passion. The studio formed and was built on my fall. The growth mindset, the self-awareness, the refusal to let empathy turn into excuse making, all of it came out of getting knocked on my ass by my own stubbornness, and having to understand myself well enough to get back up. I've never been happier. Working alongside other entrepreneurs and utilizing my creativity to help them pursue their own dreams and success stories has been the most fulfilling experience.
JUDE translates to "gratitude". I have gratitude for the journey and not giving up. The lessons along the way. Watching my clients form their own stories of success and find their happiness. All great things in life take time, and I believe everything happens for a reason. JUDE was created by commitment, self-awareness, and the refusal to stay safe. That's where I'm, and I plan to stay.