Profiles

Grafitti Art that Pays

By Melissa Maupin

Jeffrey Rodriguez and John Serrano, owners of Latin Artist in Brooklyn, NY, opened their custom art studio in 1998. Since then, the 18-year-olds have turned graffiti from an act of vandalism into an art form decorating everything from T-shirts to motorcycles. "To me it’s just another way of expressing yourself," explains John.

Along the way, Latin Artist has also become a community art center, allowing the business owners to fulfill a local need and raise money at the same time.

The Artist Meets the Leader

John’s father, also an artist, recognized John’s talent early on. "My father started teaching me to draw at age three," says John. "He took me out in a boat and we studied horizons. He taught me how to use pastels and watercolors. It was just natural for me." Soon, John was featured in local art shows and began winning contests.

As a child, Jeffrey avoided the pitfalls that often plague the kids in his neighborhood. He chose not to drink, use drugs, or join a gang. Instead, Jeffrey joined the Boy Scouts and, later, ASPIRA, a leadership club that encourages students to participate in community service in Latin neighborhoods. Through ASPIRA (Spanish for aspiration), he learned many of the leadership qualities he now feels are important to running his business.

John had already experimented with graffiti art by the time Jeffrey picked it up as a hobby at age 15. Jeffrey began by practicing graffiti in a blank book using markers, pens, and pencils, and progressed even further when a Boy Scout leader lent him airbrushing equipment. Soon, Jeffrey was airbrushing designs for his friends at no charge from a storefront in his parents’ building.

Two Talents Merge

Jeffrey and John knew each other growing up, but were unaware of their shared artistic talent until Jeffrey saw John drawing one day at a local barber shop. Impressed with John’s work, Jeffrey invited him to his shop.

"I started showing him how to airbrush," says Jeffrey, "and he went out two days later and bought airbrushing equipment. I taught him the basics and then he disappeared for two weeks. He was practicing and he caught up with me. He came back with really nice work."

John and Jeffrey decided to turn their passion into a graffiti-style painting business. They named it Latin Artist because it described them and sounded catchy. In the beginning, friends and customers insisted on calling them "the airbrush shop," but Jeffrey politely reinforced their business name. His persistence paid off —four other airbrush shops later opened in the area, but none are as widely-recognized as Latin Artist.

Search for Start-Up Money

Although they had a storefront and equipment, the teens still needed money to get started. Through ASPIRA, Jeffrey learned about Youth Venture, a program that awards grants to teens who start businesses emphasizing community service. He liked the idea and saw an immediate need.

"My neighborhood is bad and there are no youth programs. There were four shootouts last week. I wanted to get the kids off the streets and get them involved," explains Jeffrey. His goal was to create a safe place where neighborhood kids could meet and take free art lessons.

Jeffrey applied for the grant, filling out extensive paperwork and detailing his plans for the youth program. He received the grant and he and John used the money to fix up their store. "It was basically a box with gates," says Jeffrey about his storefront. "We painted the store and made it safe for kids."

Growing the Business

Once John and Jeffrey started the business, they divided the duties. While both teens produce artwork, John spends more time painting and Jeffrey handles the majority of the business duties. One of their first projects was a 45-foot banner for a street festival called "La Marketa de Comida al Puenta" (The Food Market Connection).

Four months after they opened, Jeffrey entered a contest sponsored by Fleet Bank. To compete, he created a business plan explaining how they operated, including their start-up costs and profits. The bank recognized Latin Artist as one of the top 20 youth businesses in the city.

In addition to getting both non-profit and business licenses, the partners are currently working on a detailed business plan to apply for a bank loan and to determine their future direction. Meanwhile, they keep reinvesting their profits from sales back into their business and using their own money if necessary to buy supplies for the art classes.