Meet Floyd Whitehead | Artist/Graphic Designer/Silkscreen Printer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Floyd Whitehead and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Floyd, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be an Artist. I learned how to draw before I knew how to write. When I graduated High School I really didn’t see or was informed enough about careers in the art field but after a year and a half of College in Atlanta, Ga. at Morris Brown College majoring in Business Administration I realized that I really didn’t want to pursue that but wanted to pursue my dream of being an Artist. So I came back home and worked for a year when one day my mother informed me about this Art School in Newark, NJ (Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art) I enrolled there for Advertising Design and was granted a full scholarship my 2nd and 3rd years (3 year program) and I’ve been an Artist ever since.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
First off let me say that I’m an Artist/Graphic Designer/Silkscreen Printer and the majority of the work that I do is custom. What sets me apart from others is that I can take a customer’s idea or a simple doodle and create an original design from scratch, through production, to the final physical product all from the same hand. There’s no better feeling than being out somewhere and seeing someone wearing something that I created from beginning to end. The feeling is priceless!! I’ve been a Artist all of my life and I have been doing it professionally for the past 36 years. I guess the most challenging part of my career was adapting to the new technologies in the Graphic Arts industry ie computer programs and software. Because when I graduated from Art School in 1988 computer graphics software was still fairly new but was starting to pick up steam. I was taught in the traditional way of how to create art for layouts, paste ups, etc the way that they were done at that time and I opposed the computer graphics simply because I felt like it was cheating. But in that very near future I saw that this is something that lm going to have to learn because I started to see that this new way of creating was here to stay. I had a computer but not the software which was very expensive for me at that time, so I would pose as a student and go to Seton Hall University in South Orange,NJ to utilize their computer labs that had all of the latest software that I needed and I taught myself. Thank you Seton Hall!! Lol!! If you have a passion or desire to live your dream do whatever it “MORALLY” takes to achieve it, because as long as it’s something good that you’re striving to do that’s how you give back to the Universe what the Universe has given to you. June 2023 I launched my apparel brand “Elementz International Apparel “. My brands focus is creating nostalgic designs with a combination of positive messages to help uplift Humanity via politics,social issues, pop culture and so on. My Fall/Winter collection is on deck so stay tuned at elementz1.com.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First off I definitely have recognize my parents Susie and Harry Horton for not only being great parents but also being great role models for my interests in entrepreneurship, In addition to both of them working a successful 9 to 5 they both had successful businesses, my mother with a Woman’s Boutique and my father with a Plumbing and Heating business. I have to also shout out my wife Donna who is my biggest supporter in whatever venture I have going on. Last but not least my friend and brother Sidney Rouse of whom I had my first journey of entrepreneurship with creating and selling t shirts, Black Art and Custom Framing.

Website: elementz1.com

Instagram: Elementz Designs

Youtube: Elementz Designs Unlimited

Other: Website above is for my clothing brand Elementz International Apparel Website for custom Silkscreen Printing is elementzdesigns.com Elementz Designs Unlimited

Image Credits
Floyd Whitehead Elementz Designs Unlimited Elementz International Apparel