Meet Jason Lewis | Color Specialist

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

Hi Jason, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was never comfortable working 40-50 hours a week to get paid on Friday and be broke by Saturday or Sunday. Spending most of time time working for someone who kept most of the money made from my work just wasn’t acceptable, at least to me.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is selling ink & paint supplies to graffiti writers & artists. All of my branded products (Illadel Ink) is made by hand…every color of ink and paint is hand-mixed and I also fill all the bottles and markers by hand as well. My customers really like the fact that everything is not only mixed and bottled by hand, but the quality is top shelf and competitively priced with other better known brands on the market.

One thing that sets my products apart from the others is I actually listen to what my customers want. I don’t just force certain colors or products on anyone. I also try to make products no other companies already make. My “Black Label Ink” for instance, the ink itself is black, dries to a matte black finish, but when the city attempts to buff (paint over or clean with chemicals) the ink turns a different color and is still clearly visible after it’s been painted over.

I got to where I’m at today by quality and consistency, plain & simple. It’s not always easy trying to come up with new ideas that someone hasn’t already tried or done. It also is not cheap to buy tons of different materials to test (pigments, solvents, binders, etc.) and one of the biggest tasks is sourcing high quality materials to use in my products. Things changed after COVID and alot of suppliers I used to deal with, small mom & pop suppliers and distributors, closed shop and I had to source alot of the pigments, plastics, etc. from new suppliers who aren’t always straight up or honest about the quality of the materials they sell.

I don’t want to say it was easy, but in my case it was easier than expected to get into customers’ hands. At one time I had my products in shops in Europe & Australia as well as the USA, but the EU enacted their VAT tax and made it pretty hard for European importers to price products from the USA competitively with other brands so that was over after a couple years. Right now I’m just focusing on getting Illadel products into as many hands as possible and building the brand back up after a 3 year break.

The biggest thing I learned along the way is to treat your customers right, never take advantage of them and listen to what they say. Without the customers there’s no business so it’s always been something I stuck to. They can spend their money anywhere else they choose, so never try to get over on them or think for some reason they need you when it’s actually the other way around. As long as you show respect to the customers and keep your product(s) consistent & reliable, you’ll never fail.

One thing I want the world to know about Illadel Ink is that I literally devote every minute I’m awake to improving my products and giving the customers what they want. Quality and consistency is the key ingredient(s) in everything I produce.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s see here…there’s so many ill spots to visit in Philly, especially if you aren’t from Philly. I would have to say for the “civilized” part of the trip I’d take them to Passyunk Avenue, Olde City, South Street, and Northern Liberties to eat, drink, mingle, etc. No tourists spots either, I was never a fan of tourists spots to eat or drink. The neighborhood bars & restaurants are the best there is, especially in South Philly. The people there make it the best, all the food is excellent, the people there make the atmosphere enjoyable and it’s definitely somewhere you’ll never forget.

For the “uncivilized” part of the trip- and this is if they are also into graffiti -would be Kensington to smack some walls with some paint. If you’ve never heard of Kensington, I suggest you Google it…it’s a straight freakshow. Plus the cops are so busy with all the madness going on around the entire area, they don’t really pay any attention to a couple people tagging walls or writing on stop signs.

Besides that, I’d leave it up to them, especially if they’re from out of town. Whatever they wanna see or do I’m down. Just give me an idea of what or where and I’ll make it happen.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would have to say my parents first & foremost. They recognized I had a talent for drawing when I was very young and paid for me to go to Moore College of Art when I was in 7th or 8th grade. They always supported my drawing and painting when I was young, bought me markers, paint & brushes, pastels, etc. They made sure I had what I needed all the time.

I would also have to shout out Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant for releasing the book “Subway Art” back in 1984. Without that book being released I don’t think graffiti would be as huge as it is today. Once Subway Art came out and people like myself who were already into art & drawing, but not exactly sure which way they wanted to take it, figured out that graffiti was going to be it. I’m sure there are quite alot of artists, writers & vandals that feel the same way.

Website: https://illadel.ink

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illadel.ink

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illadelink

Other: https://hotrazzberry.com

Image Credits
Jason Lewis