The Story: No Tale

Hello! My name is Shakayla Goree. I am the founder and artist behind So Graphic, my catch-all creative platform. So Graphic is my way of describing eye- (or ear-) catching art which is all I ever plan to create! I'd love to think they're quite killer! Pun intended! It is also the simplest and most memorable name I could make with the initials S. G. Go figure!

I know what you're thinking, "Did she really just copy and paste her about page?" The answer is, "Yes. Yes, I most definitely did!" I wanted to make my introduction more conversational. See, there.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes.

Art is my niche; It has never been a stranger to me. Whether it was through drawn or written means of expression, I have loved and basked in art since I was a child. I have always been a sentimental individual. I despised it for the longest of time. Nobody wants to be referred to as being sensitive, except for maybe a male counterpart looking to win the lady who favors that characteristic in their prized pick. I resented being seen as sensitive.

Now, drawing was something I had done since I was old enough to know what was going on on "Pappyland", a throwback show, which featured drawings taught by, you guessed it, "Pappy." My dad who traded in woodwork and welding never shied away from adding minimal artistic elements in his trades. My mom fostered creativity, as well as my eldest siblings who never grew tired of drawing the ever occasional tree or sun I had yet to master at the time. They all inspired me. But, I really took to writing.

As a middle child of six, (I know technically speaking six has no true middle, but let me proceed.) I started writing whilst journaling my woes in my early childhood. To be exact, writing as a way for me to express myself started when I wrote a heartfelt note to my mom about feeling left out. In my defense there was a serious age gap between my older sibling and the sibling just under me. There really wasn't, but it certainly felt that way! I felt alone, so my mom got part I & II of such sweet pages!

Writing was my initial method of conveying and processing my thoughts. It was literally write the thoughts out or coerce them in head. All that being said, it is still my most beloved form of expression.  To God be the glory for the outlet! Okay, that was dramatic, but I am grateful to God for the gift.

Moving on! I then progressed to writing poetry when I was introduced to it later in grade school--third grade, I believe.

I loved the sense of release and beauty it produced! Afterwards, I graduated to singing lyrics I dreamt up and lived.

This my friend, has both my heart and my pen to this day!

My graphic designer journey began when, a new business owner, my husband, desired to make a staple logo to attract clients. Love linked me to the project, as well as long nights while learning the artforms of creating digital art and promotional writing.

I mean long nights y'all!

Via a lot of YouTube tutorials to learn as much as I could during my new software trial and trusty hand drawn images, I was finally able to come up with a graphic that he and I were both pleased with.

We put it on everything! We even stamped it on our toilet paper! No. Not really, that was another joke! The result was a branding design that was and is classic!

I tend to think: Looks are not everything, but perception means a great deal in the early life of a business!

The perk of being able to create graphics is having the ability to hone in and aid an entity in portraying an image that represents what their brand is about with the focus on attracting their market audience. I also love reimagining what my clients give me and representing it to them to hear them say, "I didn't think of it like that, but that's exactly what I wanted!"

​Well, this is awkward, but that spill sums up a wee bit of my artistic background. It definitely sums up a good deal of my inspiration behind the page and what makes me tick. I hope you enjoyed the read!