Raymond J. Spence shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Raymond J., we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I mean who would say they wouldn’t hire themselves? Absolutely, I’d hire me if I could. The reason for me though is that, I love a good data driven approach to development. Before I start to try to “improve” something, I “START” with making my own assessment of the predicament and develop a sound plan based around the data. I find that my clients that are passionate about their businesses genuinely appreciate the transparency this offers them. It’s truth is vital to growth and I love being able to research the ways to enhance business.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Raymond J. Spence, known to many as simply Spence. I own and operate Spence_START LLC.
Spence_START is a creative consultative business that focuses on brand development and giving businesses a sound start to their creative journey. My specialty is in social media growth/analysis and show development.
The work I do is so valuable because it offers creatives the opportunity to do what they do best instead of having to develop skills that don’t come naturally to them.
Since 2019, Spence_START has developed an award winning open mic (The Vibe Check), relaunched/rebranded a successful concert series (The Set List), launched a fashion show that is 3 years running (Fashion Meets Art), and assisted in earning Motor House “Venue Of The Year” 2 years in a row at the Baltimore Crown Awards. Currently, Spence_START is contracted with Black Men’s Xchange National, The Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Black Genius Art Show, Jubilee Arts, The Empanada Lady, & Gen Designs,
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I’m a firm believer that as we age, new lessons are still available for us to learn. There isn’t a capacity that we reach in which we stop learning, unless we refuse to. That being said, one of my most recent observations taught me a lot of the world and how I should exist within it.
Christmas of 2024, Beyoncé had performed halftime for the NFL game that was on. Now, we are observing one of the greatest entertainers of our generation give a uniquely spirted performance of her latest body of work; a body of work that many would consider a departure from her typical output. Watching this performance was thrilling for me. She’s always been known for her ability to captivate an audience and this Christmas performance was no exception. After seeing what I considered a flawless performance, I took to social as one normally does to review the feedback and memes that society has become accustomed to providing.
Majority of the feedback was in line with what my assessment was. However, seeing people disparage and critique an artist that gave such an incredible performance really drove home a fact about life for me. Regardless how well one can objectively perform, there will always be people that say you could’ve done better; could’ve done more; could have done what they liked; etc. There’s peace however in knowing that one day you’ll be too successful to really care.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
Your path is unique. Getting advice from everyone about how you walk your path isn’t going to get you closer to your desired finish line. Even your most trusted advisors are flawed and offering their data that may not always align with the path that you are walking.
Now make no mistake, everyone’s path ends at some point, thats just life. However, not all people get to finish; and more importantly, not everyone gets to win. Failing hard for me looked like taking everyone’s feedback and critique and not being satisfied with the way my path was developing. I”m now operating in a space that is much more self-reflective and focused on what I actually want as opposed to “what is going to make this person happy?”
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
That everyone is original and not derivative. It’s more of a naive notion rather than a wrong one.
We are existing in an era where reaction videos do more numbers than the original content. The bar for creativity isn’t especially high right now, but I also think that that’s a perfect setting to stand out. When everyone is doing the same thing, it’s easier to look at the people finding their own thing and watch it bloom into something rare and beautiful. Either that or, become the rare and beautiful thing yourself.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I’ve set goals in my life that I’ve achieved by my mid 30’s. It’s less that I wasn’t satisfied by them (I enjoyed them very much) but more that the human condition is to always desire more. We have insatiable appetites and as such, I’m revamping my goals a bit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spencestart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spence_start/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?midToken=AQHmIeHWFFNl9A&midSig=1FRdbQXieHyHQ1&trk=eml-email_next_best_action_digest_01-header-0-home_glimmer_static_badging_with_count&trkEmail=eml-email_next_best_action_digest_01-header-0-home_glimmer_static_badging_with_count-null-bkldsq%7Emctwjjm8%7Esd-null-null&eid=bkldsq-mctwjjm8-sd
Image Credits
Jazzy Studios
Aalia Big Bunni
