The mazed mind

My mind some say it’s a maze, take time to gaze and peer a little deeper you may just be amazed. My place of solace,from a draconian world. My place to calm emotional storms and grow mentally. My escape to memories long lost, may have even gathered moss; yet like a child I retreat to a theatre of mix emotions anger, sadness and joy. My black hole where I conceal pampered wishes of secret sentiments, that will remain in the Rein’s of my mind because every man requires an empress in his life even if they are just a friend. It’s all said best in the mind where nothing at all is said this sweet surrender when the eyes are closed and u can feel your own heartbeat.

Written by

Richelieu Sanford

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Interview with the young ENTREPRENEUR.

 

PEPPER IS SMALL IN QUANTITY AND GREAT IN VIRTUE.. Plato

“The pepper sauce Master “is what I would like to call this 28 year old, class mate of mine  whose smile is as broad as day as we sit and the interview begins, but he’s congenially known as Big G as it resonates throughout his career.

Big G is a business that is a creative and innovative one , creating and developing new flavors in hot sauces, seasoning sauces , all purpose sauce and smoke products.

Grason John attended the Grand Bay Secondary School and moved on to study Agriculture at the Dominica State College where his love for aggro processing and culinary arts grew. Grason’s love for cooking led him to be a caterer at weddings, birthdays and other functions, and also a teacher of culinary classes to students ages 12- 17 every hot summer.

During his cooking Grason would experiment with the use of pepper in different sauces to compliment dishes, and it was there the idea for making flavored pepper sauce was birthed.  In the year 2013, Big G enrolled in the Dominica Business Trust Training with the idea for producing flavored meat with pepper sauce production being something to undertake in the future. Fortunately having developed an acquired taste for what taste good he began making pepper sauce samples whom he  distributed to many local markets.

Like any business person that wants to be successful, he knew he had to research the market before undertaking the venture, and he soon found out the cost of production would be pricey.  Grason innovative idea of flavored pepper sauce, led to produce over 20 different flavors including coconut, mint, turmeric, cinnamon and coffee. Samples that left local supermarkets asking for more, it wasn’t a surprise that “Big G” won the Business Plan Innovative Award in November 2013.

From there he attended several trade shows in different Caribbean islands were his products were greatly received by the public. In the year 2015 Grason started supplying supermarkets around the island with amazing variety and prices from $12-$15(EC) his products was flying off the shelves

In 2016 PIICA funded his training in Trinidad and Big G began receiving more and more recognition and receiving awards for them as well. He received the Youth Business International & Regional Award, Start Up Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2015, Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2016 and Best Quality and Best Innovative awards respectively from the Dominica Manufacturer’s Association.

With his mentor Brendon Defoe, founder and CEO of Braz Inc and his parents as his greatest role models, the sky wasn’t the limit for this ambitious talent,.With additional motivation stemming from his appreciative clients and their encouraging words, he keeps aiming higher and doing what he loves.

Though, he recalls his greatest setback being Tropical storm Erica in 2015, a disaster that destroyed several homes and families, devastating several of the island natural produce and preventing traffic to and from the village of Delices where he resides. Grason recalls struggling for months, as it was very hard for everyone.

Grason is gradually bouncing back as he enjoys what he does with a passion. What he enjoys  most about being his own boss is the bliss of creating something people appreciate. The feedback he says is very positive and encouraging and he is quite glad he can contribute to his country’s  economy and putting his village Delices on the map.

As the interview comes to an end, Grason encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to do something that they really love and don’t do it just for the money, be patient and have a passion for what you’re doing.  You’re required to put in long hours at times and it requires love to put up with the demands .

Written by,

Laurna Guiste.

Grason John can be contacted via the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/graceson.john.3

 

Interview with the ARTIST

“This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Henry David Thoreau

 

It was the first day of February when I interviewed the very intelligent and talented Shadrach Burton whose (also known as Shadi of Wotten Waven.) He Sat cogently at the Loft Art and Cafe, a tranquil setting rooted on 18th Victoria Street, one of the places he displays his paintings. He was generous to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule of helping with some community work to speak to me. I hadn’t encountered the vastness of his unique and outstanding personality and it doesn’t hit me till we sit at one of the cafe’s wooden tables and the interview commences. The walls are decked with his amazing abstract paintings and I’m interested in learning his world.

Shardrach Burton was raised into a talented family, his father being an artist (a tee-shirt artist) his brother Gharan Burton and older sister being artists as well; it was no surprise that Shadi was inspired to become an artist himself, though that inspiration came mainly from his older sister who was a huge artist then. The gift was sort of inherited and he recalls many persons also speaking it over his life as they handed him crayons and other drawing materials growing up. He started painting at the early age of eight while in elementary school where he drew in class for his class mates, works for school projects that left both teachers and students amazed.

Shardrach attended the Dominica Grammar School where art was not taught at the time and so he found himself pursuing Sciences, for his curious mind always had him in awe and wonder and he was always keen on creation.  Shadrach love for the arts had him always painting at home or in school growing more and more in love with the world of art, his favorite artists being local artist Earl Etienne, other artists such as Christian George, Salvador Daly, Jean- Mitchel Basquict, Vincent Van Gough and Damien Hirst.  With his passion brewing on his insides he decided to attend China Academy of Art in the year 2007 where he studied art for eight years. At university he acquired an in-depth knowledge of the arts falling deeper in love with it while he studied various methods of art he was also  learning the Chinese language.

He jokingly tells me how you state simple phrases in the Chinese language and all I recall is ni –Hao” which means hello.  His work also made him a guest on some Chinese TV shows and he was such a great guest that they invited him back but this time as a host, he smiles as he tells how he enjoyed hosting.

Shadrach inspirations stems from everything from pictures, dreams,nature,music ,contemporary topics and pop culture’s all  spur his creative juices.

 

One of his greatest and best works is one which he spent four months working on using pounds of black paint, he calls it the black maze, a depict image of the pollution found in China.

Shadrach runs his hands through his locks as he smiles and describes the best part of being an artist, he states it  is seeing the world differently and creating things that persons view differently. His work being mainly acrylics, abstract and realism, he has developed a signature of his own in his paintings, they come in the form of never ending lines almost like a finger print found in his art representing his belief that all things are connected.

Though the artist at times feel restricted in what he wants done, especially when it come s to materials, he feels his work can be too massive for the materials he can actually acquire, but he remains optimistic that with the help of others anything is attainable.

Shadrach the artist ends the interview giving a word to aspiring artist to be sure of what they want to be in life and go hard for it, go out and chase your dream if not you won’t catch it, be true to yourself and confident in your work.

Written by

Laurna Guiste

The artist can be contacted via Facebook on the link below.

 

https://www.facebook.com/shadrach.burton?lst=1656562108%3A890885462%3A1488040385