Juste Jonathan is a creative with many different talents. We chopped it up with him and he discussed his mentality, influences, goals and much more. Make sure to check out his website and portfolio, book him now!
Boston Culture: Where did you grow up? How was that like? Juste Jonathan: I grew up in Boston. I imagine it's like most other inner-city places. You navigate through it the best you can to not only survive but to succeed and surpass expectations you aren't meant to surpass.
Boston Culture: How did you get your passion for creating content?
Juste Jonathan: I would say I got my passion for creating from my brother. We would make music for church growing up and those were some of the happiest moments of my life. I'm no therapist but I could be associating creating with trying to constantly be in my happy moments. I also remember my dad having different things like a guitar, piano, and a camcorder, amongst other things. He seemed to enjoy art and I think me seeing that stuck with me.
Boston Culture: Talk to us about "Candid Caption" - from its inception stages to the creative process. What was the initial inspiration? Juste Jonathan: Man, Candid Caption initially started as a clothing line. The initial slogan was, "and the truth is..." and it each shirt we were creating at the time was supposed to be a truth. I wasn't too confident in my idea until someone else validated it. I realized then that my confidence in my ability to create was pure garbage. As I began to understand further what my personal identity is and how I want Candid Caption to be a contribution to the world, I want Candid Caption to be an inspiration to others in however way it may inspire you. So I've now switched our slogan to "Trust Your Ideas." because I believe if you trust in what you want to do, whether that's a photo shoot, video shoot, tell a story, write a song, whatever it is, just go for it. Boston Culture: What was the best advice you got early in your career? Juste Jonathan: The best advice I've got was to be adaptable. Change is inevitable and it mostly happens when you're not ready for it. You must be prepared at all times to at least expect that a change will come and you will have to tweak what you're doing to adapt.
Boston Culture: Talks to us about your younger mentality. Juste Jonathan: My younger self thought all it took was talent. One thing I would tell myself younger self would be to work on your talent as much as the business side. You see many talented people out there that are better than those who are famous. If you go to a club and you see a jazz player just killing the bass. I would ask myself, "why is he at this local jazz club? He should be on tour with the best of them." Not saying this is THE reason for all artists but a lot of them get stuck because talent is one thing but the business side is a whole different beast. We never spoke business at my house growing up. Seeing my mom having to work 3 jobs was the worst. What keeps me focused is knowing that I could potentially change things for her. The other thing that keeps me focused is I've known for a long time I don't want to work for anyone else. I'll partner with someone but I've always known that I don't want to answer to someone. Boston Culture: What do you think of the photography/videography scene in the State? Juste Jonathan: Boston in general has so much talent. So many move from here to go to LA to chase that dream. And I don't blame them. Call me naive but I see something special right here in Boston. I think in the coming years, the scene here will only continue to grow. Yes, I actually have a list of collabs I'm working to accomplish. And I'm constantly reaching out to others and meeting new faces.
Boston Culture: Tell us about your goals for 2021. Juste Jonathan: My goal for 2021 is to continue to get more clients to build my vision for Candid Caption. It has been manifested! I'm putting the work in! Boston Culture: Did the pandemic affect any of your plans? Juste Jonathan: Yes, for sure! Pandemic set me back because I had corporate gigs that canceled because they changed what they were doing to be online. So that was one of those situations where I had to adapt. Things were tough. But as the saying goes, tough times don't last. Tough people do! Boston CultureWhat brands should sponsor you? Juste Jonathan: That's a really great question that I haven't thought of. You've given me some homework.
Boston Culture: How did you come up with the name of your production company? Juste Jonathan: The name came from wanting to provide refreshing candor with my art. We're all seeds on earth that grow to bring euphoria to this planet. Some bliss; some joy. You can't have that without the struggle, sadness, and pain life can bring. That balance creates a story. Everyone has a story. So as you break the name Candid Caption down, Candid means truthful, and Caption is essentially a title to something. So our contribution to the world as I mentioned before is to help others express what their truth is. Whether that's through photography or video. Boston Culture: Anything else we missed you want to tell your fans? Juste Jonathan: Just thank you for reading and following my story. I send my deepest gratitude. I appreciate your time and thank you Boston Culture for presenting this opportunity.
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