Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Jackson.
Hi Anthony, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Anthony Jackson and I am the owner of Prolific Hands a custom apparel and crafting company that has its own brands geared towards anime and gaming. I provide a variety of products and services from brand creation, logo design, branded merch products from decorated apparel to metal photo panels, Mousepads and more! All the while still taking extra care of the single individual who’s not quite sure but by the end of our process I’ve helped bring their imagination to life.
Art has always been in my soul ever since I would watch my dad draw mickey house and all kinds of superhero for me I knew there was nothing that filled me with more joy. I always marched to the beat of my own drum and when it came to my own style of clothing there was no exception yet there was never anything out there that quite fit my vision. It was until one day at office depot i notice that they had these inkjet iron transfer papers you could put on shirts that an idea began to stir. I took them home printed out some of my artwork and the 1st couple tries were terrible i over heated it and thrn put the transfer on backwards the second time and it looked a mess! But then that 3rd try it came out just right and it was like a switch went off and I knew i had to make this a thing. Fast forward to about 5 years ago from today I finally decided to make it official. Applied for my business license and brought my 1st heat press and some vinyl and decided to do breast cancer awareness shirts. I made some really nice designs poured my heart and soul into making a bunch of shirts even created a website on shopify. I ended up making $60 for that whole month. That’s when I realized I didn’t know anything. I couldn’t get any print shops in memphis to mentor me it was the first time I learned what gate keeping means. Not long after i saw one of the t shirt influencers I really looked up to named Stan Banks at a convention in long veach California called the impressions expo and thought maybe one day I’ll check it out. Not long after Christmas night of 2020 my biggest hardship came I lost my dad who was my hero and was part of me even starting my business and was one of my biggest supporters. I was devastated to the point where I was going to give up and throw all my equipment away. Then I found one of my dad’s old business cards when tried his hard at a stationary printing business but never could quite get it going because he was so busy with work and it was like i could hear his voice telling Jackson’s don’t ever quit son we never heard of that word before. Then I remembered the impressions expo was coming around again and I needed to get away to refocus. Going there changed everything for me I learned so much I never knew. I took that newfound knowledge home made a plan and got with a cool business group called the black Masterminds and took off. Now I’ve really come into my own. I’ve found my niche in anime and gaming, started vending in anime expos and comic cons. Traveling across the country introducing people to the brand, and I even met Chuck Norris at a comic con and challenged to a title match for my Prolific Hands Championship belt. Of course he doubled over laughing at me, but hey it made the Nashville bulletin news so there’s that. My goal now is to establish a strong foundation for the brand to do what I have always wanted to do which is make enough money to start giving back to the community and supporting the people who have supported me to help me get to this point, and to continue to spark the imagination of everyone even if you don’t believe you do I’ll help you find it. That’s the goal of Prolific Hands to help everyone shine bright expressing their imagination no matter what form it may take. Imagination+expression=Artsy
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been Journey to say the least. From learning and understanding the t shirt game. Dealing with the loss of my dad and my grandma back to back. Barely making sales. To going to a small town show and having my highest grossing show 4 figures in one day. Only to be broke not long after and trying to figure out what is it that you’re missing to bring everything together consistently. It’s definitely been a struggle but I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I love this stuff! I am a fanboy of entrepreneurs so I know what I signed up for and it ain’t the glitz and glam. I wanted better for myself, my family and my community and I will never give up on that dream. When times get hard I always remember this one quote from one of the Diaz brothers who are very well known UFC/mma fighters. “You have to love something so much that you hate it and hate so much that you love it and if you never hated it then you never really loved it at all.” It’s a crazy saying but it stuck with me because there have been times where doing this has frustrated me to no end cursing to the high heavens, yet I will still go into my little office space and print shirts because no matter what i truly love what I do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Prolific Hands is a custom apparel and crafting company of course but, I really specialize in anime and gaming and here most recently brand creation for other small businesses. That has been my bread and butter helping companies that have no real identity in the physical space of their profession, to stand out with uniquely branded apparel and merch with there logo and brand culture. One of the things I’m. Ost proud of is that I always strive to engage with my audience and tap in to my community last year I got to provide shirts for some clients participating the Epilepsy walk here in Memphis. They didn’t expect me to but i showed up with a matching shirt and did the mile walk with them. The shirts i made caught so much attention the other walkers we asking the organizers where are those shirts like they got cause we want one. Being able to show up for them really made me feel this was one big step towards my goal of showing people what community looks like. It’s things like this that set me apart I treat my customers to family energy and they never forget it.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Understanding what it means to have confidence and that it is more than something you’re born with it is something you develop everyday. It is the most valuable form of currency we have and we spend so much we don’t even realize it. I’m someone who was normally shy and introverted. Realizing confidence is not something you either have or you don’t but something you can gain and how far it can take you brought me into rooms I would have never had the courage to step foot in. I encourage everyone to look up a ted talk by the name of Peter Atwater. That changed everything for me.
Pricing:
- Shirts 24.99
- 3d posters 19.99
- Brand creation services are based on customer needs but generally start at 150.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://prolifichands.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamprolifichands
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy3W83nkcOanYW0uLGO9ciA
