Brandon Christopher

How did you get started with your business?

The seed was planted in the build class. I finished it early this year. I’ve always been interested in art. I would always doodle during meetings. I had a couple pieces of my art exhibited when I was a child growing up. I feel like I’ve always had a good understanding of the value of art.

What brought you to Detroit?

Opportunity. I’m from Alabama. I moved here because I saw that there was a lot of initiatives geared towards young professionals, geared towards entrepreneurs, and a tremendous amount of investment in the city. I had visited before and knew a lot of people who were Detroit natives. I saw it as a change to capitalize on a city that was going through a transition.

Why did you choose to do a pop-up?

My aim when I moved to Detroit as to become a part of the business community. A popup was a less risky opportunity to do a little bit of experimentation with my business model. I also wanted to get to know the people in this area and to get to work with dhive. Dhive was incremental in helping me become active in the business community.

What benefits do you see for business owners in Detroit? Challenges to overcome?

The biggest benefit is excitement. There’s a whole lot of excitement around the entire city. What’s going to happen next? I think it is challenge for the same reason. There’s so much excitement that it’s easier to become lost in the excitement. You still have to differentiate yourself and provide something sustainable to the people.

What are your future plans for CANVASxDetroit?

I’d ultimately like to build it in into a respected institution for arts instruction. That’s my long term goal. My short term goal is to engage in Detroit’s art community, and make sure that they realize in each of us there is artist.