Born June 22nd, 1991, in Grenoble, France, Junior Macdonald Beckley has origins from Sierra Leone and Chad, his father being Sierra Leonean and his mother being Chadian. He was a top athlete in Basketball and reconverted in 2D and 3D art in order to purchase his passion for video games and realize his dream of making his own stories in fiction.
Like many of his generation, Junior grew up with animes like DBZ, Naruto and many more. Also, he’s a huge fan of video games. So much that his passion turned him into an artist for video games, where he worked with great companies like Ubisoft. But as much as he loves anime and games, he couldn’t find a lot of references where he can truly identify himself and his culture as a black man. There are tons of them for sure. But you have to really go deep into your knowledge to find them. And most of them didn’t find as much success as they should have.
Also, as a black man born in France, all his life I’ve got submerged with french history, and all the things that could happen in the world, but he had to struggle very hard just to barely have references of black history. And to him, it is a shame to say that the first thing he has learned about black history in the education system was slavery, colonisation, poverty and racism.
But there is more of Africa than this. We had great kings, great kingdoms, mythological creatures, gods, personal figures, and great moments in history. Not yet covered in fiction even today. And being a firm believer of ” If you don’t see what you want, then do it yourself” He plans to use his knowledge and skills in art and through Muntu Warriors to show the world a great vision of African and black culture.
Links
Muntu Warriors Presentation Website ( Special FREE Gift in it ):
Patreon Presentation Website:
https://getmuntuwarriors.com/beckleyart/
Social Networks
Instagram:@muntuwarriors
Facebook: Muntu Warriors
Artstation: Junior Beckley
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to be a 2D/3D Artist for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
Since I was a kid, I always was a fan of anime, mangas and video games. And I was making a lot of fanarts aside from school. But I wasn’t thinking about being an artist at first. My first goal was to become a professional basketball player. I was a top athlete in France, I played at the SLUC Nancy, a major team in France and I was at the INSEP, where they form players for the French national team. Unfortunately for me, I started playing basketball very late, and It was hard to close the gap between me and the other players. One day I reached a point where I had to choice between two of my passions in order to move forward. One being basketball, the other being an artist. So I gave up my career in basketball to pursue my journey of becoming an artist.
For my influences, I always was a fan of fighting games, so Soul Calibur, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter are my biggest references. And also animes like DBZ, Naruto, or One piece, which whom I grew up. Also, I’m a fan of martial arts, and a huge fan of wrestling. For the artistic influences, I think my main is Overwatch. The character art of this game is crazy!! And for Muntu Warriors I try to use all my love for anime, video games and fighting in general, and mix it with everything I can grab on African culture and traditions.
2.) If you could compare your style of art with anyone else’s style of art, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself with others, then what separates your art and visuals from the next artist’s art and visuals?
If one day my art is in the same conversation as the artworks of Soul Calibur and Overwatch, I would be the happiest person in the world! Because actually when I started art school, my main goal was to create characters like the ones of Soul Calibur. And along the way, Overwatch came up. And I was blown away by the amazing way they create their characters. And that became my main reference, as an artist. Generally, I compare myself with every person who is drawing semi-realist type of characters. And now more than ever, I’m a student of other artists. I like watching what other people do, and try to figure out which ones of their tools I can implement to my art. And there is a lot of talent out there. The latest ones that impressed me a lot are Nesskain Hks, Marcus Williams, Markia Jenai and Maki. I’m also a huge fan of Nubiamancy on Instagram, because his platform promotes black fantasy and every time I go with it, I see new incredible artists and artworks.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on how you approach your work? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming an entrepreneur/business owner?
Oh, definitely. One of the best things that happened to me is failure. I failed a lot. I wanted to become a professional basketball player, I failed multiple times. And I didn’t quit: I was rejected by my coaches because I wasn’t good enough. My first art school, I failed miserably too. Some of my teachers even told me that I had zero talent and that I shouldn’t become an artist. I gave up everything for it, and already things were not going well. After I did another art school, the first two years were great but the third year I failed too! And I was dead last of my class on this one! I had to go back at square one multiple times. But it is a great thing to do because it builds your character. When you get knocked down and you go back up, you become stronger. And you learn from your failures. That’s why I have these skills now, because I failed a lot and did not give up. So for those who are rejected, who failed, do not give up on your goals! There is nothing wrong about failing. The real crime is to stay down and give up.
There are 3 most difficult things that break my heart everyday as an entrepreneur:
The first one is that I don’t have a blueprint or formula to follow for my project. There are a lot of things you’ll have to figure out by yourself. Of course I found a lot of courses online, but most of them are for selling formations or tutorials. Or, to sell expensive products. But art is a very specific business. Even more if you try to create your own brand based on your art universe. And the worst is that every online Bloggers/Influencers/Mentors contradict each other. They will tell you something like everything you see online is the devil, and if you want to see the light, you have to buy their product. So I had to figure by myself a lot of things, still doing it now. And God I wish I had by my side a sort of Morpheus who knows everything about the art business and I can just do what he says!!
The second one is that entrepreneurship kind of damaged my relationships. If you’re an entrepreneur, most of times you have to go left when the people around you go right. And to be successful you have to give it 100%. So you don’t have time. In the end you will have all the time you want, but the first years of your business, you have to focus on your craft and work your butt off, twice as much as if you had a job. For example, creating Muntu Warriors for me right now is like doing 15 different jobs by myself. Therefore, you might not be with others like you used to, or you might have to make sacrifices. Like vacations, parties, hangouts, etc… And people around you will sense it and critique you for it because they don’t understand your vision. They’ll say you’ve changed or something like that. Fortunately, I have the greatest family in the world supporting me since day one, I still have some priceless friends backing me up, and I have the great support of my audience who loves what I do and give me the strength to move forward.
Last but not least is patience. If you’re an entrepreneur, you have to be patient. Entrepreneurship takes time. Even years before you reach a certain amount of success. It’s hard because you’re eager to show the world you were right to do this. You want to win and get a sustainable income to take care of the ones you love. But time past and you’re still miles away from where you wanted to be. It’s even harder when you see your friends having the life: getting married, having a well paid job, having kids, go here and there on vacations, having nice cars, nice clothes, a new house, telling you how they found the love of their life. And you’re still here, struggling, working on your craft, following your vision. But you have to stay focused on your vision, be positive, patient, take it one step at a time if needed, and move forward. And most of all, believe in yourself. Because if you don’t, nobody else will.
4.) Aside from money and success being a motivating factor, how do you prepare yourself to produce the results necessary to bring your characters to life? What is your process for creating characters?
Simple. Entertainment and reference. I want to see something I, as a black man, can identify myself with. I want to see something new, something fresh. And something I can show to my friends, kids and future generations and say: “Be proud lads, that’s our heroes. Our gods. Our warriors. From our culture.” That thought can save someone’s life. Because a good and positive inspiration from someone powerful or successful that looks like you makes you think you can make it as well. And pushes you to improve and become the best version of yourself.
And to do that, especially for Muntu Warriors, African history is incredible. Because it’s a wonderful terrain that is not exploited like it should be. You can for example, just pick the Zulu history, remaster it with the new technologies, and you’ll have a story matching Game of Thrones. Actually, there’s an old TV show named Shaka Zulu. I definitely encourage everyone to watch it.
The key to creating characters is to be curious about everything: the artworks of other people, what you see on TV, Social networks, the people you see in your life, maybe objects, mythology, history, politics etc… . And you must go beyond the design. You should be able to know who he is, his story, his personality, the allies, the enemies, the strengths and most of all the weaknesses. The most boring thing you can do to your character is making him invincible and completely overpowered. Unless it’s funny or parodic, like One Punch Man or Saiki Kusuo. Even Thanos has a weakness: he’s beatable without his glove. Because if your character has no way to lose, it will be much harder to create suspense, and a good story around him.
And despite all the details you will add to him, you have to keep your character as simple as possible. A great character must be understandable by the smartest person in the world, as well as the dumbest person in the world.
5.) Unfortunately the creative industry is full of talented individuals who more or less become the “starving artist” and don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or work. What do you think those talented individuals need to do to make sure that they stand out and get noticed and don’t fall to the wayside?
Thank you so much for that question. I totally agree. And it is a shame because artists have gold in their hands. They have the power to take a dream and make it a reality. And If they have gold in their hands, they also have diamonds in their mind. Because their ideas might be worth millions. Unfortunately, a lot of artists are taught to create great art but not to sell it. And you learn in art school that no matter how good you are, you’re still not good enough. I mean of course someone will always be better than you. But that doesn’t mean you’re bad. That’s why some artists are kind of brainwashed that their art isn’t worth a lot.
My recommendation to these artists is this: Get a financial education. This is something they don’t teach you at school, and it’s the most important thing to have in life. Not just for artists, but for everyone. And I’m not just talking about some ways to make sales, but how to make money. And I mean BIG money. You must learn some keys financial principles, like how money works, what is a Cashflow, assets and liabilities, ROI, OPM, Investments, how taxes work, Real Estate, the different marketings, etc… You can start by reading business books. I highly recommend “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” of Robert Kiyosaki. This book is so important that it’s like the bible. My second recommendation is personal development and self improvement. How to grow and be better as a person. How to talk. How to behave. How to work. How to win. How to learn. How to be successful in whatever you do. There are tons of books for that. Artists have gold in their hands, and it’s about time we learn how to use it.
6.) Making a living through art is obviously a desire for most, if not, all artists, so is that something that you have been able to do? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your business?
Yes and no. If we are talking about having a job in the art industry, then yes I did. Because I was able to work with video game companies like Ubisoft. And at some point, I can always boost my portfolio and find a company to work with. But as an entrepreneur, I want to say not yet. Because before a project or business flourish, you need at least 3 to 5 solid years. And I’m still at year 2 lol! I have a lot of things to figure out, I made a lot of mistakes. I need to learn a lot of new things as well. But every steps counts. As long as I’m moving forward. Right now I need to reach as much people as I can with Muntu Warriors, and I have a Patreon: BeckleyArt, where people can come and join, they will have Muntu Warriors main story and content before everyone else, art tutorials and behind the scenes content. And I have another thing in mind, I can’t talk about it right now, but if I can put it in place it will be beneficial for everyone, to my backers as well as for me.
And If I manage to succeed and get through with Muntu Warriors, I’ll create books and formations of my process of success, so it can help other artists living the life of their dreams.
7.) Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, how do you think the internet and social media affected the creative and how artists are able to market themselves? Do you think anyone in the art world will be able to survive in today’s economy if they’re not social media savvy?
Social media is a blessing for artists in general. It’s much easier to create an audience and generate income today than it was before social media. And that allows artists to use one of the best strategies for an artist to make money:
Financial education and self improvement is like the bread and butter of success. And artists have a great power that some of them overlooked: people love what they do, so it’s much easier for artists to build a big audience around their art. And not like people who follow just to follow, or fake accounts. But real devoted fans. If we talk numbers, It’s common to see artists on Instagram with accounts of 50k followers with an engagement rate that can go up to 30% and beyond. People would pay thousands for that! Artists can even act like influencers and already get paid just by giving shoutouts to other people and advertisers on their accounts. But there’s more: An artist with a huge fanbase is the perfect candidate for one big money strategy: Crowdfunding. This system allows you to get paid by your fans, and possibly make a living of it. Some good platforms are Kickstarter, Onlyfans, Patreon, or Tipee.
Imagine for example an artist has a monthly crowdfunding page like Patreon. That person has 10k followers on Instagram, or Facebook, or Twitter. Let’s say that of the 10k, 2% of the followers will go further and support the artist with a monthy payment, and get exclusive content. That makes 200 followers. And let’s say that your monthly subscription is 5 dollars a month. So that artist will be paid roughly 1,000 dollars a month for doing what he loves. Now imagine the same math with 50k followers. Or 100k followers… And the natural born people able to do this type of business strategy are artists and models like the beautiful girls or men you see online.
Now of course it’s not as simple as it looks, and it takes time to build that. But some artists are able to make four to five figures a month just with crowdfunding. However, you can’t be successful in crowdfunding if you don’t have a financial education.
And the most important thing, especially if you do crowdfunding is this: When you make art, tell yourself that it’s not about you. It’s about bringing something valuable to your audience. Something they want to see as much as you want. Somehow, your art must make their life better. You must understand the needs of your audience and provide them with some nice artworks. If you care about your followers, they will care about you. If you love them, they will love you back.
You can survive without social media. I don’t recommend going without it though because you need to live with your time, but you can. The key is to be very smart about what you’re doing. And as long as you can meet people to promote your art, you don’t really need social media. Or, if you are a master at your craft and big clients come to your work, or if you have another source of income.
8.) The influence of African culture for Muntu Warriors is a great idea because black children as well as black adults do need to have more access/exposure to characters who look like them. How do your characters hold up against the more mainstream characters out there? What makes your characters just as good, if not better?
Thanks for the love man! Well, I still need to work on my promotion strategy but for those who are following Muntu Warriors I have some very positive feedbacks and that’s very good to have, And it’s hard to compare because there are lots of incredible black heroes out there. There are two projects I look forward to seeing more about: One is Black Sands Entertainment and their comic: “Black Sands: the Seven Kingdoms”, and “Malika” of Youneek Studios, who I believe it’s gonna be a blockbuster!
For my characters of Muntu Warriors, I just try to have fun with them, and be the most original I can. Getting inspired is great and important, but I try to stay away of the: “black version of” type of characters. Or at least I try to hide my references lol! For example, I try to avoid having a black Superman, a black Spider-Man, a black Naruto, a black Goku etc… One of the best/worst compliments you can give me, is that Muntu Warriors is like the Black Avengers lol!!
I always think like this: If I have the power to create a black version of an existing hero, why not try to create a “one and only” of mine instead? Take Coltane for example. Coltane is a Congolese hero of Muntu Warriors. He can covers his skin with coltan, a metal you can find in Congolese mines. I could have just made a black version of Colossus and end it there. But I wanted originality. So what can I add to Coltane? Bingo. Muhammad Ali came to Zaire for his epic fight against George Foreman. A great reason for my hero to be a fan of Muhammad Ali and do boxing. And now instead of having a black Colossus, I have a one and only Congolese boxer who fights like Muhammad Ali with fists of coltan, hence his nickname: The Black Steel. And as a boxer he’s good at close combat, but bad with long range battles or against projectiles. He can punch but lacks kicks. This is the kind of brainstorm I try to have with all of my characters. And when people see my heroes, they will say straight away: “It’s different. That’s why I like it.”
9.) When it comes to the creative industry, what do you think is a black creative professional’s place in it? Does a market exist for the black creative professional? If so, what major changes (positive or negative) do you foresee in the future? If not, why do you think we don’t have an industry of our own?
I think that in recent years there has been an awakening of black consciousness and a willingness to consume and have more fiction from black culture. So yes, a market exists for the black creative professionals. Just look at Black Panther. It is the third highest-grossing film domestically of all time. And the fifth highest-grossing Marvel movie. And, if we remove the Avengers movies, Black Panther is number one by far. That’s how bad people want to see black fiction. This is a beautiful thing for black creators!
But Marvel, instead of us, is already an established global brand. That has been here for years. What we need is to have successful black established brands recognized worldwide. And we need to support the black creators who are willing to take the journey, and who will serve as references for every black person in the world. But it’s just a matter of time, it will happen for sure, some lions are on their way!
And for me, to have an industry on our own, we have to stay away of the “Black version of” projects and characters. The black Superman, the black Goku, the black Naruto etc… You can have similar powers for your characters of course, but don’t end it there. Superhuman strength doesn’t forcibly mean having a suit and a cape. It can mean having a spear and a shield. Or power in the hairs. Because it’s hard to do something better than the original, and people will always compare you with the original, and convince themselves that your character will never be better.
For example, If you create a Black Superman, it’s like saying that no matter what your character does, he will never be better than Superman. Or worse: A parody of him. With the Black Panther, however, they did not try to create a black version of Captain America: they created a one and only Black Panther. And look at the result: Masterpiece!
I have mad love for anime characters, heroes like Superman, the other DC heroes and the Marvel heroes. But when I create my characters, by all means I want my characters to kick their butts!! And we have all the tools we need to create the greatest heroes and characters in the world.
10.) It seems that black creatives and black entrepreneurs have to really fight to be seen and heard in a world that more or less doesn’t embrace black business. With that being said, what are some issues that you feel that black business owners face when it comes to gaining the momentum necessary to compete in a white-dominated capitalistic society?
I think one of the biggest issues for black entrepreneurs is to face the clichés and stereotypes society made on black people.
These stereotypes make you feel like you’re an alien if you’re successful and not involved in sports, music, comedy or illegal activities. Therefore, as a black man you feel like you have to work harder than the others to prove them wrong.
And that is totally BS because we have great black actors, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, teachers, icons like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks or Malcolm X, We even had a black president in the US! And I’m not even talking about the leaders, the great personalities and the kings and queens of Africa!
So it’s up to us to help each other and bring black businesses to the next level. Nobody will do it for us.
And there is an African proverb, saying: “All the stories will glorify the hunter until the lion learns how to write.” Meaning we have to create our own established economic society and write our own success stories to break the stereotypes once and for all.
11.) If black entrepreneurship is one of many avenues to black economic empowerment, do you think we will see more black entrepreneurs coming on the scene? Do you think we’ll see more black artists embrace entrepreneurship more? If so, what do you think it will take for black business to truly compete in a world that seems to be rapidly advancing? If not, do you think we will continue to see black artists not get as much visibility as their white counterpart?
Oh yes!! The lions are coming! It’s just a matter of time before we will see a boom of black businesses, entrepreneurs and projects. And I think the key is to empower each other, as black folks. The best way is to create more win/win situations. If I give you two dollars for every dollar you give me, chances are we are going to work well together and be good friends, isn’t it? And if a black artist manages to find the treasure trove and show the map to other artists, I bet they will have a boom of black artists embracing entrepreneurship.
And to succeed, We need to hit where it matters the most: in the bank account. More black businesses, more black products, more black fiction and TV Shows, more black restaurants, more black brands, and all that made by black owners, but open to everyone. And we as black folks need to be their clients and their audience to support them.
12.) What advice would give to the black men and black women out there who are interested in pursuing a career in the arts, whether it be illustration, concept art, graphic design, web design, photography, branding, marketing, etc.?
One word: Action. Take action. Words will stay words if you do nothing about them. The best time to start on the journey was yesterday, the second best time is now. Do something about your dream. About your goal. I guarantee you that I can give you all the best tips and the best tools in the world, they will be useless if you don’t take action. There is no right moment, and the cavalry ain’t coming. Or at least they’ll wait for you in a way.
Take action and do something as little as you can if needed. You won’t see results now, but time will prove you right. I have another African proverb for this: “If you think you’re too little to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.”
And when you take action, please believe in yourself and don’t listen to the naysayers. You’re the main hero of your own story, and it’s time for you to play your role.
13.) There are multiple ways of attaining clients and building up your clientele, so what are some ways you acquire clients? If you were to advise an up and coming entrepreneur on how to get more clients, what advice would you give them?
In order to get clients, you have to be willing to give. You can’t have something without giving something back. The more you give, the more you get. It can be a sample of your product, or a free course, a free meeting, some free content. For example, you can read Muntu Warriors for free on my social media platforms. It’s just that the quality won’t be as good as the premium version. And, those who support me on Patreon will have exclusive content, art tutorials, they will be credited on each chapter and they will get the chapters before everyone else.
Also, I offer a gift for those who join the newsletter. The gift is a PDF e-book in high quality of Muntu Warriors. And In the newsletter, I will give interesting topics about black culture in general, and in the end, they will have some tools to make a difference for them and those around them.
For other entrepreneurs I have 4 keys to give you that are very important:
1 – Be precise about what you are doing. If people don’t understand what you are proposing, they will not follow you. Or they will want you to work for them. If it’s your objective, then go ahead, of course, but if not, then you have to let them know what you are bringing to the table. That lead us to the second key.
2 – Find your niche. Your product will not fit for everyone. Focus on one specific group of audience, or a specific issue. If other audiences come along the way, then perfect. But be specific. If you call Mr.Everyone, chances are his wife Nobody will pick up the phone. That brings us to the third key.
3- Focus on the “Why” first. Why you are selling a product is far more important than what you are selling. You can even make millions selling toilet paper if you do it for the good reasons. Your product need to bring a solution to a problem. If you do that, people will buy from you. Not because you’re the best, but because you understand them and bring them solutions to their problem. And that led us to the final key.
4 – It’s not about you. It’s all about your audience and your niche. You must focus on making the life of your clients better, instead of just selling them a product. When a client sees your product, he/she will ask himself 3 things: Why are you doing it, what is your product, and what’s in it for him/her. Be connected with them. Like good old friends. And think that people are like mirrors: they will always reflect you back what you show them. If you show them love, they will love you back. If you help them grow, they will help you grow. But if you don’t care about them, then they won’t care about you. Your clients are not numbers, they are people. So you need to give them value and recognition if you want their support.
14.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
As of now I’m living in France. But I’m really, REALLY considering getting out of it. And get closer to the US. Two thirds of my audience are there. And it will be easier for me and for them if I’m close to them. If it wasn’t for Covid, I would have already made a trip just to check out where I might be living. Hopefully in 5 years, I would have a foot in the US, a foot in France, and most of all, a foot in Africa. Because Africa is growing fast and the opportunities there are endless. And by that time the Muntu Warriors community would be gigantic, And I would be making a living out of the project and focusing on it full-time.
