Have you ever wondered what would have become if you just pushed yourself a little bit harder? Here’s a story of attempts, failure and a beautiful work-in progress all woven together!
Hello, my name is Muraya, you’ve probably heard the name or come across it somewhere in the intricate streets of the world-wide-web. If not, worry not. I promise that by the end of this read you’ll feel like you’ve known me all along.
The year is 2016, I wanted to join the entertainment world fully as a DJ so I hired someone to design for me a professional logo which would have gone ahead to act as my brand. I must admit the process was quite frustrating as no one really understood my concept or rather what I wanted. Every output I got kept moving from worse to worst. But at the cost they were being done at, I really don’t know what I was expecting. I got to learn an important lesson, if you want quality you have to pay the price.
It was at this point when I started asking myself a pertinent question which would lead to a life altering and one of the most exciting chapter of my life. The story begins in 2017.
I was working in Ngara as an accountant for a firm that dealt with security systems installation. It wasn’t busy as such and hence I would often find myself with a lot of time in my hands. As a man with no direction and purpose then, I’d always find myself engorged on the screen watching movies day in day out. Chatting with women from online platforms, making fantasies. My hopes of becoming a DJ were slowly dwindling as I found myself losing momentum and finding it difficult to manage considering the mundane life of an accountant. This led to my life sinking more and more into an abyss.
July 2017, one afternoon as I was searching for an endless source of entertainment on the internet, I came across a channel on YouTube that talked about creating a logo using Photoshop. If you recall I had hit a dead-end in my quest of having a logo. This would soon spark a sense of interest and a whole new question; ‘how many people/businesses get frustrated when they want to create their brand and can’t seem to find the right service provider for a simple yet important element of their business, a logo?’ I’d slowly start following the tutorials from a certain Indian guy with a funny accent. The process was seamless, exciting and challenging at the same time. Remember when I said I had a lot of time in my hands? Well I had found a perfect way to utilize it thanks to my new online Indian friend whose name I really can’t remember.
As I started to familiarize myself with a whole new world of creativity and design, I found myself resonating with every aspect of it, I felt a whole new wave of completion. I found something that I really loved and enjoyed doing. Every time I’d launch Photoshop I’d feel my heart start to race, a certain rush would go through my body. At the time I didn’t really know what that meant until much later so read on.
YouTube had become my favorite app, my best way to spend the free time I had. Photoshop was my companion, my canvas to express myself on a daily basis. Not a single day went by that I didn’t articulate my thoughts through design. I practiced every day, tried different techniques, copy pasting what my new found friend was teaching. Sometimes getting it and other times failing in tremendous ways. Soon enough I had designed my first logo which I still use on my personal Facebook account. Damn! I couldn’t stop admiring it. I remember when I posted it online for the time, no one could touch me.
My new logo opened a whole new world, I landed my first client. This presented a whole new challenge to me; how much do I charge, what if he doesn’t like it, will I deliver…As I pondered on these, I got a new rush and a burst of new ideas I could incorporate and soon enough I had created a stunning logo and couldn’t wait to share with the client. Hitting the send button was nerve-wrecking and at the same time exciting. Finally the image had been sent. When a man sends a ‘risky’ text to a woman, the most torturous moments of his life is when the ‘typing’ appears against her name for he knows not what’s about to visit his eyes. This was the same case for me, I waited in anticipation when I saw that word ‘typing’ against his name. It felt like eternity. Finally, he was done. Lol and Behold! The words ‘I LOVE IT’ screamed on the screen, those are the only words I saw really, there were others. I couldn’t believe it, I had done it and not only did I like it, but my new client loved it too. This was a life changing moment for me. A concept was proven. A king had been awakened, a passion ignited, a new path had been forged!
Jan 2018, Ray Muraya was reincarnated.
The new being wouldn’t have it as easy as he’d make it look like. He had moments of doubt, an imposter syndrome. The challenges would prove quite had to crack with every concept, dawn of day and every new client. At times, giving up felt like the right thing to do, the pressure kept on mounting, what had he gotten himself into? But with every stroke of the clock, he’d dive in, work hard and dedicate himself into learning all the basics and concepts of design and branding. He wasn’t going to stop, he wasn’t giving up, he kept fighting and showing up every day. As the world kept evolving so did he. Truly, a warrior had been awakened and his time to conquer was nigh.
His fighting spirit would soon come to pay off as in 2022, he got nominated at the People’s Choice Awards 2022 in the category of ‘Graphic Designer of the Year’ where he emerged as No. 2 countrywide. This went ahead to solidify his believe in his mission. A fuel he didn’t know he needed. In his path along this journey he’d meet people who’d prove useful and essential to his mission. People who offered support in various ways and on different capacities.
Through hard work, discipline and consistency, I managed to create a design agency that produces world class illustrations that always leave a mark. I have managed to tell stories using designs, typography and colors that has lasted the test of time.
As I rebrand, it’s not just the logo that changes, but it also captures the spirit in which I have been able to reach this moment, the years if hard work, sacrifices and dedicated I have given to my craft. It also allows for the improved work ethics, various additional services that are now available on offer. It also carries on the spirit of resilience, craftsmanship, discipline and consistency to our next phase as we seek to serve you.
I hope this story inspires you to chase that burning desire within you, explore that untapped potential in you for you may never know where it’ll take you.
I am RAY MURAYA!
Happy birthday young man 🎂🎂 wishing you all the best 🙏