My name is Imani Brantley. I was born in the 90's and I'm an artist, a consultant as well as the CEO & lead designer at ib Graphics +. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember but my passion for graphics emerged my 10th grade year in high school. I was in a commercial  arts career education class at East High School ,where I learned the basics of the trade and earned my graphic design employability certificate and my achievement of  900 work hours in the graphic design field. After high school I took a break from education and did face-paintings and drew caricatures for the Tampa Zoo and Aquarium polishing my artistic abilities and my adaptability to drawing people's ideas on the fly. Shortly after I also started  my journey at the Art Institute of Tampa where I began to earn my bachelors degree in graphic design and web. Unfortunately with a year and a half left of school covid hit and I had to drop out due to not only a high risk pregnancy but at seven months pregnant I found out I had stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma in my chest and throat.

 

I was rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment when we found out because the cancer had eaten and cracked my sternum but it also inflamed the lymph nodes in my throat and was slowly obstructing my abilities to swallow and breathe. After an emergency treatment ,a stay in the ICU and chemo treatments, I naturally gave birth to a health baby girl. I continued treatments under hard restrictions to protect myself from the outside world. I fought for three years with it going and coming back three times. I had to stop working due to my immune disease and limit my contact with everyone including my baby to avoid the the risk of catching covid-19.I was alone most of the time, couldn't be around the people I loved, do anything outside the house or hospitals nor further my love for the thing I was most passionate about because the hospital had shotty wi-fi and the Chemo, radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant I thought would cure me didn't work. I had to find a way to feel useful again ,to connect with society, to help and make a difference.

 

I had to discover way to normalize my now secluded lifestyle so I decided to use the skills I've learned up until that point and applied them to create my own business ib Graphics +. It allowed me to do my immune therapy treatments and provided me with the platform to successfully receive everything I felt my life was lacking. That was back in 2019, today I'm still battling cancer. Now for the 4th time after giving birth to another beautiful baby girl. I deal with PTSD and physical limitations from the ordeal but life is all in perspective and I'm insistent on remaining positive. Like Annie said "The sun will come out tomorrow". I never let cancer stop me from doing what I love, which is assisting people like you with creating distinctive, authentic visual representations of who and what you want  to represent on top of what will appeal to your archetypal supporters. My process, proclivity and dedication to my craft brings me structure, a calmness or peace if you will, I truly enjoy what I do and the distinctions show in my work. ib Graphics + is now a successful (by my standards) company that produces specialized, grade graphic materials and layouts plus eccentric event entertainment and one of a kind hand sketched gifts.

 

ib Graphics + is  where I combined my artistic talents with your desires and ideas to fabricate an exclusive on of a kind masterpieces to help you express your passions with the use of mine.In conclusion ib Graphics + isn't just my business, it's my medicine, my sanctuary, It's helped me thrive and survive. its assisted me in reclaiming my existence like I will for your business or venture. I know together we can produce sensational showpieces. I love graphics, I live graphics, "I am, NO, I be (ib) graphics+ !"