In fact, according to Joanis, there are nine words more.
“They cut off the end of the phrase,” Joanis said. “There's more to it. It's the ‘Jack of all trades, master of none, which is often better than a master of one.’”
Joanis applies that philosophy to Ketos Creative, which provides music, audio, photography, videography, graphic design and web design services all in one business.
But Joanis said his initial inspiration for his creative studio came when he was first starting out as a musician and realized that he wouldn’t make it if he didn’t learn about all of the other elements that follow it. He said he refused to fall prey to the societal pressure that one can’t become a master of multiple things and set out to learn everything he could about audio production, photography, videography, web design and graphic design.
“You've got the term 'Renaissance man,' right?” Joanis said. “They were known for being painters, sculptors, musicians, architects, inventors—everything. And they were really good at all of them, but for some reason, over the last a hundred years or so in America, it's been, ‘Nope, you can't do that.’”
After hitting some bumps in the road following the 2008 Great Recession and working as a band director for two years, he realized that if he couldn’t find work that would allow him to do it all, then he would make it happen himself.
“The people that I studied with that were the strongest teachers were people that were actually doing [what they taught],” Joanis said. “So I wanted a place where I didn't have to give up doing my craft to be able to teach.”
For four years, he ran Ketos Creative out of his home. Before long, his home became overtaken with pianos, drum sets and production equipment, and it was time to move. Joanis said he opened Ketos Creative’s storefront in Fort Worth six years ago.
Most of his employees pre-pandemic were contract workers, coming in just a couple times a week to teach lessons. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Joanis said all of his contract employees left him and his only full-time employee.
“It killed us—absolutely killed us,” Joanis said. “I had to transition to just being me and [one employee] and running as much business as I could handle.”
Joanis said the business is bouncing back now and looking for new employees because—while Joanis enjoys teaching all things creative—his favorite part is helping artists grow through Ketos Creative’s artist development program and Ketos Records, which has signed three singers.
“For me, that's my outlet,” Joanis said. “That's doing something at the highest level, and that keeps me sharp—and I'm constantly creating something for me.”
Ketos Creative — 5500 N. Tarrant Parkway, Ste. No. 128, Fort Worth. 1-817-514-3858. www.ketoscreative.com. Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. closed.
