ScharadL

I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)Scharad Lightbourne isn’t really trying to impress anyone except himself these days and, as fate would have it, he’s been doing a lot of that lately. He’s started to turn heads and garner recognition as one of the most promising young talents in the Bahamas, an up-and-coming graphic designer turned photographer, a gleaming face of the “MySpace Generation”.Born and raised in Nassau to Michael and Virgil Lightbourne, Scharad exhibited his artistic ability at a young age, catching the attention of teachers at his primary and secondary schools who encouraged him to pursue his dreams.So, he did.After (briefly) attending the College of the Bahamas, Scharad enrolled at Savannah College of Art and Design, a well-to-do artistic university located in rural Georgia. It was here where Scharad developed an interest in photography despite only taking one photography class.Upon graduation, instead of pursuing a career in America, Scharad returned to his roots, a decision he regrets to this day.“Had things not turned out that way, I probably would have been in a better position,” he explained to me on that Tuesday afternoon, sitting in front of his laptop, Mos Def playing lightly through the speakers. He looks around his bedroom -- his make shift office -- smiling at the sudden simplicity of his life. “But, I mean, look what happened.”The road to where he’s come to has been filled with more roadblocks than a Junior Junkanoo parade. After returning home to find a job, a decision he blames on, well, lack of funds, Scharad found work at The Counselor’s, a prestigious advertising firm in downtown Nassau.“When I first started working there it was cool because of the clients I was working with and the opportunities and the freedom to develop myself as an artist,” he said between a flurry of keystrokes on his Powerbook. “But, I guess all good things come to an end.”After curbing his creativity for corporate clientele for long enough, Scharad came to a stunning epiphany about what he wanted to achieve and whether or not he was fully living out his dreams.“I felt like I was being put into a routine. Into a box. There were so many guidelines that restricted my creative freedom,” he said, rising and dropping his shoulders with a “what-do-you-want-me-to-do?” look crossing his face. “I mean, financially it would have been better to stay but the experiences I’ve had so far have been so rewarding.”After leaving The Counselor’s, Scharad devoted all of his time to running Diplight Media, an independent entertainment company that produces movies, photography, graphic design and anything with a creative flair.