About
The story behind the logo…
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Where the leaves would normally be, the carrot reveals a blue heart. As the brand grows, the heart is visible first — representing transparency, emotional truth, and creative courage. The heart’s highlight and subtle scratch symbolize brilliance and resilience.
The blue heart represents Ptah, the Kemetic God of Memphis, symbolizing consciousness, creativity, and spiritual intelligence. In Egyptian philosophy, blue reflects the higher mind, depth, and divine vision, while also honoring Memphis — the founder’s home and first Tribe. The heart’s highlight and scratch represent brilliance and resilience, respectively.
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The body of the carrot represents the present: constant growth, elevation, and creative expansion. Its light and shadow represent the ranges of melanin as well as the journey from sunrise in the East to sunset in the West, symbolizing global vision, balance, and movement across worlds — from Memphis to New York and spiritual to physical. The body of the carrot is normally underground & out of sight, but so much growth occurs here.
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The roots symbolize being deeply grounded in heritage — the founder often says “I know where I’m from and who I’m from.” This knowledge gives an individual courage and power: standing on ancestral strength, and growing with unshakable purpose. This foundation is what makes lasting success possible.
Meet our Founder
Carl Bledsoe Jr. is an Africana scholar, model, photographer, and entrepreneur from the most beautiful land in the world: Memphis, Tennessee.
CBJ Vision was created when Carl noticed something powerful: almost everyone who reached out to work with him—whether for headshots, portraits, events, or creative shoots—already belonged to the same cultural, artistic, and identity-based communities he did. Rather than seeing this as coincidence, Carl recognized it as a calling. The Tribe needed a visual home, and CBJ Vision became that space—offering photography that doesn’t just photograph people, but reflects who they are and how they want to be seen.
From headshot & event photography, to marketing and consulting, CBJ Vision helps entrepreneurs, artists, and organizations show up in the world with clarity, confidence, and cultural integrity. Carl’s background as a professional model, non-profit marketing manager, and entrepreneur gives him a rare edge: he understands how it feels in front of the camera & behind the camera. In other words, Carl understands how clients need to look and want to feel, and positions them to be taken seriously in creative and corporate spaces.
Looking ahead, CBJ Vision is expanding beyond photography into a for-hire marketing and storytelling department for Tribe-led brands—supporting entrepreneurs and creatives who don’t have the time, desire, or systems to market their brilliance. New 2026 programming launching near the end of Q1 2026 will introduce more of the “long-term vision.”
With a growing list of notable clients across the Memphis and New York corporate, creative, nonprofit, and fashion ecosystems, CBJ Vision is quickly becoming a trusted visual partner for culture-shapers across the United States. At the center of it all is the Tribe.
The growing CBJ Vision team along with Carl’s network, lived experience, and passion for Memphis continues to influence CBJ Vision decisions and the Tribe forward.