Having inherited his “artist” gene from his late grandmother, he would go onto receive an art scholarship in Fine Art at Albion College in western Michigan. Wanting to be in a bigger atmosphere, he soon transferred to Howard University where he studied graphic design. There, he was recipient of the 1st place prize for the painting category in the 82nd Annual Competition. Recently Shawn has been commissioned for work by popular artists Drake and Mya, along with a partnership with Southwest Airlines to jumpstart a napkin art campaign.