here’s to 2019
www.teamkilleveryone.com
i fell in love with Las Vegas,
this post doesn’t do it justice, i will have to circle back and update my readers.
so far, things are coming together well i might add.
thank you.
more soon.
here’s a painting i recently completed.
“glory” 11 x 14 acrylic on wood panel.
i ended up stranded in Las Vegas;
yep. here’s the tea. 🍵
for a year and some change i was in communication with a store owner over collaborations that involved my artwork. they wanted me to draw up designs for their multiple clothing brands to be paid in exchange. i thought since being in Los Angeles i was closer to Vegas so why not check in and gain some cash for my work. an artist dream right? upon arrival i sensed that this wasn’t going to end well.
to make a long story very short, this person lured me to Vegas under false pretenses and left me to figure out where to go while knowing little to no one in this city. they psychologically manipulated me with compliments and empty promises all while perpetually lying about their success. it seemed as so they carried no honest desire to work. i watched this person take clients while knowing little to nothing about design and web building. their nature was manipulating and i unfortunately fell into this.
lessons learned.
luckily after contacting my family and taking to the internet to share my situation some friends came to my rescue.
things are still a mess, but it’s okay, i am alive and still able to create.
i would not be able to do any of this without the massive network of supporters and followers of my story, projects, and artwork. i note that also without the help of the internet this would be a lot more complicated.
this journey has shaped me into a new person. not counting from my departure to Los Angeles, but counting from my start down the path of making a living from selling art. this journey has shaped me into a more intensely aware human. for over a decade i’ve been invested into the arts and learning from every single chapter.
i am completely thankful for the experiences. these things happen they say, and it’s up to us to learn from the mistakes.
my unending passion for the arts fuels my steps. i plan to continue supporting artists and creatives with my ideas, network, and projects.
if you’re following me, you might have read that i am building a new site to operate full-time called TEAMKILLEVERYONE.
this site goes online on 11.22.18, 11:11 am pacific time at www.teamkilleveryone.com
despite all the troubles i am still working with my partners to publish this site. i couldn’t be more thankful for having such a powerful team of friends to create with. through this we will make the life we desire to live.
(also wow this all is just a weird rabbit hole of a story, you might should peep all my previous posts if you have the time)
VIEWS
here are some photos i took and edited while exploring Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
here’s a letter
dear everyone that’s connected with me on here,
i wanted to go ahead and say thank you for the continued encouragement and support for the path i am taking through the world with my artwork. since december of 2013 i relied solely on making money through selling of artwork or other artistic collaborations. a jobless art bum.
over the years i have been balancing a lot of aspects of my own personal life and the public life/relationships i try deeply to maintain. it’s never really easy.
i began an art and music collaborative that showcases my friends artwork and creations in 2015 called PORTCULTURE and to this day it has evolved naturally becoming an arts exhibition & experience.
this project has guided a lot of my actions and steps since i began my trek into becoming a professional artist.
nothing has been easy and i have even failed a lot of the times. which is fine. i seem to always return with greater strength and understanding to get me further in life.
i realize that i am always passionately seeking to contribute to the greater good of the arts community in hopes to be a catalyst for creative change or an inspiration to a generation. at that endeavor i often feel successful relative to feedback and praises. thank you.
–
[some of what to expect, life updates, some plans]
i traveled to los angeles to meet Clams Casino
in this photo above you see Mike Volpe aka Clams Casino completely vibing out at the first [adult swim] festival. also featured is Clams wearing my Lotus Oni Rez button i gave to him while we looked at my artwork with his wife and friends in his artist’s trailer. for parts of me this photo sings victory.. i finally was able to meet the creator of the music that influences so much of my mood while drawing/existing. i’ve been enjoying his music for over what feels like five years. his beats carried and inspired me while i drifted around making and selling art in the gulf-coast.
the moment was honestly surreal. every step i took getting closer to this moment i spent thinking and tracing the steps that my artwork led for me.
this is the story of the road less traveled. i don’t come from a wealthy family or a family of money at all. only thing i was gifted with was knowledge and the ability to create/manifest.
two years ago Clams Casino liked and reposted an illustration i made for him. shortly after he followed me and we began connecting with one another. i was able to send him that very same illustration and now it hangs in his studio in NJ. when we finally met i was able to gift another piece of art to him. it was a painting i created earlier this year called “floral minor“.
this is my story that i want to share with who ever is reading. thank you for believing enough in my work to support it. my art is truly appreciated by so many beautiful souls and this is something in this life-time i couldn’t be more grateful for.
a major thanks to the Volpe family for collecting & supporting my work. special thanks to Clams’ father for actually reaching out and buying something from the cvlt aesthetics shop to help me get to LA. again, these moments i never would have possibly thought would exist years ago.
in this recent journey, i deserve to be happy. i deserve to feel surges of joy and contempt. i know that this is never going to end and i should continue to press forward to strive and collect more accomplishments.
now… i am pushing to make my way to continue life in California.. my New Orleans chapter isn’t entirely complete but i feel guided to pursue what feels like a greater calling for my artwork. the Portculture art exhibitions are still continuing with the creative team who collaborated to help bring it to life along with the family at Urban South Brewery.
be consumed.
ps. i started using the cvlt aesthetics newsletter to share a ton of artwork i discover online & discount codes for our gear. please join this cvlt letter.
x
cc: photographs taken of Clams Casino are by LA based photographer the1point8