How are you inspired by other artists?

I try to consume as much art as I can and really study it and try to figure out what makes it so great. The hope is that it seeps into my brain through osmosis. I also do the same thing with viral videos. How long are they? Why are they so shareable? What songs did they use? Then I try to marry the two: art and viral content.

How do you come up with an idea? 

Remember when you were a kid and you’d look up at the clouds and say, “That one looks like a dinosaur” or “That one looks like a guitar”? I’m doing the same thing, using a childlike imagination to transform my surroundings.

The theme of my art is that everything is art. Tail lights can become Terminator eyes. A cactus can be a middle finger. A sunset can be a dress. Everyday, ordinary things can be so beautiful. You just have to look at them in the right way.

What is your development process?

It’s different every time, but I always start with: “What is going on in the world right now? What are people talking about?” I want my art to reflect culture that’s happening in the moment. It has more impact that way.

Once I have a subject or a piece of pop culture I want to hit, I just think about what message I want to get across. If it’s something beautiful like a Simone Biles routine, for instance, I may do a stop-motion piece where each frame is shot in front of a beautiful red, white, and blue background. Or sometimes I just want to make something fun to cheer up my neighbors, so I’ll leave a bunch of street art around town. 

How has becoming a father changed your work?

That little goofer brings so much joy in my life. I figure that has to enhance my creativity somehow. It also gives me such a purpose in life and makes me want to make the world a better place for her. I hope my work does that somehow.

In a more practical sense, it also makes me think about money in a different way. I used to not really give a shit about it, but now I have to think like, How do I make a living doing this? I need to provide for this baby!

Which of your brothers do you like the most, and why is it John?

LOLLLLLLL. For those who don’t know, I have four younger brothers. I am the original, then there are four remixes. I love John the most because he listens to my music the most! Plus, he also has a new baby, so we’re in the daddy trenches together.

What’s your favorite Slow Dance song?

I used to be in a hip-hop group with the late, great Murder Dice called Slow Dance. My favorite song is either “Golddust,” “Barbizon,” or “Vampin,” mainly because of Murder Dice’s lyrics. I truly believe he is one of the greatest rappers of all time. His life was devastatingly cut short a year and a half ago due to cancer. I miss him like hell and think about him all the time. He’s still around, though, just in a different form.

Have you ever gotten an idea from your dreams?

Yes, but they’re never good! I have been having this thing happen to me lately where I work in my dreams. Like, I’ll put in an 8-hour workday, then wake up and have to do another 8-hour workday. It’s such bullshit! Sleeping is supposed to be when you rest.  

If you could display one of your works in a museum, what would it be and why?

Probably my People magazine bathroom mirror, to surprise visitors with art when they least expect it! The thing I love most about street art is that you’re leaving little easter eggs for passersby to stumble upon. So I wouldn’t want it to be a framed piece; I’d want it to be in the lobby, or bathroom, or hallway. 

How did you come up with the cutout idea?

I always loved street art, but I don’t know how to paint! So I figured I could use paper cutouts and forced perspective to achieve the same results: mixing art with my surroundings.