Do you get defensive when your creative vision is criticized after days of painstaking work? So did Mike Shinoda, who isn’t just a super-successful musician but also an exciting artist. He was kind enough to talk exclusively to SUBvert about his own personal and sometimes painful experiences in the early days of Linkin Park. Read on to discover how you can use Mike’s hard-learned lessons to boost YOUR career…

Why listen to what Mike Shinoda has to say? Because right now, there is a good chance that you are taking career advice from your mates at work, your buddies on twitter and the guy down the pub who played guitar once in the 70s.

Here’s your opportunity to learn from a guy who’s sold over 50 million albums and won two Grammy Awards. He’s a vocalist, songwriter, rapper, plays keyboard and guitar, he’s also a producer and an outstanding artist. If you want to be the best, then learn from the best…

Oyakodon

So, Mike, you’re clearly a dedicated guy who has invested a lot of time into various artistic skills. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned whilst developing your talent?

One big breakthrough happened in college. I went to Art Center in Pasadena, which is a really fast-paced and competitive school. There was very little social life on campus, because the workload was just so heavy.

We took what we did very seriously…so spending 40 hours on a painting, then putting it up in front of your class to have 30 people critique it was brutal.

As freshmen, most people got really defensive about their work. Then, at some point, I realized that the criticisms that made me the most defensive were usually the ones that were right. It really helped me to enjoy the process of making my work better, by leaving ego at the door during the creative process.

Neuphoria

Having your work critiqued by people is tough, was there ever a time when you struggled to overcome that fear of publishing your work or performing in-front of an audience?

When we released Hybrid Theory. Our first album was painful to make, because it seemed like everyone was trying to tell us to change. They wanted us to be more like this band or that band, and we fought it tooth and nail the entire way.

So, that is to say: we made the album we wanted to make.

But once it came out, it took off surprisingly fast, and we got a lot of criticism for it entering the mainstream so quickly!

We had to overcome a lot of our own fears about what it meant to “sell out,” and realized that we never “sold out” at all—we did what we wanted to do, and people reacted to it in a positive way.

As long as we didn’t compromise our integrity, we could stand behind the record, which is what we did.

Click here for Part 2 Of This Interview where Mike tells us how he developed loyal fans, his views on money and fame and what his top priorities are as a creative person. Plus he recounts the story about a particular band that treated Linkin Park like crap.

Check out Part 2 Now…

Photo by Guillaume Kayacan

Do you ever wonder why other people have more luck than you? Maybe it’s because of what they’re doing behind the scenes. Come back stage and learn about luck from a man whose experienced success in music and art. Discover how role models can help you cut through the crap and what to do to create your own luck.

Goldie has worked with David Bowie, Noel Gallagher and KRS1 plus he has his own record label called “Metalheadz” which has released numerous pioneering tracks. He also starred in the James bond film “The World Is Not Enough” and Guy Ritchie’s “Snatch”. As well as being a much sought after graffiti artist whose artwork is coveted by top DJs.

Hiya Goldie, I’ve read your autobiography “Nine Lives” which I thought was so compelling. The thing that strikes me, is even though many terrible things happened to you as a child, you still managed to turn your life around. You’ve experience success in many different creative industries, how have you done that?

People say to me ‘well your lucky’ and I say ‘listen there’s no such thing as luck’. Luck is chance and circumstance. Taking a chance with that opportunity to create your own luck.

They don’t realize, when they say “your lucky”, that in the past, I’ve stood in New York in the South Bronx freezing my tits off, waiting to meet a guy that can change my fucking life forever. That I sat outside a club, with a dub tape that I’d spent my last thirty quid to record. I put the time in to do those kind of things. And my position in this game is to continue to learn.

Photo by Gus Coral

You mention music, many people will know you for being a DJ and Producer, however, they may not know that your first love was graffiti. So lets go back to where it all began, how did you initially get into art?

I saw subway art, liked it and wanted to do it. I started drawing alphabets and getting really creative. I hung out with some guys called the “Wild Criminals” and just started drawing everywhere I went. Then I saw a couple of graffiti writers called Brim (Fuentes) and Bio (Wilfredo Feliciano) from the TATS CRU in New York. They’re still an active graffiti crew, one of the best in the world. They got me into the REAL side of graffiti. That’s how I learned, from the BEST.

Photo by Gus Coral

How did you develop your skill?

Bio came over, he showed me how to really do letters. He got my sketch books and ripped them up. I literally had to start from fresh. I started to realize the fundamental aspect of graffiti was the letter form. What interested me, was that it grew from a letter form into social commentary very quickly and people began to respect it for its progress.

Photo by Gus Coral

When you look at the construction of the letter form its not dissimilar to technical drawing. If you understand the form that’s 80% of the hard work done. I was driven to be able to do characters, letters, background, the whole thing, which is synonymous with the way I make music. I construct my music as a whole story. The intro, sound, the background, I set the tone. That’s what graffiti always taught me, the whole spherical angle.

It’s also incredible what graffiti has taught the rest of the world in terms of what it can do, for example; Marc Ecko has built a whole empire from employing graffiti techniques. Ecko was to a certain degree a graffiti writer who relied more within his sketch book scenario then everyone else. The hours he put in perfecting his craft have paid off, he’s managed to apply the medium in a way which is now developed into a multi-billion dollar industry.

Were you thinking about the message of your graffiti, as well as how it looked visually?

I was always writing stuff with a message in mind. I was really inspired by early writers like Dondi and Shy 147 they were really ground breaking. They were going into (railway) yards and getting shot at. These were ultimately guys who were getting into deadly situations because they wanted to paint so fucking badly.

Did you learn technical skills from the people around you?

Oh totally. Technically you have to put it down to a social dilemma. If you place me in Miami, in a place that makes gold teeth, and you place me with an air brush and you leave me there for a couple of years something’s gonna happen, by default. Any artist in an environment like that is gonna be in the same position.

Miami going down south taught me sculpture. When you look at micro cosmos sculpture, its gold teeth. Even dentists get amazed at street culture and how they learned how to do gold and grills. There is an art to it, it’s like a miniature sculpture it’s exactly the same process.

Have you always been as ambitious and productive as you are today?

After Miami, I returned the UK via London and I ended up staying with Gus Coral who was kinda like my mentor. He was like my dad and really looked out for me. I didn’t have the rent to pay, so I would paint and do canvases. I’d be doing air brush compressors, I’d be casting gold, making rings and jewelery. This is all in a fucking council flat.

I was in London and was trying to pitch artwork to people. That’s how I really got started. I was pitching artwork to Island Records they were signing different Hip-Hop bands. There was this group called the 11:59. They wanted some designs for an album sleeve and so I put all this artwork together for them.

Artwork by Goldie for 11:59, image courtesy of Gus Coral

I learned a lot along the way. Before I even went to New York I was working in a screen printing factory. I was printing t-shirts and learning how to do screen separations and all that stuff. So I’d kinda done a lot of everything before I was twenty two.

Is that where you got your confidence from learning all these different techniques and skills?

It was more lucrative than wanting to be a drug dealer. I was always socially driven and I was more scared of ending up being stationary. Not doing anything with my life, that scared me more than anything else. I wanted to chase the dream, I had to achieve that.

Once I’d mastered how to make jewelery for instance I stop doing it. The same with airbrush t-shirts. I wanted to learn the craft fully and then move on with something else.

What’s been the biggest barriers that you’ve had to overcome in your career?

I don’t know, if I put barriers psychologically in my head then they will be there. But they don’t really exist, what exists is people’s acceptance.

I’m all giving man if you guys accept me. That’s all it is. This is from a kid that struggled to fit in. So that’s reflected in my work. I always felt I was the outside child because I was an orphan for many years. I didn’t feel the same as everyone else so to get people to see my work was a challenge for me.

Many years ago we used to do shows in Levi’s in Oxford Street with all my paintings. But back then you couldn’t even give them away. That was twenty years ago. Now I see my work selling for a lot of money. They even chase us around the country for this stuff. They’re desperate to buy it!

Click here for Part 2 Of This Interview Where Goldie tells us that if he didn’t ask the right questions his career would be over. He also shares with us what he thinks are the three most important things in life. These things are the keys to his success and how he overcomes fear. He also explains the real fears he had to face as a child.

Check out Part 2 Now…

Billy performing with Steven Tyler, photo by Mike D

Billy Morrison has performed with legendary musicians….. Slash, Ronnie Wood, Steven Tyler, Lou Reed…. to name drop just a few. He is a principle member of the supergroup Camp Freddy who keep appearing on US television shows including Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, Sharon Osbourne and Carson Daly. But being in one band is not enough for Billy. He is also red hot band Circus Diablo. And some background info. He was a former member of the internationally successful rock band The Cult.

He currently writes, produces and records music for various television shows. And if that isn’t enough he also hosts a weekly radio show, as well as being an artist and an actor. And did we mention he produces video blogs and runs and manages three websites. This was one successful person we wanted to talk to….if he stood still long enough.

He’s a busy guy but we tracked Billy down to talk to him about his career, over coming fear, and getting his work out to the world. His candid response and advice make inspiring reading for anyone with ambition.

Photo by Wendy Bird

Billy your career seemed to really take off when you made the decision to move to LA and join the notorious rock band The Cult, what was the most challenging thing about this move?

The absolute 100% not knowing how its all gonna pan out. That was the hardest thing to cope with on a daily basis. I didn’t move to the States with a Green Card (legal requirement to live and work in the USA) or really any place to stay. But I had had enough of trying to pretend I was happy in England.

Rock music was not really getting much play at that time (this is before the Killers/Darkness etc) and I had been asked to audition for The Cult. So I just took the proverbial bull by the balls and sold everything. Jumped on a plane with a few bits and pieces in a shipping container and took a leap of faith.

Obviously I got the job, got the work permits and everything took off from there. The most challenging aspects of the whole process were the ones of my own making. The ones in my head, telling me it would never work out, and why should anything good happen to me. It takes courage and faith to ignore all that shit and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Were you encouraged by the people around you initially to follow a career in music?

Absolutely not. I was not encouraged at any step of the way!. Now, my folks kinda get that playing music and the entertainment business can earn someone a living. I think they are just so happy that I’m not shooting smack into my neck that they accept anything. But back then, I was told by everyone to stop dreaming and start thinking about a career.

How did you find it starting out as a musician, did you always feel like you could do it?

My path as a musician was colored for many years by drugs. Actually, colored is the wrong word. Let me think……FUCKED UP is a more apt phrase to use here.

Although I held guitars and was in and out of bands, some pretty cool, some just rubbish. I was oblivious to the hard work and dedication necessary to actually pay the bills in this job. In fact I didn’t have any bills because I wasn’t that responsible yet.

Photo by Hugh Hamilton

Did you experience any barriers or situations that held you back from your goals?

In the UK especially, society was previously set up to create many barriers that would hold creative types from achieving their goals. In school I was told “how dare you dream; get a job, get married, have kids, have a pension, then die”.

Anyone that liked a loud guitar or a tattoo was subversive. Anyone who enjoyed a different kind of sex (not the fucking missionary position) was considered deviant.

Everywhere I turned in my formative years, I was presented with reasons why I would never amount to much. I was told, I really should become an electrical engineer, or consider a career with the Post Office. “Great benefits there, you know, luv”.

Did you set any specific goals when you were setting out?

Oh the whole thing has been on a wing and a prayer. I have realized that I am not in control at all. When I make plans, God laughs. Honestly, these days I just put the footwork in and stay away from the results. And how would I know when I was 22, that I would move to Los Angeles, join The Cult, tour the world, get happily married and form a huge covers band.

I was winging it from day one, with only one goal in mind. Don’t give up on the dream. As long as I smile, as long as I’m happy, I’m gonna enjoy the ride, no matter where it takes me.

Billy Morrison and Slash, photo by Wendy Bird

So you were winging it from day one, tell me about how you initially got into music?

Probably when I was around nine years old. I was really into Glam Rock; Gary Glitter, Slade, Sweet, and my parents bought me a cheap electric guitar from Woolworths. That soon got upgraded to my first Gibson guitar when I was about 11.

You started at an early age, what were you like at school were you one of the popular kids or a bit of a nerd?

Well I definitely wouldn’t have thought of myself as one of the ‘cool’ kids!. Most of the other kids stayed away from me cos I was always in trouble. Smoking, exploring the school (in places I wasn’t meant to be), playing truant a lot, I was more one of the ‘weirdos’ than one of the cool kids.

Billy Morrison and Billy Idol photo by Wendy Bird

Sometimes there isn’t always a clear path and it can be very confusing, did you have anyone offer advice and guidance?

I have a few people that hold an important role in my life, although they might not know it. Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols (who is now a close friend) is the reason I play guitar. The Pistols changed my life and showed me that anyone could do it.

Nick Marsh and Rocco Barker from Flesh For Lulu, put up with me following their band around, hanging out, asking questions, giving me bits of work, letting me soak up the ‘music business’ atmosphere. And Billy Duffy from The Cult actually gave me my job in The Cult and encouraged me to move properly to LA. These people have definitely played big roles in my musical life.

Talking about established musicians who are your inspirations, what have you learned from them?

Well, my inspirations have been The Sex Pistols, William Burroughs, David Bowie, The Wildhearts, Wasted Youth (look em up kids – middle 80’s UK band), The Velvet Underground, Jamie Reid, Vivienne Westwood and a whole load more. These are some of the artists that have inspired and informed, what have I learned from them? Just do it yourself and stay true. Have fun.

Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison

Did you have any obstacles that you had to overcome to get where you are today?

I had every single obstacle. Of course, I have a few of them now. But how much do you want it?. If it was easy, they’d all be doing it!.
The common misconception is that you form a band, shag birds, get drunk, sell a million records. HAHAHA, some of that happens. But usually after a 7.00am start with emails, phone calls, a midday photo shoot, more emails, more phone calls, an interview or 7, sound check, gig, more interviews, bed at 2.00am. Oh yeah, and first you’ve got to learn to play an instrument, get good, practice, write a decent song and dodge all the daily lunatics who will tell you, it’ll never happen. Like I said, you gotta be prepared to overcome all that shit.

Have you learned to come up with great ideas at will or do you have any special methods you use?

For me, creativity just comes. Sometimes I’m playing a video game and I have to stop cos I need to play guitar. Or a great example is that right now, I am in the middle of writing a screenplay and I just stopped answering these questions about three questions ago and wrote a scene for the script. Then I came back to this interview. I find that I am creative in so many areas that each day avails me something for that part of my spirit. Its a great life.

How do you keep your energy levels up with such a hectic schedule?

I do an hour of cardio every day and three hours on top of that of Pilates every week. But its pure vanity, I gave up smoking after they cut a chunk outta my vocal chords a couple of years back, and ever since then I’ve been battling.

One of these days I’m gonna stop caring and open an ice cream shop on the beach in Maui. Energy levels just seem to be there for me. And when I eventually run out (about three or four times a year) I jet off on vacation, go scuba diving with my gorgeous wife, and turn the phone off.

Click here for Part 2 Of This Interview where Billy reveals his opinion on fear and the things which really scare him. Also how he puts himself in life threatening situations. We discover the mistakes he’s made and the trouble it caused him, and how he turned his life around to become the sort of person successful people are now keen to work with.

Check out Part 2 Now…

Photo by Timmy Hwang

Artist, animator and master of the weird and wonderful. Chet has designed and created prosthetic effects for top movies like, The Grinch, X Men 3, Fantastic 4, The Ring, Hellboy, Men In Black II, Planet Of The Apes and Batman An Robin. Often working intense schedules, he knows what it takes to come up with world class work on demand.

We pinned down the LA artist who not only taught us his visualization technique, but told us how to obtain advice from the top person within your industry and if you want to be successful you need a good plan, he had one from the age of 12.

“Addicted To The Good News”

Chet has also collaborated with good friends rock band “Tool” on their critically acclaimed video ‘Stinkfist’ and every consecutive video since. Mr Zar’s is also a highly esteemed painter whose disturbingly dark and arresting paintings have been exhibited in every hip gallery across California and attracted an extensive online international fan base.

Your paintings are very dark and sinister and pretty scary, but what are your thoughts on fear. Does it help or hinder you?

I feel that fear is an obsolete emotion left over from our primitive past. I can’t think of one time where I thought, “I sure am glad I didn’t do that thing I was afraid of doing”. At this point in human development, it seems like we should be using our own judgment and intuition to guide us through life rather than fear.

How often do you find yourself doing things that you’re afraid of?

I mostly do things that I am afraid of out of necessity. Everybody has the natural tendency to avoid the things that they are afraid of. I did a live painting show with Alex Grey and some other artists and that was pretty scary. But I have always had that kind of ‘what the hell’ attitude when it comes to things like that. I just agree to them and dive in when the time comes.

“I Want You”

Did you always feel like this career choice was the natural path for you and was the transition easy?

I always felt like it was my destiny, really. When I was in the first grade I remember having visions of what my art studio would look like, so I knew all the way back then, that I was an artist. But that still did not make it easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is.

So you knew what you wanted to do, did you make a plan of how you were going to achieve it?

I had a plan since I was about 12 years old that I was going to create monsters for the movies. So I spent my teenage years studying and learning that, on my own, with the intention of building a portfolio of my work and getting a job that way. I got work right out of High School in that field (make up effects). After many years in that field, I decided I wanted to be a painter and focus on my own fine art. So I taught myself how to paint and learned as much as I could about that industry and started showing my work around in any underground art shows that would have me in Los Angeles.

“Cancer Face”

You mention teaching yourself, but did you ever go out and actively look for help and advice from people in the industry?

Sure. It all started when I was getting into makeup effects as a kid. I used to write letters to Dick Smith who is the Godfather of makeup effects and is known in the industry for being very open and helpful to people starting out. He gave me all kinds of great advice and that stuck with me. I try to do the same for other younger artists who write me. But people should not be afraid to ask for advice. You will get ignored sometimes, but there are plenty of cool artists out there who are willing to share.

Debi Jacobson (owner of L’Imagerie gallery), Chet Zar, artist Robert Williams, Suzanne Williams, James Zar.

When people first start out they often come to a standstill when faced with a lack of money, time, confidence and resources. Did you experience any of these problems?

I had all of those problems, with the exception of the confidence part. I had and still do have moments where I lack confidence, but overall I think I am confident in my ability and confident that if I am not good at something, I can learn how to do it.

I think the best way to overcome all of these pitfalls is to work around them. This is where naturally resourceful people should really have an edge. It’s all about coming up with creative solutions to problems, working hard and being tenacious. Somebody said “90% of success is just showing up” and it’s true. A lot of people complain about a lack of success but never even tried. You can’t expect anything to be given to you.

Artwork by Chets father, James Zar

You do have to be very proactive and get out there and do it, but as you said, there are people willing to help, did you have any particular people mentor you?

My father, artist James Zar, was a big influence on me. I grew up watching him paint and work hard at perfecting his craft. My mother as well. She taught me that I could do anything I set my mind on. I also worked with an amazing sculptor in the film industry named Mitch Devane who really encouraged me and taught me a lot when I was considering going in to fine art.

Chet Zar his Father James Zar, LC (L. Croskey – Artist plus founder and creator of Cannibal Flower) and artist Delphia, Photo by Valentine Reitblat

Lots of people helped me out with advice and support while I was coming up such as L.C. from the Cannibal Flower group shows, Gary Pressman from CoprNason gallery. My friend Adam Jones from the rock band Tool also has given me a lot of support by collecting my work and giving me plenty of encouragement.

Click here for Part 2 Of This Interview where Chet teaches us a great visualization technique for being more productive more often and how it can help you realize your goals. Plus he talks to us about the lessons he’s learned from his heroes and why he doesn’t mix drugs and business.

Check out Part 2 Now…

Now, following your creative dreams certainly gets our applause, he’s half way to success already.

But the second paragraph of his email set off the money alarm. (In the last readers letter I pointed out how frequently we often hold conflicting beliefs about money that can really limit our success.)

Here’s what Sam said;

I know musicians are the new starving artist, but I don’t care. This is what I love and I would be more than happy to be playing music in bars for the rest of my life, rather than be rich and famous. But of course the riches would be nice to have, for a rainy day.

This will upset a few people

Now I’m going to tell you something that will upset some people and it will upset them because deep down they know it’s true.

1) Many ’starving artists’ are only starving because they are insecure, lazy, and walk around in their own little dream world.

2) Many ’starving artists’ use art as an excuse to opt out of the commercial world (because it’s tough and involves making something of real value). Instead they choose to live their lives on the charity of others. They do this by actively producing useless crap that nobody wants or needs and calling this self-indulgence “self-expression”.

3) If you identify with the ’starving artist’ as a romantic, alternative lifestyle, that’s exactly what you will end up with. (But there’s nothing romantic about it, you’re just a bum with a hobby.)

Some people would have you believe that we live in a world that doesn’t value art in all it’s different forms. That to truly express yourself you must give in to a life of noble peasantry.

What utter bollocks

An artist has more opportunity to deliver value to the world than at any time in the evolution of the human species.

A million TV channels. A million radio stations, A billion websites. A trillion homes with enough disposable income to buy anything that inspires them.

So why should the creative person starve?

Sure, when you’re starting your journey, it’s going to be an uphill battle. Your dinner might be beans-on-toast for a while. Let’s be honest, you might be living on beans-on-toast for a couple of years whilst you “play music in bars” or whatever your creative equivalent is. That might be an essential part of your journey to develop your skills and get to know what your fans really value.

But that’s no place to aim for, that’s no place to even think about ending up. That’s no final destination.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to really think about where you want to end up, to set your sights high and to focus on that destination constantly.

It’s no secret and there’s really nothing metaphysical about it – but whatever you focus on is what you will end up with. It’s just how the human brain works.

A million small decisions

The path for Sam, between his first gig and his final destination is a journey of a million small decisions. Each time he is faced with a decision, the picture he holds in his head, the vision of where he wants to end up, that picture will play a part in the choice he makes.

If his picture of happiness is being famous, that’s where he’ll end up.
If his picture of happiness is riches, that’s what he’ll get.
If his picture of happiness is inspiring millions of people, that’s what he will achieve.
If his picture of happiness is playing in bars, that’s exactly what will happen.

Is it really so bad playing music in a bar?

That all depends on why you’re there;
If you’re music is just a hobby, playing in a bar might be pretty cool.
If you’re building your fan base and developing your skills, a bar might be an essential part of the journey.
If you’re still playing in bars 15 years later, then you’re probably doing something wrong.

You’ve either not developed your own confidence to the level necessary to break out of the bars or you haven’t developed you skills enough to fill a bigger venue or you simply don’t offer enough value to enough people to make them want to come see you.

That’s no place to end up. And unless you have very low expectations of yourself, you won’t be happy there.

Do you believe in your work?

If you believe in your work, if it inspires others, then why oh why would you not want to share that with as many people as possible?

The world is brimming with people looking to be inspired. Why would you want to settle for a couple of dozen drunks who probably didn’t even come to see you?

I beg you to follow this advice

If you’ve found the courage to start your creative journey, don’t sabotage yourself by walking around with a “back-up plan” in your head. Don’t tell the world that you’re off on a journey to conquer Mount Everest, whilst unconsciously telling yourself, you’d actually be satisfied if you just made it to the base camp.

Life is too short to be happy with the mediocre and musicians really aren’t the new starving artists, musicians are the new Kings and Queens.

Many a wise man will tell you that life is not a destination – it’s a journey, and often it’s a series of different journeys, loosely strung together. But as we travel through life, enjoying every moment of the journey, it’s useful to have a destination in mind, those who don’t tend to drift aimlessly. What picture do YOU carry around in your head of your final destination? Is it really worthy of a lifetime of effort or could you set your sights a little higher?

Paul.

PS. Thanks to “Sam” for his letter and for allowing us to share it so that other people might benefit as well. (Names changed to protect the innocent)

If you’ve ever read our About us page, you might already know that Angel is a big Incubus fan or rather a big Brandon Boyd fan!

I won’t repeat the story, other than to say great music and great art really can change people’s lives and Brandon’s music changed the direction of Angel’s life.

We’re lucky at SUBvert that we only interview people we really like and of course Brandon was at the top of Angels list for some time. When the opportunity arose, we jumped at the chance.

Here’s the result, in the new PDF mag format. We have at least 15 interviews like this lined up with some really cool, successful creative heroes of ours. It was leaked to the Incubus forum a little earlier than we were expecting, but so far the response has been fantastic.

We are opening comments on this one, so please let us know what you think of the article and the new format.

(For FULL SCREEN viewing, click the button in the top right hand corner below)

Click here if you can’t see the magazine above.

That’s exactly what Magda Sayeg did when she tied a piece of knitting around a parking meter. A crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art was born. We caught up with Magda the founder of “Knittaplease” a graffiti knitting crew, to find out all about her latest project in Mexico.

How did you get involved with this project?

I met the people that run Elaboratorio on my first trip to Mexico City, and we knew we both wanted to make something happen with KnittaPlease, preferably large-scale. So about a month ago they approached me about wrapping a trolly bus for the Absolute Vodka campaign called “Absolut World”. There are many artists involved in the project, but I am the only “imported” one.

What was it in aid of?

There were 4 buses that were used in the event. So it wasn’t really in aid of anything except a city wide art event funded by AV.

When and where did it take place?

In Mexico City at Parc Luis Cabrero. It should be there for at least a month, if not longer.

Who was involved in this project?

Elaboratorio and Absolut Vodka

When organizing an event like this what are the most important things to focus on?

Most importantly that I have enough materials and a crew of people that know how to install

How did you decide what took priority?

Obviously that I accomplished successfully what I was sent to do. That meant that I was on hand for every detail of the installation.

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Using glue to install some of the pieces was unpleasant but necessary, not only for a tidier appearance , but also to ensure that no one will take it off easily.

What was the most difficult thing about organizing this event?

Fortunately I didn’t have to organize too much. I was sent there as part of a much bigger project than my bus. I was met by a crew of helpers and we worked very hard until it was all done.

What lessons have you learned from this experience?

In a way ,many……. I learn more about my art and the passion I have for it. I know I want to do bigger and bigger projects. I know I like seeing the world and I know that I want to quit my day job!

Did anything funny happen?

Well, I brought my family so  every 5 minutes something funny happened. I enjoyed over hearing my six year old ask another little girl how to say ” I farted” in Spanish. Lot’s of bathroom humor overall.

Is there anything you would do differently if you were to do it again?

Absolutely nothing… this trip was amazing. The bus installation was a huge success. I met people I want to stay in touch with forever. I would do it again in a second. As you can plainly see I am suffering from sever vacation withdrawal at the moment.

Sometimes its those crazy ideas that can be real diamonds in the rough, so why don’t you take some action on your idea today and see where it leads you.

Here’s our previous interview about graffiti knitting with Magda

For more information about Knittaplease
www.knittaplease.com
www.myspace.com/knittaplease

The songwriters of Mahumodo, Eden Maine, Fireapple Red and Sea of The Dying Dhow have joined forces again to bring you their latest offering “Laurentian’s Atoll” due out December 3rd.

SUBvert has started a new project where we get talented artists to visually review the latest musical releases. Here is the very first one by illustrator “Ben and Ink” for up and coming new band “Shels”and their forthcoming release “Laurentian’s Atoll”

Ben and Ink:I wanted to visually translate the fluid blend of almost ethereal instrumentals and controlled bursts of frayed rage. It’s comes across as a very delicate anger, almost a need to be heard. With the spacious backdrops and vibrant strokes of collage and black and red I wanted to express the contrast which the two styles give out throughout the entire EP.

Shels Live at Guilfest July 2007

Artwork above by Ben and Ink

“Laurentian’s Atoll” album artwork below by Medhi Safa.

Shels Line up

Medhi Safa Vocal
Tom Harriman Drums
Simon Davis Guitars
Phil Buch Guitars
Green Dave Guitars
Red Dave Bass
Ed Mathews Atmostpherics

Check out our interview with Medi from Shels http://www.subvertmagazine.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=119

For More info on the band click on the following link

www.shelsmusic.com
www.myspace.com/shels

Part One:

Jeff Soto is an illustrator and fine artist whose futuristic paintings have dazzled and captivated audiences all over the world.

When did your interest in art and illustration begin?

Like most artsy types my interest started when I was a kid. My dad had a few art books that I’d check out, they were all sci-fi and horror illustrators and that went hand in hand with the toys I liked at the time. I didn’t decide to pursue illustration until much later, after high school. I wanted to be either a “pro skater” or an “artist” when I was little.

Did you study art at college?

Yes, I went to community college for like 6 years then transferred to a four year art college when I was 24. All together I was in college for almost 10 years. I was poor the whole time and usually lived off my student loans when I didn’t have a job. It took a long time but I wouldn’t do it any different now.

How would you describe you work?

This is always a hard question. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

During your early years you were a graffiti artist– what attracted you to this form of expression?

I first found it in a street art book from the mid 80’s and thought, wow, it’s so colorful. I remember liking the letters and the fact that they seemed to move and vibrate somehow. I thought it was just mural painting in New York. Then I found out it was illegal and it just sucked me in. I’ve always liked the idea of a wall piece going up while normal people sleep. The first couple of years I painted graffiti were the best. Then tagbanging came into fashion and graffiti was in the news and everyone was doing it and it didn’t feel as special. I haven’t really done much for a few years but it’s like riding a bicycle, you never unlearn can control. I need to call up my old graf buddy Maxx and rock some walls for old time’s sake.

Tell us about the first time you got paid for your art?

It was in the 5th grade, I was hired by my teacher Mr. Gadiano. I did drawings of characters that my teacher would then photocopy for the class to color on rainy days. I think there might have been some violent images and blood and stuff and he was like, “That’s nice but I can’t really use that. Can you draw some Disney characters?” He only paid me $1 for each drawing but that was cool, I could buy 4 packs of Garbage Pail Kids with that.

How does graffiti art compare to canvas painting?

I like them both in different ways I guess. Most graffiti artists in my experience end up developing huge egos, I might have been guilty of that to an extent. When you make graf, it’s for your peers to see and go “that’s f****** dope” or whatever. It’s to get a reaction from your peers, from other crews, from the cops, from the general public. When I paint in my studio, I’m only trying to satisfy myself. I’m working on dealing with my own thoughts and making work that is up to my own expectations. Does that make sense? They are very different frames of mind.

Part two coming soon where Jeff Soto talks about his influences and the design process.

For more information about Jeff Soto
www.jeffsoto.com
www.myspace.com/jeffsoto

Gary Baseman illustrator, fine art painter, toy designer and creator of the award winning animated series and Disney film “Teachers Pet”

Every time I opened an art magazine I saw these beautiful Gary Baseman paintings which reminded me of the classic early cartoons in style. But they were more crazy looking in vivid colors. They were totally unconventional with themes which shocked and made me laugh at the same time. This was an artist with something interesting to say and I couldn’t wait to ask him about Urban Vinyl.

200 Tobys

Do you think Urban Vinyl will ever be accepted in the art world as sculpture?

I do believe the “established” art world will accept Urban Vinyl as sculpture. Some have already been accepted. But like any new medium, it is just the vessel for art expression.

I was first introduced to Kaws’s Companion when I walked by the window of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in NY in Soho. I am starting to have many conversations on possibility putting together a Vinyl show in some Contemporary Art museums around the world.

I don’t make a determination if something is art by the media that they are created. I judge things between what I find as good and bad art. Some vinyl is great. Some suck shit.

How do you think it differs from normal toy manufacturing?
Much of “normal” toy manufacturing is based on a licenesed property and are developed and designed for mass sales. People who are buying Urban Vinyl or Designer Toys are buying them based on the “artist” and not the property. The artists designing the vinyl are designing small sculptures that compliment their artist themes and point of view.

ReTardy

What do you think art is in our society today, what does it mean? how has it changed?
I have always felt good art should capture the zeitgeist of our times. Of course, art has to change. Society keeps changing. Our choice of media is exploding. Our heads are exploding. From too much opportunity of information to so many porn sites, all our heads are exploding.

Dunces

The way we react to others have changed. Now we don’t ever digest information. We react immediately. Everyone and their dog has a cell phone. A computer. A blackberry. We have access to everyone at every second. We don’t have time to think things through. We vomit our emotions immediately. We are also bombarded by all media all the time. Not just TV and a million channels of cable and a zillion web pages. Twenty katrillion songs on our ipods. We have so many choices for better and worse.

The artists that will be king are those that have strong iconic images who can blow away the clutter. That is why so many great painters have been coming from commercial art. We practiced being master visual message makers. But now we use our skill to tell our own stories and create a body of work from our own themes.

I cut my teeth working for the New York Times and Time magazine when they needed sketchs and sometimes finished art in one day. One learned to work fast and direct. We had to become visual marksman.

Hugging Tobys 4ft

Who do you aim your figures at?

I aim my figures at the same audience as my paintings. Myself. But not in a selfish masturbatory way. More of an insightful way to create work that is appropriate and challenging that speaks in my voice about the times we live in.

What or who inspires you?

Desire. Mortality. Control.

Name your favorite Urban Vinyl character?

Kaw’s Companion (the original)

What other 3D designers do you admire?

Tim Biskup. Friends with You. Pete Fowler.

Hotchachacha White

How would you describe your artwork?

Where the line between genius and stupidity has been smudged beyond recognition.

What countries is your work most popular?

Heaven and Hell. The great state of New Jersey. My hometown of Hollywood, CA. I am also as big as David Hasselhoff in Germany. I can’t walk down the streets in Taiwan without someone trying to rip off my clothes. But Iran seems a little sour about my work.

Magis4

Check out more of Gary’s work;
www.Garybaseman.com