OBEY - Lifestyle with Shepard Fairey

Summary

In this video, the speaker reflects on their journey into street art, revealing how their passion for skateboarding, punk rock, and DIY culture led to the creation of iconic street art like the 'Andre the Giant has a Posse' sticker. They discuss how these subcultures—especially in the context of Rhode Island School of Design and a transformative trip to New York—shaped their approach to public art. Drawing on the rebellious spirit of graffiti and blending it with punk rock aesthetics, the speaker shares how they pushed boundaries in the art world, challenging traditional norms and embracing self-expression.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker did not engage in traditional graffiti with aerosol but was influenced by street culture from a young age.
• 😀 Skateboarding and punk rock played a significant role in shaping the speaker's artistic journey, especially through the use of stickers, stencils, and homemade t-shirts.
• 😀 The speaker was exposed to the intersection of skateboarding, punk rock, graffiti, and hip-hop during their time at the Rhode Island School of Design.
• 😀 A trip to New York in 1988 was pivotal for the speaker, where they observed the dense and daring graffiti throughout the city.
• 😀 The speaker found graffiti empowering as it allowed for self-expression in public spaces without the need for financial reward.
• 😀 Art school critiqued the speaker's work, leading them to feel that graffiti was more authentic and direct compared to traditional art forms.
• 😀 Inspired by the graffiti scene in New York, the speaker created their own form of street art with stickers, such as the iconic 'Andre the Giant has a Posse' sticker.
• 😀 The speaker wanted to take their art to the next level by progressing from stickers to stencils and posters.
• 😀 The speaker's street art mindset was aligned with the rebellious and public nature of graffiti, while using techniques learned from skateboarding and punk rock.
• 😀 The speaker emphasized that the motivations behind graffiti were rooted in passion and personal expression, rather than commercial success.

Q & A

How did the speaker get involved in street art?

The speaker was influenced by skateboarding and punk rock, which promoted street art techniques like stickers, stencils, and homemade t-shirts. This led them to experiment with these mediums before transitioning into street art.

Why didn't the speaker engage in traditional graffiti with aerosol paint?

The speaker grew up in South Carolina, where there wasn't a significant graffiti scene like the one in the Northeast, especially New York. As a result, they didn’t engage in traditional aerosol graffiti.

What role did skateboarding and punk rock play in the speaker’s artistic development?

Skateboarding and punk rock were pivotal in shaping the speaker’s artistic journey. These cultures encouraged creating and promoting artwork through methods like stickers, stencils, and band logos, which the speaker later incorporated into street art.

How did the speaker’s experience at the Rhode Island School of Design influence their art?

At RISD, the speaker was exposed to a blend of skateboarding, punk rock, and graffiti aesthetics, especially with the influence of brands like Shut skateboards. This helped them embrace the overlap between these different subcultures and further sparked their interest in street art.

What was significant about the speaker’s trip to New York in 1988?

During the trip to New York in the fall of 1988, the speaker was deeply inspired by the graffiti culture they observed, which felt raw and empowered, leading them to want to create public art that expressed personal passion without seeking financial reward.

What did the speaker find unique about graffiti compared to traditional art?

Graffiti was seen as pure and direct, with no critique or academic analysis. It offered an empowering, public form of self-expression, which contrasted with the highly critiqued and restrictive nature of traditional art school.

How did the speaker’s background in skateboarding and punk rock influence their street art techniques?

The speaker applied the techniques learned from skateboarding and punk rock, such as creating stickers, stencils, and posters, to their street art. These methods were aligned with the same rebellious and expressive spirit found in graffiti.

What was the significance of the 'Andre the Giant has a posi' sticker?

The 'Andre the Giant has a posi' sticker marked the speaker's initial foray into street art. It symbolized their desire to express themselves publicly and marked the beginning of their street art journey.

How did the speaker progress in their street art after creating the Andre the Giant sticker?

After creating the sticker, the speaker expanded their street art techniques by making stencils and posters, taking their art to a new level while maintaining the same rebellious mindset that they had in the beginning.

What did the speaker learn from their experiences in art school about the nature of traditional art?

Art school taught the speaker that traditional art was often overly analyzed, critiqued, and constrained by academic standards. This contrasted with graffiti, which allowed for more freedom and personal expression without such restrictions.