I moved differently in May and it was needed...
It required ice cream, typography, music and sitting quietly with my thoughts. Monthly recap.
Hey Alexa. Play ‘untitled 07 levitate’ by Kendrick Lamar…
I’m working. Quietly. Alone. Unbothered. Painting + writing…where would I be without them? They’ve become necessities - essentials I wish I consistently worked on throughout my life - and I refuse to part with them again. Reprioritizing my time, energy and focus because there’s work to be done.
levitate, levitate, levitate, levitate
Kendrick Lamar
As I brainstorm my new portrait ideas, I went back to typography. On Mother’s Day, I changed my studio mural from layers of leaves, geometric shapes and colorful lines to a minimalist scatter of B&W letters + numbers. Painting the first mural was exciting since this is my first home I own but by the end of the year I was ready for something new. The vibe wasn’t there and colors + textures clashed in the studio. I should’ve stuck with the first vision but you know artists have to go against that sometimes. I needed a simpler design that was easy on the eyes and didn’t leave me anxious.
I’ve been working on typography off + on for the last couple of years. Since I was kid, I’ve been drawn to graffiti, magazine covers and flyers with various typefaces and bold colors. I learned from my media class in college how specific colors and graphics make a difference when capturing an audience’s attention, emotions and decision making such as watching the news, advertising and color brands.
Strength and boldness in each number and letter. That’s what my art means to me.
My purpose is to create from the heart - delivering every paint stroke and word to the people that need them. As I change courses in my life, you’ll see those changes in my art as well.
music in rotation…
Schoolboy Q - thank god 4 me
Smino - Amphetamines
Rubii - Jealousy
Outkast - Prototype
Joey Bada$$ - Love is Only a Feeling
Pusha T - Let the Smokers Shine the Coup
Saba - LIFE
Vince Staples - PAPERCUTS
Andre 3000’s birthday was May 27th. Tell me your favorite Andre or Outkast song(s).
what am I writing?…
Prison. Silence.
My latest lit is a combination of poetry + microfiction, ‘safe : voice’., warnings of resting on illogical beliefs, insecurities or other mental disturbances that has the potential to leave us bound + quiet.
They were originally written as one but I was unsatisfied with the flow. At 1am, I woke up to a half-written poem and a “voice” stanza that left me puzzled on how to link them together. So I kept them separate. The three lines in the poem is the poem. Each line is loud and uncomfortable - unable to evade the question am I safe with myself? I’m not speaking from the perspective of physically being safe with ourselves, but to permit a dialogue of how we manage our mental and emotional awareness. We aren’t safe in our minds, having the tendency of leaning too far into our understanding, trusting the lies and fantasies.
Words have power and how we use them matters. ‘voice’ was written from the perspective of never knowing it, avoiding it or allowing others to speak for you. What we tell ourselves can have lasting effects. No solace from the restless insecurities.
If you haven’t read all FIVE poems, they’re linked in ‘bones’ above.
recommended reads…
coming up next…
No shortage of poems and fiction because I wanna breathe life into you. Short stories are on the way and I’ve been working quietly on the next one. Don’t ask me shit about it because you have to wait until it hits your inbox.
A few days ago I lifted the paywall and everything is free to read again. Enjoy!
New perk is added for paid subs! Once a quarter I’ll be sending out free small art. Free subs will be able to get their hands on free art upon announcement. Now who doesn’t want that?
get this art in your life…
To show my appreciation I’m gifting TEN 5inx7in B&W typo minis, one per collector. After that they’ll be available for purchase for $5. Bigger sizes will be available later on and I’ll announce them when they’re ready.
Art is for sale. Please reach out via email or social media DM for questions and purchases.
sharing some extra highlights that made me smile…
Sandolore Sykes’ students recreated my B&W random doodle art pictured above.
Today we begin with collaborative drawings. Each student starts one piece, and we pass them around the room at timed intervals. The goal is to carry forward the internal logic of the drawing—whatever the original student started, the others try to develop and evolve. -Sandolore Sykes
What a cool technique! I wouldn’t mind doing this with someone or a group. To see kids make their versions of my work really made my day.
Thanks Sandolore and her awesome class!
Received a poetry zine from and now Miguel a few weeks ago. I want this kind of mail all the time.
Thanks Miguel!
That’s it. Thanks for reading my shit. I love you.
peace.
alex b.
There is so much good shit in this newsletter, holy crap!
B.O.B. is still killer, and I really dig New Blue Sun.
I am really taking the collective energy around re-prioritizing once energy and pouring back into art as well as handling business! Love the visuals— you have a really good eye for composition when it comes to photography. As far as it goes for Andre 3000, I must say “prototype!”Love that song, the guitar, the vibe. And the melancholy of it. I’m really excited about your letter work. that part about boldness in every character, it shows in your work that philosophy shows in the world. It’s inspiring to also live this way too, and love out loud boldly through self expression. thank you again for picking up the Zine!