Although “we” is used a lot on this site in relation to Nowhere Streetwear, it really is mostly me, plus the support and ideas I get from my family, and from all the other stuff I love.
I currently work as a freelance digital toy sculptor/designer, with a side of tee shirt work, but the first incarnation of my career in art was spent as a full-time professional sportswear designer, so the shirt business isn’t new for me, but being in business for myself as a shirt designer is.
In spite of all the turmoil happening in the news and around the world, this is still one of the most exciting times to be alive for creators. I have become quite taken with the ability we have today to connect with others, and to bypass the traditional “gate keepers” that once mostly controlled both art and commerce. The gate keepers are still there, of course, but they are letting people through in entirely new ways.
Today, creators can be more directly connected to their fans, and can in turn have an inverse relationship with others whose work they admire. Much of the content, books, comics, etc. I consume comes from talented indies I’ve discovered. My shelves are becoming stuffed with Kickstarter editions. I’ve backed games, books, comics, films and podcasts, and also give what little I am able to a short-list of creators on Patreon. and it gives me a special satisfaction to be getting stuff I love to consume, and at the same time directly supporting the creators.
At the risk of sounding too utopian, I feel that a hallmark of this century could be a growing field of artists, writers, filmmakers, broadcasters and artisans, distributing their own work and at the same time supporting a growing network of like-minded creators.