Chaos and Control
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Does the Internet make it easier for an artist to do work in a smaller
market nowadays?
You know what’s weird, man? Except for my website, which is obviously a marketing piece, I’ve never marketed anywhere. Everybody always approaches me. It’s a beautiful thing that you can type in my name in Google and find me. It’s what I do as a curator as well. If I’m interested in finding somebody, I just type their stupid name in Google and boy I can find just about anything I want about anybody.
Now MySpace? I hate it. I’m not a fan.
[Laughs.] My girlfriend suggested I ask you if you had a MySpace page.
No, not interested. I don’t think I’m going to get a whole lot out of that. I’ll get a lot of the people that I already do now going, “Will you do this for my website for free?” I don’t think I’m going to get a Nike or Adidas from a MySpace page. So I’m sorry, I don’t have one. Actually, I just got into Instant Messenger over the last year, so that’s my new horizon.
You finally caved in to fake-talking to people over the Net?
Yeah. But, you know it’s funny that, through the Metric thing, I can probably list about twenty artists, musicians, or charity groups who have contacted me to do artwork. I may have had to decline for one reason or another, but it’s all thanks to the Internet. God bless the Internet.
)
So
what new projects are you working on these days?
The Cassius King experience led me to appreciate (not that I didn’t already) other artists and their talents. Art and design are just passions of mine, and I like to get involved with other people I respect.
I work with RE:UP magazine. It’s primarily a music magazine that also has some design content, which I help curate. I have a monthly assignment to scour the earth for artists and designers and work with them to put illustrations in unique spreads. I’ve been doing this now for four issues.
Where does the imagery you use in something like a RE:UP spread or a Quiksilver logo come from? Is it a conscious decision based on a given client or is it just whatever comes out?
)
I
think there’s a definite split. When you do corporate stuff, especially
for someone like Quiksilver, their limitations on what they can and can’t
reproduce are pretty high. In surf or action sports culture certain imagery
is always going to be safe, such as Hawaiian flowers or silhouettes of
people doing kick flips. But for me, that’s really boring and it’s
not where I come from. So I tend to have a darker bend. A lot of what
I’m doing now has more to do with mysticism, the occult, and secret
societies -- images that are not as literal as, say, “This is a
hibiscus flower.”
Now, RE:UP is a thing where I can do whatever I want, so there’s
pseudo-pornography and dark imagery in there. But it’s colourful
and comes off in a fun way. There’s a fine line with other clients
as to what’s edgy, what’s illegal and what’s going to
cause them trouble. So if anything I’d say it’s a balancing
act. You have to be aware. )
I just finished a line of snowboards for K2 and it was very touchy. As soon as I added a skull in there they were like, “No. No skulls.” So what exactly am I allowed to do when skulls are illegal?
[Laughs.] You could probably get a lot worse than skulls…
Yeah. I started out with guns and knives and I could see why those were illegal, but now we’re getting really sensitive. It starts to get a little frustrating when people are going, “We like your style, but don’t do the ten things we like about it.”
“Okay. So what was it exactly that you wanted me to do?” [Laughs.] So it’s a challenge, but that’s all part of the process.
And you recently started a housewares company?
You’re the first to know about this because I haven’t really talked to anybody about it yet. Over the years I’ve spent as a designer, I’ve become good friends with lots of other artists and I decided it would be a good idea to start creating housewares designed by these artists. The company is called LEAF. I’ll just give you a few names: Dave Kinsey, Cody Hudson, and UPSO a.k.a. Dustin Hostetler are all involved. I’m pretty excited about it.
Is LEAF an acronym?
When I first created the brand, I liked the idea that the word embodied a lot of different things. Yes, it is all capitals, but, like Cassius King, it means various things to me. It has an interesting etymology -- it’s part of a tree and there are many leaves on a tree. But like my art, I don’t want to dictate the meaning of it.
What kind of housewares is LEAF putting out?
Right now it’s tableware like plates, platters, cups, and bowls. I’m trying not to be too specific and too aloof at the same time, but we’re going to be growing into other goods: sheets, towels, blankets, etc. The goal is to expand the product base continually. And if we’re designing spacesuits at some point, well, then that’s what we’ll be doing.
Guu Magazine at GuuPress.com
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Related Link:
> The Work
of Josh Hassin - Josh Hassin's official website
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