Most young boys into sports have dreams of making it to the league. Even though I was a pretty good ball player, I never really dreamed of going pro. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it would be cool but it was never a strong desire. I never had any strong desires, actually, even as an adult. At times I feel like it’s to my detriment because I never really wanted anything so much that I was willing to push myself beyond my own capabilities.
Even now, I think I’m pretty creative and I have more artistic abilities than most. I see other artists becoming very popular and making a living off their art. Even though I recognize how stressful that life is and don’t want that for myself, it’s a small part of me that thinks “what if I just don’t want it enough to really push myself?”
With that being said, the only thing I ever wanted to be was a dad. I saw a lot of cool shit on TV, but nothing was cooler than my own. I know how important he was/is to me, and that’s what I wanted to be to someone else.
So let’s just say, I now know what it feels like to get drafted to the league. It’s a dream come true even though I know I’ll probably face the most challenges I’ve ever faced. I’m welcoming it all with a smile. Now begins a hall of fame career, and with the teammate I got, it’s undeniable.
“lil earl and the butterfly”
i kinda seen this as a tragic love story. it started as admiration but turn into possession. it made me think about how people treat relationships the same way, wanting to keep them to themselves they unintentionally take away the freedom and individuality that made them beautiful in the first place. this is just a reminder that love is not about ownership or control. you have to allow people to exist as themselves. people stay where they feel comfortable. treat them well and they will keep showing up in your yard
in the words of big earl…”it’s not f*cking yours!”
“Harlem”
inspired by a trip to New York. on the way home, we wanted to get a souvenir for the babies so we picked a stuffed Big Bird. in that moment i learned Sesame Street was created for lower income children and the set was designed after an inner city urban community, particularly Harlem. based of the rich Black history of Harlem, i wanted to create something to pay homage but also something my babies would love since they rock with Sesame Street. i laced some characters in fits inspired by Harlem’s Dapper Dan, who had a huge impact on the fashion industry worldwide and is still as prevalent today as he was over 40 years ago.
We dropped some of our most requested tees. They’ll be up on the site for probably another week.
I know people question why we don’t keep shirts up for sale. The reason being, we design, print, package, and ship out the crib. On top of having 9-5 jobs, and now 2 little ones. The easiest and maybe more profitable route would be to design the shirts and have a printing company drop ship, but the goal was never to have a shirt company. We are creatives at heart who just like to make sh*t for the culture and sale it from time to time.
If you know me, you know my pops is my guy. Since having kids, I’ve been hella reflective, trying to pinpoint certain things about my pops that made me feel the way I do about him. It’s not like we had really deep conversations about life growing up. He actually doesn’t talk much and leads by example.
One thing I realized is that my admiration for him didn’t necessarily come from our relationship. He showed up for everything and was always my biggest fan, oftentimes being the only dad at the games. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized how uncommon that was.
My admiration actually started from the respect he got from other people. Just being with him all the time, seeing how respected he is, is something to aspire to. Everybody knew Billy D at the race track. I say that to say it’s very important to me that my girls see how I show up in the world outside of just being their dad.
For that to happen, I actually have to show up in the world, which can be a struggle because I like to keep to myself for the most part, like my dad. The only difference is, the things he enjoyed just happened to be social activities that involved interacting with other people. I mostly just enjoy making stuff, which only involves me, an idea, and whatever I’m working with to make it a real thing.
My solution to all this is to actually be social and share what the hell I make, hence the art show a couple months ago. Because I really don’t like attention, it can be a struggle for me to share, even though it’s damn near always a positive experience when I do. At this point, it’s a disservice to my babies, and I can’t let that ride.
So I guess I have to share more.
Re-releasing one of the “fan favorites” for Black Maternal Health Week.
After trying to conceive for close to five years and going through so many fertility treatments, it’s still mind blowing to me how common fertility issues are in our community. For every baby announcement you see, there’s someone who is either struggling to conceive or may have even lost a child due to fertility issues. I say all that to say this shirt has always been about protecting Black women during every step of the journey, no matter the outcome. A shirt won’t fix it, but it’s a reminder.
Hit the site for this and some other favorites. WicksFordStudios.com
ima dive deeper into each piece a little later, but here’s a lil recap action. i can honestly say it turned out better than i imagined. attention is something i usually shy away from, so knowing i would be the center of attention had me a lil uneasy leading up to it. but the energy and feedback i received was so genuine, it felt like i was just shooting the sh*t with the homies.
i appreciate everybody that pulled up, and those that couldn’t make it that told me several times how hurt they were that they couldn’t be there.
from a youngin’ i always felt like my 40s would be my prime. a week in and i think i was right…
i’ve been painting everyday since the first pic was taken. the crazy part is, i scrapped the painting i’m working on in the pic and started all over because it didn’t hit the way i wanted. i thought it would be cool to keep the rags from all the pieces i’ve done. don’t know what the hell ima do with them tho. i even brought a miter saw so i can make my own frames. i say all the to say, i’ve never put this much into a creative project and im hella hype to seeing it all come together.
pull up on me 2.21…rsvp link in bio
i normally don’t care much about a new year, but 25 changed my perception of time and i have much more appreciation for it. it also reinforced the importance of intention. so next year im doing a lot more sh*t on purpose…
