My Daily Routine - TASTE

Artist Interview: TASTE

Today we sit down with TASTE MDR and explore topics like mental health, work ethic and style.

Hey, Thanks for sitting down with us today. Wanna introduce yourself for those who don’t know you?

Yo! I write TASTE ONE! And I’m a graffiti artist currently based out of western New York

What was it about graffiti that drew you in? How young were you when you first caught the bug?

I’ve always been interested in art since I was very young and through skateboarding and city kid existence I was naturally exposed to graffiti. I was around 16 when I first started showing interest in it because the city I’m from had a nice little scene with some pretty good Handstyles. But I really started tagging and bombing around 17-18. Shortly after that I started to work on pieces and getting my style up to par. Which was and always is a drawn out process over the course of my career. Still to this day I’m very adamant about development and growth with letter forms and techniques.

How has your perspective on the culture shifted over the years? From the pre- internet scene to the heavily saturated Instagram era? Do you think this new mainstream exposure has helped or hindered the community?

I found it all to be cool and kind of perfect as far as timing of the internet was concerned. I was able to start and establish myself locally before the internet. And was putting out a relatively decent quality of work when the internet first came into the picture so I was able to capitalize off of it’s existence and use it to my advantage for networking, travel, and other opportunities. However I always remained quite disciplined regarding the internet and just focused on my skill level and drive to evolve. It’s a great tool for artists if you’re using it appropriately. The issue now I feel is the individualism it presents and the way it can inflate unjustified hype towards mediocre styles and efforts. I was raised in a highly critical environment in graffiti which is super valuable in maintaining its overall quality and aesthetic. Fools from the 90s weren’t overly inclusive and passively supportive. It was quite the opposite. Back then you were clowned until you proved otherwise. This was necessary. And in hindsight extremely impactful to my progression. You’ll always jump higher jumping over something so to speak.

How have your motivations changed as you got older and life set in?

When I started graffiti I had no future in store for myself. I quickly realized that I needed to make sure that the time I invested in graffiti would have some sort of return. Very early i was exposed to the fact that most individuals involved in this culture would not have my best interest in mind given the narcissistic and drug and alcohol fueled nature of the craft itself and so I’ve prioritized my career to maintain a degree of success as an artist. It’s why I became more focused on style and adjusting my scale and scope of application to ensure I would be the most effective with my time. Believe it or not there’s a math to this shit. Now as a father and a husband I keep a small circle of friends and a large circle of clients so I can keep a good rhythm of life and provide with what I love to do. You gotta take care of business and still be able to burn and remain fit to do so. And I always remained sober. Never weakened my journey with substance abuse. This was clutch and initially set me aside from a vast majority of writers.

What does “style” mean to you? What makes a style better than another?

My view of style is pretty extensive. I like many styles when executed properly. And I gravitate towards styles very different than my own. It helps expand my perspective. I’m a letter guy completely. I wanna see the core integrity of a letter pushed to the maximum amount of movement and technique without obstructing the anatomy of the form to an unstructured point. Letters to me are anatomical. Each letter seems to have an arm or a leg or an eye or a spine or some appendage that can be moved or shifted into a completely flexed stance just before breaking down and becoming wonky or toy if you will. It’s a science that I’m constantly dissecting and studying. I find the best styles to be complex in relation to color theory, composition, movement, technique, and overall shape. And I love the weird stuff that still works because I’m more conservative but I aspire to evolve in that direction.

What is your proudest achievement? (number of trains, size of a piece etc)

This is tough. I look towards goals more than back at achievements. I Think a great achievement is just consistency and drive to stay creating. I really try to push the limits of scale with my pieces. I was recently given my own color of spray paint. that was a personal achievement I’m pretty stoked about. I find it nice to have influenced other writers with what I’ve done. But overall I’m just thankful that the impact I’ve worked hard to obtain has helped me be able to provide for my family and travel the world. And I’m extremely grateful for everyone who has been supportive over the years.

What pushes you to keep creating today? Additionally, how do you stay driven through burnout/slumps etc

I love burners. I love a strategically placed big ass chrome. I love trains. I love how it keeps me fit because I lug in too much paint always. With a ladder. Always. There are so many aspects that I bask in when I’m painting. I love the diverse atmospheres I’ve been in literally all over the globe while painting my name. These things keep me going pretty consistently. And if I’m not feeling it I don’t fuck with it. I go out into nature. I do art with my kids. I just embrace the ebb and flow of life in general. Peaks and valleys baby. There’s a certain amount of folks I continuously look at and I stay jazzed about the next go. Notably the c29 dudes. I don’t know any of them but I’m significantly inspired by that crew. And I balanced my life right down to where I live so that I’m never overwhelmed or taking in too much graff. I don’t experience much burnout because my life is rich with substance outside of graff so It doesn’t consume me all the time. I find this to be super helpful.

Any chase stories you’d like to share? Strange encounters in the night?

Too many to explain. I often sit this question out and keep those stories to myself.

Where do you hope to see the future of graffiti go?

It’s hard to say. I’d love to see more dynamic productions being done. I love the repelling shit that dudes are on. Would never be me but it’s epic af to see when it’s good style like monk or rams or saute. I’ll always love to see new hyper dope burners being done that somehow remain within the confines of structured letter forms. I really don’t want the idea of good hands to fall off. But mostly I’m just getting older and wish it was less saturated. This will not happen so I’m just pumped to have been a part of it when I am.

 Mentorship and legacy are powerful factors in graffiti, with such a long career have you mentored any young artists? What advice would you impress upon new writers eager to get their feet wet?

Never mentored anyone long term. Some folks here and there I was able to guide in a good direction. But to be original and unique you kind of need to just get it going organically on your own I think. My advice would be stay away from drugs and toxic writers. There a lot of them so I suggest being a bit more reclusive.

Many writers struggle with mental health issues- How do you keep sane these days? What do you struggle with? I often find myself hyper-focused on the work and can neglect my personal life and get frustrated when I feel like "I'm not doing enough"

Oh boy.. mental health.. as an almost 40 year old writer I will say this.. dudes gotta stay out of the clown behavior stuff.. drugs and alcohol.. chasing women and quick dopamine hits.. you gotta live with purpose and accept your existence with confidence and character.. graffiti will challenge this at every turn. And if your homies or crew are not talking about growth and future then you gotta bounce and keep moving upward. This will forge you into a proper existence during, outside of, and after graffiti. This shit can give you life or take it from you. I’ve traveled the globe and met amazing people and experienced once in a lifetime scenarios because of graffiti. I’ve also seen dudes end up in a cell or wrapped up in addiction and or financial ruin because of graffiti. It all depends on your choices and surroundings. Decapitate your haters and use their heads as stepping stones.

Shoutouts:

Shout out to my family first and foremost. My Ace SNOE Rochester finest. The good homie SMUG. BLAZE from Toronto. My brother TRUN in Russia. MOLOTOW for supporting me so properly over the years. My bro HONT. BRANE. GUZ and GAZ in Scotland. NILKO and CHAS and the loveletters dudes. BRUNOSMOKY from GAMEX crew. And definitely a shout out to the haters.

Follow TASTE @tasteburns