Feb 12, 2014
There's something you have to learn to acknowledge when you do this: not everything works out.
Whether it's that design you just couldn't get to pop out "just" the way you wanted it, or a store,printer, or whoever else is just too busy or "not accepting new clients".You kind of have to suck it up and roll with it, because you can't change it.Not all at once,at least.
I was thinking about something I said in an interview a year ago, "celebrate the people who celebrate you", I haven't been doing that enough.When I think about what it is that we're trying to do, there's NO POSSIBLE WAY ON THE PLANET that we can get by without making a lot of people unhappy.Whether it's someone who doesn't like the price of the gear (I'll be real, streetwear is tough to understand until you get that everything is custom made and the work that goes into it is crazy), or that person,business, or brand that you were once cool with starts to butt heads with you over whatever they choose that day, you really just start to see that the only thing you can control fully is yourself.
With every new interaction, I'm starting to see there is more control that comes from just letting people be who they are.It's cool to want a certain outcome, but would you want it if it wasn't real? If the love of your life didn't really love you,would you overlook it just to make yourself happy? Or would you seek out something real that might not be what you originally asked for, but whatever you get ,you can trust...? There isn't a right answer to that, some people are cool with the first one, some the second, and many have their own story that lies somewhere in between,we all have to do what works for us.
Going back to business, I think I was in love with a lot of things that weren't real.I browsed through old emails and messages the other day, and it was crazy to see how much I ignored.Now, there's a sort of ignorance that is forgivable when you are just unaware of something,that's naivete , and if you were born on this planet, you've had to have those moments, it's the cost of entry as far as life beyond being a single-celled organism is concerned.So,that's a pass.The second of ignorance however, is not so forgiveable.It's called delusion.Let me explain.
Fairly recently I was afforded a choice exchange with friends, and the concepts of love and mystery came about while talking about a piece we had been thinking about.Somehow the image of a heart has always been a part of everything I've done for as long as I recall.I thought back to when I drew my first one, and the second,then the third millionth one, why did I always draw hearts?
Later in the day it came to me that growing up in a cartoon and media based era, hearts are the best way for someone to understand love or amorous in illustration.The once meaningless symbol now has a unique place in that it represents not only the intended desires and convictions of whoever plants the symbol there, but also the end user is forced to examine their own idea of love.It's external imagery internalized,no way around it.
Back to the query , it seems that more times than not, if you put a heart next to something, it means that you love it....and that in turn usually is coupled with an easily overturned misconception or surprise that somehow transitions into love once revealed or conveyed.In layman's terms, the media tells us from birth that if you love something, and you do the right things (aren't a villain,and don't try to feed Gremlins after midnight),whatever you love will love you back.That's great in practice, but it's not how the world works.
Looking at HH, I think that the most prominent thought about the brand is that at it's core, it's love.Now thinking even deeper, I've come to realize that the statement goes a bit further than expected: HH is my love.
You guys don't know it, I was not the brightest when it came to people.The best reference I can think of is the 5th element,TonyTony Chopper from One Piece,E.T. or the little Gameboy on Captain N...they were all equally uninformed about the human condition, not everyone is good,and not everyone is perfect.That's not how life works.
I always tell you guys to 'Try Hard, Never Settle, Stay Hungry'...but at the same time, a big part of that is to acknowledge what's really happening and be smart about it.If you go to McDonald's and they're not serving breakfast,you have to get something else,if the Slurpee machine is broken, you're gonna have to deal with a really cold Mountain Dew and/or a popsicle,that's just how it is.It's not the end of the world, it's just the situation for the time.You have to move on.
Thinking about what we do here, there are times where I have really been trying too hard to get that McDonald's breakfast and Slurpee.I didn't really have the experience initially to recognize lack of opportunities, and that was beneficial for a time.Sometimes it good to not know what you're up against,as it won't affect your performance if you're trying for the most optimal result regardless of outcome.However, there comes a point where you need to acknowledge what is apparent,and for us, the thing to address is, not everyone celebrates you,so you don't have to celebrate them.
The fallacy in love is that it's chemical.We can't help but idealize and feel bonds with what resonates or strike a core inside us.If you love something, you love it.There's no easy way around that.Despite love, you have to take care to also protect yoursellf.If you're not prepared for that, life can be rough,love internally first.
Now that we're going farther, there's a need to love not only what we do and what speaks to us, but what nurtures us.It's okay to change it up or have something just not work out...really.It doesn't have to slow you down, it doesn't have to be a Facebook post,scrapped design,or Twitter rant, you just keep it moving.
There's an expression that goes "just because everything's different, doesn't mean it has changed.." and while that doesn't apply completely to the external things we love and strive for, it speaks bounds for the internal..it's a message for the things and people we love.That's you the fans,artists, the muses, the references,the community,cultures....all of it...but especially the ones that don't love us back : I love you so much.You are the reason we do this.There is no place in my heart that is without feeling for you.There is not a time in the day you are not spoken of,conjured,or otherwise heralded as the reason for joy or existence of any kind.There is nothing you have done or need to do outside of persist for us to be content,as real love is unconditional and timeless...But right now this is about us...and we have to go where love is apparent...and it's not here. Not yet... -h_h-
You see, people say that we're changing
But really it's the people around us that are changing
You see, we aint tryna hurt nobody
People tryna hurt us
But you know what
Imma keep being me
That's all i can do in this life time (check it)...
Try Hard, Never Settle, Stay Hungry -h_h-
