Jul 10, 2014
If you've been reading the blog for the past year. You can tell a difference in attitude has taken over the brand.
I shared the origins of the logo on Instagram earlier this week and also about a personal battle dealing with emotional trauma from not taking very good care of myself early in the life of the brand.
The intent of Hungry Human is and was to inspire and unite.The designs all have an emphasis on storytelling and reflecting the spectrum of human emotion,struggle,hardship,and dedication or as we refer to, "hunger" so that the fans have something that is not only wearable but also supplies them with an energy in knowing "someone thought about this".
I used to fancy myself a strong businessman.In reality that is not the case, I am a good salesman. I believe in product and share that energy and enthusiasm with people while steadily guiding the brand.
My strongest shortcoming as an owner has been that I stray away from conflict.In other words, I don't like to fight.
When you are running a brand publicly, your persona becomes a part of that brand as well. I feel our ethos harbors more darkness than planned and the original goals have become marred with each interaction I took in trying to lead us towards growth.
I cater almost exclusively to a community that I grew up in. Because of this, I consider the individuals that we deal with in that capacity to be family.Or,at least that was the case.
Across the span of a year, I took time off to realize that many of the people I love so dearly were nothing more than constituents and acquaintances.
Upon realization of this, I lashed out and was all but overwhelmed by emotion and turmoil.They would steal our designs,emulate of brand,and threaten to not only ruin our reputation, but also bar us from events.
At some point, I came to realize this is the 'business' that people tout so highly and these costs of entry are but one of many that go alongside engaging in any type of operation or commerce.
I feel it's debilitating to the brand to explain every nuance,trial, or shortcoming we've had or 'play the victim' any longer.But I will say this, it has been tough.
My strongest desire thus far has been to create worthwhile product and share it with the people that inspired it naturally.
With time, I've come to realize that option is not available in certain instances and there will be times where we do have to fight,call people out, and handle some of the dirtier work that goes along with all of this to survive.
The pain in this stance lies in the fact that I love all of these people.
I am not better, more deserving,or more worthwhile than another human and neither are our creations comparitively.However, we have to defend our vision,purpose,and what we've built thus far.
So from here on out, anybody that wants to fight will get one. Not the kind of fight they expect, but the kind that persists even when time has long passed: the truth.
I can't lie, cover up, excuse,or belittle myself or what we do for the sake of appeasing people any longer.
I have little animosity, but I do harbor resentment that some things will never be the same in my eyes and I'm tired of it showing in the tweets,the interactions,and even personal dealings.It's not fair to us or the fans.
Our motto is try hard, never settle,stay hungry...and we want more. So, to reach that point, we will have to do and become more.
I've made some promises to many of you that can now be exercised and the closure that comes from these divulgances hopefully outweighs the distraction or hardship they afford others both now and the future.
And if so, maybe we can talk them out or come to a resolution, but if not that's fine too.In this regard,It's not personal, it's just business. -h_h-
