I generally read the Thursday and Sunday editions of the NY Times with my Twitter account at the ready. I see this reading time as an opportunity to research, follow, and sometimes contact the people in the arts, business, and style sections whose work catches my interest.
One such interaction led to a friendship with an inspiring graffiti artist named Miles Wickham.
I first learned about Miles, also known at The Reskew, in a
NY Times article about artists and models who also work as cater waiters. Intrigued by the mention of Miles being a graffiti artist and actor, I reached out to him via Twitter and eventually met him in person in the lounge of Brooklyn's
Nu Hotel at a small gathering of artists I organized last summer.
An interesting part of Miles' story is that he has created a series of
video graffiti tutorials, mainly aimed at young people. Through personal notes written to him by parents of the children who have watched and learned from the videos, Miles has learned what a difference these tutorials are making in their young lives.
Read on for more about The Reskew in his own words:
CT: How did you get interested in doing graffiti art? Were
there any early sources of inspiration for this particular kind of art?
MW:
I got into graffiti in 2000, when I started going to high school in Brooklyn. I saw a guy in gym class tagging some padded mats, and went to
check out what he was doing. I vaguely remember him encouraging me to try it out.
When i figured out what it was about
- cool forms of self expression and identity and recognition -I got
interested. I think the possibility of friendship lured me in first,
then noticing that others were doing it. Impressed with the
styles, and the feeling of the tags, I became hooked.
When I lived in Italy from ages two to seven, I watched trains pass
from our 5th floor apartment and would see colors which stood out from the usual orange/tan pattern of
all the cars. I wondered why there were these random colors. Now I
know they were graffiti. Something
about the rebellious feeling of the "flow" of the letters and tags of
other people made me want to learn all about the art.
CT:
Do you feel like you have or are part of a community of other grafitti
artists? If so, what role do those people play in your life?
MW: When I was a street tagger, I was part of the huge underground
community of taggers. They served as my driving
force to continue my pursuit as a tagger and an artist. They motivated me to refine my
skills and talent.
Basically, I wanted to make a good impression on them. As much as
graffiti writers claim they are such rebels that they don't give a crap
about what others think, graffiti tends to be heavily based on what others think. Why would we all get so offended by "disrespect" if we didn't care? Why would we be so angry at the
world/system/society?
Now that I am many years sober of the
criminal/vandal aspect, I am in contact with very few taggers. The ones I
am in touch with are the ones who have had a bigger impact on
my life than the general community of taggers. Also, I am a big part of
the community of young grafitti writers, worldwide, through my YouTube tutorials. I like to
be a positive
inspiration and example to them. I feel much gratitude in knowing that I
inspire them.
CT: What words of advice do you have for people, especially young people, who are interested in learning graffiti?
MW:
First, I believe we all have creative abilities, and we need to
discover and refine them. Some of us grew up without the proper support
to know this about ourselves. Remember that graffiti, like all other
skills, take LOTS of experience, lots of hours of practice, to refine to
a level to where you know you are good. There can and probably will be
LOTS of frustration and disappointment on the path. Don't give up on
yourself. Remind yourself that it just takes time and dedication. Try to
practice every day. And take this knowledge with you if you transfer to
any other creative pursuit: every reward takes lots of dedication.
Also, if you're into graffiti, and you're into tagging, being a
rebel, breaking the law, etc., nobody's going
to stop you in your tracks except for yourself.
Just remember, you're choosing to take actions that have certain potential consequences. And if you have such an urge, may I
suggest doing it for the sake of
beautifying ugly, uncared- for things. Don't tag someone's brand new
delivery van, or a freshly painted wall in a nice neighborhood. The
principle I now live by is "Treat others as I'd like to be treated".
CT:
What kind of feedback have you received from both young people and
their parents about your video tutorials? Any specific stories about
that that you want to share?
MW: I have received amazing
feedback. The feedback that I love getting (and i get
lots of it!) is that my tutorials are the most helpful out there,and that
people actually feel inspired, supported and optimistic because of my
approach to sharing my knowledge. Many claim they have suddenly
improved exponentially because of my videos. Some say they have been
doing it a while and that my tutorials opened their eyes in a
new way.
One great story is about a younger guy from a small town in Alabama.
He asked how I get to paint legal murals in the street. There was
definitely no
5 Pointz - type of legal graffiti wall in his town. I
told him go around and ask permission from building owners, which did
not work out for him. He asked about abandoned buildings, and since I
told him its technically still vandalism to paint on them, he took an
easel and a board to the building to paint on, just to have
an outdoor space. He told me he got his materials confiscated by the
police. He kept reporting back to me through YouTube comments, telling me
his journey to figure out how to do this. I kept encouraging him,
telling him that where there's a will there's a way. He said that even the police officer gave him some
suggestions, and returned the materials to him. He finally came to me
with great news and gratitude months later. According to him, it was through my encouragement that he persisted enough to get approved, by the
city, to zone this space as the city's legal graffiti wall!
I also received two emails from a mom of a teenager in Toronto, Canada. The essence of the email is that my video graffiti tutorials had had a huge impact on her teenage son. She was grateful to me for being a role model
CT: What have been some of your recent projects and what are you working on right now?
MW: I've been working on my Alphabet Series for almost a year now, putting hours in at The Brooklyn Workshop
Gallery.
I also recently worked on 19 murals at 55 Hope Street, a new condo building
in Williamsburg. They are all colorful abstract pieces. The last two pieces are a culmination of
many years of experimenting and mixing styles and techniques.
CT: What are some of your dreams for yourself in the coming year or two? What would be a dream come true for you?
MW: I dream of having a huge studio space in
NYC in which I make the large pieces that I LOVE making.
I dream of selling
to collectors who share my joy and excitement about my work. My dream come true is for the work that I love
most to get exposed to the masses, so that as many people as possible
can have the chance to see and connect with it.
CT: What are some of your interests/loves/pursuits in addition to making graffiti art?
MW: I
love the arts. I enjoy acting, martial arts, dancing, playing classical
piano, drumming. I also love surfing and snowboarding. I have learned Wing-Chun Kung Fu, and am currently in my 3rd year of
Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, which is an ancient form of Jujutsu, a very
refined and disciplined martial art and the predecessor to Aikido.
It
fascinates me to explore and experience the human body's dynamics and
energy in relation to itself and in contact with the elements and other
people. All these things I am interested in seem to be, in essence, like
some form of dance. The ultimate experience in all of them is to be
fully connected with yourself and your tools, canvas, surroundings,
etc. - physically, emotionally, mentally, energetically, and spiritually.
More about Miles: http://about.me/mileswickham
