Latest / Sunshine & Bubbles High Vibin Podcast / Make The Art, Attract The Work, Trust The Energy

Transcript

Make The Art, Attract The Work, Trust The Energy · Sunshine & Bubbles High Vibin Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: All right, and we're powered on.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_02: And we're going live here for the broadcast.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_02: And we're live.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, Jeff.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_02: Hi.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_02: You guys, I'm so pumped.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: I have a person here that I'm a huge fan of.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_02: I love all your artwork and your community engagement and just your personality.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_02: Your vibe is just so awesome, Jeff.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_02: This is Jeff Shomsky, right?
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_02: Skomsky.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_02: Skomsky.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_02: Close.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_02: From the West Bend area, West Bend, Wisconsin.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: Is that where you grew up?
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Since about the third grade, I've been in West Bend or Washington County.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: I was born in the falls and then at community memorial, then was there for until about second grade and came now to Washington County.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_02: And then you've been here ever since.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I lived in Germantown for a couple years, but I have family out here.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I was out always out here, essentially.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, and now you have a beautiful wife here.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Nicole.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: Nicole, who I'm sure is gonna be tuning in at some point and cheering you on.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: She's probably your biggest cheerleader, hey, with all of you, and that and your mom.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, my mom, my wife, and my mother-in-law.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a big tri effect of positivity.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, that makes all the difference, doesn't it, Jack?
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, your vibe, you're only as strong as your team.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: And that is a great team, especially when you're blazing trails like you are.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm trying.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: I like to keep pushing the envelope as far as I can.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_02: Ah, I love that.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_02: So can you so for those of you don't know, he we have on display some of his beautiful artwork that you've got like your own vibe to it.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: Like, where do you draw your inspiration?
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how does the tell me, walk me through the processes?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: I know you you paint every day.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's actually really funny because it all started when I was younger.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: I just needed a good outlet for just life.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I wasn't the best in school, not purposefully, but like, you know, it just didn't click the the best, I guess.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So art I always excelled in.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then my art style kind of came from when rock band came out or Guitar Hero Metallica, and they had this they had a tool song in there, and Alex Gray, the artist, I saw it, and they had the animation of all the eyes kind of spiral up, and I'm like, that's so cool.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: I want to do that one day.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And essentially, that's what kind of got me into drawing cosmic themed, you know, really out there type artwork.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I play drums too, and I like to think it's like rhythm of color on canvas, you know.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh, I like that rhythm of color on canvas.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because all of most of you I've been noticing that most of your work is very vibrant.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of use of colors, and there's a lot of line work too.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: I like to make different rhythms with colors, especially when I can use the same color but different shades, and you can make patterns out of it, and all the end product of it is usually really cool.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: And artwork has taught me when I'm like halfway through a piece and I'm not sure if it's gonna, you know, be a banger or if it's you know, where I'm unsure, do I keep going?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I taught after I taught myself it's believe in yourself and keep going with it.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: All of a sudden, the end product you you'll know when you're done.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of it all, it's really rewarding.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it just taught me to believe in myself because if you don't believe in yourself, nobody will believe in you.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_02: So wow, and that came through the art.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, essentially, it's just positivity and reassurance of you know, just you know, let's go, let's do it.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: You can do it, finish it strong.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: Is there ever a point where you've like abandoned pieces and you're like, no, I just can't?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_02: Or is it is it really like a good practice to kind of see it through?
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: When I was before art I found to be my most strong suiting talent or hobby, yeah, I would abandon pieces because I'd be like, I don't know.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And it was really before I established my style or like, you know, what kind of tells people it's my you know, what people know like what makes it my own, I guess.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Before I established that, I abandoned not a lot of pieces, but I would get to a point where I'm kind of like, I don't know, you know, you just weren't vibing with it anymore.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: But now I if I start something, I always finish it.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_02: Because you have that confidence, right?
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_02: And that to practice and that take time and perseverance.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: And well, now I'm doing a lot of commission pieces too for people, and it helps a lot when I know that people, you know, not only want to see my art on a daily basis up in their home, but it gives you a confidence of, you know, people like what I'm doing, and it's very, very rewarding.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they're like to so what does that mean to be if I were to commission a piece from you, what does that look like?
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: I will paint anything you want.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: I can do anything, I mean to an extent.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: I can do like portraits and stuff, but like, you know, typically people have an idea that my art is more cartoony, not like, you know, don't expect a identical portrait, you know.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um but I have been my uh most popular request recently has been pets, dogs, cats.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: I've done one guy had me do six horror film canvases, and it's pretty cool when it's thematic like that.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, yeah, I like to put my spin on almost anything to an extent.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because well, they're coming to you, your vibe attracts your tribe.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like they're coming to you to commission a piece because they like your style.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: So it's cool to like kind of get in your it's like a little piece of your brain.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: A little bit, but yeah, it's really rewarding that people now, you know, come to me and they I want this.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, you know, I get flattered because about I don't know, a year ago, I never thought I could sell my art, and my mother-in-law said, you know, you should do this, and that's what started the fire.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: Did it before your mother-in-law, what's her name?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: Kathy.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: Before your sweet sweetest mother-in-law, Kathy, was like, hey, you should sell this, did that did that thought like occur to you, or was it really like something you enjoyed doing and and giving to people?
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I just did she it was like a light switch?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to get in your brain a little bit on that.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Pretty much she brought it up in conversation one day because all those before I was making my art prominently in my free time, I was making music at the time.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm I have a lot of not a lot of hobbies, but a good amount of hobbies.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's good to have good hobbies.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I was pretty much trying to lock in what I'm best at ultimately.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: And once I started drawing more, because it was just when I started dating my now wife, Nicole.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: She also was like, You're really good at drawing.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: And all of a sudden I started doing that a lot more, and then I started bringing my artwork around her family, and her family, then you know, my mother-in-law, she was like, You should try selling this.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, in a way, I kind of giggled at the time, like, yeah, right, you know, and now I look back and where I am now, and I'm just very, very surprised and grateful, and all the opportunities and all the wonderful people I've met in the seven months I've been doing this.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: I never would have thought that life could be so awesome.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you're you're living your truth, your speech, you're sharing your gifts, and and have such a wonderful creative outlet and can make money while you're doing it.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I did a lot of murals around Washington County.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: My first mural was in Milwaukee on Farwell at a vape shop called Glasshouse, and it's on Farwell on the east side, and that was my he kind of I shot a shot in the dark, honestly, seeing if he had any form of interest in any art.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And he told me to come to his store, and then we he was like, How do you feel about doing a mural?
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: I never never even crossed my my mind, honestly.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, sure, let's do it.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: And from then, that point on, it was kind of like I took a week off for that for my job, and I made it, I went back to work a week later and I made it to Wednesday and I quit.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna go well with my wife's blessing, obviously.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: We have a house, so I'm like, you know, I took a chance, and what really solidified it the day she gave me her blessing, we for lunch at work stopped at this Chinese restaurant.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: So good, anyways.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: I got a fortune cookie and it said, You're gonna go on a on a wild, you know, life journey.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, all right, I jump shit.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: So even though it was very, very scary and nerve-wracking going and telling my boss and whoever, you know, I'm done.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: What were you doing at the time?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Where were you working?
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: I I was delivering appliances at Bergman's Appliance and Slinger, and don't get me wrong, the owner of it, he treated me very, very well.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: It was more so who I had to work with on a daily basis that made it very difficult.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: But he was a very good boss.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: I love Bergman's.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, best service handout.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: He was a very good boss and he did me a lot of favors and he he did me very well.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: And whoever's a mentor at some point, yeah, and whoever works there, they're very lucky to have such a wonderful boss.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, what's his name?
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: Ed.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_02: Shout out to Ed for putting the good work.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: Bergman's has been around forever.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like since I've lived here, and it's really cool seeing a family business thrive.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: Is it family there?
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so his father, I'm not sure if he started the company, but and then two Bergmanns now took over it after his father unfortunately passed uh years ago.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: But it's a family business and it's small, small, it's small business and it's local, which is even better.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and I love that.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: I do too, but I love that you had the gumption, the gusto, and the support to be able to say, I'm gonna lean into this and go on the wild adventure that the fortune could be telling that foretold.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: Talk about divine intervention, Jeff.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: Do you believe in all that?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: Kind of hard not to.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I had one co-worker, his name's Carl, and he sparked my faith in Jesus.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: And like, don't get me wrong, like I don't go to church on a on a weekly basis or anything, but I pray all the time.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: And he kind of sparked that interest in me.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And after I took this leap of faith, I just lay all of my hope and manifestation in, you know, who's ever just out there watching me, you know, and I pray a lot.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that and it's doing you gotta be the change you want to see in the world.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it's doing good things and trying to be the best person I can.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, pretty much he I feel like yes, there is divine intervention.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I pray I'll be in the store and I'll be talking to myself or you know, about what I'm praying for.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I'll forget that I'm talking out loud.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll be around people and they're just like, this dude's off as rocker, you know.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just talking with Jesus, you know, we got we got a good line of communication.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: But I no, I get very, very grateful for every single day that I get to chase my dream.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_02: Well, yeah, glory, glory be to God, and and that he gave you such wonderful gifts.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: It sounds like, you know, not even artists, artistry, but music and mechanically, and you helped me with my microphone, and my goodness, it's awesome.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: So, okay, so I don't want to stray too far away from the art because so you did the mural, yeah, and you're like, this feels really good.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and once I figured out I can make money doing that, I decided to put really push the envelope and see how far I can push it.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: And from there, I did a mural at the Washington County Humane Society.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: And really, yeah, it was such a good time, and I almost left with a rottweiler.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: How could you not, right?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, so I I asked, I'm like, Do you guess I mean Rottweilers?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: We actually do.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I took a break that one day I could have easily been done in in a single day, but I wanted to go back because I just like being there.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um oh they had uh it was like a hundred-pound 12-month-old rottweiler, and a thing was gorgeous, but we I couldn't afford another dog.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: We already have one pit bull mastiff mix and we a pitbull mastiff, yeah.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: How many pounds is is I think like 80.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, he he's a lap dog too, but he is just a bundle of joy.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my goodness, what's his name?
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Hercules.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_02: Hercul Hercules! Hercules, Hercules, okay, sorry, I had to do it.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: No, absolutely like three-fifths of the time I tell people Hercules, they do the same thing.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's awesome.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: Then I have a cat.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: She's we took bets on it actually at Thanksgiving, how much she weighs and 17 pounds.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: She's a big girl.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, she is.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I'll be driving, and if I see a raccoon on the side of the road, I think my cat got out.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: Does she look does she look like a raccoon?
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: She has the size of a raccoon, yes, and some of the same color palette, too.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: But her name's Autumn.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: She's usually a pretty good cat.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: She wants to be fed, then she'll knock things over, you know, make it very apparent she's hungry.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that sounds like me.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: Hanger is a real thing.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Me too.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Even for the fur babies.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then from there, I there was because I was able to get in a newspaper for it, which is pretty sweet, which I'd never expected.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then the same thing with on TMJ4, which I got that phone call for the Mural The Pain Society, and when it was like 7:30 in the morning, and I was just I go to bed late, wake up early typically, because that's just how my brain is.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: I don't really sleep that much.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm always on like, let's go, you know, do do some work, you know, something.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I got a phone call from this weird number, and I'm like, hello, and it was hey, this is so-and-so from TMJ4, how are you?
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, my first thing was, is this a joke?
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it wasn't, so that was pretty cool.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: And when that happened shortly after the Humane Society mural, I got really lucky and I did a mural at the chillin' fill in Slinger, and that was shortly after the Humane Society, a lot of fun.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then we did the article thing for the TMJ4, and then pretty much I just started like you know making random phone calls and sending random messages, and I did a whole slew of murals at the secret garden in the town of Polk, so it's kind of like right behind the Humane Society.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, semi-recently they suffered a fire at their establishment, which I really hope that they're able to come out of that and thrive because they have some of the coolest sage and accessories of that nature, stones.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Dave, he runs it, he does all the wire wrapping, so cool, and it's a very good energy there.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: I did a whole slew of murals there.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: That was a really fun time.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Another cool one I did in Barton in her window, another gem shop, it's called The Wonderland.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um Alice in Wonderland.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going down Barton Avenue towards the water, right before the bridge is her facility or her store on the right-hand side, and she's awesome too.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: I did a big, big mural at the threshold, and that was like a butterfly metamorphosis.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Super fun.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: Tails and Trails in Kawascom.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: That was a good time.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: It was like really warm.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: It was part of summer, and it was on their big fence line when you pull in.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it was my first experience painting fence, like uh, you know, actual wood like that.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: So it took some getting used to.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: I had to go and sand it down after figuring it out, and then I was using acrylic, thick acrylic paint, which eventually, once I got used to watering it down properly and getting that perfect ratio, it made it a lot easier.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that was fun, and then I didn't a mural after that.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: The big brother, big sister.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: That was a good time to stick out a new rec center.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of nonprofit work in the community, Casa Guadalupe.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: I did three murals there.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, CC! Yeah, and they're the most welcoming, loving people I've ever I've ever met in my life, and they've given me so much opportunity.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: Do you hablas espanol?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: A little bit.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Poquito?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: They let me like live paint at Fiesta Latina this summer.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: That was a lot of fun.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: I was able to auction off the canvases I painted for them, and we were able to raise almost$400 for their organization, and that made me very happy.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, I'm also volunteering my time every week, Wednesday, for a paint kids class and teaching kids how to well make art and outlet and kind of you know, one day you can do what I'm doing, you know.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: Wow! It's super cool.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: My it's so fun giving back and just being able to give what I'm good at to the community and have you know whoever wants to run with it.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: I did a mural at the youth and family project.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's another really fun mural I did.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: I actually it's really wild.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: I had counseling there when I was a kid because my mom lives a couple houses down, and you know, so it was kind of a full circle type thing.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: And My latest biggest murals that I've did recently, I got very blessed.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: I made random phone calls, you know, and one of them being Loch Lorraine Park in West Bend.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: And now it was about a couple weeks later, I was at my buddy's house and I got a phone call and it was Loch Lorraine.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: And they were asking me about, you know, cut me.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: I called about a mural, and they're like, so you want to come do a mural?
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, yeah.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I went there and I eventually became really good friends with her name's Courtney, and she works for the Parks and Rec department.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so the city was they hired me to do the murals at Laclaron Park, which I never it was a dream of mine to work with the city of US Ben.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so amazing when dreams can come true and when it just falls in your lap like that.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_02: Attracting, not chasing, manifesting.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I just want to do the best I can for my family and myself and just try to take life by the horns.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then I got after you so much, so many murals in the town is only so big, I ran out of walls to paint.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to figure out, you know, things to do because bills always they're always coming.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I started doing paint and sit type classes, whether they're non-alcoholic, alcoholic, whatever is fitting for the facility.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: I don't drink personally, but everyone Ever?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_02: Have you ever drank?
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I just stopped.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I had an unpleasant experience, and I I don't know.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: I got drugged at a bar one time, and since that point, I just stopped drinking.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: So pretty much that's that.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: And since I stopped though, it's been life's been really good.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_02: And how long has it been since you quit drinking?
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: It was right before the Humane Society mural.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it was April maybe.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: Coming up on a year, pretty, you know, well.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: And ultimately, you know, it was really easy to do.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: And now my I I mean, I didn't have a problem or anything, but like just I just noticed my body, even from periodic drinking.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now I don't at all.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: My body just feels like a gold mine.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's amazing.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_02: A gold mine.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, you don't miss those hangovers, right?
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: And even still, that was more of a in my 20s type thing.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm 31 now, and you know, it's not very appealing, and it's unsafe to be drinking and driving.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I'm more of a homebody now, especially when I have a loving wife.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: We have a family we don't have any kids, but we have our pets.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: Fur babies.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: So there's so much at home, and so and there's way too much to lose, and especially with you know, I anyone, you know, it's just not worth it.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: But and then my latest and greatest accomplishment for murals was the city got a hold of me again, and I was off my rocker because I was just so excited.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: When the library in West Bend got the flooding we had, which bless everyone who's affected by that.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: I know a lot of people were, they had flooding in the basement of the library, and it's a dance studio down there in a big rec area.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't even know that until I had the meeting with Ryan from Parks and Rec.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: Pretty much they had me do a big, big, it's a four by eight mural.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: And originally it was gonna be in the sky, uh, what's the city of West Bend Parks and Recreation in all different blues in the tower, like the logo, and then in the not sky portion of it, it was gonna be a tree, some dancers, you know, because it's a dance studio type thing, and then I was also gonna make the sky like a geometric pattern type thing with all a bunch of different blues and lines, and but instead we settled on just the sky portion where it's the park and recreation logo, but my my interpretation of it, and so I was able to do that, and it was so cool, and uh winter was just starting, so it was really neat that I could well be working inside on a really nice wall because believe it or not, if you have a really nice wall and it's very clean, it's not all full of you know gunk or whatever, it makes painting on it a lot more enjoyable, easy, and it just looks you know, it turns out a lot better.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a perfect canvas and perfect way to start the frigid cold season.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: But it sounds like crossing all my fingers and toes, it sounds like early 26, I'll have a stairwell to do at the library as well.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like super excited, and I can't believe it.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, that's all the murals I I've done, I think.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: Well, that is great to start in the short amount of time that you've been doing it.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_02: It just seems like yeah, you've been attracting things and not chasing it.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_02: And George's new doorways are opening up for you.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_02: Congratulations, Jeff.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_02: I really appreciate it.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_02: And murals, you're not a one joint.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, not to say that murals are a trick, but I feel like that's not all you do.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_02: No worries.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: I yeah, show me is this the first skateboard you've done?
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so no.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: Do you skate?
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: So um since you've been little or yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong, I've had a couple of good falls and I've broken some bones, but Oh broken bones.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh not me too.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: The the most wild thing was I broke my dominant wrist skateboarding, and for about two years, I was all of a sudden right-handed, because I'm left-handed originally.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to figure out how to write and everything with my right hand.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: But then after going to the gym for a couple years, the dumbbell way it's helped me strengthen my wrist, and now it's like I mean, when it's cold outside, I can notice it a little bit, but very grateful because I thought I was gonna be right-handed forever.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, do you paint left your south saw?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: Me too.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_02: Sweet.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: I paint with my left hand, but I play guitar and drums and bass with my right dominant, and then I golf golf left-handed.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: I also skateboard lefty, so goofy.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_02: Can you do cool tricks?
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what's can you can you alley and owlie and grind?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: The so I was on TMJ for twice, once through the Humane Society, and then this was recently, actually in October, for the new skate park.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: Pretty much my one of my buddies from way back when gave the same guy that interviewed me for the Humane Society thing my number, and he called me.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: And all of a sudden, one morning, it was right after the wedding, we're gonna go do the name change for my wife and West Ben.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're driving from Jackson, that's Wheel of Jackson, and so and so from TNJ 4 came up on my voicemail.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, what?
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, hey, you want to do an interview for the skate park?
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, yeah.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I was able to skateboard and it got on the news.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: I was what?
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: I kind of forgot about it, honestly, until we're talking about it.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: But no, I love skateboarding still.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I have to be careful because we have a mortgage and stuff, and I don't think the it hurts.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: You don't bounce like you did used to when you're little, right?
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think the mortgage company would understand, you know.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: So um I met uh I met a guy out of Milwaukee, and he started a board company called Legendary Skateboards, and legendary is in milk.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: So he ended up having me design uh design this graphic, and they the company bought it from me, and then they made 50 of these boards, printed them all, and they come in plastic, brand new cellophane.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like this one's purple, purple's my favorite color, but they're all different colors, different sizes, and it's really cool.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then yeah.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I see that.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, legendary, yeah, and with the dairy, absolutely, and it's a bee 1026.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, that's my Instagram handle is killa bee1026.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: Follow me.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: Please do, yeah, go follow this guy.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: You are like on fire right now, man.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: When I first started, I I was trying to make a cool business name, and I came up with the dude incorporated.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um is that from like the dude?
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, kind of, but like not not exactly, but like my growing up, my dad showed me a big Obowski that's been our like inside joke forever now because Jeff Briggs and in the movie is also Jeff, and like you know, the dude.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, but it's funny.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I made like that name, the dude incorporated, and I was so like ecstatic about it because you don't know, it just hidden all cylinders.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: But then after over time went on, now I don't even use it anymore.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: I've I've got so far just using my own name that like I don't want to like keep switching gears, you know, and confusing people.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I put that in the back burner, and but yeah, ultimately there's still I'm not sure the exact number, but there's out of 50 of those boards, there's still probably a quarter of them left, so maybe like 10 to 15 left, and I have access to them.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: So if anyone's interested, feel free to let me know.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then when those are gone, we're gonna do it all over again with a new design.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to when the new park comes to West Bend, I want to somehow see if we can do a collaboration with the board company, maybe the city or something, and the skate parks.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to sponsor kids and get them riding our boards, which would be super cool, you know.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it's just cool when you can think of ways to give back to the community that you were brought up in, you know.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_02: And then we have to connect all the dots for that, you know.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I try, you know.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: I try to it all seems to be so aligned for you.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: I try to see see the bigger picture and until I until I see the bigger picture, I try to make the bigger picture and connect the dots and chase it.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: You do no no the footwork, you know.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so it's all about how far you want to push the envelope, and I'm trying to push it as far as I possibly can.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: Another really, really cool thing, and this is gonna be one of the coolest things I've got to do ever.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_02: This graph ever, ever, ever like this is like the culmination of the artistry.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: I never would have thought I would even be considered to do this.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: So this canvas, three little birds, a local author and I, her name's Krista Young.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: She wrote a book, a children's book, and one of her dreams is to get it published.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: So initially, I met her because I would post my excuse me, my art on some of the county pages and stuff, just to I don't know, get the word out there in any format.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_00: And she wanted me to paint her piano stand because she did, she wrote a song and at the theater in West Bend, they did a citywide no talent show where people can come show their showcase their talents.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: And she wanted my colors and all that on her piano stand so she stood out.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, she not only did a home run at the talent show and she got a front page in the newspaper, but from then we developed a friendship, and her and I work at the same pace.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of some people like when it comes to art, we work at different paces, and it's cool when you can find someone who just goes and goes and goes, and you know, they want it, you know.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: So we we both essentially she had me illustrate a whole children's book, and it's not your basic ABCs.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: There is letters in it, but each letter, so the letter A has a poem to it, and the first letter of each poem has the letter A.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then to make it even more thematic, the very beginning of the book, this is the letter B, so it starts off at like very big very early dawn, and then by the middle of the book, it's lunch, and then by like endish of the book, it or seven eighths per se, it's dusk, nighttime, and then the very last letter is going to be where dawn and dusk cusp and collide essentially.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: It just adds a whole nother layer to the book, and I feel like it's gonna be really, really different from a lot of you know children's books that I've read and saw growing up, I guess.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: And we're we're expecting to have it published and distributed in all the goods, it'll be in Barnes and Noble, Amazon.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of the places I've done work with said that they are going to buy the book and have it at their facility, one being the SP Hippie.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: They were one of my very, very first avenues to that's where I met you.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually through Josh at Sisi Hippie.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because the first time I went there, I saw some of DNA of DNA, I got a buffer, some of DNA hemp's products.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, whoa, what's that?
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and oh I get a hold of her, she would give you a lot of energy.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, sweet.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that's how that's how I met you, and then they let me design a coffee cup, and they made, I think it was 20 of them.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: He said he was baffled because they sold within a weekend, all of them.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, oh, for real?
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's so wild, you know.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't know what to expect, really.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: And pretty much, so that was really really awesome, really helpful.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: And they said that because with their new facility right across the street from Nia's Meat Market.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: I was there recently.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: I had art actually showcased there as of right now, but he said that they'd buy a book and have it showcased.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_00: And in the future, we're gonna be doing a paint sit event there too.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really excited because it's so cool seeing it well, more small business just keep growing, you know, and how much they can accomplish.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: And they've grown a lot, even from just from when I knew them to in the number of years, they've it's awesome.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_02: Their energy is amazing, and the fact that they work with they have their own nonprofit, middle ground connections.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's so cool.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_02: That helps, you know, all types of special, special needs children get integrated in the community and and use their gifts.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I feel like their hearts are just amazing, and it just makes so much sense that you guys would be aligned and and putting in the good work together.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's awesome.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I'm so grateful for all the awesome connections, the people, all the wonderful people I've met, and you know, very, very grateful, and it's cool, and you can just see so much good good in the world, you know.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, we're planning on having the book in our hands published by early 26th, February, March, or the very latest.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: And we're already starting the next book, which I'm so excited because I was doing I did each illustration of the book on Canvas.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: So over time A through Z.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, and then even some like on the very first page when you turn the cover, it's blank, but in the corner is there's a pray mantis.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because I love pray mantises.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: So pretty much we're on canvases, so we can make calendars, or we can, you know, if someone wants like a print of this per se, all right, done, you know, that and then if the book takes off, like we're hoping, you know, each canvas could be the originals could be worth a lot of money, like a Dr.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: Seuss, you know.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, and I got really lucky because after this was done, I was doing about one canvas a night after because I have started working part-time with where my wife works at Blaze Barber Shop as a receptionist because well, I can't be painting walls all the time.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um man, one day, one day, yeah, one day, but pretty much just another avenue where I can make money, and I love working there because our boss, she's very, very good to us, and she's a lovely lady.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_00: She actually is sponsoring Blades Barber Shop on 33 Nextus Plus.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: She is sponsoring my kids' class at Casa Guadalupe, so she's helping pay for the supplies and all that for the kids, and she gives back my my boss, gives back a lot to the community as well.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_02: Are you looking for sponsorships?
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, pretty much any form of whoever wants to reach out.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to sponsor, I as of right now I'm volunteering my time every Wednesday.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_00: Not we postponed it the past two weeks because there was a class where a couple of us got sick, and with the holidays coming, we don't want anyone to be out of a holiday.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna start up again in the first of the year, and then it'll be weekly on a Wednesday.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_00: And saying that if anyone wants to offer sponsorship, we'd be more than grateful.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: Again, Casa Guadalupe is such an awesome organization, and I love working with them.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, so I started working there, and essentially, yeah, sorry, I lost my train of thought.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, with the book, I got really, really lucky, and the author let me have some input on ideas of what the next book is gonna entail.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I am not, we're not like it's not set in stone like what it's gonna for sure be, but the idea I gave her was really cool.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot about bigger pictures of I don't know, I was thinking about like what is life, you know, and so I'm like, what if chapter one we talk about and illustrate and depict like amoebas, right?
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: The smallest of the small germs.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: Then chapter two, segment two, we go up scale the next thing, bugs, you know, the next, you know, and then you keep kind of going, like the turtle concept where you know it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and then all of a sudden, towards the end of the book, we're in space talking about aliens.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to get rid of Really sassy, you know.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_00: We can talk interdimensional, you know, ghosts and spirits and energies.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't know what she was gonna think if it was gonna be too off the wall.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: But she was like, that's marvelous.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, sweet.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: And it sounds like since I was able to incorporate the prayantis as essentially a mascot in the first book and that very first page, where it's just a blank page in pray mantis.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna carry that through all of her books.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I remember where I was going with the whole my job thing.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_00: So after work, I'll come home and not go to Canvas at night.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's always the best one.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: When it finally bloomerangs comes back.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: So after I at the very end of it, you know, between working and then I was juggling the book, work, the library mural, and I was, you know, kind of getting tired.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like looking forward to a break, right?
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: But in the back of my head, I knew once I sat down and I wasn't doing anything, I was gonna hate it because I always feel like I need to work.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: Always.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: But that's how you beggar yourself, you know.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't keep pushing it, you know, you're not gonna flourish, you know.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: So pretty much I I once the book was done with, or my part of it was done, I knew exactly how it was gonna go.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, I'm kind of sad now, you know.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_00: That was so much fun.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it was sweet when she was like, We're not this is only the first book.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, sign me up for another.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I got ideas.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I was really grateful and surprised that she gave me some input on, like, you know, what we should do for the next one.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_00: Should I show more canvases that I brought, you think?
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah, you definitely should, because these are pieces of your this is like soul extensions.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_02: Hold on, before like when you're painting, are you I picture you, you might have headphones on, or like music is blaring.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_02: So you're drinking, you said your your coffee is like your go-go, like zen juice.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_00: Coffee chills me out, and it's funny because like you know, a lot of people are the opposite with me.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just like, sweet, oh coffee, let's go take a nap, you know.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_00: So if I'm like at home alone drawing, yeah, I'll have like Pink Floyd or Bob Marley, pretty much a lot of old music.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: I totally an old soul, but then I feel that, I feel that, and then one like when I'm drawing or painting and my wife is home and we're you know unwinding after a long day at work, we'll watch some TV.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_00: Recently, it's been you know, kill Tony, it's comedy type stuff, or like we love watching the Adam Ray Dr.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_00: Phil.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's a comedian who dresses up as Dr.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_00: Phil and impersonates him, but like, you know, kind of like PG 13.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's pretty funny.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then otherwise, we like watching ghost hunter type stuff.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: So on YouTube it's called Sam and Kobe, and people go and like they they did one, they went to the conjuring house and they were like, I don't know, hunting ghosts.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_00: It was pretty cool.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_00: Do you believe in ghosts?
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I believe in that they're just like different dimensional beings that are strong enough to well pierce into our dimension and kind of like commun communicate whether it's through random things or if they're just messing with you, or you know, I feel like it's just energy that's strong enough to make an appearance, I guess.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_02: That's an interesting way to put it.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_02: I like that.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, energy is everything really.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, I feel like if you have good strong energy and you can amplify that and radiate it off yourself to the you know, manifestations and thought is makes life.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_00: And if you keep thinking about life and what you want to see in it and who you want to be in life, I feel like you know, you put off that right energy.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_00: And again, you gotta be the change you want to see in the world.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I like to be the most positive, like bubbly, you know, colorful energy that I can because that's why the colors all kind of just come out of my brain and my soul and onto the canvas because it's very easy to captivate that.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a lot of fun.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_00: I and sometimes too, I see like all the different colors, like kind of like the chakras, and how it's a different part of your of your energy, and you know, yes, and sometimes depending on my mood, I can tell by how what colors I choose in my art too, and or like what I'm painting.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I I had to do a dog painting recently, which was super cool.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: It was for uh my old home egg teacher in middle school, which was a fluke, and it was for a dog who unfortunately passed away, but this dog was like the the love of multiple people, like they had a wake for this dog because of how amazing it was.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I when she kind of gave me the backstory of it and kind of laid out the parameters of this is how the dog was, and the dog was very loved.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was able to kind of like put that on into the art and figure out what shades of blue I wanted to use for the sky, and you know, it's cool when you can have a backstory to something and you know kind of put that energy into it.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, so this is well, this is Space Jam, and it's like Monstars, and I love Space Jam and I love Michael Jordan, and pretty much I do a lot of farmers markets and such, and I had a whole stockpile of canvases, but I paint so frequently that at the end of it all, I was pretty much giving away all my leftover canvases to all the connections and people that I've made over time, just giving my away my my R away for free because I like I like giving to people.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_00: I could tell.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I like I make them so fast that it doesn't matter to me.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so pretty much I was able to bring a handful of my best remains, I guess.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, this is Space Jam, Monstars.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_00: I adore Space Jam.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_02: And you have a tattooed, right?
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_02: You you showed me you have like the Bugs Bunny on there.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_02: Bugs Bunny and Which is a whole nother so do you see yourself maybe one day being a tattoo?
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_02: Do you consider yourself a tattoo artist?
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_02: And would you pursue that more?
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_02: Or are we I or what are your thoughts on that?
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I've tattooed myself and I've done this one.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_00: I did not do my my my my buddy Ian did that.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_00: That'd be really hard to uh absolutely do that.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_00: I did a fraction of my own tattoos, and it was easy.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you your tattoos will be as good as your stencil, and doing it on myself, I learned how to find that sweet spot of pressure where you're not you know it's not horrible pain, but you're also gonna make it stick.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I've tried to get an apprenticeship through places, but very expensive, and you're just kind of at someone's mercy for how however long they want.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know, owning a house, I need to make money.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I was kind of thrown off the table, unfortunately.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: I know like you can get just licensing from the state or like you know, to clean cleanly handle the supplies, and then yeah, you could do it legally, but I would much rather have the backbone of experience and you know, but it's also hard because if you tell a tattoo artist that you already have done some, they kind of don't like to fix bad habits that you do unknowingly.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_00: So as much as I would it'd be cool for sure, maybe over time if I'm in a predicament where I can invest money and time into it, but until then, I it was like a winter hobby.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 48:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then pretty much, so I have space jam, and then what else do I have?
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_02: This is my favorite.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: I just love this.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if it's because of the cross, and you know, it reminds me of the Van Gogh Starry Night.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I maybe like a fire, yeah.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_02: The fire starting here, and like they, you know, I don't know.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to try to replicate a very classic timeless piece and starry night out of all the Van Goghs, it's just I don't know.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_00: It was so cool, and when you're looking at it, from an artistic standpoint, this didn't seem very very hard to do, the swirl.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: But after I started doing it, holy cannoli, it was quite intensive and super cool.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_00: And my wife, Nicole, she was like, please don't get rid of that.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: Can we please hang it up in the bedroom?
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, Yes.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, honey.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_00: At first, I was like the good husband.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_00: At first I was like, Oh, that's gonna sell so fast, but then it grew on me.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_00: And you're like, I love seeing it every night and every morning.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I'm sometimes like that with uh the product, like all the work that goes into it and the intention.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_02: I sometimes have a hard time letting it go.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, why?
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_02: Don't do that to yourself, but I get it, I get the the artistry behind it.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_00: I don't do, I mean, I can do faces, and now that I have a whole new color palette to use, it's very helpful.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: But this, I'm very surprised this one hasn't sold yet.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is Michael Jordan.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_00: I absolutely love this canvas.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's cool because it says I did a bunch of colors, and then it says Michael Jordan, and then there's some skyscrapers and such, like Chicago.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_00: And in saying this, definitely one of the best faces I've ever made in my life.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_00: And it's very it was a very proud moment, but I'm like not upset it hasn't sold because this is like one of my favorites.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_00: I refuse to give it away.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, no, this one will be paid.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_00: That and just like for the longest time, I just felt like faces were kind of like my struggle.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_00: So after I was able to really do good with that one, I'm like, you're not going anywhere.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most popular commission topics I get is like pets and stuff.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_00: And my cousin from Green Bay, he had me do his dog and he wanted more of the Rasta type vibe.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I did well, the Rasta colors, kind of like uh the background with the palm trees.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, recently I've had a lot of dog commissions, which is sweet.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_00: I love painting dogs, and I did one cat commission the other night, which was the first one I've actually done ever.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it was a really good time.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_00: When I was at stay there, when I was at the Humane Society, I had a lot of different animal graphics already like made, and I wasn't doing anything with them.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I offered and I donated multiple animal graphics that they could merchandise and like do whatever they want with.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I gave them the physical and the digital copies, and I told them, like, you know, if you guys ever need want to do fundraisers and make any form of graphics or take my graphics and put it on anything, like it it's yours.
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_00: It gave them the liberty, yes, because it was an an awesome experience, and again, I just like to give away it sometimes because well it's getting your work out there, yeah.
• 52:20
  SPEAKER_02: Get into more hands and conversation pieces, and they're gonna tell their friends, their friends are gonna tell their friends, and then before you know it, you're making new friends.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's very mind b boggling too because I am kinda like I'm slightly introverted on most days, but then some days I'm like I wanna go be extroverted and be very social, but like usually, especially previously before I was very like introverted, so like it was kind of unbelievable to me how many cool people and wonderful friends I've made in such a small amount of time, and well, it's just very like awesome.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know, for a minute previously, I I'm 31 now, so it's kind of hard to make friends at this age because everyone's usually doing their own thing or whatever.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really cool being able to meet a lot of new people that you know are just nice and want to share my art with me, I guess.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, absolutely.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember you at the Cheryl's Club, you came and did the 420 party.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that was the very after the Sabia hippie, that was the very next thing that I was able to do, and that was an awesome opportunity because it was like art night type thing.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it was the very first opportunity I had to actually set my art up and sell it, like prints and such.
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_00: What?
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: Really?
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think I bought them all.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_02: You had like little mini ones, yeah, and that reminds me, I don't know where they're around here somewhere.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_02: We like kind of recently moved into this this space, so I cannot wait to uncover those and get those up on the wall.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, those are OGs, those are original.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I pretty much I would I was trying to figure out ways to be different, but yet be traditional in getting my art out there and prints and such, but I didn't want to be like plain Jane, but then also I didn't want to spend a ton of money either.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I ended up making like I figured out a way to make full sheet prints, but on their stickers.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I figure it's different because, well, you can frame it if you wanted to.
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_00: If you had like a toolbox, you can stick it right on there, and it's a pretty good size sticker, and I was able to figure out a way to keep the cost down to where it's not much more than it would cost to get a print made.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I can still sell them for relatively the same cost.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I just feel like it's more of a multi-tool than just a single, a singular, like you know, print, I guess, or like a you know, it has multiple purposes, I guess.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's all I don't know.
• 55:09
  SPEAKER_00: I like to try to be different and just re- or find ways to be slightly cutting edge.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just to stand out, I guess, you know.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_02: I know and Cheryl's, we have your cannabis leaf that you did is one of my favorite pieces in the joint.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_02: Sweet.
• 55:27
  SPEAKER_02: I absolutely love it.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_02: And every time I think what's really awesome is every time that I I view it when I'm there, it just brings a smile because of that experience that you created there with people and having that connection.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_02: And I think you did it there, right?
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_02: You like a lot, it was a live painting.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was able to just sit there and I I I made it there.
• 55:50
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, that was when I was using like permanent marker and not like acrylics.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, like over time, it unfortunately kind of faded.
• 56:00
  SPEAKER_00: But now with all my canvases, I use acrylic paint, so it does not fade and it stays very vibrant for a lot longer.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_00: Forever, I want to say yes, but I don't want to give away that information because I haven't been around for forever yet.
• 56:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, but I know that it definitely prolongs the quality of how the colors remain.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, sometimes sunlight's kind of unavoidable.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, but yeah, for when I started painting my murals, the indoor ones, I was using like paint markers, which was really cool, a lot less mess.
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_00: So when I did that vape store, you know, I was able to tell the guy, like, you don't have to move all your product because it was a lot of product to move, you know, and I was able to paint right around it, no mess.
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_00: But now that I'm doing bigger pieces and whatever, I've been using brush and paint and been able to really make different shades of colors and have fun with all that, and it's just cool being able to grow as an artist and how I execute what I do, I guess, and just getting better at different medias.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_00: Because before this, I didn't even touch or paint and brush until a couple months ago, and now I'm getting a lot better at it and I feel a lot more confident.
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it's all about an order of operation, too.
• 57:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you can either watch paint dry or while you're waiting, you can be efficient and start on a different piece of the project over here, and when you're done with that, you can go back over here and do touch-ups or whatever you're waiting on, and then you know, just efficiently using your time.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's uh been a crazy ride.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 57:52
  SPEAKER_02: I love it, and that's just like one piece of the puzzle here of you know, the how you give back and share your gifts and and network with people.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I also wanted to kind of talk about your foraging because that is something that's like near and dear to my heart.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_02: And you brought me this super special gift, and I know like people go nuts over these.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_02: Anyone know what they are?
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if they can the morcella.
• 58:27
  SPEAKER_00: So they're Morel mushrooms in springtime.
• 58:32
  SPEAKER_00: I absolutely adore thawing out just thawing myself out in the woods, and uh yeah, pretty much from like May to June.
• 58:45
  SPEAKER_00: If you need me, I'm in the woods.
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_00: I this year was my very, very, very best year, and I ended up finding, oh man, more than 10 pounds, and it was definitely my best year at enough to dehydrate them because I was bringing so many home, those are getting to the point where I'm like, I don't even want to eat these right now, you know.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I was able to dehydrate them, sit on a bunch.
• 59:11
  SPEAKER_00: I brought a lot to my bachelor party that we cooked up with some steaks.
• 59:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because wait, hold on.
• 59:16
  SPEAKER_02: In between all this artistry and you like popping off with these projects, you've gotten married.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and they had the wedding.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_00: We actually have the rehearsal dinner at Cheryl's Club.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_00: What?
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, really?
• 59:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I wasn't there.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you were.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_02: I was yeah, oh my gosh.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_02: I was there, but I was not there.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_02: That's oh yes, yeah, it was an actually I do remember that.
• 59:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, wow, at the time though, like I was like dealing with the stress of the upcoming wedding and everything going properly.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I didn't really say too much because we're I just have my my mind was also in a different place, just you know, hoping everything went well and smooth and
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_02: next day and but no I think I was able to connect with Nicole yes on a little bit for there and kind of get you know pick her brain about how is her wedding feelings and how she was if they were all prepared and she seemed really positive just like you.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_02: I love that you guys probably rub off on each other.
• 1:00:17
  SPEAKER_00: Oh absolutely yeah it's awesome when you can find someone that not only supports your like what you're trying to do and accomplish but you know she's my biggest advocate pretty much you know she she wants me to just keep pushing it and and at times you know or it's not it's not always gonna be peaches.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's you know sometimes you you can get in a predicament where you feel hopeless and you want to give up but she's one of the voices in my head that's like no no no you're not gonna give up and you know even if you talk about it she'll get mad at me so she helps me push myself to you know man keep manifesting positivity even when you get knocked off the tracks for a second you know and you know I'm pretty good at grounding myself and just staying positive and manifesting and praying but you know we're not we're we're not all perfect and we we can't always you know have our head and be on in cloud nine you know so it's cool when you can have someone be that backbone that reassurance of smile you know yes to ground you like that and kind of exactly especially when you're in that creative space I feel like sometimes you can it's very etheral right like you can be out there and she's probably like come back down and let's focus yeah sometimes bless her heart she's an angel she helps me she helps reel me reel me back in for sure and you know is she out in the woods with you I try to get her to go with me but it's understandable Lyme's disease is a pretty scary thing.
• 1:02:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I wear even though it's at that time of the year it's getting warmer out I always wear I bought some Nike sweatpants previously that are like very bright blue and I've after I bought them I'm like I don't even want to wear these so I'll either paint them when I'm doing murals and such or I'll wear them in the woods along with a I got a bright green long sleeve so I can see when it ticks around me.
• 1:02:30
  SPEAKER_02: Ah that way I was like why the bright colors that you can you can spot on.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_00: But you know now I have long hair and she has long hair because well she's a girl.
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_00: She's a potacious babe.
• 1:02:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and uh pretty much so she's kind of like I mean I I believe me she knows how much I love doing it because I come home and I'm always ecstatic.
• 1:02:53
  SPEAKER_00: But no ticks are scary and I don't blame her especially the fact that we have to be very careful with our fur babies because well Lyme's disease is very scary.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's fun to bring them out there though.
• 1:03:04
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah and but when I go out there pretty much I I go off the path a lot because well when you go in in uncharted areas that's when you find the honey holes and that's where you find an abundance of morels in one spot and that's the trick hey give us a couple tips and tricks quick all right all right you really twisted my arm on this one of the most easy tricks is everyone's always dead elms yes you are totally correct kudos but they also like a lot of different species of tree it's a lot to do with the mycelium and that the tree has and there's mycelium networks through every living thing on the earth and if we could depict how big the mycelium network is it literally goes to every single tree every single thing that's living in the ground like 300 miles underneath your feet your footprint right yes 300 miles below then the deep mycelium network very is one of the strongest living beings things in existence.
• 1:04:19
  SPEAKER_00: Kingdoms yes yeah and got his own kingdom right for crying out yeah and it's really wild because essentially when trees are just starting to die and when it the leaves are blooming on the trees the most easiest tip is you can tell a dying tree probably not having any buds blooming on the branches.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_00: So at the time all the healthy trees are starting to produce little blooms and especially early season early morel season you'll you know one of the things people say is when I forgot what tree it is but when they're the when the leaves are the size of mouse ears go out in the woods.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_00: So if you see a tree that's not blooming is freshly dying or it is dying and then the morel is I like to think is the the fruiting body is a distress signal from the tree saying hey I'm dying help me you know but you can't really help it but so that's really easy trick because learning identifying tree bark and leaf shapes can be very overwhelming especially when trees have different subspecies and different whatever what else I agree when the lilacs are blooming yes it's time to go shrooming I wanted to say lilacs but I didn't want to say the wrong thing that sounds stupid.
• 1:05:48
  SPEAKER_00: I got you bro thank you another really cool trick is early season you want to look on south facing slopes because that's where the sun will hit first and when the ground gets to the low to middle 50s like 53 to seven excuse me coffee pretty much they'll start popping up and the first directional slope is south that gets to that temperature then it goes to the west all the way to north and then east will be the very very very last but it all goes by temperature of the ground so at the very end of the season that's when you go in the woods the very deep of the woods where all the foliage is because that's the very last part of the terrain and it gets warm because of the shape every and every other spot is already past the the temperature mark.
• 1:06:53
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah it's all about timing ultimately and knowing when to look because previous years I would go to spots that I knew had moral else but I go through wrong time and I would walk out upset or like distraught and feel like I wasted my time and energy but then this past year I went to the same spots at a different time and holy cannoli I walked out with a big big big bag full and they're monstrous it was sweet.
• 1:07:24
  SPEAKER_02: You gotta get out there and get after it I feel like they don't find themselves.
• 1:07:28
  SPEAKER_00: No that's for sure when it comes to well anything I I'm I'm interested in whether it's art forging morels or anything because I did a lot of research to get the knowledge I have for the morels and a lot of footwork.
• 1:07:43
  SPEAKER_00: When I have interest in something it's it's very easy for me to just like keep pushing the envelope and wanting to become the best at it because well it's just rewarding and no matter how good you are at something I feel like you can always be better and improve and it's even with artwork it's so cool seeing sometimes I'll look back at I'll I'll find old art pieces that I've done in the past year or so.
• 1:08:14
  SPEAKER_00: And at the time I'm like dude game changer you know but now I'm looking at it I'll look at it and be like what was I doing you know and funny how that works yeah you know just growth I like to just keep growing my art style and not doing the same thing over and over again because even though yeah it's cool to have certain traits where people can look at something and know Jeff did that you know or whatever having that like that trait that makes it intuitive of people know where it came from if they know your work or whatever but in the same breath I don't want to keep I don't want to be a one trick pony either you know so balance.
• 1:09:02
  SPEAKER_02: Well no you definitely have a style all of your own and I'm a huge fan.
• 1:09:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 1:09:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I love you taking the time today and kind of letting us in your brain of that that creative genius and sharing your gifts that's so special.
• 1:09:16
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man it was a privilege to be here and like I this was the first podcast I was ever on so I was like excited and nervous.
• 1:09:28
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I I know I shouldn't have been nervous but you know just when you're excited I get so excited for for things and then my brain it's just like a mouse on a on a wheel you know going.
• 1:09:38
  SPEAKER_02: You did great you build it Jeff and I can't wait to have you on again and talk even more sweet awesome things I know you're not a one trick pony and you have a lot of gifts to share so try.
• 1:09:48
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you man you're a rock star in your own right thank you I appreciate it go follow him what's that Instagram handle at sign kila k i l a b-e-e all one word 1026 killa b 1026 that's high vibing man I appreciate you thank you so much