“IF YOU DON’T BUILD YOUR DREAM,
SOMEONE WILL HIRE YOU TO HELP BUILD THEIRS.”
One key ingredient that has helped me to build and further my career so far has been making true connections with people through the travels and randomness that life can deal you.
It’s what got me here…
It all comes down to just speaking a bunch of cobblers and having a laugh.
One person, I am super happy I met whilst working is Jesse. He was over in London recently for the first of the ongoing legendary Alife Sessions. Jesse teamed up with the good guys from Foot Patrol and to top it off, Raekwon the Chef was kicking things off. I met up with a jet-lagged Jesse first thing in the morning. Firstly, to catch up and grab that vital morning coffee, then to shoot a piece for an upcoming project for a client. Jesse is a first-class character in the world of today’s business, with his feet firmly on the ground and happy to talk to anyone, so it’s no surprise he’s doing so well!
Keeping everything he does true to himself in a classic timeless way and devoting his time to the things that keep him happy, from building bikes to running a fundamental street brand.
It’s always good to hang with this guy. I was flying to NYC later that day so I couldn’t stick around for the party to kick off, but I heard it was not one to miss. I hope I make the next one.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t still fascinated by New York.
I discover something new every time I visit. One thing that always amazes me is the city’s natural lighting. There always seems to be crazy shadows and spots of reflected light from the high risers – it’s a photographer’s dream.
So lucky for me – still running on UK time – I woke up early giving me a bit of time to enjoy the streets before heading off to shoot.
I can’t go into much detail about this project but it’s always good to see Mike Cherman. When I first met him a while back and heard his back story of his brand, it all felt very organic and honest. It was no surprise by the time I had landed back in London that people were already hitting me up asking about these reflective socks! Since then, he hasn’t slowed down. With an upcoming collaboration with Staple, and from what I saw in his office, a lot of solid tech pieces with that unique ICNY twist, he’s only going to get more appreciation for what he’s doing.
It’s truly great to see.
Finally I ran over to see Ronnie Fieg and the Kith crew, who seem to be working non-stop on a forever feeding line of product.
Last time I was in NYC, I shot a few pieces for Kith. It’s refreshing to work with someone who has a clear vision of where they’re taking themselves and let you spin off that. It is amazing how far a simple conversation with a random person can get you. I have never had an agency or even an education for what I do – not to say thats the best way to do it, but it sure shows if you enjoy doing something enough, you can probably make a living from it, work hard and be nice to people.
