Living as An Outsider
I am not in the music industry. I am not in the film industry. Nor the food industry. I compose music, act and write in film, produce and sell cereal, however all of that exists outside of the industry. Sometimes my work takes me places within industry limits. However, I remain a visitor.
Sometimes I am called to serve upon a particular industry and it is often in a freelance or consulting capacity. It is an open door, I am free to enter and leave as I please.
I worked for Apple Inc. for several years as a Creative Director. They were developing their social presence and were in need of a hand. I just opened Cereal and Such and was referred to the role by Mike Refuerzo. I had no resume. I compiled photos of the cereal bar and some designs made for my album artwork. I started the next day. Working with Outkast and The Dungeon Family, doing voice overs for Dr. Dre, obtaining an express visa from the Chinese government to shoot in the country for 1 day, all while running a cereal bar. Through that role I truly understood what it was to be a professional.
Chengdu, China
Learning to express an idea succinctly. Developing one from small to very big. It was excellent school as I was always free to go. When asked if I were to stay on in a permanent capacity I opted to return to my studio. The ceilings in those roles while appearing massive are quite stifled. The inundation of standing meetings, rote procedure, the overwhelming programming in the form of company culture - very little creativity arises through those avenues.
I’ve worked in smaller capacity with companies since then. Being a stranger, an outsider, is a worthy gift. You gain insights that others don’t have access to. There is no fear of blowback when speaking. There are no inter-office politics to become entangled in. My words carry weight when I speak.
Lately I’ve see traces of my work float around on various album artwork and merchandise. Though disguised in different form, I see the reflection of my Art in various channels.
I turned to my partner and showed her the website of a famous rap artist in the middle of a massive feud whose studios website resembled my own. My partner who is not a web designer, and I coded my website using whatever tools we have picked up from our time on the internet. Their website was a full rip, down to the little errors we made creating it.
My walking club branding and identity used for the marketing of an artist’s album merchandise. A shot for shot replica of a photoshoot by a notable streetwear brand.
There are no creative directors today. Maybe a handful and that handful are followed/copied by the vast majority who tout that title. I run from that title.
When I began professionally recording music I believed that I was working my way into the music business. I scored my independent self-promoted albums against artists who had a staff of 30 among various departments hired to promote their album.
The business of music is completely different than the making of music. The two are often conflated. The same goes for every industry: art, design, fashion etc - you name it. The creation of Art will always be gouged by those interested in the selling of it. Like a precious flower plucked for display in a vase. Like a recording artist paying for a music streaming subscription.
It’s fascinating where an can idea go. What humans initially dismiss and eventually return to, wholly engulfed in the belief it was their own discovery. Movements that are loudly adopted and quietly discarded. “Sustainable” brands and the whole lot.
I operate wholly as an outsider. It is not a choice I necessarily made, but of an understanding that it is who I am. I was never made to sit in an office. Nothing right or wrong about that.
