I saw a post on Threads today that sent me down a nostalgic rabbit hole. It went something like:

"...what were all the Gen X'ers doing at Kinkos at 3am back in the day..?" and I replied, " I was at work."

This isn't shade of any kind, it is just a statement of fact. I've been an artist my entire life and I've always had to work to support my ambitions. I used to think of this as something that held me back but it came to be the singular experience that has shaped me as a person and my perspective as a working class creative.

I've always had to pursue my dreams without a safety net. I had no choice, my mom had taken on raising my younger niece and nephew so saying things were tight was an understatement. So I got job and moved out at age 22 to a single apartment in Koreatown that rented for $550 a month (I know, it's insane). I eventually landed a job at Kinkos after a stint at an art store and a disastrous month as a barista. I remember being really happy because it was the closest thing I could get at the time to the career in design/art that I really wanted. Reality set in after about a month working there and I realized how far from my goal I remained. But I DID still see a path to get where I wanted to get. It would be difficult but it was doable. So I got to work...

It quickly occurred to me that I was working in the best classroom I could imagine. I had unlimited access to the latest design software (at the time that was Adobe Pagemaker, Quark Express, and Photoshop/Illustrator) and the ability to print as much as I wanted. I quickly befriended the production manager, a really nice guy named Bobby who taught me how to run the Xerox Fiery queue and properly design booklets, fliers, posters, and anything else that came into the store. I absorbed everything like a sponge and applied it to my own burgeoning practice, which at the time consisted of odd design jobs and after hours gang runs for a growing clientele of street artists. It was an exhilarating hustle that allowed me to develop my artistic style on my own terms.

*If you're wondering while everything is signed "San" it is my old alias from my graf days.

Los Angeles 2025, Real America

This week I published a new photoessay as a part of my Archival Recordings project. Titled "Los Angeles 2025, Real America", it is an updated collection of work from this year centered on the theme of my last printed zine. The premise is that life in L.A. (and other major cities in the country) is the true American experience and not the outlier that politicians and the mainstream media portray it as. You can find the entire essay at the link below:

https://www.nonstndrd.com/los-angeles-2025-real-america/

Until next time friends!
-Kwasi
Nonstndrd Creative Projects