Something That Matters

I think we all want to do "something that matters." Honestly, I think it’s in our blood. The people who say they don’t want do "something that matters" are liars. It's only natural that everyone has a "plan" on quitting our day job and opening a bar or writing the Great American Novel or whatever. It's time to stop planning and start doing. Doing "something that matters" is about finally waking the hell up and going off to do something meaningful. It's now or never.

No Grits No Glory.

MADE: Visions of Visionairies Series with Levi Maestro

I dont normally put up interviews but once I ran across this interview with Levi Maestro from "Maestro Knows", I had to put it up. Really inspiring and definitely worth checking out. Big ups to the crew at MADE for this one.

Do you remember Saturday Morning Cartoons?

Do you remember Saturday Morning Cartoons? If you were born into a world of ubiquitous Internet and television networks devoted solely to cartoons, you should consider yourself very lucky, youngster. Back in the day (like all the way until the ’90s), nothing used to beat Saturday Morning Cartoons. I remember waking up early in my Spiderman pajamas, grabbing a bowl of cereal and milk, and checking out.

Check out the video below.

Change is not death – fear of change is death

You graduated from college and got the job of your choice. You will bust your ass working 60 plus hours a day for a decade or two, then one day you will find yourself at the "Top."

Once you get to the top, the last thing you want to hear is that the "Top" isn't quite as high as you first thought. In fact, there is no "Top." It was all an illusion.

The world is changing faster than ever. Change is the only thing that is guaranteed in life. And yet, we still fear it...

Greasy Spoons

Instead of receiving gifts for my birthday, I figured I would give something instead. So, here is a treat for you guys, a free poster download!! Download Here! Feel free to share.

Do you Remember Thundercats?

Thunder, Thunder, Thunder Cats, Ho!!

Do you Remember Thundercats? I loved this show with a passion as a kid. I liked He-man, but Thundercats had it on lock with the dope animation and ever better storylines. The show starred CATS!!.... Really.... CATS!!! Do you know hard it is to make boys ever love a show about cats? It's very hard to do.

Also the toys were arguably advanced for the time. Maybe, because compared to He- man toys, they had more money or something. Most of the Thundercat toys came with small plastic levers that caused their arms to make a wave up and down motion, perfect for sword slashes and fist smashes. The levers were great for knocking over inferior toys (He-man) and whacking the earlobes of unexpecting cousins and friends.

If you dont remember, check out the intro below.

From the desk...

Fall is here in Houston, but you couldn't tell by the "oven-hot" temperature. It's morning time and children are on their way to school. Looking out of my window, it seems like it is going to be a good day. So, here is a sneak peak of things to come from the desk of yours truly.

Oven Fresh Dreams X Grits

After constant revisions, I think I am finally satisfied.

The art of getting over.

Change is gonna come

This week, I got word of two major changes in my world. The first is the closing of the Fat Beats, a world renowed record store. The second is the potential selling of Rice's radio station, 91.7 KTRU.

Now, I will be first to say that I am sorry to hear about the closing of any institiution that serves the people by providing the community with diversity and art. And, if I had a say, I would want both institutions to keep serving our community for a long time to come. But, I dont have a say. Most of us don't, nor do we have any controlling interest in those companies. So, I feel there should be more willingness to embrace change. Is it easy? NO. Change never is, but neither is resistance.

Over the last couple of years, we have gotten plenty of "burning bushes" telling of what's to come, yet we keep fighting it. So, I am proposing that, today, you do something different. Embrace this change with openness, as uneasy as you may feel. And, look at all the untapped resources before you, of which you can take advantage.

Because, while you are being immovable and resistant, the rest of the world is moving on without you.

Beat Street : Sign of the times

Anyone who knows me knows that I love hand painted signs. The older, the rustier, the more decayed or broken down, the better. Honestly, I've never really understood what my fixation with old hand-painted signs is about. Maybe, it's that I see them as reminder of a time where even the simplest of words, phrases or pictures were painted. Or, maybe it's a kind of reverence for people who made their living from this as an art form. Anyway, I love to document them because hand painted signs are very prevalent in my neighborhood and I figure that I need to do it now, before gentrification takes over.

Do you Remember "Scary Stories to tell in the Dark?"

Do you Remember a book titled, "Scary Stories to tell in the Dark?" I always wondered who came up with the wonderful idea to make these books. I can see it now; A bunch of publishers sitting around a long table discussing the possibilities of the next big issue to drop next season.

While they sit there pondering, one person stands up and yells, "I got it."

"Let put together a collection of the scariest stories on earth?"

"Who is our market?" another publisher asks.

Then there is quiet over the room ... and he replies, "Really little kids."

Everyone looks on in amazement. "Perfect"

Cue the "Dr. Evil" music.

A couple of weekends ago, I was at my parents' and found some of these books. They reminded me of all the stuff we were scared of as a kid. During this time, there was Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Pet Cemetery and It. They all scared the shit out of me then. Hell, I don't like clowns to this day. Even though I was scared, the excitement and suspense made the experience all worth it. It was like watching a car wreck or starting your own business, curiosity about the mysterious and the unknown keeps us staring. Keeps us on our grind. So, here is a solute to that which created my appetite for all things scary. Thank you, "Scary Stories to tell in the Dark."

Its MAD dope

As a kid, I always loved cartoons, comics, toys, video games, quirkiness, art and style. As a designer, I am always collecting and rummaging through old books and design journals as part of my creative process. So, this past weekend, I found a gang of old MAD books. Like the old school kind. They were like small novels full of satire, jokes, and parodies. Two of the most memorable things about Mad are Spy vs. Spy and, my all time favorite, the Fold-In. NY Times has some interactive Fold-Ins. Click here to see them.

Kixpo Recap

As some of you may know, we went up to Dallas to check out Kixpo. I didn't know much about the Dallas scene, expect for a few up and coming brands. So, I was excited to check things out with our neighbors from the north. To sum everything up in a few words, Kixpo was Dope as Hell! Good vibe, good conversation, good music, and free drinks and food. What more could you ask for? I learned a ton of things about the Dallas streetwear scene. I also learned a lot from store owners and fellow brands, that I can make use to make Grits even better! So be on the look out! Here some pics from yesterday.

Meet Joonbug from Fresh Kaufee Clothing. The shirt are so dope they smell like coffee!




Kiddrae representin Centre & kiddrae254 and Mike Remix Remixlabel.

Fur Face Boy is another brand coming up really fast. Trust me this is a label to lookout for.

Shogun store (Fort Worth) is dope too.Showing off The Chattabox zine.


And I cant forget about my good friends at Loyal K*N*G. Cleaning up as usual!


We had a good time in D-town. Free Drinks Free Tacos (Yeah I said tacos). Back to the H. I love being a TEXAN!!

Headed to Kixpo

First things first, new Grit shirts are available at our online shop now. Also, I decided to take a trip to check our northern neighbors in Dallas/Fort Worth for Kixpo. "What is Kixpo"? Well, to sum it up, it's a big event full of sneakers, fashion, music and art. It's a lot like the H-town Sneaker Summit. Check out the video Here. I've never been before, but I've always heard good things. So, if you are in DFW area, Holla at ya boy. I will have Chattabox Zines and stickers for anybody who wants one.

Too short....

For better or worse, I believe that now it is easier than it has ever been to do what you love.

Why wait for opportunities to come to you when you can create them for yourself?

Life is too short not to do something that makes a difference. Life is too short to be talking and not doing. Life is too short to be asleep at the wheel. Life is too short not to find happiness. Life is too short not to become the person you were born to be.

Do you remember Voltron?

Do you remember Voltron? Honestly, if it weren't for Voltron, my generation would have no idea what a team is. Really, the show taught us that five people united in one cause can be stronger than one. What other show could convinced nerds to take on the school bully? What other show could tell us that 5 mechanized lions were useless in comparison to a humongous sword wielding robot? Without Voltron there would be no Wu-Tang? No Digital underground? No Hot Boys? ...Well maybe not the Hot boys, but you get the idea.

As for those who don't know, I wont chastise you . Here is a quick synopsis: Voltron is a TV show about a super force of space explorers each with their own robot lion. Each episode, each person would attempt to fight the main bad guy. After facing the prospect of actually losing the battle, they would decide to band together to become the giant robot.

So one lesson from the TV show is; Why bother trying doing everything by yourself? It's so simple. Just stay in Voltron form guys.

Collaboration

Since Grits started, we've made it part of our mission to collaborate with other talented people who have the same passion for their work that we have for ours. Some the best relationships that we have are with our printers, Josh (NFC Printing) and Shaun (Caughtin Customs) Their grind is awe inspiring and it helps that they can provide us with a swift "kick in the ass " from time to time. So a couple of weeks ago, while hanging around Caughtin Customs and I sneaked in some pictures.





Yo, Josh you are next!!

Persistence

There is a myth that if you create your vision and it's proven to be right, people will line up to support you.

Actually, that's not true at all. Great vision and insight are always met with "resistance." When you start making progress you will be met with more resistance. It does not matter how you choose to make that progress, whether it's in your career, product or service, the "Forces of Mediocrity" will be there to try to stop you.

If it were any other way, it would be too easy. And, if it were easy, nobody would value your work. So, it's very clear to me now; Without the "Forces of Mediocrity" trying to keep you from moving forward, progress would hardly be worth the journey. Stay Persistent.

No Grits No Glory

The Dying Art Of Hand-Painted Ads

Throughout our graphics and general branding, you’ll typically see references to handpainted typography or design. I have always been fascinated by the connection between advertising and art. The latter is a major element in the world of selling — its the face of a company’s product. It is the creatives: graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, etc. — who are charged with creating the visual identities of corporations like Apple and Starbucks.

So when I watched The documentary titled Up There, it got me thinking a lot about design. The film takes a look at the dying art of hand-painted advertisements through the stories of a group of New York painters. As someone who loves art I often yearn for a little bit more genuine craft to return to the industry. This was a nice reminder that it does still exist somewhere.

Name Game Winner

First, I want to thank everyone for participating in the "Name Me" contest. When I first started this contest I figured that there wouldn't be that many people participating. Well to make a long story short, I was definitely wrong. After much deliberation and the final say so from my 3 year old daughter, we finally narrowed down to our top five. Here are the top four selections:

5. Blotto
4. P. Gritty
3. Mr. StirGood
2. Hominy

Now (Drum roll please) the winner of the contest is Steven Ospina from Queens, New York with

1. Splot

Texas Grind

We are working on some projects in the future, so keep an eye out... In the meantime check out the site three designs are available online now. Get it before you regret it!

Do you Remember Hit Stix?

Do you remember Hit Stix? If you grew up in the 80's, you might remember: the toy that let you play drums without actually playing drums. Okay, I'll stop the nostalgia and move to explaining this contraption.

The toy featured a pair of rubber tipped drum sticks that cabled to a battery powered amp. Clip the amp to your belt and simply shake the sticks in the air to get a white noise snare-ish sound. (note: I didn’t know any 8-year-olds who wore belts – not sure about you). And the beauty of it was that you didn't actually have to hit the sticks against anything, but where's the fun in that?

Anyway, I always wanted the toy until a friend of mine got it and after trying it I realized how boring it actually was. I mean, sure it might have been better with the batteries in, but check out the commercial for yourself after the jump.

So, who wants in to start a band with me? All we need is Autotune. Now we can take over the world.

H-town Sneaker Summit Recap

It was a SIZZLING HOT day this past Sunday during the H-town Sneaker Summit, but the heat most certainly didn't stop the loads of people who came out, supported and partied with Grits! It was definitely a Summertime blast! The crowd, the food, the music, the drinks, the ENTIRE VIBE was dope as hell! Everyone loved the zine. If you didn't get one don't fret, it will be included with the new release online.

For those who missed out on the zine... I figured why let me have all the fun. So here is some propaganda to put up around your schools and neighborhoods. Download PDF Here!

If you're looking for the new Grits shirt, don't worry! I'll have the new tees, with two new additions released on my web store soon! Also, be sure to watch my twitter and facebook to be the first to know! And if you missed our newest commercial check out the last blog post below. PZ.

Thanks to Raza رضا Kazimi for the picture.