Charlatan, Martyr and a Hustler walked into a bar.....

We call it hustlin; It's what I try to do everyday. I still have a 9-5, but I try to fill every free moment with lots of work, emailing, drawing, and more emailing. Even though the emailing is not always directly related to the work, I try to email back anyone who shows interest in Grits. So on a good day there is always a lot of work and a lot of productivity.

Today, however, was a little slow at first, till I saw this poster from Joey Roth that gave me a "kick in the ass," and it got me moving all day. It's titled, Charlatan, Martyr, Hustler. Now the question is, Where do I fall in?

Apparently, Hustlers back up their talk with real work.

If you want to purchase go here.

STRATEGY VS. TACTICS

I recently read The War of Art, which I loved, by the way. (#Cosign). In the book, Steven Pressfield said, "Everyone knows my tactics, but no one knows my strategy." I've noticed that if you hustle hard enough, people will eventually copy your tactics. And, it's inevitable, when something works people will copy. Too bad for them, because they’ll only see a fraction of your success. This is another reason why you don’t need to worry much about competition.

For the entrepreneur, it doesn't matter when people copy your tactics. "Why," you ask? Because, they do so without understanding the clear strategy.

Once you have a clear strategy, then you can go back to some of the tactics. Then, you can figure out what you’re doing and how to make it better, and you’ll see more of an impact. But, starting with the tactics is almost always a mistake.

So, when you take the time to create something remarkable, instead of just taking up space, focus on what's important for you and everything else will align itself properly.

H-town Sneaker Summit is around the corner

Its that time of the year again and the Htown Sneaker Summit is quickly approaching. This year its going to be at the Toyota Center! So you know we will be there in full effect. And as usual Chattaboxes for everyone. If you don't know about it, in a nutshell, the H-Town Sneaker Summit is the largest and longest running event of its kind in the entire Southwest where Sneaker Enthusiasts from all walks of life gather to discuss sneakers & fashion in a huge party atmosphere! I hope that sums it up. If not check out the video below.

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

Servin Tha GoodStuff Commercial

Hey we are back with our newest commercial which highlights of two newest tees. Many thanks goes out to our longtime friend Jesse Young (director) from Advanced Eye Productions. Please feel free to share, & Enjoy!!!

Mediocre Doesn't Cut It Anymore

If all you are willing to do is what your friends are willing to do, then by definition you are mediocre. Mediocrity is safe, comfortable, and certain. It is also a recipe for nothing more than competitive equality. You don’t have to pursue mediocrity, it will pursue you, and if you are like most people, you have already surrounded yourself with it, it has already caught you.

So don't waste time on being mediocre. You are too valuable to be marginalized into an oblivion.

To paraphrase a good friend of mine; Everyone bought into mediocrity, but no one kept the receipt.

Jobs & Life

Since the lab has been pretty busy lately, sometimes I need an "upper" to get me through the night. And, when I talk about an upper it doesn't come from a "can of caffeine" or from a pill; It is usually through music or videos. Last night's inspiration came from Steve Jobs 2005 commencement speech. Personally, I found his speech to be very motivational, so I wanted to share it with you guys.

Win a Free T-shirt!

Thanks to everyone that submitted an entry so far. The response has been great! We didn't expect to get this many responses. So for everyone who is late, Don't miss a chance to win a free t-shirt! Send your entries to contest@weargrits.com with your basic info. One winner will receive a free t-shirt of their choice from our upcoming release! This contest ends this Friday, July 30th.

EXTRA EXTRA– Read all about it!

I don’t ever want my customers to feel like they’re just buying a t-shirt. With the packaging, design, exclusivity, and experience set aside – I want you to feel like you’re a part of a club, a clubhouse, a family. So I figured, what's better than to just expand The Chattabox to print. Here is a sneak peek of The Chattabox Zine. We will be distributing them at our booth at the upcoming H-town Sneaker Summit this Sunday. We will also be including a couple in every online order after August 1st, free of charge. So feel free to share with your friends!