Fleurtograph

Houston | Dallas | Austin | New York

By  Bradley  Ward  

Vol.1

we’reall

justtrying

togrow

from

the

ground

up

Having recently surpassed New York as the country’s most racially and ethnically

diverse metropolis, Houston is burgeoning better yet

bubbling because the youth is preparing a bludgeoning for

the establishment. The arts are no longer validated by the galleries. The backing of

someone in a suit holds less and less weight as the internet expands and the world shrinks.

Art forever gives us the platform to speak. And this

point we are shouting, aggressively mounting

manifestos and addresses no longer just on the sides of buildings and underpasses.We’re making shirts, we’re

protesting, we’re witnessing and reacting. We are a class

action lawsuit. And this is the summons. Not a call to action.

HTX

NYC

SOMETHEMSELVES

AREART.

SOMEPEOPLE

AREARTISTS,

OUTDOOR VOICES

ATXSXSW ‘15

 

#ABRUNCHOFJOGGERS

Smither Park Abstract Society John Biggers Art

Department

X      X      

Adriana Boyd-LewisWhat made you start writing initially? I wrote my first poem in 2nd grade for an assignment and it was fun. Then when I was 16 I wrote a poem about a friend of mine entitled “Promise”. It was my first slam poem, per say, I read it to her and it sort of changed her life I guess because of the way the poem ended. That was really interesting to me, then I learned about Def Poetry Jam thought this is really cool so I started putting everything down on paper basically. Is a driving force or theme behind your passion for poetry and writing? I just like telling life stories but I don’t like telling the generic life story. Like the hood raised me and I’m hardcore type, but why you feel like the hood is cause of everything that’s happened within your life. I rather tell that than a blanket of what I think everyone already assumes.

Has going to an HBCU effected your art? Definitely, because I grew up in a white suburban area. I grew up on the Woodlands. There’s just me and another black family two streets over so it’s really white and I didn’t want to go to an HBCU at first. But I realized I needed to connect with my people. I used to be one of those who thought ’ love black people but ugh they're so ghetto, so loud’. But that’s me! I can be loud and all of that at times so coming to TSU really opened my eyes to my people. Our views on life, politics, social events and everything, it just added another aspect coming from people who all can relate even though their from different backgrounds. We’re all connected because the color of our skin whether you want to admit it or not and we all have the same story just different pathways to get us through that story. I probably should’ve started with this but, how would you describe yourself in relation to your art form? I would describe myself as a bird in the process of creating wings. I don’t feel like I’m a bird that has wings because if that were so I’d be able to fly above all of this…

“But in lieu of that, I am definitely a bird learning it can fly.”  

IgnoranceIsA

Choice.

InTheAgeOf

Information,

WAZHMAAZEEMI

When did you start sewing and why? I started sewing when I was 16. I started doing it as a hobby and I didn’t really like the clothes I was seeing in stores, They weren’t really my taste so I thought why not do it myself? And initially I was so bad at it but I kept practicing and I got better over the years. What goals do you have for your work? With myself being such creative person, I don’t really think about where I want to reach. I just want to keep creating things. I get satisfaction from finishing-well I don’t really think my pieces are ever finished, other people think its done but it makes me happy just making things. I don’t have a specific goal and yea I want to continue to further myself but I don’t know where I want to go. All I know is that want to get better. That’s what I want.

I know that you paint, draw, and also make clothes. Is there a medium that you prefer? I love painting, for sure. But painting is very two dimensional, but when I make dresses and things that I can feel and wear…that’s very fulfilling. I think sewing is my favorite, I’m practicing a lot so I’ve grown to like that. I don’t know though it will probably change over the years but I know I’m always going to be doing that. What’s something you’d like to achieve with that in the next 12 months? Right now, I am very close to graduating and I‘m working on my own clothing line as well as my handbag line. My hope is by the end of the summer I’ll have all that and an online boutique and later own my own store here in Houston. That’s what the next few months are looking like for me.

“painting is very two dimensional, but when I make dresses and things

that I can feel and wear…that’s very

fulfilling.”

DFW

hardlyhomebut

alwaysreppin

Og Chase BWhat role did attending Howard play in you doing what you do now? So when I got to Howard everything was music orientated. During freshman week there’s a dj at every event and everywhere you went there as a dj, like at lunch there would be a dj all in your face playing music and I got used to the whole entertainment aspect at Howard. So I was in the school of communications and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I remember I was at lunch a girl told me I should do a radio show or whatever so I tried it out. So I began hosting events at Howard kind of like some Terrance J, corny, vj shit in clubs around the DC area with acts like Big Sean and J Cole early on in their careers. But the more I did that I became more aware of the dj and I saw how much control he has with what’s going on. Then during my junior year I made the transition from being an emcee to a dj, so Howard definitely has everything to do with me becoming who I am and how far I’ve come. As far as learning the craft, is dj-ing harder than you expected? No, actually doing the art of djing isn’t the hard part. It’s really everything around it like having all the right music and constantly being up to date. Lets say you check the blogs everyday, but then you have to go back and get the Aretha Franklins, and you know Luther Vandross. Just everything if you want to be that level of a dj and fully understanding to not just hearing the song but really understand when and where to play certain things. When did you start to make the mixes you do for Illroots also, how and when did you link up with them originally? Well again, when I was at Howard when I first felt like I was good enough to really put something out for people to hear; I didn’t even have the necessary equipment to record it by myself so I went to my homie Chubbie’s apartment all the time to practice so I asked if I could record this mixtape. And the first one I wanted to put out was called

Clutch City vol.1 and it’s literally the same exact format as Illroots radio but this was way before I met any of them. I remember Mikey Rocks had just come out with a tape and ScHoolboy Q’s Habits and Contradictions just came out and I was like yea I like a lot of this music so I just put a tape together of what had just dropped as far as hip hop. And I remember getting ready for Vol.2 when me and Trav had linked up with Mike Waxx in New York and I told him I djed but he was like whatever like cool, cool story type of reaction. Then the following south by southwest festival 3 years ago, Statik Selektah was late for his set and this dude came up to me and was like ‘don’t you dj or something? You wanna dj for like 15 minutes before he gets here?’ So ended up djing for an hour and a half, he was super late. I did my thing and I went outside and talked to Waxx and he told me it was dope and approached me with the idea of the monthly mixtape series. The one I initially did never came out just because of climate. Tons of things were dropping left and right and the tracklist was messed up and trying to add new songs to an already finished mix just messes up the whole thing. But Waxx came to the studio with us once and I played him Clutch City vol.1 and he was saying this is exactly what he wanted to do and he approached me about becoming part of Illroots and doing all of their mixes and im currently working on Illroots radio vol.7 and I don’t know when that’s gonna come out. Whats the craziest thing you’ve seen on your? Its always the kids in the front row, because if you’re not one of those fans that are serious about their chest being up against the fence you wont see all of the craziness that goes on down there. Those kids are really malicious haha. It really gets serious and they really fight each other for that position. They’re like ‘Yo I got both my hands over the fence type of deal, like I’m locked in.’ I’ve seen girls slap boys and vice versa just to be in the middle and closest to the stage but its like that every show which is really weird to me. But yea it gets pretty funny down in the front row.

What  was  the  Yeezus  tour  like  and  how  was  it  mee6ng  Kanye?    Actually  Travis  and  I  opened  up  for  Kanye  in  Las  Vegas  during  the  tour  and  that  was  the  only  ;me  I  got  to  see  it.    That  dude,  man,  the  first  ;me  I  met  him  was  a  rehearsal  in  LA  and  this  was  before  the  stage  was  finished.  Kanye  is  the  type  of  dude  that  will  think  of  something  and  even  if  it’s  the  dead  on  idea  he’s  looking  for  he’ll  throw  it  out  there  and  all  the  crea;ve  around  him  will  help  form  it  with  him  and  Kanye’s  genius  will  bring  it  to  

frui;on.  And  the  whole  idea  of  the  stage  rising  during  the  show  was  cul;vated  that  day  and  I  got  to  witness  that  whole  process.  Seeing  that  adds  so  much  and  to  see  him  work  really  speaks  to  his  ability  and  that’s  why,  other  than  Biggie,  Kanye  is  my  favorite  rapper.  Seeing  and  growing  with  him  since  we  were  14-­‐15  to  what  it  is  now  its  really  amazing.  As  far  as  the  show  he  preformed  everything  I  wanted  to  hear  from  a  fan  perspec;ve;  through  the  wire,  good  life  and  even  808s  stuff.  

“I was in the school of communications and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I remember I was at lunch, a girl told me I should do a radio show

or whatever so I tried it out.”

Is there any person you’ve seen that turned you into a fanboy? The closest I’ve come to fanning out was almost a sneak attack type thing. I was at a sneaker show in New York like a dunkxchange or sneakerpimps thing. I had got there pretty early and I was walking backwards and I stepped on Ghostface Killah’s shoe. I didn’t know it was him and I was like ‘woooaaaahhhh’. He did the whole Wu-Tang, “Yo watch out god!” I couldn’t believe it and I wanted to step on his shoe again. Like when you pull the string on the back of a teddy bear and he says something different every time, I wanted to step on his shoe over and over to hear him say that. But yea that was the closest I’ve come but I know when I meet Kid Capri or Jazzy Jeff or Biz Markie I know I’ll fan out and not even care about it. Everything has pretty much sky rocketed for you in the past 12 months, where do you see yourself in the coming 12 months? It’s kind of weird and I’ve definitely had a whole lot of progress in the past year and all the different type of gigs that I’m doing now. Being able to not only travel but perform in New York, Las Vegas and overseas I’ve gotten to see almost everything. So what id like to do is see gigs and start translating them into goals and almost giving myself a deadline. There are a lot of places I want to take over before my next birthday. And it’s really cool to be young and black while doing this type of stuff and that’s really important to me to set that example. Not all black djs have to be “hip hop” dudes, we can be in any type of format and play any type of room and be looked at on a business level like these EDM and other djs being booked all over the world. It’s a real big goal for me to be looked at globally and I was to continue to pursue that. Having said that, is there a specific event that you really want to do? I really want to do to “Do Over” before my next birthday, and it’s the freshest party to me. The environment is so crazy and you know you’re going to have fun, its not even a question. And the caliber of djs they’ve had

play there is really high; I know they’ve had Jazzy Jeff there. I really want to do that and I want to play at Tao in Vegas, those are really big goals of mine. Down the line, what do you want to establish career wise? It’s hard because the last time I was in town I would go out every night just to see what Houston was about as far as the music industry. And like I said earlier when I was in school I was very heavily into radio and all of that and I’m still very passionate about that and all the progression of hip hop. It’s interesting how people who are nobody today could really be superstars by tomorrow and the radio is still a huge part of that. I know there are tons of people saying the Internet dictates that now but that’s just coming from the people on the Internet. You know don’t know about the kids that are in Kansas right now that really only listen to that one hip hop station they have and whatever plays on there is what they know. So radio to me is always will be a huge influence to me because if you don’t have a big radio single you’re not going to get these looks the people with the singles are, so I do want to come back to Houston and do my thing on the radio eventually. Hopefully influence a generation because Houston doesn’t get it. They just don’t. There is a certain level or standard of quality a lot of Houston artists don’t understand. There’s no reason why their music videos still look like they do. Go out and rent a Red camera instead of paying for rims on your car ad make sure your video looks like J Cole’s video or something. You can do that, there are tons of good directors in Houston. Go out and really try to take your career to the next level, because there are so many local celebrities here. If you go to the club everybody is just playing each others songs like what are y’all really doing and there is no Internet hub or blog that anyone is checking either. Nobody is checking for us. Chicago has Fake Shore Drive, New York has countless amounts of blogs, LA has The Leakers but nothing out of Houston. I really want to have an influence and push the boundaries and really shine for Houston.

What’s one fashion tip you’d give? I’m not really sure, I feel like logos are getting a little too drastic for me. I think people should be able to dress outside of that and not let a brand define you. I think denim is very important, I think people need to pay more attention to that. Not even the brand of the denim but be conscious and wear what fits you. I’m real big on how the jeans fit around the ankle and how it falls on the sneaker you wear. Tailor your jeans please, that’s pretty much what I have to say about that.

Top records to own Ready to Die –Big If it were possible Dedication 2 –Lil Wayne Stevie Wonder’s discography Let me clear my throat -Dj cool and Biz Markie Top 5 artists Notorious Big Kanye Jay Z Method Man Dom Kennedy Honorable Mention: Nas

“Hopefully influence a generation because Houston doesn’t get it. They just don’t. There is a certain level or standard of quality a lot of Houston

artists don’t understand.”

X PRELL PICKENS  

How do you think you’ve evolved as an artist thus far? As an artist I can finally say at this time I’m okay where I am, but in art you can never know everything. This means I have no choice but to get better. I have developed a strong relationship with art. Which is important because I didn’t appreciate art as much as I do now as I have in the past. Today, there’s nothing I think about that I can’t put on canvas or whatever. At this point I feel like creativity is my only hurdle. What is your favorite medium to work with and why? I don’t really have a favorite. It really depends on how I feel and what I feel like doing. I can say there’s nothing like a pencil and notebook paper. I say notebook paper specifically because before I used sketch pads that’s all I was using. What do you feel artists have to offer our generation? I can only teach what I learn, so if someone is really willing to learn; I will teach them. Being from Detroit has any of your experiences there effected your work? Just being from there has effected my work. It means something when you’re from Detroit. Every place has

something they’re known for and being from Detroit means you are a survivor. A work horse who acknowledges that the odds are clearly stacked against you and smile. I love where I’m from because the lessons I have learned gave the determination that’s within me. What do you want your artwork to say about you? Man I just want to move people. I want to appeal to what you really feel. I want to evoke nothing but raw emotion when people see what I do. I want people to appreciate my work more than I do. What do you want to achieve in the next 12 months? I definitely have a few goals; I really want to build my tattoo portfolio, clientele and skills. I want to find my groove with my artwork and set up a website where I sell my work exclusively.

MORGANOSBORNE

you stretching, bellowing,

feels like tiger lilies

flexing their freckles. the chorus of them yawning

basking in the

chlorophyll.

“GOOD MORNING.”  

Closer than when we hugand only leave room for love in between that shoulder gap.Your skin, deep within the shadows as a matter of factis like the sky when the moon and sun overlap.What does it take to get a hold of that?Perusing and scrolling through our photo booth moments and photographs, in a desktop folder that's more like a morgue.I miss your proportionsand the semi amorphicgridiron assortment that trails along your thin torsoIt's obvious that the sheets love you more than I ever could hope.

I chose to interview these artists because I felt that they not only exemplify the talents of our generation but also possess the agent of change within them. They continue to pursue that inkling and are confident in that. No matter what age, we all need more of that. Its more than hope, its more than a 3 syllable presidential campaign, its hands touching hands. Its all the unseen and day to day things, its wanted to bestow the things you didn’t have onto someone else.

That’s something I didn’t fully realized until I left home and had a little boy looking up to me every single day and seeing the influence on every level. And from that I could only thank my father. Throughout my entire life my dad has provided enough and much more but as a kid one of my most vivid memories was when he came to my class in 2nd grade for career day. He was always busy, always but he came and then the following year he came on the field trip to the zoo. My mother was there 100% of the time otherwise, she was everything but I couldn’t tell you one specific time it meant more to me than another. As I got older I felt slighted because my dad was always working and I was blinded by the fact he always provided to not appreciate those things. I wanted him, I wanted to see him at my events. I wanted that time. So when I turned 22 and left home and came into the life of a then 8 year old and saw how much he appreciated having things in common with me whether it be watching adventure time, or liking little kid things. I saw myself in him and he in me. He saw how much I loved art and shared his with me and he’s such an amazing painter already. Besides his great-grandmother I was the only other artistically inclined person in his life. For him to not only connect with me on that level but a person to person means to much to both of us. He’s taken what I know and become so much more than I ever was at that age.

To me that’s the promise of tomorrow. That’s love. That’s something partially inexplicable but that relationship is forged forever. I can never take that for granted especially when you feel that hug and you hear how much he cares when he says he loves you when you leave. I never imagined I would feel that or learn so much about myself through him. In turn I learned so much about my father and I remember

calling my dad on fathers day last year crying because I never really told him how much he means to me and I know that he never really had in his father so how could I put that on him.

Its those agents of change I not only see but feel when I experience Morgan, Prell, Adriana, Wazhma and Prinston. I see pieces of myself in all of them but its all universal. They have this palpable passion and determination that not only makes you believe in them but also yourself. That’s the reason I wanted to start this zine. I wanted to share this expression, this view, this belief and these people with the community.

Whoever reads this should be able to feel their stories. The clouded façade of how our generation isn’t doing anything or doesn’t really want to make anything of themselves. We just want “things” and want them now, now, now. This is a push to dispel that. And if anything, we’re just a byproduct. But the dreams that you used to have are still plausible. Just because you might not believe anymore doesn’t mean we can’t and shouldn’t. This is about building bridges not only from the past but my generation is at a cross roads. We are becoming parents and we have to not only build for our future but further than that. Better than our parents and grandparents ever did. I think it starts with acknowledging what we have beginning to renew and instill that in others. Everybody has something worth sharing. I want this to be that platform.

It starts with person to person and accepting everything about each other. So when I look at Prell I see his ambition and ever evolving ability to really create out of any medium, he really put the effort towards. I see how that knowledge and self awareness spills over into this imagination and it continually unlocks doors for him. That only breeds confidence and passion for your freedom of expression. He’s constantly teaching himself how to speak more languages and relate to any audience through his creativity, it isn’t always fine art.

Hearing Adriana recite one of her pieces is like witnessing bridges sprawl back to Attica, Africa and inner cities high school that look like penitentiaries surrounded by gates. Who are we shielding them from? Is it you? Or are we shielding ourselves from them. She exudes such a fervor and commands your attention. She is the strongest chess piece and you can feel that in her rhetoric. When you watch Prinston work its never an emptiness in the silence between the time his mind is flushing out his ideas. It’s the stars aligning, it’s the lineage he tries to portray with each piece. He never wants to you or him to forget where his people came from and he’s definitely proud of that. It’s the pride within himself that really lets his work shine.

Knowing Wazhma and seeing her work to express all that she’s experienced is so interesting and compelling. Hearing her talk about what it was like growing up in an even more male dominant society, her mother would give her a bowl cut to be able to go outside and play with her brother so she would blend in. To hear stories like that and see her paintings describing the good and bad of her culture, seeing someone truly be transparent through their art is nothing less than inspiring. I am learning through and from her everyday. Everyone who comes in contact with her is. That is her gift.

There really aren’t enough words to describe what Morgan means to me. Spiritual, mentally, and emotionally she’s

someone I could never take for granted; she is the definition of constant inspiration. She is so self confident and it shows in everything, be it her work, her diction and even the way she carries herself. She is who you read about when you hear about the ancient queens of Africa. She is steadfast in her beliefs and has this energy that anyone could appreciate. When you hear her speak she is always breathing life into new ideas, beginnings and blessings. I love her for that. Morgan, I feel, is a reminder to people more than anything. She’s that bookmark in that book you love that you haven't revisited in a while.

And to see Chase, someone whose been a friend of mine since elementary school, someone who lives 3 blocks from me be apart of one of the biggest movements in music currently. To know that he has a platform to help push change and connect with our generation and the future in a way they we really gravitate towards does nothing but give me pride. I know the hearts of these people and again this is just a sample of what the city of Houston, the south, this generation can and has achieved. These are just the people I know. I’m a relative nobody. I’m just trying to help provide the platform we deserve

There’s definitely more to come. More expanding, more people, more ideas and much much more love. I did this by myself from the ground up, for my city and the love of the art in it. I took every single picture in here, I designed it, I printed it but I could not have done that without the people. Everyone I come in contact with. Without the those ties I would be lost. I wouldn’t have the drive. Everyone has somebody like the people I’ve shed a light on in this magazine and this is a thank you to those who’ve made me who I am today.