I feel like the mentalities from harder lifestyles never go away. No matter where you go, you were raised by your community and it molded you into the person you are.
Articles
Sofia Enriquez.
My work revolves around a MUCHO ethos, which comes from culturally understanding every Hispanic worker I know as doing a lot, all the time. We fix cars, build homes, harvest people’s food, then cook, plate, and serve it. We work in warehouses and on top of roofs, in poor working conditions for less than our worth, and still find the time to create and dance and laugh with each other. We’re jacks of all trades. We have to be; we don’t come from money, so we have to know how to do everything because that’s how we got here, right?
Joker Brand’s Estevan Oriol for Desmadre World.
At the time Joker Brand began, there weren’t any clothing lines repping our culture other than what we considered old-school. We wanted our own to add a twist to fashion by putting our art on what we produced.
Joe Altmann for Desmadre World.
I grew up in a small town in southeast Germany where there wasn’t much to do besides get sh*tfaced or get into fights with boneheads. Music was my way out, my excuse to travel to shows, to see something bigger than my hometown. Early on, I learned that if you want something, you just have to do it yourself. No one’s gonna hand it to you.
Jesse Jay/Los Guys Kustoms for Desmadre World.
I’ve been in and out of airbrushing since I was young but decided I wanted to take it seriously around 4 years ago. I made contact with a few artists who were already in the game, a few turned me down. Then there was Mr. Joe Hernandez… He took me under his wing to teach me, or what he says, how to be confident about my craft. I took on any project that fell into my hands just for the experience and to know in my heart that I was there and I did that.
MAURO DE LA TIERRA.
I grew up in a punk house on the east side of San Antonio, Texas. I saw a lot of addiction and the effects of the prison industrial complex firsthand. Finding art taught me to be more confident in myself, and how to extend myself to others.
Sailor Punk. <Eng>
The noise we make is based a lot on pain, hate, and resentment. A silent cry that does not stop but evolves, giving rise to a fight against the ego of each inconsequential being.
Jay Howell for Illustrated Madness.
I think everyone feels pigeonholed to some degree. But it’s my job to continually try to work beyond what people know me most for. I’m very proud of what I’m pigeonholed for though, so I’m grateful to be pigeonholed
Suitcase Joe’s Introduction to Illustrated Madness. FT. Hopes & Jimmy Bonks.
Illustrated Madness has been a long time in the making in my head. My love for zines, graffiti, illustration, independent publications, and photography has all come together right here in your hands. A small, humble beginning to something bigger, I hope. More than anything, I like to imagine that one day, some kid will stumble upon a copy of Illustrated Madness, tucked away in a forgotten box or chest, and it will spark the beginning of their curiosity to discover more. Hopefully, it leads them to uncover their own love for photography, art, and illustration, taking them on wild adventures that only a life of creative pursuit can offer. An adventure of discovery that will lead them to their own kind of splendid madness.
HOKZ / HOKZYN. <ENG>
I am almost never 100% sure of what I want to say. Sometimes I am, but most of the time it is an impulse or an idea that comes, takes hold of me and haunts me. It is not until after I go out to paint, write or do something about it that I manage to understand what it could really mean, but sometimes that message never comes through. I am thankful for my friends, people close to me, and people who stop to look at my work because many times, it is through you that I manage to see and understand things about my work that I would not have been able to understand on my own.