The Style Writers
Sight Zilla and Menes One interview graffiti artists and graffiti writers.
The Style Writers
Andi One Interview
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Sight Zilla interviews the infamous Andi One.
Yo right here with uh up and coming artists y'all probably seen them up the one and only is Andy with an eye not Andy with a Y but Andy with an I Um She's pretty dope color schemes and lettering is better than most I'm not trying to bank her head big or anything like that But um was lucky to get her in the interview right now And I I got a I got a few questions for her so I mean how important is it for women to do graffiti how important is it Yeah It's more like if you really want to do it then just go do it Um Just because if you don't want to do it then I don't want you out here painting You know what I mean It's like that's what I I don't know like I I love it I I love that women are painting more I've seen um shoe bones I know that's a friend of yours I've seen her like grow and like have a lot of creative what's the word I'm looking for creative and shoes productions and stuff like by her and on her own too yeah and that's what I like about her so that's crazy and it's in the hot ass fucking bird she's yeah so I'm I I appreciate her going out and she I I believe she's a mother and I mean that she takes the time to go out and do it and still handle her business just like uh a lot of my friends that paint like they handle their own stuff and they still go out there and paint like I don't know I'm glad that nothing stops them even though like it is a a male driven obviously community not community yeah game I mean so male dominated sport there you go but uh women are coming in more women than ever are coming into it kind of balance that shit out hopefully it'll be like half and half you know yeah I love saying it it's sometimes I can see like the danger to it but I mean thankfully for as a sales like nothing has happened to me or any of my homegirls while we're out painting but it is it is something that you have to think about when you're out there I mean it's not as easy it is as I think it's not as easy for females to go out to paint as it is for men when it comes to like a safety type measure. Yeah so I understand why some don't go out to paint but I mean it's a risk worth taking sometimes you you you understand like you know like in your intuition if something if you feel comfortable painting a spot or not yeah I mean there's plenty of times where Jism and I have left a spot where we're like uh nah we're good I mean when's the first time when's the first time how do you how do you and Jism meet like because Jiza's not somebody you just meet on the street and shit.
SPEAKER_03How did y'all meet?
SPEAKER_04No we first spoke over Instagram just like I feel most um people do nowadays or yeah that's how we met originally we went out to go paint um with a friend that we had in common and I think it just went from there. Okay so like how much has Jason been an influence on you and your graffiti career I mean when as soon as I started painting she had been she had started painting a few months before I did I believe and she's like the first female I started following and I remember like watching some of her fills and like totally supporting her and always wanting to like have a have a moment to paint with her but I didn't feel up to par so I never really hit her up um until later on. I think once we ended up meeting up we felt we got to get more comfortable with each other and now we're inseparable.
SPEAKER_03Alright so you what's the best spray can out right now in your opinion?
SPEAKER_04Uh I mean it depends what you're going what you're planning on doing if you're planning on going bombing or if you're planning on doing some sort of like working what's the best spray can for bombing and what's the best spray can for piecing shit I mean Jism and I our go-to is always hardcore for bombing and 94s for piecing. Okay alright I mean at least for me it's 94s for piecing she's don't she's just like a hardcore girl all the way.
SPEAKER_03Jism's always been hardcore we I remember when me and Jism went to go uh still paint from the 99 cent store and shit and America going to get America's finest at Home Depot when that was around just like two dollar cans and shit. Yeah hoodlums oh man it was different back then different generation how do you feel about I mean like what how do you feel about the old generation versus the new generation in graffiti do you think you're able to answer that?
SPEAKER_04Shit I don't even know the old generation I don't even think I've been painting long enough. I don't think I even knew about graffiti like long enough to be like oh I remember so and so and so and so like I didn't learn about anything until like maybe a year into painting which I should have done my homework before then like but I just was more into the artwork.
SPEAKER_03I mean I've been a lot of people been talking about you on the streets and yeah they've been saying you're dope. How what's your secret to getting better and better?
SPEAKER_04Uh just to constantly keep doing it just keep doing it or keep working on it. Um consistently painting sketching at home I don't know you just gotta go out there and do it that's the only way I I that's what I was told when I first started painting like oh I remember like looking at pieces and saying like damn I wish I could do that damn I wish I could do this like that shit looks dope as fuck I wish I could do that and the homie was like well then go you gotta start somewhere just go do it.
SPEAKER_03So it's just uh a a push that you have to give yourself okay so what who's in your in your opinion who's the greatest girl graffiti writer of all time I mean if it was gonna be me I'm gonna say me and my homegirl no I'm kidding I'm joking um I mean like I said I I don't feel like I've done my my history enough and I mean everybody knows like lady trying to like what do you think maybe on red are you on red yeah so you got like a um I got like a what how many tickets what's your uh the graffiti man once more top five graffiti artists of all time about the females but you said Jism right he said Jism is the greatest girl writer of all time so we got that yeah so we got that out the way so now I mean obviously we heard Drive Pink um Lady K that's on your that's on your top five oh I thought we were talking about the f the females no we should do them already um top five of all time I don't know top five graffiti artists of all time it's really hard for me yeah yeah because it just depends on like what kind of aspect like I mean like everything like what what sticks out these one who comes to mind first I know that's what I'm thinking Shiva Shiva She's one of my faves um Merlot's one of my faves who Merlot Merlot Merlot dope her and her and her dude are arrow yeah yeah fucking dope as fuck um I like what else I like Ewok Ewok which ew which one Ewok there's a bunch of Ewoks Ewok is that's the ones again how many was that that was I think you said three you said uh I'm gonna call yeah I can't call you calling the boyfriend okay that's four then the LA motherfuckers in there to have inspire me besides Jesus I'm very on your graffiti on your graffiti my rush more greatest of all time just styling ain't nobody from LA is everybody outside LA you got Merlot Shiva you said A rap Arabic A E R U B A E R U B I don't know how to say that I gotta get hooked on fine so we got one more I need to find this understanding pieces I mean what stands out to you more piecers mobbers bombers people that do burners people that do burners as bombs like let's see I know a lot of the OTRs don't fucking out there doing shit like that like it's gonna be one of the OTRs the last spot I don't know I'm trying to think of like another crew that I've seen like like out there doing shit like that.
SPEAKER_04Does it have to be from LA?
SPEAKER_03Don't have to be from LA I just thought it would be like dope to mention somebody from LA well then Stella Stella? Yeah she's from the Bay okay she's definitely like someone who's inspired okay nice she out there greatest crew what's the greatest crew of all time uh I don't know enough about goose to be students I know that like more about the art I know but like what stands out to you as the greatest crew you can like if you were like to die today what will be like the greatest crew that stood out to you I mean everybody would probably go with the streets like MSK MSK or like oh you know who I like actually a lot is um the NBCs.
SPEAKER_04NBCs ooh the work beautiful goals all their stuff is beautiful you seen the last thing they just did some shit in Mexico recently I remember Jism and I were just like staring at that shit like Baba's coming out of my mouth somebody got me an account okay that's what's up um I guess my my next question is just like how long do you plan to do graffiti? For as long as I can as long as you can yeah and what's next for you to master in the world of graffiti next like I mean you got peace and down I don't think so but if you say so then I I'll I'll think it's pretty good I mean it's pretty good that's exactly how I feel too like it's pretty good I know I could do better so that's where I'm like alright.
SPEAKER_03That's all you can do is get better and better.
SPEAKER_04I want to work in like every aspect like when it comes to my letters when it comes to like uh like realism uh even my canvas work I want to start getting more like into like sketching on my iPads and shit like that.
SPEAKER_03I mean since you since you're a woman girl um what advice do you have for young girls new writers girls that do graffiti what advice do you have for them when they get in they w look they start doing graffiti start hanging out with different dudes getting in certain crews what advice do you have for them as far as hooking up with dudes that do graffiti should they not do it at all or should they take like precautions?
SPEAKER_04Jeff always take precautions I mean at the end of the day don't trust any of these fools like anybody regardless of male or female like it's it's just a shitty world nowadays. Yeah but um just be careful who you paint with don't paint with like if you already hear something bad about somebody like I don't know like or whatever you know I don't know just try not to involve yeah ask around see what you know about that person like what other people know about that person before you like go out and paint with them um just always carry something to protect yourself you never know even if it's not the person you paint with you you're out here painting streets or freeways like you're even like crazy tweakers are gonna come at you regardless of like I mean obviously gang members that keep like depending on what area you're in button. Like just the people that you're painting with yeah but it's I'm just talking about like I mean the girls getting in a cruise right and they don't know nothing about it right but you got like a lot of thirsty dudes that you know they just they just want to um you know get their dick wet play around um not really take it seriously just have their way you know what I'm saying and a lot of girls that a lot of newcomers don't have no idea about they get into it and they think it's all feachies like guys are oh I do graffiti's a lookout for me it's not you do respect but uh that's what you join a crew once you've been painting long enough to join a crew right and by then you should hopefully know who you're painting with and if like when I first started painting I had just that one homie that I went out to paint with and I wouldn't go out to paint with anybody else unless I asked I I'd ask him like just like I said that you heard about this person you know that person like okay don't hang out with this person. Okay you haven't heard anything about that person like alright I guess I'll go paint with that person and see how it is and like if you get a bad vibe fuck that shit about like always take your own car. Don't get picked up you know provide your own transportation because you never know man.
SPEAKER_03You gotta get that car facts on people and shit.
SPEAKER_04But really though I swear to God there's I swear there's people that will that will hit me up and I'll like tell Jason like hey you know who this person is alright.
SPEAKER_03Yeah just you gotta be safe you never know yeah I mean okay so do you have any graffiti crushes I'm not talking about um liking somebody I'm talking about liking their style is there a graffiti crush that's what I mean like is there a style that you like that that someone does that you wish you can do that you really admired or Shiva definitely one of the ones I've always your graffiti crush she definitely up there I gotta see some of our work I don't think I ever heard of her her there's this other chick Wims Gwims?
SPEAKER_04Uh-huh they're from few and far so I'm not a girl but like how hard is it to paint with the nails though I mean it's kind of hard to get the crisp lines but you get used to holding the can a certain way and I mean it's not the most comfortable so what do you do like okay you just got your nails done do you wear you just say fuck it I'm gonna get paint on them or do you wear gloves or no I I say fuck it honestly I used to have my nail lady used to get mad at me all the time she's like you better wear gloves I'd be like mm mm yeah for sure and yeah nah for sure next day I would I would take off the paint on top of the nail the nail polish remover but you could totally see like all the black with all the air on the bottom if it gets on the top or under underneath or everyone because once it gets underneath it starts like a flat damn that's crazy I would have never known about that you never have to worry about it. Oh what's the craziest graffiti story from memory is a mini painting on that bridge the 1010 one in like downtown and uh we crawled onto the ledge of a bridge that's pretty high up there. It was fun I don't even know how long that should we uh how long we were up there for or like how tall it technically was but 100 feet when I was at high damn you weren't afraid of like rolling off on a budget that that it really is I don't know if that's a correct statement but it was I mean I was high end right with you for sure. I thought that's it I was like leaning against the wall the whole time I have a hoodie that has like all the paint on my like left arm and it's like I'm never throwing away the tape that was your first time I've ever a little leg like that I don't know what the old school guys called it I don't know what the new school people call it this today up there it wasn't as scary as we thought it was gonna be but afterwards we were like damn we did it celebratory blend so how's it I mean how you feel about girls having their own graffiti shows I know you got one coming up uh what's it called? A penos garden how important is it for uh females to be to have that platform I think it's good uh it's when you go to normal like regular not normal but regular graph shows it's usually like male dominated you like might see a female or two so it's nice to see a spot where it's just like all the females are comfortable to paint with each other. It's definitely different when you paint with all females than when you paint with all dudes what's the difference um like the support like with so when I go paint with my homegirls everybody fucking like brings something we'll do a production everybody brings snacks some people like we'll bring drinks we'll bring weeds some people we'll bring shrooms we'll all bring our paint we'll all bring food like we all we just all take care of each other we make sure that everyone stays hydrated we make sure we all have sunscreen like guys don't give a fuck about that shit they'll just did you guys bring the beer all right cool we good and this is like now we gotta eat at some point y'all like no so um and just like the support it's like oh my god I don't think this looks good blah blah blah you see we'll I'll ask one of my homegirls I'll be like no it looks really good and they'll still be honest to me and be like oh but you should fix this and that's what I like with my homegirls at least it's not always like that with all the girls unfortunately but it it's nice to see when the when the girls are like more of a community it's it's a it's a pleasant sight to see a pleasant sight. Mm-hmm didn't
SPEAKER_03I mean like what what's worse? Uh grilled beef or guy beef?
SPEAKER_04I don't know. I haven't had to deal with guy beef like that, so for me it's grilled beef. I don't know.
SPEAKER_03I mean, is it easy to squash grill beef? Or is it just like it is is it squashable?
SPEAKER_04I mean I guess it depends what the beef is, right? Like it en that entails some backstory.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Whatever it is. Alright. Fair enough. We're not gonna get into that.
SPEAKER_04No, I just mean in general, like same thing with guys though, because it's just like guys get butthurt over stupid shit sometimes. It's gonna paint trees.
SPEAKER_03Everybody be getting butthurt. Fucking crazy.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, guys ain't girls, so that's why I was like, it goes both ways.
SPEAKER_03How do you feel about painting trains?
SPEAKER_04I like painting trains. I just have to carry my ladder every single time because I'm so short. But it's okay, I have a little system to carry my ladder.
SPEAKER_03So what's your system? What kind of ladder?
SPEAKER_04It's just a little three-step stool. Oh, okay. But um I don't like carrying it with along with all my paint, so I I I tie my dog leash to it and it's like I use it like a strap, so it's like I'm carrying it like a purse. And it's way less heavy carrying it like that for me.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_04So it was But I do like painting trains. I like that they travel.
SPEAKER_03Well, okay, so you got what do you like painting more? Sober or uninfluenced?
SPEAKER_04I mean, I'm always smoking weed, so how important is it?
SPEAKER_03How important is it to smoke the weed?
SPEAKER_04To smoke weed?
SPEAKER_03To smoke the weed, wow, and paint.
SPEAKER_04I think it's very crucial because then I get impatient with some shit sometimes. So it's like I use the weed to like, alright, bitch, stop overthinking that shit. Just hurry up and move on. We gotta go.
SPEAKER_03Shit. What's the sub?
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04Definitely always fucking.
SPEAKER_03Okay. So oh you changed. If if if you ever want, I know you you solo right now, right? You so you wanna?
SPEAKER_04Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_03If you if you ever, if you ever, if you ever don't let this fucking plane pass, go in your fucking Englewood. Let that motherfucking Airbus pass over. Um if you were ever if you were ever to join a crew again. What does the fucking crew have to do and have to have to even interest you?
SPEAKER_04I'm not even at that stage right now, right? Honestly, like I'm still trying to focus on my stuff and realize what I want to do with my with my graph and my art. I'm not even focusing on what crew I want to join.
SPEAKER_03Okay. But it's not just not just like a little a hint of what they can do to pique your interest. Nothing.
SPEAKER_04Not at this moment.
SPEAKER_03So like the NBCs, if the NBCs do something that makes you like drool and they hit your name up next to it, that's not enough?
SPEAKER_04I don't I don't think they would at this point.
SPEAKER_03You don't think they would?
SPEAKER_04No, not where I am at right now.
SPEAKER_03Why?
SPEAKER_04I have a lot of uh leveling up to do.
SPEAKER_03So you're saying if NBC crew asked you to get on the crew, you would turn it down?
SPEAKER_04They would not get I just know that they wouldn't at this point in my in my career quite.
SPEAKER_03Why not? Why do you think that?
SPEAKER_04Because I know I have so much more that I can do that I know I need to learn.
SPEAKER_03I think you underestimate yourself.
SPEAKER_04Do I?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Maybe I do. But I think it's better that I do.
SPEAKER_03You're farther along than most people. I mean, even myself, I don't even got color schemes down like that. I just do I just like doing throwies. But I don't like piecing. I'm piecing is like boring to me. I don't like that shit. I can do it, but it's just like it's like it's just boring. It's not like driving the speed limit and shit.
SPEAKER_04It's not boring at all. It's all the colors, all the details.
SPEAKER_03Maybe if I was on shrooms or something like that, I couldn't.
SPEAKER_04See, I cannot paint on shrooms, no. I'll be like, guys, I can't paint no more. Yeah. I'm done. Maybe maybe on shrooms? On shrooms? I couldn't paint. Well, we painted that one time, and then after that. Okay, that one time, and after that I was like, guys, it had hotspots. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You said hotspots? No.
SPEAKER_04No. I only did it in Mexico.
SPEAKER_03What do you got against hotspots?
SPEAKER_04I don't. I'm just blind as hot, and I can't see it.
SPEAKER_03What do you mean by blind?
SPEAKER_04Like, how blind is like okay, once I hold on. The outside of my fingers start to get blurry right here.
SPEAKER_03So are you nearsighted or something?
SPEAKER_04What's I don't know what's cross-sighted?
SPEAKER_03I'm just checking. Oh.
SPEAKER_04I think it's nearsighted, right? Is that the character? I don't know. I don't even know. I just know I'm blind as fuck. Damn, so like if someone just And then I'll get like a glare from like the light.
SPEAKER_03So you're telling me if somebody just ran up and snatched your glasses, you just like feeling for the air and everything?
SPEAKER_04I'd be like, damn, okay, that she's wearing a red dress. Follow the red, like the color red. Follow the color red.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_04It's a red light. I'm setting next to a fire hydrogen like I'm here, bitch. Where are we going?
SPEAKER_03So do you keep an extra pair of glasses just in case?
SPEAKER_04I do. They're in my car I take them in my car every day.
SPEAKER_03Oh that's good.
SPEAKER_04Should I have two extra pairs of glasses in my glasses? I know everyone in your car, huh? Really the.
SPEAKER_03So why the name Andy?
SPEAKER_04Why Andy? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Why Andy with an I though?
SPEAKER_04Um my and not with a Y. A family member gave it to me like that. I get because the Y's with the is a boy.
SPEAKER_03You're serious.
SPEAKER_04Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_03Andy, so Andy with an I represents signifies a girl?
SPEAKER_04Well, I think Andy was a Y is for sure a boy. I think Andy was an I my my um one of my family members gave me Andy.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so it works out.
SPEAKER_03Alright. And you ran with it? How long ago? I mean, how long have you been in the game?
SPEAKER_04No, I'm only August. Later this month, in a couple weeks, actually. It'll be four it'll I'll be painting for four years.
SPEAKER_03Damn. Shit.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03Who got you started in graffiti?
SPEAKER_04Um, I actually I went to a Beyond the Street show.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_04And I was like, I could do that. Maybe. Then I I was playing Pokemon one day. Okay. And I saw a mural.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And um, because it was super gloomy that day, like it looked like it was gonna rain.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And the mural had like teals and oranges, and it just looked so colorful, and it just like brightened up my day, and I was like, damn, maybe I could do some shit like that. But it's like where do I start? And then it's like, okay, like maybe I'll start with graffiti. And like I said, I'd go flick stuff before, and I'd be like, damn, I wish I could do that. And so I finally went out there and started doing it.
SPEAKER_03We do a lot of canvases, I think canvases are dope. How can people support you in the canvas work?
SPEAKER_04In my canvas, I mean purchase a canvas.
SPEAKER_03How can they buy a canvas?
SPEAKER_04I mean, how can they buy a canvas?
SPEAKER_03Do they DM you or they go to your website?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they can DM me. I mean, I feel like uh we're Susan and I are in a lot of uh shows for the most part.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, they can go pull up to the show and buy it.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm, exactly.
SPEAKER_03Support the um girls of graffiti.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, no matter how much.
SPEAKER_03The real girls are graffiti, not the not the ones that real.
SPEAKER_04That's just a sweat.
SPEAKER_03The real girls of graffiti.
SPEAKER_04Is that we are in the real girls of graffiti?
SPEAKER_03No, you got you got posers that say they do it, and they don't really they don't really be out there like that, you know.
SPEAKER_04So shit, I don't even think I'm out there like that right now. Like and people are like, I see you, I see you. I was like, you you do it? Okay, cool.
SPEAKER_03Okay, I'm gonna wrap this up. Anything you want to say to the world? Anything you want them to know about you?
SPEAKER_04To know about me?
SPEAKER_03That they don't know and they need to know, or shouldn't know.
unknownWhat?
SPEAKER_04She's trying to get me to say here.
SPEAKER_03No, you can say whatever's on your heart.
SPEAKER_04No, I mean if you really have the love to do it, then keep doing it and work work on it.
SPEAKER_03Like I'ma hold you to that.
SPEAKER_04That's what I'm trying to do right now.
SPEAKER_03I'm trying to do it until I'm like until I get arthritis really bad in my hands.
SPEAKER_04Until I can't do it no more.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm still on shit. I'm gonna be doing it for a long time.
SPEAKER_04I hope I do.
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna be wearing diapers doing this shit. For real. They're gonna be gonna be that grandparent. Like, uh, my grandpa won't took me like oh, write on walls.
SPEAKER_01Huh.
SPEAKER_03Grandpa's writing on walls today. Like, that's gonna be me.
SPEAKER_04He stole my crayons.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03Like, grandma told uh grandma uh grandpa told me to pull over on the freeway. Yeah, man. So are you okay with that? Oh yeah, before I let you go.
SPEAKER_04I thought he needed a peep, but he busted out with his precast.
SPEAKER_03Before I let you go.
SPEAKER_04What?
SPEAKER_03Uh weapon of choice, scribe or main street?
SPEAKER_04Uh scribe. Why? Last forever.
SPEAKER_03Alright.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_03That's it, man. Thank you for the interview. You don't say anything shy.
SPEAKER_04Well, because I'm with my friends. She's not the shy one.
SPEAKER_03She was more Jason was more shy than the side. I'm the shy boy.
SPEAKER_04She's not the shy one. I speak for the both of us.
SPEAKER_03You speak for the both, okay. For the most part. Alright. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Like, usually, like, if somebody needs anything.
SPEAKER_03What size shoe do you wear?
SPEAKER_04Me? Yeah. Um, and kid, this is a size five and voice.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_04Alright.
SPEAKER_02Alright.
SPEAKER_04He's like with your tiny feet.
SPEAKER_00This is the snap. You can find me. I'll burn that. Oh, whatever.