Visual Noise: Walls Talk
Visual Noise: Walls Talk is where concrete becomes conversation. Hosted by TRP613 and Urban Ninja, this podcast dives deep into the world of street art, graffiti culture, murals, stickers, wheatpaste, underground creativity, and the artists leaving their mark on the city.
From back alleys to massive walls, every episode uncovers the stories, struggles, techniques, and inspirations behind the art most people walk past — but never really see.
This isn’t just about art — it’s about expression, rebellion, community, survival, and turning blank walls into loud statements.
Visual Noise: Walls Talk
Visual Noise: Walls Talk - Rx Skulls
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RXSKULLS – Portland's Master of the Skull
This week on Visual Noise: Walls Talk, hosts TRP613 and Urban Ninja head to Portland, Oregon to sit down with one of the most recognizable names in the global sticker scene—RXSKULLS.
For more than a decade, RXSKULLS has been covering streets around the world with his instantly recognizable skull design. What started as a single photograph of a human skull taken while studying graphic design in London evolved into hundreds of unique hand-crafted variations that have become iconic throughout the international street art community.
But there's a much deeper story behind the name. "RX" isn't just a cool tag—it was born from a very personal experience. After being diagnosed with a brain tumor, combined with a family history of cancer and his fascination with mortality, he created the RXSKULLS identity as a way to process those experiences. The name also reflects his complicated relationship with prescription medication and the lasting impact it had on his life and art.
Unlike many artists who outsource production, RXSKULLS is obsessed with craftsmanship. Every design begins as a hand-carved linoleum block before being transformed into screen prints. His stickers are screen printed, hand cut, and produced in his own print shop, earning him the nickname of a true "adhesive enthusiast." The DIY process has become just as important as the artwork itself.
In this episode, we dive into his years studying in London, where European street art completely changed the way he looked at public space. We talk about Portland's incredible sticker culture, why screen printing remains at the heart of his work, how collaborations have helped grow the community, and why one simple skull continues to inspire endless creativity.
Join us for an honest conversation about art, mortality, travel, craftsmanship, and the philosophy of putting handmade work into the streets. Whether you're a sticker collector, printmaker, or lifelong street art fan, Episode 11 is packed with stories from one of Portland's most respected artists.
Visual Noise: Walls Talk with TRP613 and Urban Ninja—where the walls have stories, and the artists get to tell them.
Music credit:
“Funk Groove Music” by Alex Gus via Pixabay
What's up everyone? Welcome to our podcast, Visual Noise Walls, Talk, Ninja and Trip here. What's up, Ninja? What's up? How you doing, man? I'm good, man. I'm good. It's hot here, so I'm doing alright. Yes, I'm hot too. Yeah. Better than cold. Yes. So in our podcast, we interview street artists. We talk about art in the streets. Welcome to the show. Today we have RX Skulls. What's up, RX?
SPEAKER_00Hey, how's it going, guys? Thanks for having me on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. We're we're hyped. We're hyped to have you on. Um, could you tell uh people a little bit about yourself, where you're from, what you do, just so in case they don't know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh, so I am out of Portland, Oregon, and I've been doing sticker art, paste-up, stencil, all sorts of fun stuff uh since 2010. Um and uh I got into street art mostly by stickers. You know, this kind of similar story as probably all of us have with this weird obsession is that you know, I've always collected them, I've always, you know, had them on things as a kid. And then when I realized that I have free will and I could make my own, and I started seeing them around, kind of everything came together, and I just, you know, started making them myself. But I got into screen printing first, and I think that's what kind of like really first dominoed down and um and kind of set the trajectory of my life really uh you know, 17 years ago. So uh yeah, that's that's a little about me.
SPEAKER_02I think silk screening stickers are probably my favorite. It it pops, looks the best. Don't get me wrong, I like every sort of sticker, but that's the true one that I find the texture best.
SPEAKER_01You know, it's that texture, it's that game.
SPEAKER_02I I know even people who don't know anything about stickers, and I sh get like show like a pile of stickers, they always pick out the the silk screen one, they always go, this one is for some reason looks amazing. It's like, well, and they tell them the story behind it, but yeah.
SPEAKER_00They definitely feel elevated, and I think part of it is the like the human quality of it because you can see if it's a multicolor screen printed sticker, you can see in the light, you can see the layering of it, you can see the trapping of the color underneath. Uh, and then and then the color density is just unmatched. Like, it doesn't matter what kind of beautiful, expensive digital printer you have, you're not laying down ink in the same way. Like, I mean, I I got into digital printing about two and a half years ago, and I can tell now from personal experience, it's like I love the digital printer, it does beautiful work, but like the opacity of it, for example, is just like hugely different. I mean, a digital printer is laying down the thinnest layer of ink ever. And if you put it on something like clear without an underbase, you're gonna see right through it, like stained glass. And when you're screen printing, I mean, like for those of the people who don't know, I mean, you're literally you've got a screen door. Think of like a uh a really tightly woven screen door with silk mesh, and the open bits are where the ink comes through, and the blocked bits uh are obviously blocked, and you're just scraping ink through that thing. So it's just this layer of like dense, highly pigmented, opaque ink going through onto a sticker sheet, and that's where you get that tactile quality, and that's where you get that just like vibrancy of the colors. And so, I mean, uh I love digital and and you know, and and there's so many different kinds of printing for sure, but I'm I'm with you guys. I just think screen printed is is so cool. And with the rise of like digital everything, it I think people can appreciate it even more now because I know that there is kind of this resurgence, it's like this going back to like, you know, kids are carrying around digital cameras now. Kids are, you know, they're wanting a cell phone without all the apps, you know, like and the same way with the art world. It's like I feel the definite resurgency to like handmade stuff that looks handmade. We don't want something that looks like a computer made it, we want something that has that organic wobbliness of like human, you know.
SPEAKER_02The human element, that's correct. I like that. It does add that touch to it, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Talk a bit about the gang run, like in case people don't know what a gang run is. Like, I don't know, did you turn coin that term? Like, I'd never heard of it before you, so I'm curious about that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, good question. Gang run is actually an old school printmaking term. And so it's an interesting story because, like, back in the day, you know, like 20 years ago, when there was a lot less options for getting your stickers made, all the companies were gang running, and they weren't really using that terminology, but that's what they were doing, and that term was alive in the printing community. And the idea is that you're ganging up lots of imagery on the same sheet and printing it at once. So that's why 20 years ago, it used to take you two months to get your sticker order, uh, if anybody remembers, because they were waiting to fill that big sheet for printing. That, you know, sometimes they'd be waiting weeks before they'd even start your print job because they don't have enough items to fill the sheet, whether it be screen printing or digital. I used to be a graphic designer when I was uh in my early 20s. And when I kind of pushed design, you know, away and was like, ah, I think I'm gonna try this printmaking thing full time. I was trying to get orders from people. I was trying to like, you know, market my services, and it was slow. You know, and it was like anytime you start any kind of new freelance gig, right? It's like give yourself a couple years to hopefully break even. And so I was like, what's a creative way I could offer printmaking to people where it makes sense for me monetarily and labor-wise, but it also lets people in at a lower price point, you know what I mean? Because it's like with screen printing, especially, it's all the startup, it's a lot. You're chemically exposing screens and you're printing transparency film, and it's time and it's money. So I was like, well, I want to do my own kind of spin on a gang run where it's much smaller, so it doesn't, you know, and I have a pre-sale window, so it's like a set amount of time. So I'll open up this window of time. But the thing that made my gang runs unique was that I was doing specific themes of printmaking. So whereas before gang running was just like you send in your art, you get it like it is, it's CMYK screen printing, for example, and so this person's art on this side of the sheet can look drastically different than this person over here, and that's okay. But for me, I wasn't even capable of doing CMYK screen printing at that point. So I was like, okay, first gang run, I'm gonna do uh metallic ink underlay with your art on top on these vinyl colors. Sign up if you want in, you know? And the cool thing about it at that time was there was very few people doing printmaking in this way, and especially in the street art community. So for the first couple years of doing it, it was wild. I was like breaking big cartel. Like I literally like broke the site a couple times because everyone was jumping in. I had very limited slots because it was just me. So it was like, okay, guys, I have 25 slots open, and then I'd have like a hundred people clicking purchase at like on a Thursday. Yeah, yeah. And and so, you know, and then I was like, okay, now I'm gonna do 50 slots, and you know, and then I'll do maybe I'll do 75 and I'll bring in a friend who can help me cut everything down to mail it. And it grew from there, but um, but still I still do the gang runs, I still love doing the gang runs. Um, there's obviously like so much more saturation in the print world now, so the demand from for me isn't as high, but uh, but I you know, we still probably get like 75-ish people per gang run. And then we do we've done just a mad variety of themes over the years from like metallic, neon, transparent, stained glass, different like colorways that match the season that we're in, you know, or different media types, like we're doing a neon one right now, where you have like neon vinyl. And so uh yeah, it's just like it's a way for lots of people to share the startup cost of screen printing so that I can afford to do a sticker run for someone for you know $35 versus the minimum charge of like a hundred dollars just to get your own custom job. So I really have a lot to thank the gang run for me and and you know, getting on my feet in the print world.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think it goes back to community, you know, stickers is a is a community, everyone wants to help everyone, and you're just there thinking, fuck man, I wish I could help people get stickers cheaper. Help yourself too, obviously, but and that's what you did, and now it's blown up to this huge thing, and it's it's great. I I remember hearing from a guy in Ottawa, his name is Kanakilla, him doing the gang run, and I never heard of it. And this was like almost 10 years ago, and I was like, wow, what what is this? And then like got in on it, and it's great.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. It's fun. I I love that community aspect of it too. It just makes the whole community feel tight and small and cozy, and it's nice to see everybody together. We do uh one thing that is so much extra work for us, so we don't do it super often. I'd love to be able to do it more often, but we do a gang run called Group Hug. The idea behind that is that you also get a sticker from everyone else. So it's super fun, and I mean it's like a giant, you know, you're doing a giant trade with a hundred other people along with your stickers, and so yeah, love that. Love that.
SPEAKER_02Are there any recent street artists out there that inspire you, or or is there just artists that you already know that you like that are older, but like, is there any new ones?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, oh man, there's always there's there's so much good and bad with social media, as we all know, but that's one of the good ones is being able to connect with uh with new artists. Yeah, I mean uh and through printmaking too, that's been really cool. I've been able to meet a lot of new people through, you know, being like, hey, can you print my stickers? Specific, I I've always had certain artists that were like on my bucket list to work with. So like artists like Sweetooth and artists like Googly Eye Crew, um, you know, London Police, those are people I've gotten to print with recently. Wow, mind blown that I even get to touch their artwork. So cool. Newer artists in Portland. I mean, there's always this like awesome influx of new artists in Portland. It's hard to like it's hard to name name individual people without leaving so many people out. I'm like looking at my phone now, too.
SPEAKER_01We just interviewed uh Miss Chaos.
SPEAKER_00She she gave you a yeah, Miss Chaos is getting up like crazy for sure, and trying all sorts of fun different kinds of methods of of printing and making art. My buddy iDrop, I'm like in awe of. If you're not familiar with iDrop, it's E Y E D R A W P. His work is insane. It's it's really unique, the work itself, and much like Sweet Tooth, he can take his work and just fit it anywhere. It's like organic in shape, and that it can just fit. And one of the things that it really impresses me about him is that he just goes for it and he just like puts everything into it. So at one point, like uh a couple years ago, he was like, Like, you know what? I'm going to hitchhike across America for like as long as I feel like I need to, and just go bombing every day, and just I'll just sleep in a hammock and I'll just sleep in a bandos and I'll just like you know, and he fucking did it, you know. A lot of people talk about that, and he just did it. And then when he was done, he was like, I don't think I'm done traveling yet. So so then he did the PCT, you know, and that's a big beat as well. I mean, I I just I'm constantly impressed by that guy. Big shout out to that guy. I love I do love Portland because I just feel like I'm always meeting new artists, whether in the street art community or not. But I also have like, you know, my little crew, which I just love of friends that I've built like I've come up with in the last, you know, 15, 17, 18 years.
SPEAKER_01Um I think there's something in the air in Portland, you know. I think I don't know what it is, but it's the creativity. I hear about like you guys have amazing food trucks, like there's just something. I don't know. Like, is it West Coast? Um, there's something with Portland that is just breathes art and culture and cool shit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I I wish I could put my finger on it. I think it's like you said, it's a lot of things, you know, and and we have a lot of weird stuff in Portland. Like we have the most craft brew per capita, we have the most food carts per capita, we have the most strip clubs per capita. We have like, you know, we have we have a lot, we have a lot of creative, artsy people doing weird creative things, like finding niches. And like, I mean, I have a friend who just opened up an espresso shop in his garage in like an alleyway, and now it's like the fucking spot. It's like where you go. It's like I I it's this tiny little alleyway behind his house in his like little ADU garage, and there it is, it's Clark's coffee, and it's delicious, and it's fantastic. And he was like, I'm gonna do this, you know, and it's like he just went for it, and not in the normal way of like opening a brick and mortar or even opening up a food car. It's just like I'm gonna do it out of my garage, I'm gonna make it a thing and do it on my own terms, and and he did it, and it's doing amazing. I think I give a lot of credit to screen printing with regard to the upswing of sticker art in Portland back in the day. What I noticed was in my travels in like my early 20s was that at this time, so like 2010 to like 2015 or so, everyone who was making stickers and putting up stickers in Portland was screen printing. And I just thought that was normal. And then I started traveling and I was like, this isn't normal. This is this is interesting. A lot of people in other cities are either drawing on 228s or they are ordering them out. And when you order them out, especially back then, you could only order a couple designs at a time because the startup cost is up here and you're getting the same thing over and over. So you maybe only have three or four designs that you're bombing with. And then, you know, and then a lot of people in other cities they were it was just black and white stickers because that was the cheapest. And of course that makes sense. You're you're putting them out in the street, you're not making your money back. What I realized, like, oh, this is actually kind of special in Portland, the fact that we're all screen printing. Because what it did, it allowed us to do it for cheaper or for one, but it also made this scene of like 10 people look like a scene of a hundred because all of a sudden we're we're able to control this screen print, one screen printed sheet of stickers, for example, with one pass of a squeegee, which is like what a second and a half. We've printed 20 stickers, and you throw another sheet of vinyl under there, and you have 1.5 seconds go by and you have another 20 stickers, and that was a different color vinyl. So now all of a sudden you have 20 designs here, 20 designs here, but you have 40 unique stickers because you have two different vinyl colors, and then you're throwing different inks on there, and blah, blah, blah. So we kind of tricked people in a way without knowing into like becoming in Portland and being like, whoa, this scene is so diverse. There's so many artists, so many colors. And it's like, well, it's just 10 of us. We're just like, you know, we're pretty we have the control to like go hard like this and give that that variety. So that's crazy. I yeah, I do give a lot of credit to screen printing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, that that's wild. I want to ask you about your name. I know uh I believe you had a brain tumor, and you're not a big fan of drugs, and it it kind of comes from that. Can you explain a little bit about that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So I had a pituitary tumor like in my late teenage years. And yeah, I was, I was misdiagnosed, was put on a bunch of medications that I didn't need, all sorts of bad side effects. Something about all the medical mishaps and all the ickiness from that. Definitely, I was always into art and always interested in making art, but I really delved into it at that time because it was a distraction and it was something that made me happy, and it was you know, a therapy in a way. And so I I did, I chose the name RX more out of like irony than anything, because I was on all these drugs, didn't want to be, I was trying to get off them. In fact, I was misdiagnosed and put on prednisone for like almost a year. It took six months to get me off the prednisone. If you know anything about that kind of high dose steroids, 60 being on 60 milligrams of prednisone for a year is no fucking picnic. I mean, I had all the side effects from moon face syndrome to like shaky hands to personality disorder. It was awful. And it took me six months to get off of it because your adrenal glands just shut down. So I it was like, yeah, like it was kind of taking that name was like, well, this is what built me, whether it, you know, not not necessarily a good, you know, I'm not like celebrating this, but but kind of like reclaiming it in a way, and so yeah, and so the RX came from that, and that was always supposed to be my name, it's just RX, but um, because of social media, you you know, I was no way I could just pick RX at the time. So I was like, oh, well, they're my like I make skulls, RX skulls, those are my but then of course, you know, that became the name. So um but I I fought that for a few years. I was like, no, no, it's not my name. And then finally I was just like, nah, it is though, yeah, yeah. And I like it. It makes it, it's it it adds more uniqueness to it, more recognizability, and so I've I've fully accepted it.
SPEAKER_01With bands, you know. I remember uh interview from Vampire Weekend, and they were like, you know, we made this band and we were just fucking around and we thought it was gonna be dumb, and we called ourselves Vampire Weekend, and now we're kind of fucked because like we have to stay with it, you know, and it was that whole relay time, and you know, it was just like it had nothing to do with anything other than just stupid shit that they picked, and they're like, Well, that's us now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That was like me. Like, I when I first started doing street art, I went under T-bones and I drew ninjas, but then people would always like, hey Ninja, and I was like, It's not ninja, it's T-bones, right? And then now I just stopped correcting people and it just said, Yeah, Urban Ninja, just that's it.
SPEAKER_00Funny how it's like out of your it's like your most intimate part of one of the most intimate parts of your like identity as an artist, but also how little control you kind of have over it in some ways, especially with like social media and community stuff. But like, yeah, you know, but it's kind of cool when it's chosen for you. It's almost more special when it's chosen for you in that way because you've been given that rather than you trying to make it for yourself. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02That's right. Yeah. How do you feel when someone covers your art in the streets?
SPEAKER_00I've definitely grown thicker skin over the years, but it never feels good. You know what I mean? Like, you know, and and I've learned so many hard lessons. Like, I've learned the lessons the hard way in the street art community for sure. Like, I mean, in the beginning, you know, 15 years ago, if someone would cover me, I would go right back over it. You know what I mean? And what that person was looking for is that you know, they were trolling, they're looking for someone, they're looking for a project, they're looking for someone to play with, you know, and by going back over it, even though it was your spot before, you're basically telling them, I'm down to clown, let's do this, you know what I mean? And that's the last thing you want, you know, like you don't because some people have nothing better to do than to go out every other night and find all your shit and go over it. And that sucks, you know what I mean? And people like us, like we have families and we have businesses and work and we have like other things that we want to be fucking doing. We don't want to be doing all this like bombing in vain, like you know. I mean, yeah, it is the act of doing it, is why we do it and it's fun inherently, of course. But you want to ride, you want your art to ride, and so I just don't give the trolls the microphone, you know what I mean? Like, I do not feed the trolls, like I do not if someone goes over me, you can fucking have it. That's your spot now. Sure, I don't give a shit. I'm gonna go up six inches away over here, and people can see that you went over me, you know what I mean, and like they can see that you're the dickhead, and I'm just gonna go over here and take the higher ground and move on. It's just not worth it. Like, so many people get so deep into beefing, and it's such a waste of time, and it's so ridiculous. And then you have to step back and be like, these are stickers, guys. That's like that's what you're gonna like.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, we're adults, like it's 40-year-olds fighting over sticker spots, it's a hard thing to explain to someone, you know. Yeah, I know. Don't feed the trolls, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Don't be the trolls. That's great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I agree, I agree. I'm kind of like, holy fuck, like, could you not just put it somewhere else? But I also won't, you know, engage because then that's what they want. And just like internet trolls, they want you to come back and be like, oh fuck you, and then you know, that's when it starts. So I want to ask you about your image. Um it was it was a picture you took in London uh when you went there for your graphic design um schooling, is that right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well researched you are. Yeah, yeah. Uh I was studying abroad, and uh I got to like talk about privilege. I got to spend a whole month in London with uh with my class, and it was incredible. Like, I mean, this was the coolest class. Like, we went to study British mass media, and so we were looking at like ad agencies and newspaper where they printed the newspapers and design firms. And uh the teacher was also dope because he knew what he was doing. He knew that he had the radish job, you know, he could just you know, a bunch of how old was I? I was probably. Like 20 or something, 19. And so I was like, okay, we're gonna hear class, we're gonna go check out this ad agency, check it out. It was fascinating. And then now it's like noon or like one o'clock. And he's like, All right, well, I have plans. Bye. And we were like, what? Like, okay, we get to like explore. And at this point, I knew I really wanted to study graphic design. I also knew that I'm not an illustrator as much as I try to be and want to be. I'm not, I don't have that innate ability in me. And so I've always had to kind of take two or three extra steps to get to the finished product than a lot of people who innately have that ability. So I rely on and relied on photography. So I would take photos of things, statues, textures. I'd go to museums and get shots of like animals at different angles because I could always use that in like this library of imagery that I could then like, okay, this is how I get the angle of that bird just right. Now I can trace it and turn it into a logo for a client, you know, versus me just going into a blank template and just being like, I'm gonna draw a parrot. Like, I can't do that. So but at a certain point, yeah, I was at I was at the Museum of History and I took a picture of this uh of this skull. Yeah, and I just thought it was really a cool, a cool display. And this particular skull was just like the teeth were degraded in a certain way, and like, I don't know, something about it just drew me in. And and when I came back from travels, I used that image in a lot of things, a lot of like art school project things, and I drew in the texture or cropped it in in certain ways, and I just found myself like attracted to it and kind of and so when I got into when I realized I wanted to get into the street art game, I was like, okay, well, I don't know what my thing is gonna be, but I know that I like this thing, this skull photo that I took, and I think this will be where I start, and this will kind of be my like tester image almost. What I didn't realize what I was doing at the time is I was doing what I really enjoyed in school, which was I was giving myself an art school assignment, essentially. I was like, how can I take this one photo and do a bunch of interesting things with it that don't feel like I'm doing the same shit over and over, and also feel like I'm keeping it fresh for everybody else, but more importantly, I'm keeping it fresh for myself. But like, how do I put myself in this box and not get bored? And I proved to myself that that challenge was very, very interesting to me and was able to like jumpstart my street art career, quote unquote, quickly. It gave me focus, and so through that and then block carving, which has become such a huge part of my process, I just kind of never look back, you know.
SPEAKER_01I mean, it's a great image. I think every great street artist has that iconic image that everyone recognizes, whether it's a ninja or whether it's a skull. You see it and you know who it is, you know, and I think that's really important. It's a great, it's a great image. Thank you, thank you.
SPEAKER_00I think branding, I think I've said this too like many times. I think successful street artists are graphic designers, whether they know it or not. You understand the idea, the concept of branding, and that is just so essential when you get a fraction of a moment of someone's attention on the street. You know, if you're on a pole or an electrical box or a bike rack, it's like you only get a fraction of a second of someone's and even less now with cell phones in front of everyone's faces. So like having that consistent branding and recognizability is just like so important.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I agree.
SPEAKER_02It is, yeah, definitely, man. Who was the first street artist that you met in person? Oh, uh Winston the Whale. Winston the Whale.
SPEAKER_00Winston the Whale. So he is he's a street artist here out of Portland. So uh it's funny. I was going bombing with my best buddy from high school, and we were like, mmm, like 21 or something, and we were like, yeah, we want to do street art. And so we were like cooking wheat paste on the stove and like, you know, like you know, trying to screen print the wrong kind of ink on the wrong kind of vinyl where it was just fucking scratching off and shit. Like we were just doing everything wrong, everything went wrong. Had no one to help us, had no playbook, there's no Instagram at the time. I didn't even know how to reach out to these people. I knew I wanted to. There was probably only like five people getting up in Portland at the time. It wasn't even in my mind that I'd get to meet them. How? You know, like you know, am I gonna run into them on the street? And so eventually, after like six months of getting up with my buddy, he was interested, but not as like obsessed with it as I was. So he was kind of just once in a while he'd come out with me and whatever. But it got to a point where I was, I don't know why, but I was on Flickr and I was like, wait a minute, I see these groups on the side of Flickr, and I'm like, they're themed. And I was like, I wonder if there's a group for sticker art. And I start searching, and sure enough, there was this there was not only a group for sticker art, but there was a group for Portland sticker art. And I started, I saw a couple people and I was like, holy shit, I know those are the people I've been seeing up in the streets in Portland. And the first one I saw was Winston the whale, and it's this little whale that has these different eyes. He's always got like a similar swimming stature with this funny little smile, but he always has different eyes. Uh, what I found out later was that he was screen printing the bodies with a with no face, uh, different sizes, different colors of vinyl, different colors of ink. And then he would meticulously use one shot and a brush and draw in the eyes and the nose every time. So that's why they were all different. Is like that was his way of accenting them, which is wild. I'm looking at one of his throw-ups here in my shop that he has. So I I hit him up. I just cold hit him up. It would never happen now because you're like, I'm not gonna go meet this like stranger, like at a bar, like what? You know, he was like, Yeah, let's do it. And we met and we had a drink, traded some stickers, and then he was like, Yeah, do you want to go get up? And I was like, Yeah, I want to go get up. We went out and we went out till like three in the morning. You know, it was like just like he was showing me different areas, and he was like, This is how we get up tall with like this like wand thing that we made, and this is like, you know, these are the good areas. I was in the wrong areas of Portland. I was getting up on like the west side, I was getting up like where they clean up shit the next day. I was getting up in like the touristy neighborhoods, like I just didn't know yet. And so um, Winston the Whale was the first guy that I met. He's my best buddy now, he's my best friend now. Is he a tattoo artist? He's a tattooer, yeah. He that was his like window into doing his own thing, you know, because all of us artists in Portland were like at a certain point, we're just like, How can we do what we want to do and actually make a living? You know, it's like and he went into journaling and he did like you know different stuff with brands, and then finally he was just like, Holy shit, tattooing, this seems really cool. And he came up at a really good time where it wasn't super saturated at the time as it is now, it's a lot harder now, but yeah, he got super well known in the tattoo world and he's killing it.
SPEAKER_01So his stuff's cool, yeah. It has that like 3D kind of effect that he does, it's really cool. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, what kind of music are you listening to when you're working in your studio? Ooh, trick question.
SPEAKER_00I listen to nothing but movies in my shop when I'm working. Well, I'm not watching it, but it's always on. So my crew and I, so I have um Sochi and I have uh Slingshot in my shop. Those are my two uh crewmates, and they've been working with me for like a decade, and we're best buddies. And so one of them is more like Sochi's more on the like graphic design side, cutting out the jobs and stuff, and then Slingshot is our main printer who does screen printing, and so all three of us are like massive cinephiles. We just hop on when move one movie's over, one person hops on their phone and picks the next movie, and we just back to back, back to back. So it's like sometimes we're feeling like a dramatic mood, sometimes it's a musical, sometimes it's a comedy, sometimes it's a horror movie. But yeah, it's really strange because most people are yeah, they're listening to music when they're working and we're just like listening to movies.
SPEAKER_01Is there one that's on heavy repeat?
SPEAKER_00Like is oh yeah, Banshees of Inishiron. Oh my god. Have you seen it? Oh man, it's like our comfort movie, which is really like we have it on all the time.
SPEAKER_02Um that is like to the extreme, what an Irish person is. Like it's oh my god. Love that movie. Yeah, it's amazing.
SPEAKER_00Love Mark McDonough. Um we also play like Shawshank Redemption, that's heavy, but it's such a good movie. Like it is, I think the best movie of all time. We play a lot of comedies like Step Brothers and like school, and like I mean a lot of like Will Farrell Riley comedies, and then we've probably watched Bo Burnham's Inside like uh I don't know, 50, 60 times. If you haven't seen Inside, you really should. He came out, it's a he's a genius um comedian who came out with this amazing uh show during the pandemic that he recorded and edited by himself in his little like ADU when everyone was on lockdown, and it's amazing. Um and it's musical, so like we're like singing together in the shop when it's on and stuff. So it's very wholesome.
SPEAKER_02How do you see the street art scene? Like, how has it changed through the years for you?
SPEAKER_00That's a good one, that's a tough one. It has grown in a huge way. The first thought I have is thinking about it in in my little area of Portland, right? And so, you know, when I started, I came into a scene of like five people. And so we all got along, we all knew each other, there was very little beef. If there was beef, it was because there was a random graffiti writer who was like, stickers are toy, you know, and it was no more deep than that. Yeah. And, you know, as it grew, it we were still able to keep it contained. And, you know, we would when we threw an event or an installation or a show of some sort, or they were still small enough to where we could all communicate and we could all play nice and whatever. And just it just kept growing um as things do, and social media took hold, and um, that helped it grow. And then the pandemic happened, and then a lot of people were looking for something to do outside and uh a way for them to deal with what was going on, and it grew again. And what happened during the pandemic, which was kind of a bummer, was that as the scene was growing, there was always a show or an install or something where people were coming together and were able to like kind of figure things out. And so if there was a misunderstanding, or if there was like, does this person like me, or are they like, you know, or like is that beef, or was that was that like the person capping me, or was that just like it was crowded and you know, and people would always come together. And and um during the pandemic, there was a couple years where we didn't do anything and we were stuck in our houses, and things were those kind of things that would have normally gotten ironed out were festering, and clicks started to form, and things started to just you know spread out and not be so comfy cozy, and and I mean, you know, to the credit of the growing scene, uh, you get to a certain level of of people, and when that many people get into something, you're not all gonna be able to get along, and that's fine, that's human nature, it's sociology. But I do think the pandemic did something to kind of like create a bit of a fracture there, and then people, you know, kind of just had their own little yeah, clicks at that point, and so that kind of bummed me out because I really did love that about the Portland scene, but uh, you know, it was it was bound to happen for sure, and uh happens with every kind of community, um, whether it be art or not. But but yeah, I mean, I think in general the street art community has grown in huge ways. I think that there are people out there now who also see it as a way to just like make it as an artist. So like some people will be like, like money-wise, and I think that can ruin someone's street art project pretty quickly. I had the subconscious benefit of getting into street art without ever thinking like I was gonna make any money off of it or whatever. It was like I already had my job, street art's for fun. So I spent years just bombing, doing collaborations, doing trades, doing installs, doing shows. And like, you know, if I did make any money at a show, it was just going right back into travel fund or like more vinyl or more ink or something. And so I had the privilege of just doing whatever the fuck I wanted, which is what you should do when you're doing street art. You shouldn't be making stuff you think is gonna sell. You should be making or that you think other people are gonna like. You should be making stuff that like you, that like feeds your soul, you know, and that you're stoked on, that you're not gonna get burnt out on or turn into work, get bored with. And I think a lot of people now are just like, and social media has done this too, where it's like, you know, and anyone can have an online store now too, and and there's a lot of benefit in that. And I think artists should make money off their art and should be able to live off their art, but I don't think that that should steer the direction of their project, you know, because that's where you get burnt out, and that's where it does turn into work, is when you immediately start making your street art or your art in general to like these other people. I know I'm speaking from a place of privilege. It's like, you know, some people are like, I can't wait. I need to make money now. I get that. But like if you can just do yourself a solid of like giving yourself a few years, honestly, of just like figure out what your interest and passion and what your where your stoke is with regard to like your character or your image or aesthetic, build that out. And then when you monetize, you're set, you know, like you're stable. Because there was a point for me early on where I made these skulls that were like my joke and my poke at Portland. They were these hipster skulls, I called them. And one of them had like the flowy hair and the shave sides and the glasses, and like, you know, you had like the, you know, and then the girl had the tight cropped, you know, straight bangs, and like the, you know, and I was like my joke at Portland, right? And and I made them, and people were like, oh, I have to have that. That's hilarious. And I was done with the joke after like two weeks, you know. Like, I made the joke, I printed some stickers, I put some up, and then I was just like, you can always tell when you're done with an image as a street artist because they're the stickers you don't put up anymore, right? They're the stickers that stay in your bag or your pocket, and you're just like, oh shit, I guess I don't like that anymore. I'm not putting it up. And that was those images for me, but people still wanted to buy them. And so I was like making them just to sell them. And then at a certain point, I was like, I don't even like this. I don't even not putting it up. I'm not gonna make it anymore. And that was my epiphany where I was just like, oh, okay, this is an important moment that I need to remember because if you know I make shit for other people and not for me, I'm not gonna be happy and I'm gonna burn out. And so the money thing is a big one, I think, in the street art and how things have changed is like it creeps in easier now with social media and with you know, people seeing people on social media, whether it's true or not, people quote unquote making it, it's like, oh, I want to do that too. And I get that, but my advice to anybody would just be like lock it in first, you know.
SPEAKER_01Sure. I think street art, you have to do it for yourself, you know, first and foremost. And like you said, for years and years, and build and have fun, and then maybe people want to buy some stickers or a piece of art or yeah, stuff like that. And as soon as you start doing it for somebody else, it just sucks. It's like not fun, and you know, and that's why I have a job full-time, and I, you know, I do the street art stuff for fun and on the side. And if I sell a sticker pack, great. I you know, it covers one percent of the money I've spent on fucking putting stickers up in the streets and giving out stickers for free, and you know, so yeah, do it for you, you know. I think that's the most important thing.
SPEAKER_02But do you think that that documentary of Banksy, the exit through the gift shop, that that kind of fed this idea in people's heads to like, oh, you know what? I want to do street art. I'm an artist. If they could do it, I can do it. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, I did like because I know a lot of people who have seen it, and they that was one of their goals. They're like, oh yeah, you know, like look at um Shepherd Ferry, like, you know, like he's he's doing it and it's working. So I think that movie kind of made people think, oh, you know what, I could do this, and I'm gonna be a street artist, you know, and make money.
SPEAKER_01Brainwash is a good example because he wasn't really this artist, he was just kind of, I think, a slightly insane person. And uh he just started making art, but it was kind of shitty. And because he was connected to Invader and Banksy, people thought he was cool and bought his shit. And he they didn't see, like you said, Shepard Ferry. Like, people maybe don't realize that Shepard Ferry has been putting up stickers for years and spending thousands and thousands of his own money to get to where he is now, you know, putting in that work. Like, if you don't hustle, you're you're not, you know, you're not gonna get anywhere. You really have to hustle and want it and put in that work.
SPEAKER_00I agree. I think that documentary was huge. I think it glamorized street art in a way that had never been done before. Because this was before Instagram came out. That documentary came out before Instagram. So we were seeing the POV whip shots of artists doing stuff in the street that we'd never seen before. And that was very exciting. And I remember being very excited by it. I remember my screen printing mentor was like, oh, this documentary came out. You should check it out. I think you'd like it. And uh, and I did, I've I own it. Like I've watched it a million times. I mean, it's fascinating seeing these like OGs work and how they started, and I think it was hugely inspiring to people. I also to comment on your Mr. Brainwash comment too. I think, yeah, I mean, it goes to prove this point about street art, which is that like to quote unquote make it, and by make it I mean like be recognized, you just have to put in the time. Like it doesn't really matter what you're putting up. It really doesn't. It could be a red circle, you know what I mean? Like, it doesn't matter if you get it up for long enough and consistently enough and hard enough, like people will be interested, people will want it, people will want to know what's up, people will look for it, people will you know, photograph it. It's an interesting part about street art where it's like you know, there's no real secret in how to quote unquote get known. It's just you just have to put that time in, you know.
SPEAKER_01Get up every day, you know, don't take a day off. Um, if you're in the middle of nowhere, put a sticker up, you know. There's always signs. Like I went for a walk with my wife yesterday in Chelsea, which is like this kind of rural area, and we were walking through the woods and there was this metal sign, no dogs, and I was like, hold on. And she's like, Yeah, okay, you know, like this is like I gotta put something up today, you know, like there's literally nothing else. Like, I'm not gonna put a sticker on a tree, so you know, yeah, yeah. And I'm like, okay, I feel better, I feel good. I've done my, you know, my lucky on your back.
SPEAKER_00It's so true though. Not only does street art make the most mundane things interesting, like, even just go into like the grocery store. I'll put a sticker on the back of a jam jar and hide it in the back because I know someone's gonna find that. It's gonna be a funny moment. I won't be there for the moment, but the moment's gonna happen. Or like, you know, like I will roll up a sticker and put it in the little slot in the top of like a six-pack of beer or something, so that when there's gonna be someone takes it home.
SPEAKER_03What the fuck is that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we like that idea.
SPEAKER_00That's a good idea, you know, and that's why I like to get up in weird ways too. Like, most people are like stickers, stencils, posters, maybe installs, but like that's it. And it's like there's so many interesting, weird ways to get up. Like, I make tokens every year, so I make like coins since 2018. I make at least one a year, and I just make a couple hundred of them and I sell enough of them to pay for their manufacturing, and then the rest of them, like, then it's free. Then it's like, okay, cool. Now I just get to play with them guilt-free. And I leave them in tip jars and on statues, and I throw them in the in the you know, in the in the fountain and whatever, because again, those are moments, those are that's bombing, you know. People are gonna look at that eventually and be like, what the fuck is this? And they're gonna take it home and they're gonna have this little story about maybe what it's about. And you know, like there was a time too where I bought like thousands of coasters and I screen printed my image on coasters, and I'd leave like stacks of them in bars because you know they reuse those things is like someone their drink down and they're like, What is this skull? And you hope, right? You hope that there's gonna be that one person who puts their beer down, they go, Holy shit, I've seen that before, you know, and then you have this new connection of like, oh yeah, I saw that on the street sign. How did it get on my fucking coaster at my local ordering hole? And that is so funny to me. Like, the more ways you can pop up um and confuse people, the better.
SPEAKER_01I love hearing those stories too, because a lot of times you never hear them, you know. I mean, every now and then you'll hear it and you'll go, Oh man, thank you. Like, I I one time in the garbage, somebody was throwing out these like um corn chip, these giant cut out skeleton kind of dance. Looking things. So I I whited out the corn chip ad and I stenciled in my own guy. And then I brought it into a grocery store. And I just like set it up in front of them. Because I and people just were like, Yeah, that makes sense. He's supposed to be doing that. Yeah. I have no idea how long it lasted. Um, but I need to do more shit like that, you know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I love that. I think there's not enough people, like too many people out there now are so focused on getting the moment. You know, they've got the meta glasses on or they've got someone hiding around the corner because they're trying to catch that moment. It's like, you don't need that, it's happening. Whether you see it or not, it's happening. You need to be okay with the idea that it's happening, which is why I honestly like I like getting shots when I'm traveling doing street art. I like getting shots of doing stuff because that's fun and interesting. But as far as like stepping back and taking the photo of the work after you're done getting it up, I have no interest in that. It's like I know what it looks like, you know. I want to look at it after it's been on the street for a year and a half and it's half ripped down. Then it's interesting to me because it's new. But like taking a picture of like every sticker that you just put up, like it's just not my thing. I want to, you know, like I already, yeah, I made it. I know what it looks like. Um, and so being but you know that those mo those moments are what's enough. It's like you know that people are gonna see it no matter what you do, where you put it. You you're gonna have stolen a moment of someone's time, and maybe it's just one person before it gets buffed, but you've gotten that one person's attention and it all accumulates, you know.
SPEAKER_01And I like it too. Like, I don't know, either they laugh or they go, What the fuck? Like in either way, it's great, or they go, Oh, that's awful. But either way, yeah, it doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, negative or positive, yeah. The reaction, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because you got them, you're pulling them in, whether they like it or not, you're sucking them into your fucking vortex of stickers.
SPEAKER_00Yes, our egomania.
SPEAKER_01Uh yeah. Um, what's your most memorable experience while doing street art? Is there one that stands out for you?
SPEAKER_00I know you've had a bad one. I wish a good one came to mind.
SPEAKER_02No, give me a bad one. Let's hear the words. Yeah, bad one's good. Yeah, bad's good.
SPEAKER_00I like that. Yeah, the bad one. I was getting up and it was in the middle of this like parking lot that was like, I mean, no one was in this parking lot. It was in this middle of, it was not even in the middle of nowhere, but there are these kind of concrete, you know, things in the middle of the parking lot with the big poles going up for what have you. And I was like, I'm gonna jump on this concrete thing and just you know, try and reach up as high as I can to get a spot. And you know, anyone in the street art community knows this. You play with fire, you're gonna get burned. At a certain point, it doesn't matter how careful you are, if you look all around, 360 degrees, and then the moment your hand goes up, someone could walk around the corner, you know, and sure enough, that happened. And it was like, you know, bald dude with a mustache, and I was like, This is a fucking cop. Like, I hope this isn't it, but this is probably a cop. Thankfully, he had his like two young kids with him, but he beelines straight for me, and he's just like, What are you doing? I saw you put that up, and I was like, I saw a cool sticker. I was trying to peel it down because I wanted to take it with me, and he was not buying that. He was like, Yeah, I think that's great, actually do that, you know, and I was like, Ugh, okay. And so I'm just kind of silent, and he flips out his badge and he's like, You need to get out of here. And I was like, Whoa, okay, this guy's giving me an out. I'm gonna fucking take it. And as I walk away, he gets on his phone and he starts calling me in, like my description in. And at that point, and he probably would have tried to arrest me or something then if yeah, if if he didn't have his two young kids with him. So thank you to you uh young children who are probably like you know, I don't know, 17 now.
SPEAKER_01But hopefully bombing now.
SPEAKER_00Right, yeah. And so at that point, I fucking ran. And then as I'm starting to run, he goes, he yells at me and he's like, Yeah, my friend, Matt Miller's really gonna love to hear about you. And he was the graffiti abatement guy at the time. So this wasn't just a cop who didn't like that he was off duty and saw me like doing something. He also knew like the graffiti abatement guy. So I was like, oh shit. So I really ran. Like, I have never sprinted that fast for that long. Like, I was like, you know, 10 blocks away and I did not stop, and I just like it was you know, got to my car and fucking out of there, you know what I mean? But um, but yeah, that moment came to mind first. Um, let me try and think of a good one. Good memory. I mean, the good, probably one of the best is um is getting to hang out with Sweet Tooth in London because like he's always been my favorite uh behind me, one of his wood cutouts. But yeah, I've just always loved his work. And so through a friend of a friend and a really interesting, long, convoluted story, was able to yeah, meet him for a burger and a beer in London. I got to see his studio and chat with him, and that was just so freaking cool, and just makes the whole community feel that much smaller, too. Because you're like, dude, you've been doing this since like the 80s. Like you're an OG, you're in every documentary, you're in every book, and I love your work, and you're like hanging out with a nobody like me, and we're just like, you know, how cool. So yeah, that's a great moment.
SPEAKER_02That's amazing. Yeah, I bet. Very cool. When you're putting stuff up, are uh how do you handle yourself? Like, uh are you being very cautious? I kind of know this answer, but you're kind of cautious, or do you just don't care and you just do it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I'm very cautious, and I'm very and for that reason, I'm very particular with who I go out with. I've met up with people from like out of town who I know their work and I'm like, oh cool, I want to meet this person. And I've decided not to go bombing with them because I'm like, as we're meeting at the corner, I'm watching them with tons of traffic everywhere and people everywhere, and they're crawling up like a giant traffic light. And I'm just like, nope, you know, like that's just not my vibe, dude. Like, you know, like I I'm yeah, I'm uncomfortable with this, so I'm gonna head home. But I respect you and I appreciate your hustle and I love your project, and that's all you good job. But like, not it's not me. So yeah, I I you know, I'm also like particular with how I get up. So like I don't want to stop at every single space and then shuffle through my bag for the perfect thing. It's like if I'm at the spot and I don't have something ready, I just keep walking, you know. Like I want to keep going, keep going, keep going. I like to move quickly. I'm usually at the front of the group, not some people joke, joke, they're like, you know, oh, RX is always trying to get the first spot. It's like I just like to move fast, you know. Like I like to keep going. And so people are like, oh, he's in the front because he's trying to get the first good spot ahead of all of us. And um, but I just yeah, I like to move fast. I I am very careful. If there's someone looking at me, I'm not doing anything. If there's if there's a car pointed at me, you know, and I can't see what kind of car it is, I'm not doing anything. Like we all take risks, you have to, but I'm very calculated and I'm up a lot less than other people because of that. Like I have the stickers and I have the travels and I have the you know, all that, but like I get up less purely because I am more careful and more paranoid than a lot of other people out there. But and I've heard you guys talk about this in other episodes, but I also find that I'm way more willing to take risks in other cities. In other cities, I'm like, don't care, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Like, you know, like middle of the day, giant pay stuff, 30 people watching me, like, don't care, doing it. And then um, it's I don't know why. Like, I feel so much more safe in other cities, but I do and and other countries too, which is like sure, that seems like it should be the other way around, but because I don't know how your legal system works or what happens if I get arrested. But like, you know, when we were in Spain um a few months ago, we had I was with uh Tostero had this extension pole, which just oh yeah, insane. This thing was like 40 feet, and it just extended like five times. And we had it fully extended, and we were doing installs of these 3D installs we've made, and we're putting them up as tall as possible in the middle of like Barcelona, like crowded square, and we had like groups of people mounting behind us as we're doing it, and it's just like gotta get it, gotta get the spot, gotta get the spot, and then you get the spot and you fuck off out of there. But I wouldn't do that in Portland, you know what I mean? No way, no way.
SPEAKER_01Wild. I go to Montreal with Ninja, and I'm just like, fuck it, like I'm covering stop signs and shit. I would never do that here in the front of a stop sign, you know. But I'm just like, fuck it, fucking, yeah, people around. I'm like, I don't care. I don't know what it is either. I'm the exact you're just a wild man.
SPEAKER_02I'm just like, what the fuck, man?
SPEAKER_01I'm wild.
SPEAKER_02You go, not my city, not my city.
SPEAKER_01I uh I don't love going out with like if someone has like a spray can, you know, like I just I always feel sketched out and they're always doing sketchier shit, and it's just a higher risk. And you know, uh, I've done it before, and I'm like, uh, like, can you just not do that? Maybe, you know, like I appreciate it, I love it. It's the smell, too. The smell it's that sound.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, the the way that someone's standing up against a wall and waving their fucking arm, it doesn't even matter if they can see the can or the or the paint going on the wall. You know what they're doing. Yeah, it's so much easier to get caught. Like, all respect to the graph community, honestly. I love graffiti, and um, I just I I'm not willing to take that kind of a risk personally, and I'm not gonna go bombing with someone who's also like tagging and and doing throwies and stuff. Like, I the stories I've heard of people getting fully busted, fully processed, it's usually because someone's yeah, a sticker person, for example, it's usually because they're with someone who's bombing with spray paint. And yeah, I mean, one of my good friends, yeah, like that, he got he got rolled up on by the cops because someone had called in the person he was with for painting and the cops snagged him, and he was just doing stickers. They had him like empty all his stickers on the hood of the cop car. They were looking at him like, oh, that's kind of cool. Like, and he was like, I don't know what's gonna happen. Like, what you know, and they had him put them all back in his bag, you know, they looked at his ID, but like gave it back to him, and they're like, All right, go fucking home. And he was like, Wow, okay, but the other guy got arrested, the other guy got fully arrested, of course. He thought he was good, and then two months later, guess what he gets in the mail? Uh, yeah, warrant for his arrest, criminal mischief in the third degree, which carried at the time 30 days in jail and up to $2,000, I think it was, or I think it was a thousand dollars fine, uh, yeah, 30 days in jail. And so he was like, Well, I'm not gonna let this follow me around. So he went straight to the courthouse and was like, here it is, you know, and he had to wait for like nine hours in a jail cell with people coming off heroin, you know. I mean, like he was waiting for his time with the judge, and you know, he was very polite and you know, he was like, Oh, you were putting up stickers? He's like, Yeah, I put up a sticker. He's like, Okay, well, you know, he's very respectful, you know, cop to it. And um, the judge was like, Okay, well, uh $200 fine and time served. Bye, get out, don't do it again. And you know, and so he'd gotten up for years, you know, and no issue. And then, you know, the first time he goes out with someone's bray can. So yeah, uh, it's just a higher risk, you know, it's all about risk, it's all about managing risk.
SPEAKER_01Yep, I agree. What's one thing people outside the sticker culture never understand about sticker culture?
SPEAKER_00Ooh, I like that question. Um, I think the inability to go anywhere without stickers and the inability to not like be in any place and not be clocking it for spots, like it's so intrusive on your way of life if you're obsessed with it like we are, that like it is anxiety inducing to be anywhere without stickers. And then, you know, it doesn't matter if you're at like a wedding venue or you're at like uh, you know, I don't know. I mean, if you're at the gas station, you're like, you're always where can I hide one? You know, at least one. Where can I hide one? So I think it's that like not being able to turn it off. Like you just don't turn it off.
SPEAKER_01Like, I mean, other people with other hobbies or you know, passions, I feel like they're maybe not, but I I just feel like there's no no, you're if you're gluing airplanes together, you do it and you walk away, but I won't wear pants or shorts unless they have pockets.
SPEAKER_03Amen.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, period. You know, because if I can't put stickers in my pocket, I'm not fucking going out. I don't care, you know. Like I won't wear like basketball shorts because there's no pockets. Not that I wear basketball shorts anymore because I'm old and I, you know, but it's that kind of thing. It's like always stickers on you. And somebody goes, Oh, do you have any stickers? And you always I always pull out this huge wad, and they're like, What the fuck? And I'm like, This is nothing, like this is literally like a how many do you want? You know, like it's like no big deal, you know. So yeah, yeah, totally true.
SPEAKER_00I noticed this happened to you guys. How many times has this happened to you guys where you go, someone goes, Hey, can I have a sticker? And then you pull out the brick of sticker, and you you give them the brick because you're like, you're assuming they're gonna take a couple out of the brick, and then they take the whole brick. Yeah, there you go. How many times has that happened to you? They think they're all for them, and you're like, ah fuck, I just lost like 120 stickers because you thought I was giving you that. You're supposed to pick a couple. Has that ever happened to you guys?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, with kids, yes, definitely. But like I kind of like, hey, I can have that back, you know what I mean? Like it's not all of them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I'm like millennial self has has gotten caught in a couple situations where I was just like, Yeah, I guess you have a hundred of my stickers now.
SPEAKER_01Oh man. Well, we if we ever hang out, I'm 100% taking the whole brick in. Good to know. Now I know you're not gonna say anything. Or all mine.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you're not gonna say anything. Oh, yeah, I just put that out there. Shit.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're gonna have to edit that out. Yeah, we'll edit that out. So, any last words to leave the listeners with? Any words of advice from RX?
SPEAKER_00I think, you know, we touched on this a little bit. My biggest bit of advice that I would give, don't let money ruin your street art project. You know, just like let fun be the driving factor. And even if that means, you know, putting the online store on hold for a year, like do yourself that service. You know, have fun, be safe, be respectful of local businesses. Uh, don't leave your freaking sticker backings all over the ground. Don't go over people. If the sign is crushed, go to the next sign. You know what I mean? Like, you don't need to be on every one of them. I mean, there's a lot, it's just like common courtesy and respect, I think, is the big one. It's like, just like, you know, yeah, like, you know, don't hit the mom and pop business window, you know. Like, there are so many things out there in the street that are funded by you, your public taxes. Shepard said it in one of his documentaries. It's like, we all pay taxes for these public property. It's like, in theory, we all kind of own it together. And so why can't we decorate it? You know, like we we should have that right, I think. But yeah, be respectful of other artists, of other people in the community. Just like remember that it's supposed to be fun, you know.
SPEAKER_01I teach uh sticker making workshops, and the number one thing I say is like, think about where you're gonna put this, you know, just just have that thought of don't put it on a mama pop shop, don't put it on the front of a stop sign unless you're in a different city, then there's no rules. Uh, but yeah, just think about it, you know, think about where you're gonna put it and are you gonna upset somebody, you know, or how many people are you gonna upset, you know, and kind of go from there. Yeah, but I like your message, you know. Like, think about it, etiquette, be nice, have fun.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, respect the space. Yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01Respect, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Uh any last words from you, Ninja? Respect the space. I think that's a good message for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that is. Well, thanks so much for joining us today on the Visual Noise Walls Talk podcast, and we'll see you next time. Peace out. Thanks for having me. Thank you.