2024
Half a decade...
February 9th 2024 marked half a decade since I had set out on chasing my artist dream. February 9th is always a special day for me, filled with gratitude and reflection, but the 5 year anniversary felt extra special.
It also reminded me that my artist journey was (and still is) only just beginning, and that despite already being filled with blessings and achievements that were once unimaginable - there's still so many more to come....
Token of appreciation...
When I presented the painting to Kobbie Mainoo with Manchester United the year before, I did it with multi platinum and BRIT nominated artist, DTG - who is a friend of Kobbie's.
Ever since that moment DTG had been mentioning about wanting some artwork of his own, so it was only right that we made it happen.
For the artwork I combined his love of the anime series 'Naruto' and his newfound venture into boxing and created a bespoke portrait featuring gold details similar to the piece I had created for Kobbie.
From canvas to clothing...
I've always had the idea of designing clothing, so when my friend Yxng Dave mentioned to me that he was planning on releasing merch for his upcoming debut album 'Famoso', I knew it was the perfect time to give it a go...
I sketched out some ideas and got to work on bringing them to life, with one of the design references funnily being a Facetime screenshot which I directed him to pose for featuring his custom 'YD' chain & pendant.
The project will always be a special one for me, due to me being able to bring my friend's dream of having his own merchandise for his debut album to reality.
A special gift...
On my birthday that year, Manchester United played against Newcastle United in a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford.
Following the painting I had created for Kobbie the year before, he returned the favour by gifting me his match shirt from the game - which he scored the opening goal in as an extra birthday gift.
It wasn't necessarily an achievement as such, but receiving a gift like that put into perspective how far I'd actually come and the ways in which pursuing my dream had already completely changed my life...
From Manchester to Liverpool...
In the summer of 2024 I took a trip down to Liverpool to visit the Have a Word podcast and present them with a new piece for their studio.
Have a Word is one of my go to's for a long painting session, so being able to create a bespoke piece for their studio was a special moment on a personal level.
I even managed to make a furry friend on my visit...
Santiago...
Towards the end of the year, one of my favourite musicians, Russ was stopping off in Manchester on his 'Santiago' world tour.
Russ is someone that I love to listen to musically, but also to his interviews and audio books where he goes into details of his journey/ work ethic and emphasises the importance of enjoying it - stating that 'the journey is everything', unsurprisingly a line from one of my favourite songs of his...
This admiration made it even more special when I was able to present him with a painting I had created inspired by the 'Santiago' tour and album, and to speak with his supporting artist, Chris Patrick.
Bespoke for the birthday....