Studio Time — vndta

“When you beat the enemy within the outside enemy can do you no harm."

A person I met recently told me that he lost interest in his goal because he hasn’t been in the right state of mind. His dream was to inspired others through his art, “How can I inspire them if I don’t feel inspired with myself.” That's when I remembered someone else telling “Everything you do for your brand is energy. Lose that and you lose momentum.” 

Sometimes our daily battles is within our own state of mind. Maybe we get stuck in those set backs that we suffer through our journey or we get distracted in comparing ourselves to what others are doing. We convince ourselves that maybe it's too hard, maybe we are not good enough, and eventually giving up on our goals.


But, realizing that our own competition is not someone else, it is our own state of mind. Challenge that mentality by not being afraid to fail because failures are only lessons on the way to improvement and personal greatness.


We are all warriors in our own battles. Stay strong and keep on fighting for what is yours.


That is the message and the inspiration behind the creation of this design.

Your corner hip hop store GCS (Giants Casting Shadows) has become a staple of the hip hop community in Downtown Santa Ana. You cannot visit the art walk without noticing their storefront covered with great graffiti art.

Walking into GCS you will instantly notice their art gallery which is filled with local independent artists that rotate every month. What’s great is that GCS provides a platform for artists, performers, and even aspiring entrepreneurs.

GCS is not only a shop, but also a platform that shares a message - to keep creating and to keep sharing that passion for art and music.

Follow GCS on instagram at @gcssantaana
Visit them at 206 E. 4th st, Set 101b Santa Ana, CA

Sometimes we wondered if our brand inspires people. Sometimes we wondered if our stories, that is shown through our designs, can be seen or heard. This is a video that was sent to us by Erick Aguinaldo of his untitled poem. It really described how we feel, who we are, and what our mission is. We liked it so much that I just had to share it.

As time passes by, we see a lot of things that are part of the culture fade away. Gentrification has done a number in these neighborhoods. A lot of what made the characteristics of the hood are now disappearing, one of them being the shoes hanging from a power line. 
 
I’ve heard many theories as to what they meant. Gang territory, drug dealer nearby, murder location. I personally don’t know if any of these are true. Where I grew up was in gang territory and because of that there were drug dealers around and for the same reason I’m sure there were some murders around the way. So, I always saw them. But I Think people just threw them just to do It too. 
 
Shoes hanging by a wire have been part of my culture and my environment. It was only right for me to make them into air fresheners.  Whatever their meaning might be to you, it means my culture and it was important for me to make this to keep pieces of our culture alive. The fact that its an air freshener is just a giant plus.

This August 24th we are doing a pop up shop at the Artfonfa art exhibition. 

I attended a couple of Artfonfa art shows this year. I loved the vibe, the people and  the creative atmosphere. I wanted to be part of their next show and the perfect theme came around - "All That 90s"art exhibition. You already know that we are inspired by the 90s. So it is the perfect show for us to have fun and create some 90s vibe at our pop up shop. 

It is a free event, but you must make an RSVP or pay $20 at the door at the day of the event. 

Click here to make your free reservation. 

So far there is about 1,900 people that have made their reservations. So you know it's going to be a dope event.