My first exposure to 956 and Sons came from local events in which people wearing the t-shirts caught my attention. The back design of the t-shirt is pretty interesting when you look at it. I remember asking someone where they got the shirt from they told me to check out their Instagram page @956_and_sons and to ask the creator Joseph if he had any shirts available. There is another t-shirt that goes by "El Barto" which is a cool take on Bart Simpson saying "Nambe Sir!" Looking more into Joseph he also creates artwork besides working on t-shirts. Here is this week's feature, Joseph!
Who doesn't enjoy chowing down? Well it certainly is important and Joseph says "Pizza lol" as his favorite meal, you can always debate on the toppings, crust, pizza type such as thin-crust now which can lead to which pizza brand. I don't like the smell of ranch on pizza, but if the homie enjoys it well I'll tolerate it for sure.
Moving onto music which he states his favorite being "HNNY and The new Westside Gunn lately" which I have not heard of, but I always enjoy asking this because it gives me more music to listen to and to branch out of my personal tastes if its a genre I don't listen to.
When asked "do you have a favorite local artist, band, business," he says "everyone is doing great, I’m really a fan of anyone expressing themselves however they can. I really enjoy the work of Rachel Comminos, she makes these beautiful tufted pieces."
Here is the link to the Rachel Comminos art gallery which Joseph shared as well. https://youtu.be/gIzKZS-1UYA
Joseph may be an artist, but I feel when coming up for a design to actually be worn by others to a design to wear in public to gather attention is a bit harder. That's what the grind is all about I mean I ended up asking about the shirt and it worked. Creating art and onto a shirt to the making a name for yourself under "956 and sons" he says it became a reality due to "I wanted to show someone so proud of where they're from, they grew an extra finger to represent. It started off as a joke but people liked it." If people enjoy your work well its a push to keep working on upcoming designs for sure especially when it involves a message of our home.
As stated Joseph wants to create clothing that represents being proud of where you are from and being from the 956 we have a lot to show. He wants us to be proud of our roots, but what about himself? What leads to this creation, well he says "some of my main influences were my family and my neighborhood." We may be raised in different neighborhoods, but we can say that we are from 956. We can say we have our experiences and our neighborhoods are different from one another. One thing from my neighborhood I remember is this elderly couple with a playground for their nephews and nieces with like 10 cats. She would walk all the way from her house to ours to talk to my mom and ask for nopalitos due to my mom's big nopal. There's always something or someone that catches our eye in our neighborhood that brings life to it as much as you do.
Joseph has released a few shirts along with stickers, but of course when you begin to start your project its a slow start and he says "Its a one-man operation for the most part. It feels a bit more like a bigger side project than a brand haha." It may be a one-man operation, but at least you're putting your work out there and the community likes it. Even if it may seem like a "side project" it may mean something else to an individual who owns a piece. Side project which is growing due to his statement "I have recently bought a screen printing press so I’m sure I’ll have random releases along the way" and with this, we'd just have to be patient for what's to come.
As mentioned earlier Joseph said "I wanted to show someone so proud of where they're from", but also states "It’s a bit selfish but I mainly make art for myself." There is nothing wrong with that at all. As an artist creating work for yourself for fun or for self-expression is all up to the artist or even just for any reason. If you enjoy your work then more power to you.
When it comes to owning an art piece or clothing made by a local individual and posting it tagging them hanged on the wall or being worn there has to be a feeling which Joseph shares "Oh, it’s amazing. I love all the feedback and just seeing how people are still thinking of home when they’re outside of the valley." It's like carrying a piece of home with you even if you know where you come from. Sometimes it's just nice to represent when you are from while out of town.
I can't imagine being part of an event and people coming up to artists well vendors and just enjoying their creations along with purchasing a few. Being on the other side of the coin and enjoying the creators I come to meet Joseph says "I go to events when I can. I really loved participating at 7th & Park during Charro Days. Great event." Charro Days always looks so beautiful and fun to experience, but I have not yet experienced it due to the distance but that won't be an issue for next time.
Although Joseph may be working on his project 956 and sons he is always artists as mentioned and takes part in digital art as the images he shared with me for the blog post. He may create art for t-shirts, but not another note when it comes to creating art for himself he says "I’ve always needed a creative outlet to express how I’m feeling or to tell bad jokes." We all need an outlet for self-expression whether it may fall under art, clothing, music, or even cooking it all comes down to just finding a way to express ourselves.
Thinking about the local scene when I was younger I was naive and blind to what the valley had to offer and had the idea of local being just food stands or taquerias. Overall my view has changed as I got older and understood more of what we have to offer as Joseph puts it "It’s diverse and always growing." The important part is the diversity in the 956 and we grow supporting one another. With the usage of social media, we can discover something new in an instant!
Joseph shares some advice for artists wanting to put their work out there,
"You might be your own worst critic. Putting your work out there doesn’t have to be scary. Give it a shot, you might learn something about yourself."
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