Going to Sauce House @saucehousetx for my 2nd or 3rd time I was always curious and looking forward to the local artists and vendors at the shows. There was an Individual selling t-shirts and other clothing items with the logo being "Psychward" and It got my attention. Of course, I gave him a follow and found his work to be unique and always looking forward to his updates. Each release has interesting pieces along with the individual items released. He has worked hard to be where he is currently as an example the number of sales/orders he has posted once when it came to the restock of his "Fuck Covid-19" t-shirt. Psychward has made a name for itself in the community and outside of it as well. This is this week's feature, Psychward.
PsychwardMike, @psychwardmike
When asking Mike what his favorite food was he replied with "Cops" and I've never had tacos al pastor, but maybe one day.
"Cops" may be a way start off the day, but what about his favorite artists well he mentions "Zillakami, Slipknot, Suicide Silence, Pierce The Veil, My Chemical Romance, Eminem" and a lot of these bands do bring back memories, but only I really ever come back to Slipknot every once in a while.
He does mention his favorite local artist being "TV Flesh" a local band with their most recent EP out on Spotify and Soundcloud.
First of all, where did the name "Psychward" come from because I feel like the name towards a brand or a name in general for anything can be the toughest thing to come up with in most cases. I had the idea for the name "Out In The 956" pretty fast and luckily the email name wasn't in use so lucky me, but Mike says in terms of the creation of "Psychward" he states "I just always saw myself as that 'one weird/crazy kid' everyone judged. I’ve even been told that I need counseling and medication to block these ideas/thoughts out but it just didn’t make sense to me. 'Why can’t I stir up controversy if most of the people who did so ended up in history books?' With the design references and the terms of "counseling and medication" I can understand the name along with the addition of "controversy", but he continues by saying "after being threatened to be thrown into a mental institution for making art related to these thoughts in my head- PsychwardUSA was born. I just knew from that day forward that I’d be known as the most fucked up man in Amerikkka." From the name to the platform he currently creates anything he desires.
From starting off to now having a popular self-made brand how did this all start off to which Mike says the push that started this was "pissing off conservatives is what I’ve been about since like 6th grade- I’ve always liked being the black sheep of the herd." This reminds me of the latest update on Instagram of an upcoming release to which Mike stated somewhere along the lines of "If your parents are conservative and they see you with this they may never let you buy from us ever again!" From "pissing off conservatives" he also mentions "I had never seen a brand that involved notorious serial killers, horror film stills, and rock memorabilia parodies so I just decided to jump the gun and run it. Now I’m one of the most hated brand owners in America and I say that shit proudly." Sure there can be just the everyday generic horror movie poster on a t-shirt or the occasional rock memorabilia, but there is a twist when it comes to Psychward's designs that pushes itself away from the ordinary. The ordinary being the norm or rather the norm of the clothing you see in public that may "piss off conservatives."
As mentioned Mike has created a brand that involves "notorious serial killers, horror film stills, and rock memorabilia parodies", but how does designing begin along with its process and he says "I tend to think of current events and tie them into murder cases/ crazy documented psychopaths that the media has made coverage on. I sort of relate to them in a way honestly." Mentioning "current events" brings back the example of the Covid-19 t-shirt created in our current situation that people think to themselves and express "I wish it would go away", but this is a more aggressive take which people may be taking when they actually think of Covid-19 to which we can agree "Fuck Covid-19." When it comes to the involvement of the designs correlating to the brand Mike says "I know what it’s like knowing all you can do is cause havoc to let others know you’re a human being. There’s just something about causing chaos that excites me so making people mad is honestly my first intention when thinking of a new graphic to make." Recently Mike has released a trucker hat that can be found currently at www.psychwardusa.com and it says "If you're reading this I've thought about skinning you alive 27 times today! (I hope you sleep with your eyes open)" along with the description that states "Have You Ever Wanted To Let People Know What’s On Your Mind But Were Too Fed Up With Their Bullshit To Even Communicate To Another Human Being?...Uh- This Is Awkward. Get Away From Me Before I Peel You Like A Cucumber In Front Of Your Family." This hat is what can be used as an example of what Mike states as "all you can do is cause havoc to let others know you're a human being" along with "making people mad is honestly my first intention" which I can see the frustration and even the people who would frown upon this hat. If someone dislikes it I can see its purpose being fulfilled and a customer satisfied as well for buying a product they enjoy.
When it comes to designing pieces it brings along the thought of collaborations and Mike says "I just want to collaborate with No Paradigms And Lance Jordan (founder of Hellacious.) They’re the only two creative that genuinely have motive for what they create." I do enjoy @offrzrz, RZ's music, but I eventually recently found out he is also @No_Paradigms, he has a very interesting art style, but you never what could happen in the future when it comes to collaborations.
As you keep working on what you love you get better and better learning from each step taken and taking your mistakes as stepping stones. Starting off can always be rough but the road for improvement always comes down to the creator's first piece and most recent involving any changes or experimentation through the process, but Mike says "first piece I made was a rhinestone hoodie for the brand. It was exclusively available at TDK and sold within an hour of being at the shop. Now I just make whatever comes to mind. Nothing has changed- I just keep getting better at making designs the more I create shit for these kids." As an artist's style may change over time that may not always be the case if you enjoy your current style as Mike said earlier on what he involves his brand around and will stick to it as stated.
Looking back at the tagline on the Instagram page it read "America's Most Hated Designer" I was curious about it and the goal to reach this status as he says " It’s been a goal to be notorious for the shit I make. If anything it’s something I see as a Frame-worthy tagline. America knows me for the shit I make on a day to day basis. It’s only right to let that tagline snowball it’s way to “The World’s Most Hated Designer.” By Psychwards success I feel as if this is becoming a reality. He mentions "It's been a goal to be notorious" but has had unexpected customers buy his clothing along with the community who represents it as he says "Yeah! Lil Keed’s stylist hit me up informing me that Keed really fucked with my Covid-19 tee. He loved it so much he had a photoshoot alongside Lil Gnar via IG!" That's what I would call amazing news and it doesn't just stop there! I'm sure there is plenty more up ahead for Psychward.
I can understand someone wanting to start a brand, but I've seen instances when it's ripped off vaporware images on a t-shirt or the standard lean cup on a hat, but Mike shares the reality on what it takes to create a brand "Starting a brand is hard- you have to come up with a motive behind your craft- a name that everyone will recognize, build a website, etc. But it all comes down to how determined you are to make your vision come to life. It’s difficult for sure but those bumps in the road pay off if you keep driving yourself forward to your goals through it all." As I said, in the beginning, you can have a vaporware aesthetic as a brand as an example, but how can you set yourself apart from the rest? As Mike stated earlier "I had never seen a brand that involved notorious serial killers, horror film stills, and rock memorabilia parodies so I just decided to jump the gun and run it." Setting up the theme behind your brand along with the statement you want to give off. A lot of things come into play but also your determination to grow along with it.
Coming towards the end Mike says "I just want these kids to hear my story. I want to be known as 'that kid who made shit happen.' if anyone from the RGV let’s that 'I wanna get out of the valley' mentality reach them- they will suffer severe consequences. Put your city on the map before you put yourself on the map and you’ll go far with what you have in store for this fucking up world." What caught my attention was the "I wanna get out of the valley mentality" when they haven't worked on themselves or have something to carry with them. There are cases when leaving your area and you gain success afterward, but that's not always the case. How can you dream big without the constant struggles or the determination to start off from home? It's like artists and musicians starting off at art walks and backyard concerts that can lead to something bigger and it can happen.
Advice from PsychwardMike,
"If I could give advice to locals, I would tell them to run that shit until they die. Your dreams and ideas are much bigger than the visions your elderly had in mind when they were your age. If you want to start a brand- make that shit happen! DONT QUIT and I promise you’ll get reached out by people you look up to."
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