Featured Artist of the Week: Scky

 

First things first, before we get into the conversation I had with Scky and who he is as an artist I need to first share how the "Featured Artist of the Week" came to be. Everyone say thank you to Scky for approaching ME for an interview to be featured on the OMNI blog. I am so grateful as this has inspired such a stimulating, and needed series as OMNI is so much more than clothes. This is why I made the blog in the first place, OMNI from the beginning was meant to be a vessel for all of my creativity. Therefore, all creatives are always welcome to come and share their stories. This series is meant to not only keep me inspired along with other artists but everyone who is on this crazy life journey. Therefore, I hope to continue to share people here that are not only some of my favorite artists but people I consider friends. :)

The Journey: Where did it start?

The journey for Scky originally starts in North Omaha, Nebraska. As from the beginning, he often turned to music for inspiration. With this curiosity, he was constantly finding himself in new creative pursuits. Which were often self-motivated which we will see continued to be a theme all throughout his creative career.

Family: How did they influence your artistic career?

Scky grew up with his mom as well as having two younger brothers. With being the oldest, he often took it upon himself to learn, prompting himself to learn new skills. Because of this independent spirit, trust was made between him and his mother, as she saw him continuing to keep himself on the right path. Along with this, he had a myriad of mentors in his life that made sure he didn't get involved in gangs, further keeping him on this prosperous path. This eventually led to Scky starting college where he first studied Business Marketing, then Computer Programming, and lastly Studio Art and Graphic Design. Yet, he had a different calling that school would not be involved with; consequently, he went on to drop out of school to pursue...MUSIC! With all that trust he had built from continuing to be a headstrong individual, he was met with support from his family as he made this shift. Scky was soon signed by a label, and did shows all throughout Omaha, Nebraska area. With this, he always stayed smart and savvy which would then led to his visual art career.

Now, family looks different for Scky as he has started a family of his very own. Scky has a beautiful daughter (Nora) who often takes inspiration not only from his work but from his wife as well. His wife has her own set of creative pursuits and also sings. Therefore, Nora is not only able to sing just like her mother, but loves to draw like Scky. They share a special father-daughter bond as they are now able to create together. Scky explained that he loves to give her praise on her work, as much as she loves to show him her creations.

St. Louis: How has it come to shape your artistry?

Going from the smaller market in Nebraska to St. Louis, which is more of a major market, Scky still feels as though the city has a similar feel to where he is from. He has been able to meet a lot of creatives he idolizes; people ranging from musicians to visual artists. This has been one of the positives of being in a larger city. Being able to come in contact with amazing musicians such as Mastermind, Jordan Ward, and Smino are doors that have opened simply from him being in St. Louis. As Scky often takes inspiration from his favorite musicians, he was able to gift Smino an original piece he made of his likeness (pictured above). Which was very notably well received! Scky emphasized that there are not many huge stars that come out of the Nebraska area; therefore, he found it important to maximize being in a bigger market. In moving to St. Louis he knew that it would be a great opportunity for him to be able to expand himself as an artist. Now, because of his position, he has brand new people looking at his art that would have otherwise not known about it.

Music to Art: How have they translated to one another and how?

With Scky's roots in the music industry, he had to build himself from the ground up; therefore, he had to get creative. The visual side of art always went hand-in-hand with his music journey as he was creating his own album art because of the limited funds he had at the time. All forms of Scky's art have always been an expression of his feelings, consistently serving as a way for him to vent. Having this vulnerability through creativity is what has always allowed him to make other like-minded friends.

Animation and Influences: What shows, people, or experiences do you pull from to create?

Scky's inspiration stems from many different places as he often finds a spark from other creatives. Including the likes of Atlanta artist Paper Frank, Los Angeles-based artist BluetheGreat, and the iconic Bobby Hundreds. In looking at Scky's work you will also see some of his favorite animated shows intertwined in his pieces including Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Yugi-Oh (he also used to kill people in the card game as well:). With having a daughter now, he is able to relive all of these shows as she watches them for the first time alongside him. He shared some of their favorite shows are Pokemon Dream and Hunter x Hunter.

The Music Journey: What was it like, what did you learn, how did you grow?

Scky recounts his music journey as a fun and unique one as he states that he was a "Big fish in a little pool," he soon recognized in order to grow he was going to have to move to a bigger market. Throughout his time in the music industry, he was able to meet people in that creative realm that are contacts he still uses today. Now making album art for these same people or helping the in a visual art sense. While during his time in the music industry, he was all in, as he had left school and also stopped working completely. In reflecting he now realizes that if you want to have a successful musical career you must keep a business mindset. Along with this, he expressed, "You have to keep that ego out of the way." He explained that awards don't always translate to money as that trophy, or any given accolade, will not get you a cheeseburger. Scky's rapping career dates back to 2019, and he can now understand the meaning of having true financial backing better. Looking back he now sees that he did not get the money he truly deserved out of it with the amount of time and effort he was putting in. He explained, "You need an investor and a great team behind you." Scky also expressed that some of the people you value the most may doubt the leap you take when you're embarking on this journey. Scky recounts one specific story in which one of his best friends at the time had said his music was just "aight" and he should just stick to basketball. Scky further elaborates on people's opinions clouding your judgment declaring, "Everyone has a different opinion. People be weird. He was a Lil Wayne and Fabulous fan. Don't let haters make you quit." With this, Scky went on the journey to find his own sound. While Scky was a huge fan of D'Angelo at the time and wished he could create that same feeling, it just did not suit him. However, he still continued to create and found a style that fit his persona.

Opportunities as an Artist: How has being a visual artist treated you?

In Scky's life today he is a full-time artist drawing and animating for contract work and small businesses. Scky has been able to put his art first and truly make this career happen for himself. Just recently, he had two pieces featured in an exhibition, and also he has a solo exhibition coming up in April. At the time of the interview, Scky recounted that just the day prior he was able to sell a piece to a man, and he hopes to be able to continue selling his work at his upcoming shows.

Inspiration: How do you keep it flowing?

In terms of keeping constant inspiration, especially with art being Scky's full-time job, I wanted to know what keeps that creativity bubbling for Scky. Scky explains, "Man, just scrolling through the internet and Hypebeast." In addition to Scky's nostalgic influences, he often turns to what other creatives are putting out into the world. Scky has also dabbled in social commentary, which we see in his Kanye-inspired piece (pictured above). Scky made this when the recent news surrounding Kanye was at its peak. With Kanye being a man facing his own mental health problems in the media Scky sympathized with him. Seeing Kanye as not just a public figure, but as a man that has been through a lot in both the music industry and life. Scky himself had to distance himself from music as he began to have anxiety attacks before shows. This led him to visual art which has been much less taxing on his mental well-being.

Home: What is it for you now? And what is planned for the future?

Scky expresses that he is at a stable place in his life now, with St. Louis serving as his base. In both self and art discovery, he knows it is ever-growing and changing. He stated that even just recently he has rediscovered blending again for his digital art. As far as goals he has some collaborations that he would love to make happen including the likes of Takashi Murakami, Hebrew Brantley, BluetheGreat, and one-day Pharrel. Looking at growth specifically, Scky knows it is all in due time as he declares, "I can only do what God allows."

Thank you again Scky for sharing your story and inspiring this platform. I hope everyone enjoys the series of artists I continue to share!

Miss Macyn