What's in a brand?

First came the drawings. I turned those into paintings. Then I got bored with canvas and started drawing on my clothing. I doodled on my speedos. I drew on my shoes. I colored my hats. 

I loved the idea of wearable art because I had spent so much time keeping my art hidden from the world that I wanted to showcase it. And I wanted to share it.

That's when what started as an 'art' business became more of a seed for a brand. Something that would tie everything together. A brand that would really be about me, or about my lifestyle, which is actually quite boring, but about ideas born of my personal quest for happiness. 

I know that I'm not alone in who I am. I know there are millions of introverts out there that, like me, are tired of being seen as shy or otherwise simply bad at being extroverts. I know there are millions of people out there that, like me, have found cannabis--both THC and CBD--to be an important part of their lives. I know there are millions of people, like me, who have battled with anxiety and depression but have worked their asses off to create a better life that wasn't limited by those voices inside their head telling them they weren't good enough.

I'm out there looking for those folks, trying to build a brand of streetwear that doesn't quite fit any of the existing frameworks, but works right alongside them. I've never skated and I while I plan to learn now that I'm out in California, I don't know how to surf either. But I've always admired the cultures that have formed around both. I love the look of skatewear and surfwear and I figure among skaters and surfers there are a lot of folks like me who sought out ways to break the grip that stressors had on them.

So I'm not quite sure how to define my brand, exactly, except to keep making things and hope it ends up defining itself.