449 - Man One

Man One has been at the forefront of graffiti culture since he started making a name for himself on the streets of Los Angeles. From his initial days of negotiating his way out of tight spots with gang bangers and police officers to closed door meetings with Mayors, Man One was forced to earn each step across his career as an artist. While some might see these hurdles as good reason to give up, Man One saw it as a necessary evil in following his dream as far as it would take him. On the other side of over thirty years in graffiti and still creating, Man One has been flown around the world and worked with schools, globally recognized corporations, and the same US Government that spent decades trying to shut him down. Perspective, persistence, and passion have made Man One the respected artist and business man he is today with pieces in galleries, on the sides of buildings, and on the freeways that take you to work everyday.

Talking Points

• An entire art community with its own language, entry points, and secret spots.
• Solar Systems, Halloween Cats, and Hip Hop as gateway drugs to graffiti.
• Taking it to the streets musically and artistically.
• The underdogs of pop culture that defined a generation.
• The evolution in graffiti while learning the rules, techniques, and pieces.
• Wild Style Burners.
• The drive to establish an identity as a minority in Los Angeles.
• The fame and structure within the graffiti culture.
• How to not burn a spot.
• The Code Of Ethics and The Google Generation.
• Graffiti on a global scale.
• Socio-economics in tagging and gaining respect through your abilities.
• Should having money change if and when you speak your mind.
• Why talking with gangs was easier than talking with cops.
• How the LA Riots turned Man One into a Neighborhood Ambassador.
• Speaking out, negotiating, and using the leverage you get.
• Graffiti as a lifelong career and staying on the right side of the cell bars.
• Success shaming once you've used the system to prop yourself up.
• First the art world, the corporate America.
• Bargaining with Coca Cola on mural pricing.
• What to do when your heroes call you to crush your dreams.
• AN entry point to legal graffiti.
• Warped Tour Breakdowns as Career Breakthroughs.
• One mural a day with the AC blasting and your own private driver.
• Giving street art a home in Los Angeles and improving the public's perception of it.
• Brokering deals for your talented friends.
• Target Graffiti sections in other countries.
• Selling spray paint back to LA at your gallery.
• Closed door meetings with mayors.
• Watching the rules shift over time.
• Using your passion to fuel your sense of business.
• Graffiti hits MOMA and keeping your art form pure.
• Racking Karma.