Electric Pony Studios Mural Project July 2017 : Interview with artist, Step One

We asked Step One to give us a little more info to share with you.

Step One: It's been wonderful working with Electric Pony Studios. They are flexible, woke, fierce and simply awesome. It takes "ganas" and a beautiful soul to open yourself up to working with all kinds of artists. The universe brought us together, f'real. Or the internet, however you choose to perceive it. I'm excited and looking forward to seeing how other artists collaborate with my piece.

EPS: Whats your name and where are you from?

SO: My graffiti name is Step One and I am originally from Chicago.

EPS: How long have you lived in LA and what do you think of it?

SO: It's been two years since I moved to Los Angeles and my time here has been great. I love it so much. I am a bit of a romantic optimist so take that with a grain of salt.

EPS: How did you get into doing art?

SO: Art has been in me since I drew my first portrait of Martin Luther King Jr at the age of three. Poverty helped make visual art an ideal social outlet.

EPS: How would you describe your style?

Woke af. My style is diverse. I create portraits using charcoal, 3D graffiti with spraypaint, or vector wildstyle using Adobe Illustrator. Plus, my work is usually wrapped around a social justice and human rights issue.

EPS: What inspires you?

SO: My undocumented family inspires me. AND People inspire me. Poor people, obese people, prisoners, organizers, activists, lgbtq folks, drug addicts, teachers, undocumented immigrants, differently abled people, gangbangers and more. Initiatives that are solution based also give me bit of tingle. :)

EPS: What music do you listen to when you work?

SO: Hip-Hop is constantly on heavy rotation. Whether I'm rockin' Digable Planets, Tribe, J-Dilla, or Logic and J-Cole, my headphones are usually bumpin' some stupid-crazy beats. I also listen to rock, blues, jazz, salsa, merengue, marimba, punk, metal, ska, and yes, trap.

EPS: Where can people find your work or get in touch?

SO: My instagram is @steponegraffiti. My email address is steponegraffiti@gmail.com and my website is steponegraffiti.com.