Interviewee: Prelo White
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| Prelo White portrait by Photographer: Brandon Thomas Brown. Check out his photography at:https://www.instagram.com/ |
The individual that I’m interviewing today is a well respected peer of mine that I admire. Prelo White is an active creative within the Brooklyn community. She is the Founder and Creative Director of her own brand Brooklyn Artistry, which is a multimedia company that dabbles into every nook and cranny of the visual arts, be it fashion, video games, literature and art. It’s an honor to know her and have her presence amongst us all here on this digital space that we call the internet. So to start things off, lets begin with the questions shall we?
Q0. Who are your inspirations?
PW: Hmm... I’m in a lot of fields, so I have a lot of people to turn to when I need to be creatively charged or reminded of my own aspirations. However, generally, I’m mostly inspired by anyone working hard at climbing their field. Watching the progression of someone who’s striving to reach their goals is inspiring in itself. That’s why I always try to befriend or associate myself with an artist. Artistically, I’ve always been inspired by Stan Lee. He literally created a universe, and that sort of legacy is more than inspiring. I actually cried when he died. I’m also inspired by Kaws. His work is so simple yet so universally accepted because of how unique it is. I think I’m more so inspired by his brand’s personality than the actual work. His brand’s success is something I’d want for The BĀCo Store.
Q1. How did you get into art?
PW: Art runs in my family, so it was inevitable, but I knew it was something I wanted to do when I was about nine. My mother used to read the funnies in the Daily News every Sunday, and Slylock Fox used to be my favorite strip. I remember drawing him just by looking at him, and when I showed my mother, she was genuinely proud. I think her being so proud is what made me continue. Cartooning was something I’ve always been attracted to. I’m not sure if it were the homemade cards my grandmother used to illustrate for us during our birthdays or if it were the funnies. Shit, maybe it was both who knows.
Q2. When did you take art seriously?
PW: The first time I saw The Boondocks in the Daily News. I’ve always wanted to create comic books and characters but seeing a black cartoonist have his very own strip in the paper, especially one I grew up on, made me start buying base books and proper pencils and pens.
Q 2.5. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice?
PW: I wouldn’t! I’m in filmmaking, so I’d probably just make my own. I have too many ideas in my head and ambitions for a change in production for me to waste it on something that’s already been done. I’d leave that to Hollywood, apparently, with all the remakes coming out this year they have running out of ideas covered.
Q3. What drives you in your daily life?
PW: Technically? Spreadsheets. Lol! Running Brooklyn Artistry and all of the companies under its umbrella can be super overwhelming, so I literally start my day by opening a Google Sheet that has five different tabs of task lists. Spiritually, my family. Everything I do is because of them. I, personally, can be content with just doing what I love and living without reason but I know that building a legacy would support my family when I’m done here, so I work to make sure of that.
Q4. What made you the person that you are today?
PW: Who can really answer that? We’re faced with so many choices, and we make so many decisions that prompt us to keep evolving. I guess the closest answer I can give you is who I try to be in this world keeps me aligned with who I actually am.
When I was younger, I was heavily intrigued by psychology. I read a lot of psychology books, studied cases, and learned about micro expressionism. I ended up learning about a bunch of personality traits in the hopes that it would help me become more aware of who I am and it did! Understanding the why helped me move forward with the how. Learning psychology helped me a lot with my personal journey. The ability to be as observant as I am kept me morally in check and also helped me keep shitty people out of my life.
Q5. If you could speak to any living creator or inspiration, who would it be, why, and what would talk to them about?
PW: Hayao Miyazaki. I’d honestly just want to hear him talk about anything. The man could give a story about cats, and I’d be satisfied. He’s another one that created an incredibly animated universe, and I’m interested in understanding how he keeps the momentum going.
Q6. If there were any deceased creators, actors, singers, writers, etc. that you would want to speak to, who would it be, and why?
PW: Stan! Who the fuck else would I want to talk to - oh Biggie. Stan, obviously because of the impact he had on my career, life, and aspirations but Biggie, I just want to tell him that musically he shaped my life and his passing was one of the hardest things Brooklyn as an entire borough experienced in unison.
Q7. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
PW: Aw man...so many places. Is everywhere an answer? I have three places that are currently on my bucket list. Salar de Uyuni during its raining season, Norway because of its Viking history and mythologies (which I’m ironically obsessed with being that it is the whitest of white culture and legit not fond of black people or any person of color for that matter), and lastly Antarctica. To experience the axis the world tilts on, allowing it to be 24-hour daylight and night for 6 months. That shit is fascinating. I also want to experience the Aurora Borealis and come close to the holes in the ozone layer. There’s something about those things that bring me closer to space. Weird, I know.
Q8. What is one thing that you fear?
PW: The loss of my mind. It’s all I have. What am I without it?
Q 10. If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?
PW: I struggle with this question often; two things I juggle between the ability to understand everything which is probably a fucking one way trip to psychosis or the ability to know any language. The two are very close, but at least with knowing the language, I’d just have the ability to know what shit means while understanding everything is the ability to understand why. That shit is scary in itself. Knowing the reason for everything would probably lead to a very lonely and cynical lifestyle. But it's one cool ass power to have though.
Q11. What catches your attention when you meet people?
PW: The veil they have. I pay close attention to how people speak, what they talk about, and how they move when they speak. When things aren’t cohesive, I get distant. I need continuity of authenticity. When people are continually contradicting their words with their actions, I tend to move on from them.
Q12. What is one word of advice that you would impart to your younger self?
PW: “Rebel smarter, bro.”
Q13. What are three books that you always remember or return to, and why? How did they shape you?
PW: Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice by Evan Brunetti, any New York Times Magazine and The
Observer. Evan Brunetti has simplified my perspective of cartooning in such an impactful way. I never
went to school for anything, so learning on my own was really big in my process. Brunetti made learning easy and less scary therefore gave me confidence in honing my skills. I framed one of the first sketches I did while learning from that book. I was so proud.
The New York Times is a constant reminder of the lifestyle that I want to live. The style, literature, and art it publishes is so cohesive with calm rainy days and jazz or coffee and busy Manhattan mornings for me. It’s such a reflection of my personality and to be honest, I don’t know if part of me developed by reading the magazines or if the magazines just fell in tune with who I am.
When I became an “adult,” I started reading the Observer and fell in love. Have you ever read that shit? I actually wanted to write for them. It’s the most direct and sarcastic paper I’ve ever encountered. Literally me. When I lived in Greenpoint I’d pick up a copy at a local Starbucks - THEE most cliche perspective of adulthood you can imagine but fuck you I was living in a loft without roommates with a clear view of the city at 23. You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t a smooth 45-year-old established somebody. Which I wasn’t by the way I lost that place 3 months later.
Q14. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice?
PW: You asked me that already! I guess I should answer then. Silence Of The Lamb with an all-black cast and not just any black cast but like everyone has to be darker than Wesley Snipes. Just because I know the uproar that shit will cause.
Q15. If you were to make a film, novel, or comic book based on an album, what album or artist would
you pick?
PW: Bruh! I’d definitely make an animated short film based of Biggie’s Ready To Die and throw in Party And Bullshit as a bonus episode in the middle of the series. I’d absolutely watch that.
Q16. Who, in this life, has motivated you to stay true to what makes you who are?
PW: My mentor, Deeon Brown. He’s super encouraging and always has sound advice that makes sense, is realistic, and honest. He’s helped me grow personally and professionally excessively over the years.
Q17. Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
PW: Standing in my own gallery. I want Brooklyn Artistry to have a home of its own.
Q18. What are three albums or songs currently, that you listen to on repeat? And why?
PW: Whipped Cream by Ari Lennox. She’s what we need right now; from her lyrics to the cadence of the music she lay them is fucking fantastic. Her whole album is lit, but that song is the one song I gravitate toward. Esthero’s Country Living. That song is beautiful, and it gives me a clear visual in my head of a video I’d love to direct but know that I won't. When music can make me want to create, I tend to become attached to it. Same thing with Hermitude’s remix of The Presets’ Ghost. I don’t know if you remember this, but briefly, I was working on McRabbit, a comic book that I eventually will go back to finish. Ghosts literally helped me create an entire scene. I stopped listening to it for about two years, and when it randomly came on Pandora, that same visual came back to me, and I remembered how much I wanted to finish McRabbit.
Q19. What color speaks to you the most and why?
PW: White. It’s so empty and spacious and inspiring. Whenever I see a white wall, I want to draw on it.
Q20.What is one thing that you're proud of?
PW: Doing something that makes my siblings proud of me. The look they give me is warming. Nothing else can ignite that sort of feeling in me.
Q21. What is a mantra that you tell yourself?
PW: There’s always a solution to a problem. Just find it.
PW: Hmm... I’m in a lot of fields, so I have a lot of people to turn to when I need to be creatively charged or reminded of my own aspirations. However, generally, I’m mostly inspired by anyone working hard at climbing their field. Watching the progression of someone who’s striving to reach their goals is inspiring in itself. That’s why I always try to befriend or associate myself with an artist. Artistically, I’ve always been inspired by Stan Lee. He literally created a universe, and that sort of legacy is more than inspiring. I actually cried when he died. I’m also inspired by Kaws. His work is so simple yet so universally accepted because of how unique it is. I think I’m more so inspired by his brand’s personality than the actual work. His brand’s success is something I’d want for The BĀCo Store.
Q1. How did you get into art?
PW: Art runs in my family, so it was inevitable, but I knew it was something I wanted to do when I was about nine. My mother used to read the funnies in the Daily News every Sunday, and Slylock Fox used to be my favorite strip. I remember drawing him just by looking at him, and when I showed my mother, she was genuinely proud. I think her being so proud is what made me continue. Cartooning was something I’ve always been attracted to. I’m not sure if it were the homemade cards my grandmother used to illustrate for us during our birthdays or if it were the funnies. Shit, maybe it was both who knows.
Q2. When did you take art seriously?
PW: The first time I saw The Boondocks in the Daily News. I’ve always wanted to create comic books and characters but seeing a black cartoonist have his very own strip in the paper, especially one I grew up on, made me start buying base books and proper pencils and pens.
Q 2.5. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice?
PW: I wouldn’t! I’m in filmmaking, so I’d probably just make my own. I have too many ideas in my head and ambitions for a change in production for me to waste it on something that’s already been done. I’d leave that to Hollywood, apparently, with all the remakes coming out this year they have running out of ideas covered.
Q3. What drives you in your daily life?
PW: Technically? Spreadsheets. Lol! Running Brooklyn Artistry and all of the companies under its umbrella can be super overwhelming, so I literally start my day by opening a Google Sheet that has five different tabs of task lists. Spiritually, my family. Everything I do is because of them. I, personally, can be content with just doing what I love and living without reason but I know that building a legacy would support my family when I’m done here, so I work to make sure of that.
Q4. What made you the person that you are today?
PW: Who can really answer that? We’re faced with so many choices, and we make so many decisions that prompt us to keep evolving. I guess the closest answer I can give you is who I try to be in this world keeps me aligned with who I actually am.
When I was younger, I was heavily intrigued by psychology. I read a lot of psychology books, studied cases, and learned about micro expressionism. I ended up learning about a bunch of personality traits in the hopes that it would help me become more aware of who I am and it did! Understanding the why helped me move forward with the how. Learning psychology helped me a lot with my personal journey. The ability to be as observant as I am kept me morally in check and also helped me keep shitty people out of my life.
Q5. If you could speak to any living creator or inspiration, who would it be, why, and what would talk to them about?
PW: Hayao Miyazaki. I’d honestly just want to hear him talk about anything. The man could give a story about cats, and I’d be satisfied. He’s another one that created an incredibly animated universe, and I’m interested in understanding how he keeps the momentum going.
Q6. If there were any deceased creators, actors, singers, writers, etc. that you would want to speak to, who would it be, and why?
PW: Stan! Who the fuck else would I want to talk to - oh Biggie. Stan, obviously because of the impact he had on my career, life, and aspirations but Biggie, I just want to tell him that musically he shaped my life and his passing was one of the hardest things Brooklyn as an entire borough experienced in unison.
Q7. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
PW: Aw man...so many places. Is everywhere an answer? I have three places that are currently on my bucket list. Salar de Uyuni during its raining season, Norway because of its Viking history and mythologies (which I’m ironically obsessed with being that it is the whitest of white culture and legit not fond of black people or any person of color for that matter), and lastly Antarctica. To experience the axis the world tilts on, allowing it to be 24-hour daylight and night for 6 months. That shit is fascinating. I also want to experience the Aurora Borealis and come close to the holes in the ozone layer. There’s something about those things that bring me closer to space. Weird, I know.
Q8. What is one thing that you fear?
PW: The loss of my mind. It’s all I have. What am I without it?
Q 10. If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?
PW: I struggle with this question often; two things I juggle between the ability to understand everything which is probably a fucking one way trip to psychosis or the ability to know any language. The two are very close, but at least with knowing the language, I’d just have the ability to know what shit means while understanding everything is the ability to understand why. That shit is scary in itself. Knowing the reason for everything would probably lead to a very lonely and cynical lifestyle. But it's one cool ass power to have though.
Q11. What catches your attention when you meet people?
PW: The veil they have. I pay close attention to how people speak, what they talk about, and how they move when they speak. When things aren’t cohesive, I get distant. I need continuity of authenticity. When people are continually contradicting their words with their actions, I tend to move on from them.
Q12. What is one word of advice that you would impart to your younger self?
PW: “Rebel smarter, bro.”
Q13. What are three books that you always remember or return to, and why? How did they shape you?
PW: Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice by Evan Brunetti, any New York Times Magazine and The
Observer. Evan Brunetti has simplified my perspective of cartooning in such an impactful way. I never
went to school for anything, so learning on my own was really big in my process. Brunetti made learning easy and less scary therefore gave me confidence in honing my skills. I framed one of the first sketches I did while learning from that book. I was so proud.
The New York Times is a constant reminder of the lifestyle that I want to live. The style, literature, and art it publishes is so cohesive with calm rainy days and jazz or coffee and busy Manhattan mornings for me. It’s such a reflection of my personality and to be honest, I don’t know if part of me developed by reading the magazines or if the magazines just fell in tune with who I am.
When I became an “adult,” I started reading the Observer and fell in love. Have you ever read that shit? I actually wanted to write for them. It’s the most direct and sarcastic paper I’ve ever encountered. Literally me. When I lived in Greenpoint I’d pick up a copy at a local Starbucks - THEE most cliche perspective of adulthood you can imagine but fuck you I was living in a loft without roommates with a clear view of the city at 23. You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t a smooth 45-year-old established somebody. Which I wasn’t by the way I lost that place 3 months later.
Q14. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice?
PW: You asked me that already! I guess I should answer then. Silence Of The Lamb with an all-black cast and not just any black cast but like everyone has to be darker than Wesley Snipes. Just because I know the uproar that shit will cause.
Q15. If you were to make a film, novel, or comic book based on an album, what album or artist would
you pick?
PW: Bruh! I’d definitely make an animated short film based of Biggie’s Ready To Die and throw in Party And Bullshit as a bonus episode in the middle of the series. I’d absolutely watch that.
Q16. Who, in this life, has motivated you to stay true to what makes you who are?
PW: My mentor, Deeon Brown. He’s super encouraging and always has sound advice that makes sense, is realistic, and honest. He’s helped me grow personally and professionally excessively over the years.
Q17. Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
PW: Standing in my own gallery. I want Brooklyn Artistry to have a home of its own.
Q18. What are three albums or songs currently, that you listen to on repeat? And why?
PW: Whipped Cream by Ari Lennox. She’s what we need right now; from her lyrics to the cadence of the music she lay them is fucking fantastic. Her whole album is lit, but that song is the one song I gravitate toward. Esthero’s Country Living. That song is beautiful, and it gives me a clear visual in my head of a video I’d love to direct but know that I won't. When music can make me want to create, I tend to become attached to it. Same thing with Hermitude’s remix of The Presets’ Ghost. I don’t know if you remember this, but briefly, I was working on McRabbit, a comic book that I eventually will go back to finish. Ghosts literally helped me create an entire scene. I stopped listening to it for about two years, and when it randomly came on Pandora, that same visual came back to me, and I remembered how much I wanted to finish McRabbit.
Q19. What color speaks to you the most and why?
PW: White. It’s so empty and spacious and inspiring. Whenever I see a white wall, I want to draw on it.
Q20.What is one thing that you're proud of?
PW: Doing something that makes my siblings proud of me. The look they give me is warming. Nothing else can ignite that sort of feeling in me.
Q21. What is a mantra that you tell yourself?
PW: There’s always a solution to a problem. Just find it.
You can find more about Brooklyn Artistry by clicking the link below:
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| Art by Prelo White |
I love it! Thank you for reaching out to me to do this with you. I enjoyed all the questions you asked =)
ReplyDeleteAh Shucks! It was an honor to get the chance to do this! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to take part!
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