Losing Track Of His Mind: WeKillYou

Designer WeKillYou has a problem with losing track of his mind sometimes - but he hides monsters round the streets of NYC and has just completed his first solo show in his hometown. I caught up with him on twitter, where he explains all...

Q: When did you know you wanted to be a designer?

A: Towards the end of high school I decided I wanted to do something in the world of art. At the time, I was really into photography as well as design, but lost interest in the photo part of it.

After my first year of College I stopped working jobs that didn't really pertain to what I was doing and since then have been doing either my own art and design, or working for others doing similar work.

Q: Was that when you lost track of your mind?

A: I’ve been losing track of it my whole life! I find it hard to concentrate on things for long periods of time and often work my self into panics over little things. One of the few things though that keeps me sane is my work, and keeping busy with it!

Q: Where do your ideas and inspirations come from?

A: Oh gosh, all over the place! A lot of the time it comes from either music or dreams, but I am starting to find that my everyday life and beliefs are pushing their way into my art more and more these days.

Q: Tell us about the WKY Monster Hide and Seek contest in NYC!

A: The hide and seek contest was a street art thing I decided to do with the plaques that I make. Round NYC I hid about 35 wooden plaques with monsters painted on them, and the first person to send me a picture of one and its location, would win a one-of-a-kind toy. By the time I had gotten home a few days later, someone had found one and sent in the photos, and won the prize! I think I am going to do this, or something similar, with every city I go to from now on.

Q: Which is your favourite piece?

A: Ever or currently? Ummmm right now some of my favourite things are my first colour way of the king of the forest toy, the skeletor William Palerne, the sign/portraits/mountain paintings in my current show, the YOUR FACE SUCKS shirt, and the We Kill You tattoos that people have inked into their skin!

Q: You’ve done your first solo show recently – how did that feel?

A: I’ve done solo shows before, but never in my own hometown. That was really surreal and amazing. To create an atmosphere full of your work, ideas and passion, and have people step into it and become overwhelmed by something you have made, is a feeling I can’t even begin to describe. I put so much work into this show and to see it come together and be loved by so many people, has to be one of the best feelings I have ever felt. It was amazing to have so many people I knew and so many people I didn’t know come together over something I created.

Q: What advice would you give a new designer?

A: Never give up. You WILL fuck up. It’s going to happen to you just like it did to me and everyone else. But you love it, you have to get back on your horse and ride again no matter what it takes. You’ll love your art and yourself all the more for it. The worse that can happen is you mess up again and have to take another stab at it, but eventually you will get it. If you give up on it then it was probably something you really didn’t really care that much about.

Q: Where can we get our hands on your fantastic stuff?

A: All my clothing, toys, art and accessories are available at http://www.wekillyou.net and are all hand made by me.