The External Shift
Story Over Surface
Most brands don’t have an aesthetic problem.
They have a depth problem.
Everything looks good.
Very little feels real.
That’s the shift.
The Real Question
The questions I keep hearing aren’t about logos.
They’re deeper:
How do I make my brand feel real instead of performative?
How do I tell my story without oversharing?
What makes certain brands magnetic?
A brand feels real when it comes from lived experience.
Wins.
Losses.
Moments that shaped you.
You don’t have to share everything.
But what formed you? That’s the story.
Brands like Nike aren’t powerful because of design alone.
They stand for something.
People don’t support polish.
They support belief.
Walking Into Tattoo Shops
When I started walking into tattoo shops, I felt the hesitation.
At first, I thought I was there to help them build presence beyond just tattoos.
But what I noticed was this:
Every shop had ink.
Few revealed the artist.
Fewer revealed the culture.
Getting tattooed isn’t just pain and beauty.
It’s identity.
If I’m sitting in that chair, I want to know the story behind the hands holding the needle.
That’s where meaning lives.
Why TABU Exists
TABU isn’t about photographing tattoos.
It’s about documenting culture.
Tattoos carry stigma — gang-related, race-related assumptions.
But behind the ink are stories of grief, rebellion, growth, and belonging.
This project exists to challenge surface-level judgment
and reveal common ground.
I have ink myself — a lightning bolt, a sun and moon, an inner child.
Each one carries meaning.
That’s the point.
Alignment Changes Everything
TABU really clarified after a collaboration with Aishia Wiley.
We set out to create cinematic editorial work.
But after reviewing the images, it felt bigger than a feature or placement.
It felt aligned.
The right collaborations don’t feel transactional.
They feel inevitable.
Some partnerships are noise.
Others move your story forward.
Choose carefully.
The Shift
If you want your work to mean something, treat it like 1 of 1.
No one can replicate your lived experience.
Your brand doesn’t need louder visuals.
It needs clearer conviction.
That’s the external shift.
Story over surface.
And I help creatives translate what they stand for
into imagery that preserves it.
