We recently connected with Javier Cordova and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Javier with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic comes from the struggles I have had in life. I have been thru everything from divorce to homelessness and everything in between. I have seen rock bottom so nothing scares me and no one can say or do anything that will stop me from being happy, that means doing what I love and spending time with those I love. People always say “If you want something you got to work hard” there’s just no way of telling you how hard that’s going to be.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Javier, I go by Spawk and I am what some consider a Kustom Kulture artist. I don’t think there is a specific definition but in my messed up head we are basically designers who never grew up. We still dig shit like monsters, skating, surfing, toys, and most importantly cool ass cars. I myself contribute to the Kustom Kulture by pinstriping, designing graphics, and painting shit on everything from giant walls to cars and even the human body to get them ready for a photoshoots or videos. Since the last time we talked I have gotten some pretty cool opportunities like designing for the Phoenix Suns, Jack Daniels, Effen Vodka, and now going on my third year being invited to paint at SEMA; which has always been a dream of mine. Believe it or not my favorite thing to do is finding places covered in stickers and leaving my mark with stickers that I have designed. I travel quite a bit to either car shows to pinstripe live or paint murals. And I always leave stickers everywhere I go. Don’t be surprised if you see one or a few of my stickers in random places you wouldn’t expect; it was probably me. I’ve had a shop at the Grand Arthaus in Downtown Phoenix for over 4 years now and every First Friday we open our doors for people to come check out the studio and meet other artists. However, we were just informed that this building was sold so we aren’t sure if the shop will be around much longer but that wont stop me from keeping on. This year you can catch me at Designer Con in November for the first time ever unveiling the finished version of my Monster Dunny.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three things that most impacted my journey in terms of getting me to where I am today are:
1. I stayed focused on goals and never let off the gas. I usually set a large goal every year and a bunch of small goals along the way, it doesn’t hurt to set a 5 year goal as well.
2. I didn’t let new opportunities scare me even if it was stuff I didn’t believe I could do. If an opportunity comes up; you better take it now and ask all the questions without being scared. If you move fast you will have no time to be scared.
3. Network like you’re the new kid in a big school and you want to make friends. Don’t think you will be fine by yourself because the more people you know, the more people will know OF you. Does that make sense? Sorry, but basically just meet people and smile, you’ll be ok.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
These days prices seem to be going up faster than I could keep up. Art is considered a luxury. If the prices of food and gas keep going up people aren’t going to be buying art. I mean there’s always going to be people who buy art but the demographic will definitely be getting smaller. In order to make sure I survive as an artist; I am always looking at my marketing options and focusing more on logo design and sign work these days. One thing is for sure, new small businesses will definitely need logos and branding so that is where I come in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spawk.co
- Instagram: @elspawk
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@spawkandco.
Image Credits
Anthony Photography
Grimlock Media
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
