REALITY TO IDEA.

Joshua, as we’ve already said, you were already a very busy man before your career as an artist. How did you find your calling as an artist?

I’ve done almost everything under the sun. I was a barista, a firefighter, US sales manager for The Hundreds, Merchandise Manager for Complexcon and founded a street west label I ran for 8 years to start. The biggest impact I made creatively in my past was as an owner of a street wear label – but I hit a wall after 8 years and found myself in a position where I needed a dramatic change. It was a difficult position to be in. At age 13 or 14, my dream was to own a successful streetwear brand but now that I had reached that goal, I knew I had a larger purpose and decided to blindly walk away. I had nothing planned but I knew it felt right taking this risk of walking away from a secure position. I started conceptualizing what my next move would be, failure after failure I finally stumbled on an idea that would change my life for the better: ‘Reality To Idea’ was born in April of 2017. The concept is to take a finalized object and recreate a visualization of the initial idea from pen and paper. The purpose is to highlight the origin of all ideas and concepts. I think there’s something beautiful in that exact moment you rush to write something down or draw a quick sketch. The first object I wanted to practice the concept with was a sneaker. I picked it up, painted white, and drew the original lines of the silhouette, the way it would have been drawn on paper reimagining the moment someone first said: “This is what this sneaker will look like”. I think seeing that reenergized my creativity and my wants and needs to continue creating for the sake of creating. Ever since I painted on that sneaker my life’s been a roller coaster. Now, I’m in the position that I’m in today because of that moment. I had reached the lowest point in my life and I was somehow able to pivot and climb out of the deep hole I dug myself in.  

Where does your special relationship to BMW come from?

I think at a very young age, living in a very low-income city, seeing a BMW was like seeing a Unicorn. It was such a special moment: you had to stop doing whatever you were doing and stare. Seeing an M3 E30 or M3 E36 driving down the road was so inspiring: “What am I looking at? What is that wing? Look at the fenders! look at the wheels! look at the color!” We weren't in a city where you would see any type of supercars or high-end vehicle. BMW was our supercar. That’s where my infatuation began. It was seeing one drive down the street that I grew up on, knowing that the driver probably lived in the area, which made the idea of owning a BMW a possibility. In 2000 when the M3 E46 came out and I remember seeing the silhouette for the first time. I was so lovestruck with it, that I remember promising myself: “No matter what happens in my life, I’m going to own an M3 E46 .” Fortunately, in 2019, I was able to finally obtain an M3 E46 6-speed. Up to this day when people ask what my dream car is, my answer is an E46 M3 regardless of what surrounds me now or what's obtainable. That was always that one car which I knew for sure, I was going to reach and own one day.

While we're on the subject: What are your current BMW models and which ones are still missing in your collection?

Currently, I have an 1989 M3 in Diamond Black on light gray interior with a 5-speed manual. I believe it has 53,000 original miles. The entire car is original, and I am the second owner. The other M I have is the 2006 M3 in Alpine White on black inheritor also 6 speed I mentioned before. I am also the second owner of that vehicle and it has about 42,000 miles on it. If I were to think about what is missing in my collection … It is very difficult to choose, and I can go on for days about it. Any BMW M3 of any year ever, I'll take. The BMW M8 is a beautiful car as well, and the BMW M X models are amazing too. My dream car in general, however, is obtaining a 3.0 CSL, which would be insane! An M1 would be a dream but I can’t afford it. To be honest: That’s a tough question to answer knowing I have a list of over 100 cars I’d love to own own day.
 

What inspired you when painting the BMW X4 M Competition?

I have a very specific style. I have painted a few cars before, they have all been a little bit different from each other. This being a BMW X4 M Competition and having the ability to drive one and feel the amount of power in my hands, I wanted to make this car look as fast as possible. Old cartoons of cars speeding and racing around creating small dust clouds and the fast lines rolling off the edges definitely inspired the direction of my painting process. I can go on for days about cartoons that I used to watch where you would see a car flash across the screen. I took that idea of a cartoonistic example of speed and applied it to the BMW X4 M Competition. I am extremely happy with the turn out.
 

Thank you very much for the interview, Joshua!