June 2014
June 2014 was one of the most versatile hustle months in the entire history of my brand. I truly did it all. Looking back, it feels like a month where I was operating like a full creative department, a street team, and a storefront business… all at the same time, all powered by pure New York momentum.
I was continuing the work on Bronx Bombers and A-Bombshell, two concepts that carried heavy energy for me creatively. These weren’t just designs, they were statements. That era had me sharpening my voice and finding ways to make the artwork feel louder, bolder, more cinematic, more “PJ.” I was building out the world of the brand piece by piece, while still actively in the streets every day making it real.
This was also the month I got arrested outside of Madison Square Garden. That incident has its own blog post, and it deserves it. MSG is one of those locations where the city’s intensity concentrates like electricity in a power station. Cops, crowds, tourists, commuters, vendors, chaos… it’s always amplified over there. The situation was a reminder of what the hustle actually looks like in real life: sometimes you’re selling and creating, and sometimes you’re fighting to simply exist in the city while doing it.
At the same time, I was running the DUMBO shoppe and actually had employees. That alone was a major moment. It felt like the brand was stepping into something bigger, more official, more “real.” A storefront changes everything, because now it’s not just you versus the sidewalk. It’s you building a home base for the universe you’ve been drawing for years. Having a shop meant new responsibilities, more inventory, more structure, more pressure… but also more legitimacy and more reach.
And even with the shop running, I was still doing subway sales. Still down there. Still in the trenches. Still doing what I’ve always done: connecting directly with the people. The subway will always be one of my favorite environments to hustle, because it’s raw and immediate. No filters, no algorithms, no middlemen. Just the work and the reaction. The underground supporting the underground.
On top of that, I was also doing caricature gigs, bouncing around the city taking on anything that made sense. Quick cash, fast drawing, good interactions. Those gigs kept my hand sharp, kept my personality sharp, and they reminded me that art can be a full-on survival tool if you treat it that way.
And the month started off wild too… because I kicked off June with a sale that didn’t even happen in New York.
I sold my Brooklyn Cassettes hat on the BART train in San Francisco.
That was my first and only visit to the Bay Area, and the fact that I made a sale out there felt symbolic. Like the brand was stretching its arms across the country for the first time. New York art, New York hustle, New York energy… sold on a train on the other side of America. It was one of those moments where you realize: this isn’t just local anymore. This can travel. This can become global. The seed was being planted.
June 2014 was proof that versatility is power. Storefront life, subway life, freelance gigs, design development, travel, chaos, confrontation, progress… all in one month. The kind of schedule that doesn’t make sense unless you’re obsessed.
