Today we’d like to introduce you to Astro
Hi ASTRO, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
One mom, three kids. One son, two daughters. As the only son I strive to make mom proud, but trying to please someone while trying to find yourself is difficult. In my experience you’ll only find yourself and push away the people you tried to please. In 7th grade I was expelled from Shiloh middle school for changing my grades. I wasn’t a stupid kid. I was only failing ELA/Reading and that was one of the main courses you had to pass, I was two points shy of passing. I explained this to my teacher Ms. Smith and put in the effort for her to bump up my grade but nothing changed. Honestly I couldn’t care less about school, only reason I showed up was to keep mom happy. So I had to handle the problem myself, I made a plan to sneak out of lunch and back to the classroom to handle the matter, I knew a close friend who was failing a couple classes and I just couldn’t leave him hanging. Long story short he got caught and threw me under the bus. This lead to me getting expelled and possibly criminally charged If i was to stay in the school system. My mother came to the conclusion that she couldn’t raise a man, so she sent me across the country to be under my dad. He lived in Las Vegas. Honestly the first couple years in Vegas was hell. I felt I had no one, truly felt my mother had given up on me, living with a man I didn’t really know at the time, completely new environment and left to figure it out. So I did. All my life I’ve been deep into art of all types, music, painting, drawing, really any type of creative. With untamed emotions my situation only forced me deeper into the art. Specifically fashion design. When you are favored by God, you can’t really explain your blessings. All my life I’ve wondered why people perceived me as they did. First impressions dictate the entirety of any relationship. Its judgement, even though we look down on judging people, lets be real, judgement of people is what got you here, who you talk to, who you don’t, who you approach and accept and also who you don’t. With so much to say and walking away from most conversations feeling as if I said nothing I wanted, I made my messages apart of my first impression. Originally I only wanted this for myself, I wanted this to be apart of what made me unique. Then I realized no one could ever take my ideas from me and the people around me were inspired. With the given situation of why I was where I was, in that moment I realized, I’m not here to save anyone. I’m only here to inspire others to save themselves. During my time in Vegas I finished school, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. During these years I bled my vision through Sin City(Vegas). Both angels and demons knew of Astro. But when I graduated I felt it was wrong that the city of Vegas knew me but my own city didn’t. So a couple days after graduation I moved back to Atlanta, and have been putting the foot work in ever since.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Far from smooth, far from any sign of there being a “road”. On this walk with God its like a straight and narrow path. Honestly sometimes it doesn’t even feel like a path. I only see light when my foot is on the ground. In order to progress I must take another step, and I only know my foot is on solid ground when I see that light when my foot hits the ground. If not, I fall. Its a walk of faith. Following your dreams isn’t cheap, there are more against that with you. Within these past 7 years I’ve given my all and even what I didn’t have just to lose it all twice. This is why I no longer look for any type of physical validation. My validation now only comes from God. How do I receive? When the people naturally tell me that my work, my visions, my creations inspire them. This is where my outside validation comes. This doesn’t make my walk any easier but it does confirm that it’s not for nothing so the “road” is far from smooth, but more than worth it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Without boxing myself in, I am an artist. I tell the introspective story of my walk with God. I specialize in telling stories through clothing. I do this by adding meaning to each color, creating a story for each collection, and bleeding my emotion into every thread. I’m known for my lighting bolts, in simplicity thats what they are. In all actuality it’s the face of the Public Enemy. “Self enlightenment creates a Public Enemy” -Astro. This means once you separate yourself from the media’s narrative you begin to free yourself. You are able to think, judge and do for yourself. Lets look at any type of media. Instagram, the news, facebook, podcasts, the main thing being promoted is negativity. Why? Because we love it, it sparks something inside of us to click and unconsciously be controlled. This indirectly affects our ways of thinking, what we choose to accept, and how we act. When you are able to think for yourself you go against the media’s narrative, therefore creating a Public Enemy. I am most proud of how I inspire. Like I’ve stated earlier, I’m not here to save anyone, only to inspire others to save themselves. I will always quote myself. In my interview with Voyage LA in 2022 I stated, “Everyone has the feeling that their different, and I believe everyone is special so no one is, every human on earth is an artist, the only thing that makes us diverse from each other is what and how we choose to create.” -Astro
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Start with what you have. I say this because I didn’t have a brand name until 6 years in. If I was to wait on that I would just now be starting. The brand name is ANARCHIST SAINTS. It took so long because I wanted a name that I would be able to die behind. Honestly it lined up perfectly, my logo for years has been the “A” with a lightning bolt through it. In my font the bolt is a “S” so it was truly a blessing from God. I’ve always wanted to to incorporate more of my faith into the clothing, this was executed perfectly. Honestly I wish I enlightened myself more on the business side of things first starting out because although this is not for the money, an artist must be able to support themselves. The dream is to be able to support yourself strictly from the art, so the business must be in line. As a creative have faith in your creativity, also be aware of reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/3X.ASTRO
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3x.astro/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@3xastro93?si=JQVZQoz2d3HnKMFi
