We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joseph Schrunk a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I was always interested in my personal clothing from a young age. Waking up and starting a new day by picking your outfit should be fun. Fashion should be fun. I wanted to start making my own clothes in high school, so I did. I started designing and printing my own t-shirts at age 16. I got a job and used my first check to do a run of shirts. I’ve always used my own money to fund my projects.
I was fortunate enough to take entry level sewing classes in high school and that’s really the only “formal” education I have received. Shout out to my fashion design teacher Ms. Merrill for being amazing. I think teachers are super hero’s.
After running like 3-4 T-shirt designs I got a job at a screen print company and learned how to print manual. Screen printing is an art, and doing it by hand is so much more rewarding than an automatic machine. My boss, Randy, taught me how to print like a bad ass and i’m forever grateful.
While I do have love for printing, I try to balance out my brand with sewing. I do some machine sewing, but I think my hand stitching is what makes me stand out. People seem to love my denim on denim hand appliqué, I mean I love it too. I call it “painting with denim” even though i’m not painting. I have a true love for denim. My grandma used to work for Levi’s so there is a connection there. She did everything from sewing to dyeing the jeans. I think this fashion shit is in my blood. It feels like I was meant to do this. It’s hard to separate feeling materialistic and just having a love for clothing. I appreciate all styles. I’ve learned to view things from multiple perspectives and I think that helps with just understanding people. Idk im rambling. But anyways yeah I taught myself and learned from mistakes along the way.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My brand is called ARBOL productions. I used to call myself a fashion designer, but now I just say i’m an Artist. My main practice is repurposing denim, but I also work with any materials I can find. I find the most joy in thrifting old clothes and turning them into a new idea. I think it’s important to use the things in front of you, use what you already have. Something that sets me apart in the fashion world is making things I want to make. I feel like a lot of brands right now try to make trendy shit because it sells, but it’s not timeless. The things I make are going to gain appreciation and value, I believe.
I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a cool older brother who taught me the value of quality or quantity. My sister also had a hand in shaping another side of me. I spent a lot of time with my mom and sister growing up and I think it helped me tap into me feminine side. I’m very grateful for that.
Most of the work I do now is 1 of 1. I mostly do denim but I also love doing zip up hoodies and making plushies. I recently had an opportunity to send my clothes to a store called Les Miss in NYC. Super cool that they hit me up. I’ve never been to New York but the fact that my clothes made it there before me makes me want to cry happy tears. It doesn’t really feel real and it’s been like a year and a half already. The owner and staff are all sweet and they are always hyping me up and I appreciate that. Go stop by Les Miss on Mott St. whenever you’re in New York.
One project I did recently was designing some merch for my friend Ben Elder. His artist name is SNACKTIME! and he has an album coming out soon. I got to design, print, and will sell the merch at a listening party on 5/5/23. What’s cool about our relationship is that we are friends of friends of friends. I think that’s the beauty of social media and the internet. I got luck my enough to do a similar project for Huron John who is another cool artist. I definitely want to make my way into the merch world for artists. Whether it’s designing, printing, or selling I’m down to do it all. One of my best friends is Jack Boyd, j4ck2.0, and the dream started with him. We used to be chilling at his parents house and he would be jamming and I was drawing in my journal. We been on this path for a long time. I’m really inspired by my friends and family.
Arbol means tree in spanish, and while i’m not fluent in spanish, I definitely find alot of inspiration from my mexican heritage. I love being mexican. I’ve always felt like I was supposed to do something great and I’m still not sure what it is. For now i’m just gonna keep making things and meeting people and having a good time. My friends and family have always been so supportive of my craft. I hope one day I can have some of them on my team and pay them appropriately. Much love.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

This is a good question. I honestly think everything is a google away and then just apply yourself. Yes, there will always be things you think you need to get started in a creative field that are expensive, but that’s just an excuse. You can always start with what you have, and then just work your way up buying things one at a time. I think the only thing I wish I had was more time. Working full time and being an artist is not easy. I hope soon I can start working less for others and more for myself.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I used to think everyone was creative, and I still do in some context. I think everyone has ideas. I’m not sure if they are good or bad ideas, but ideas nonetheless. I think it’s ok to not be understood as a creative. That’s what makes some art good in my opinion. When you look at a painting and you say “ i don’t get it “. Maybe that’s the point.
“Good art” is so subjective. Everyone has different ideas of what’s good and what’s “real art”. I learned to appreciate everything. I support all creatives, even if i’m not a fan of their style. I just think it’s cool that they are making something. I think if everybody could just expand their mind a little bit and try to view things from outside of their two eyes then this world could be a bit of a happier place. Just try to smile more and compliment people when you think of it and see how much better your day gets. I don’t know what that has to do with creativity or not but yeah just be happy :)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.arbolproductions.com
• Instagram: arbolproductions

Image Credits
Joseph Schrunk