We were lucky to catch up with Duane Bowen II recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Duane, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I believe everything happens for a reason! So I feel that it was the right time for me.

Duane, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Duane Bowen II. I grew up in Compton, CA. I got into this field by simply taking a hobby and turning it into a business. Ive always been into fashion. It all started with my love for sneakers, you had to have the right fit to match the kicks. In High School I would use my art class projects to make clothes that I would wear on the weekends. Ive always had ideas and I would jot them down in this notebook I have. I kept this notebook with all my concepts/ideas for years and one day I just decided to go for it. Once I did, The rest was history! Our City Pride Tee is still a staple and hasn’t slowed down one bit.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing I get from all this is that I am a resource for those who aspire to do what I’m blessed to do! I have people ask for guidance in this field all the time and being able to guide them in the right direction to fulfill their dreams is moat gratifying.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

About 2 years ago my warehouse was robbed and vandalized. Literally everything I had worked for was stripped in a matter of minutes. I was confused and started to question if I even wanted to design and keep the business going out of fear it would just happen again. The amount of requests I got for march is what kept me going! It shows me that bits bigger than me and inhale a product that the people want!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brick2billboard.com
• Instagram: brick2billbvoard
• Twitter: brick2billboard