We recently connected with Howard Hudson and have shared our conversation below.

Howard, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

In 1998 I was sentenced to 25 1/2 years in prison for my role in a murder in Minneapolis Minnesota. Growing up in the streets of Chicago I gravitated to the thugs, pimps, stick up men, drug dealers, killers and the countless other men and women that made up the hood. In my mind there was nothing better than being a hustler with pockets full of money, a crew to move through the streets with, and women that loved thugs. This is how I lived my life; the game was my religion, and I had no desire to do anything else, ever. But my life came to a screeching halt when I landed in that cell. A cell where the events of my life were cast on the brick walls like a movie. Hour after hour, day after day, month after month, year after year, the chapters of the book of my life captured my undivided attention. Regret began to creep into my mind, regret of the time lost. Then my subconscious became elated. Because under everything I tried to be, was a creative soul. Then without warning the writer in me put pen to paper, and the words began to flood the paper. I was able to escape the prison cell and enter into a world where I could create whatever I wanted. It was not only the beginning of my writing career, but it was also the birth of the man I was supposed to be. The project that I began in that prison cell allowed me to see the world thru new lenses, ones that I never knew existed. It also nurtured my humanity which in return helped to me to mature and understand clearly not only the world around me, but my rightful place in it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a self-taught writer, as well as Graffiti Artist with over 35 years of experience. One of the businesses that I have started is T-shirt Kings, an apparel company that embodies the spirit of street inspired fashion that allows voices once silenced to be heard loudly. From a very young age I have been intrigued by visual expression. Whether it was the gang symbols, logos and trademarks, or signs on businesses, I would capture those images in my mind then go home and practice what I saw. Over the years that love for putting signs and symbols on paper grew into affinity to put my mark on surfaces, both stationary and moving! This grew into artwork commissions, writing graffiti art inspired fiction, and an apparel company. For me expression is essential and can done through multiple mediums.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me being able to invest (monetarily) in my projects myself is something that I treasure. In this ever-changing world that we live in opportunities present themselves and implementation is vital to success. I personally prefer to be the catalyst for investment returns, as opposed to investing in others’ visions. My belief is that If I invest in a venture that I created, not only do I have complete understanding of the venture, but nobody is going to hustle harder for me than me! I believe in my creativity; I have confidence in my abilities. This is a very rewarding feeling.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I’m a very hands-on person. I put a premium on customer interactions. I offer customer reviews, a newsletter subscription opportunity, and one on one experiences to my customers. I also utilize email lists, social media accounts, and give aways to attract new customers. However, the mobile aspect, going out to events and actually talking to prospective customers is my most successful source of repeat clients.