We recently connected with Jeremy Picker Angelo Montiel and have shared our conversation below.

Jeremy Picker, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Yes we are both full time creatives in our day job which is AMB3R Creative a custom apparel designs firm & now starting Ink & Thread Creative which is focused on supporting the local Colorado community using history and fashion and fun. Growing up, having full time creative career wasn’t as popular as it is now. Social media has helped that, but we both started from the bottom in the clothing industry and worked our way up to oversee all creative and product development

Getting rejected by clients is a true fork in the road to see if you can handle the rejection or if you can push through it.

Was it like that from day one?
If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

It was definitely not like that from day one. It took well over a decade to discover our true skills and what we love to do. When you re young you don’t always know what you want to do for a career so is a lot of trial & error.

Angelo was comfortable in a corporate creative job that he didn’t keep pushing to progress his career outside of that role. While he freelanced on the side, you can only scale so much when trading time for money.

Jeremy Started in the band merch world and then started AMB3R in 2008. He went from creative focused to business owner and struggled to balance both. After hundreds of thousands of dollars in mistakes over the years, the school of hard knocks shaped him to what he is today.

But neither of them focus on what they think they should have done, but decided to focus on the now and future to take a chance on growing in their creative career.

Jeremy Picker, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Ink & Thread Creative consists of 3 Colorado brands.
Mexicolo: Mexican heritage thriving in Colorado

The Box State: A fun playful outdoors brands focused on tourism and souvenirs.

Denco Heritage Brand: Premium heritagewear lifestyle brand that focuses not he history of Colorado.

Jeremy: In my 20s, I used to tour with rock bands selling merch on the road. I reached out to a buddy who said, I’m building a company that’s more fashion forward. Our tagline is fashion to the people. So I quit my job, took $5,000 of savings, and we started AMB3R to bring retail-level design and decoration to mom-and-pop shops, nonprofits, restaurants, bars, and breweries. We focused on apparel and wearables only—decoration techniques, finishes, washes, trims—and that focus turned into full merch collections over time.

When did you realize merch could build community?

Jeremy: I saw that in the band world first. Even though it was the same merch every night, every crowd was different. That raving fan energy showed me there was something powerful there. Merchandise builds community if it’s done right. You’re taking a tight-knit community and giving them a way to carry it out into the world. Merchandise is meant to be worn. People forget that. No pay-per-click ad or flyer will ever go further than what merchandise can.
What is Mexicolo, and why did you create it?

Angelo: There are plenty of Colorado brands, but not one that ties in Hispanic and Mexican culture. We said, “we can do this, we have the knowledge.” I’m Mexican, so I can bring that perspective, that art style, that quality… the same as AMB3R’s. We made it into a culture-driven brand that focuses on cultura, people, pop culture, and good fashion.

Jeremy: It’s more than a clothing brand. Clothing is our outlet. Colorado has a 23% Hispanic population—a market that’s not being reached. We wanted to bring people together in the nostalgia of Mexican culture. We’re not trying to be the cool guys. We want to make people laugh. We want to entertain people.

What do you want people to feel when they experience Mexicolo?

Angelo: I want people to feel a little touch from home. Remembering their home, their culture, their family. A lot of second or third generations don’t remember Mexico anymore, so Mexicolo is that missing puzzle piece. We want people to feel proud of who they are and where they come from, and also where they are, which is Colorado. We’re not only for Mexicans. There are plenty of gringos who love the Mexican culture. We want to bring people together and have fun.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Make a concerted effort to purchase from small local businesses. Go to art fairs, first Fridays, hire professionals for your creative needs, share their social media accounts, etc. Creatives rely on word of mouth and even small orders helps them continue doing what they are passionate about.

Instead of going to starbucks, try a local coffee shop.
Instead of a major food chain, support a food truck or a small hole in the wall restaurant.
Instead of buying a tee from the mall, find a local marketplace for something similar.

Really there is nothing to small when supporting local creatives and artists!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

For MexiColo, we started with no followers 6 months ago and now have 1800 followers & getting tons of views for most videos. There is enough division and negativity int he world, we want to bring humor and fun and creativity to Coloradans.

Our series “Foodie Cultura” has been a major bump in visibility. Angelo just started recording himself going to restaurants with his family and shares about what he likes and eats there. he interveiws workers there sometimes and showcases the ambiance. Not trying to share the bad experiences because that really hurts small businesses, but highlighting the postives.

While we are getting free food sometimes, we are working to get paid partnerships so we can elevate our production level and get some support.

One thing we are learning is to experiment with different types of content,. Some fall flat others are ok, but you never know what will hit unless you put yourself out there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inkandthreaddesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mexicolo97/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573868709564
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwpicker/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mexi-Colo
• Other: TIK TOK https://www.tiktok.com/@mexicolomarcaregistrada?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits

INK & THREAD CREATIVE
X
TOP SHOT PRODUCTIONS