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

Alright, Reezan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

“When there’s a will, there’s a way.” I don’t know what it is about moms, but they love that quote. I heard it almost daily growing up, and I rolled my eyes every time I heard it. Soon enough, my whole outlook and attitude built upon those words.

What my parents did right was they let me be myself and explore all the creative avenues I wanted without pressuring me into going into a particular field. They always said that I should do whatever interests me and that I could excel in whatever I wanted because “when there’s a will, there’s a way.”

They supported and nurtured all my creative interests. They encouraged me to dream big and pursue whatever I was passionate about, pushing me to stand out and embrace my uniqueness and talents. When I started rapping and creating music, they were (and still are) my biggest fans, always asking to listen to my songs and giving me feedback. When I started a clothing brand with a couple friends, they were excited about my new adventure and advised me about starting a business.

Because my parents encourage my creative endeavors, I feel confident in pursuing careers in the music and fashion industries. I credit my versatility and independent mindset to them, and I am grateful for their sacrifice and hard work so that I can do what I want today.

Reezan, 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?

My day job is as a Software Engineer, and although I love tech, my true passion lies in the creative and design space.

As a creative, what I do is two-fold. Firstly, I’m a music artist and secondly, I’m the graphic designer for BLNK FACE, a streetwear clothing brand, which I co-founded with a couple friends September of 2022.

I started rapping freshman year of high school after being inspired by Childish Gambino and his wordplay and metaphors. My friends and I would freestyle and write bars, but it was more for fun than anything else. College at UCLA was when I started to take music more seriously because of the resources and people I came across. I dropped my first song sophomore year in 2019 and haven’t looked back. My musical style is very diverse. I create songs based off what I’m feeling in moments rather than sticking to a genre. One day I’ll feel like creating an RnB song and another day I’ll feel like spitting bars. I’m versatile with my music, and that’s what makes me different. As I started creating music, I also got into graphic design, creating my own cover art. With that experience, I was able to start a clothing brand with a couple friends.

What got us into the clothing business was “vintage” graphic tees. Looking for tees for ourselves, we noticed that most designs followed the same format. There is hardly any variety in design and style, and we realized that we could tap into the market with a unique twist. We decided upon the name BLNK FACE based off our first tee “The Don”, which was a Luka Doncic inspired design that was drawn with all the faces left blank. That drawn style with blank faces became a part of our identity and represents the power of choosing how you want to express yourself and being who you want to be. Initially starting off with just “vintage” type tees, we are expanding into creating pieces specific to our brand from hats to shirts to shorts having already dropped our first piece of the BLNK FACE collection, “The Venus” Tee.  The coolest thing about getting into this business is the connections we’ve already made within less than a year of starting. For example, we connected with Reggie Bullock, a player on the Dallas Mavericks, and he wore “The Don” Tee to a game.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I do music and graphic design because I genuinely enjoy it. My ultimate goal is to give the world art they’ve never heard or seen. I create from in the moment inspiration that feels right to me and with every piece of art I make, I’m getting closer to defining my own sound and style. With an abundance in content nowadays, it can be hard to stand out and that journey to be different is something that motivates me.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

As a creative, it’s very easy to lose sight of the why sometimes and focus on minute details to the point it drives you crazy. Perfection is costly, and it’s the fine line between passion and insanity.

I spend a lot of time on my art from music to designs, and I always get questioned on why I take forever to drop music or create things. It’s just me trying to make everything perfect in my eyes because I want my art to be exactly how I envision it. That strive for perfection can be exhausting. I started my endeavors as a way to escape my daily stresses, not as a way to bring more stress into the mix. Sometimes I forget that creating should be fun and raw, not always perfect and polished. I’ve realized that I have to let tiny things go because delaying the release of my work or getting too caught up in needless details can hinder my growth as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Other: Music Link: www.fanlink.to/reezan
• BLNK FACE Link: www.blnkface.com
• Instagram: @reezanjiwa10 BLNK FACE Instagram: @blnkfaceco

Image Credits
Khorey Henderson & Adam Merchant