We recently connected with Samuel Cordova and have shared our conversation below.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Samuel Marcelo Cordova—artist name: CS RUCKER. I’m a 37-year-old father of four daughters and a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since childhood, I’ve been drawn to music, fashion, and art. I grew up in a strict religious home and when I wasn’t engaged in my artistic hobbies, my family and I spent many hours helping out the church and community. Later on in high school, I was into theater, recording music, and was also part of a local break dancing crew. Throughout these endeavors, I’ve always been hustling. Honestly, I’ve had a job since I was in the 7th grade and along the way I learned to resell vintage and used clothing to friends or good ol’ Buffalo Exchange to make an extra buck.

Once out of school, I ping-ponged back and forth between Albuquerque, NM and Dallas, TX. I worked on music and also partnered with friends in Dallas to develop a lifestyle streetwear brand and a music streetwear brand. Eventually, I moved back to Albuquerque permanently.

While things didn’t happen the way I had planned when I was a young adult, I didn’t give up my fashion and vintage “dreams.” I started doing pop-up events, making clothes, and recording more music. After having kids here in Albuquerque, I realized that I didn’t have to move somewhere to pursue my dreams. Rather, I can do what I need to right here from my hometown.

Poverty is pretty prevalent in NM so I knew that I wanted to invest in my community and uplift the unique culture I was so passionate about. I also wanted to consider the environmental impact of my endeavors and knew upcycling clothing would have fewer negative impacts than a traditional business model where I bring a new product to market. Plus, I would be able to pursue my love for vintage clothing unapologetically.

In 2014, I started a streetwear brand lifestyle project called “THE HUMAN ONES.“ The name comes from the idea that “We are all one, united in our diversity”—meaning we are all part of the human race, so different but the same in many ways. This all started back in the Tumblr and Big Cartel shop days. Me and some friends working on the project got a lot of steam and to this day, we continue using THE HUMAN ONES as a medium to create content, influence the community, and make clothes while provoking thought through the arts. I believe these disjointed experiences are what sets my art apart from many others. I have been consistently inconsistent and going forward, I endeavor to see my projects through to the next phase: releasing capsule collections throughout the year and streamlining ideas that more coherently build the brand. Ideally, this brand building within THE HUMAN ONES will seep into my personal project CS RUCKER. I’ve discovered that consistency in delivery and follow up is key. This includes quality and making the product as accessible as possible.

More recently, I’ve started working on a kids vintage brand: APPLE VINTAGE. These products are available at a local ABQ gift shop Flyby Provisions. If this latest venture has taught me anything, it’s that life is not about chasing a dream, but about creating it. The work is never over, and I know if I’m authentic and honoring my true self, there’s no reason not to try.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2017, after welcoming my fourth child, I realized a long-standing aspiration by establishing a thrift shop. The allure of owning a space for daily creative expression, upcycling endeavors, and exploring unique vintage fashion resonated deeply with me. It also provided a platform for people to experience my streetwear brand The Human Ones, and allowed fellow creatives to showcase their work through pop-up events at my shop.

Regrettably, my inclination toward collaboration took an unexpected turn. People began to approach the space with a sense of ownership, leading to a loss of control and a shift away from the positive and healthy atmosphere I initially envisioned. Concurrently managing a part-time job, I devoted over two years to ensure the venture’s financial sustainability for my family. Eventually, acknowledging the need for a change, I made the tough decision to move on from the venture in 2019.

But since then, I’ve never stopped—I’m still creating. I have always managed to find new spaces to sell, create and showcase my work.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up in a very religious household my family was always focused on charity and giving back. Sometimes this was done before our own needs were met. Recognizing my own value, and the value of what I do, I have felt at times my art is charity work and have given it away or devalued my work getting nothing in return but confusion or self doubt. Allowing others to tell me how to think and what my vision is. In reality, this is a waste of time and can get redundant. I don’t have time or opportunity to waste. Throughout these experiences, I’m learning more and more about self-preservation and what it means to value my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/csrucker
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csrucker?igsh=MXg3Nm9tYTc5M2I2eQ==
• Other: @humanones on instagram Thehumanones.com @applevtg Instagram

Image Credits
First image of me is a photo by artist Jesse Littlebird The first image on the next page is of a 5×5 canvas I put together in collaboration with Jesse Littlebird. He sent me an image of one of his paintings and I reimagined it with fabric. Photo 7 is of me Djing and poping up at Flyby Provisions photo taken by artist/friend @darknessabides Other photos are of garments I screen printed reworked garms and vintage.