Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Teo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Teo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Origami Cranes has been one of the most influential projects through my musical journey. The idea came back in 2018 when I was in the middle of writing a script for another short-film called “Faded”.
I was laying in bed on my laptop with a blank sketchbook to my left side and I was feeling inspired by sci-fi films and space themes. I had also just debuted the first season of my clothing brand Unlimited Inspiration, which was also inspired by outer space, sci-fi and minimalism, so my mind around this time was somewhere in the stars.
I wanted to write a story that captured the feeling of being completely alone in the universe. I went back and forth beginning to sketch this world out while I typed and typed away, writing it simultaneously.
Essentially, it came down to a story about a man named Mugen who is alive 100 years in the future from the year of his birth (1989 – 2089) and alone on a desolate planet called Eien (“Eternity” in Japanese). His only friend is Siri, who now exists in the form of a hologram projected A.I. Mugen has forgotten the feelings of love and is trying to rediscover them through a conversation with Siri, while also trying to rediscover his identity as it has been lost through time with the change of the planet’s mechanics.
The Origami Cranes script then turned to a music video/short-film with the help of Film Director Kevin Norman and 2x Emmy Award Winning Motion Graphic Artist Emonee LaRussa, which weaved in all the elements of outer space and the world of hip-hop.
This project was meaningful to me because it not only challenged the boundaries of my art and writing, but also my directing, organization and creativity. It showed me what is possible when you don’t place limits on your ideas (monetarily or creatively) and you see them through completely.
Origami Cranes spanned over the course of 3 years into its completion with a budget of $7k. As an independent artist/musician that funds their own projects, I encourage any creative to completely trust yourself and your ideas and express them by any means necessary, in order to inspire the generations of artists to come to do the same. Art is eternal.
Teo, 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 art spans across countless spaces. Outside of being a musician and writer, I am a graphic designer and offer motion graphic/album cover art services to artists of many mediums. This work also includes lyric videos, show flyers/promo videos and poster designs.
I enjoy helping other artists bring their ideas to life through digital art and motion in my own interpretation. For me, expression is a core form of artistry and expressing through a visual space is one of the most powerful tools where this can be achieved.
My passion for digital art was born from photography. Back in 2014, I bought myself a Canon t5i for my birthday and began to explore my city and take photos of everything I found interesting. I remember always finding myself climbing on roof tops specifically and shooting the landscape of the city at the highest elevations I could find. This led to solo night adventures on my bicycle learning long exposure style shots.
From this, I started to bring the images into Photoshop to teach myself to edit them. This is where everything changed because I found the infinite amount of ways you could manipulate photos within the program outside of a simple edit.
I eventually transitioned from simply bringing images into the program to creating my own style of digital art and motion graphics through it. This bleeds into my music cover arts as well as my clothing designs and through it, I’ve also been able to help other musicians/artists bring their ideas to life in the digital realm.
It’s both a blast and a challenge because I never know how the art will turn out, but the piece will always tell me when it’s complete.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Freedom.
Mental, creative, physical, financial, emotional, spiritual.
Art is powerful enough to bring that to every ones life.
I’m the most free when I’m creating, whether it’s writing music, making beats, designing an album cover, editing a video, or sketching out a new hoodie. By embodying these elements in all their forms, my mission remains constant because art is infinite and we are infinite beings.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I’ll share 6 books that shifted my thinking and influenced my philosophy:
The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life (Volume 1 & 2) – Drunvalo Melchizedek
The Art of War – Niccolo Machiavelli
The Prince – Niccolo Machiavelli
Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
I’ve yet to read the 6th one
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7mrCHDh4fe5uxpTfQPZq4o?si=9sPsGjNvQVKnBWJbyI9r3Q
- Instagram: Design page: https://instagram.com/ui.bydesign Main page: https://instagram.com/mugenspire Clothing page: https://instagram.com/unlimitedinspirationmembers
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mugenspire
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Teo916/featured
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@mugenspire
Image Credits
Nic Ng, Dev Anglin, Eric Saragoza, Demetrius Williams