About Kari Blak

Kari Blak is an American artist, illustrator, muralist, and designer born on the south side of Chicago.

His artistry concentrates on socioeconomic and environmental racism issues. Through colorful, illustrative imagery he employs a variety of styles from graphic to realistic. Kari often juxtaposes conceptual ideas of social justice with a youthful optimistic aesthetic. He has worked with Mural Moves studio. for the past 5 years as a designer and lead artist painting public and private murals throughout Chicago. He has also illustrated many children’s books and graphic novels. Kari is currently focused on studio painting through a residency at the Chicago Art Department.

Featuring: Petalhead

Petalhead spreads awareness of the impacts of climate change by being a voice for the younger generation that will be the most impacted. Through clothing, art figures, digital media and paintings,  Petalhead will tell a relatable human story. A story that gives representation to the communities that are disproportionately at risk.

words by Shahrnaz Javid | photos on film by Ron Louis

Design as a means of communication isn't a discovery. Hence, one's "design language" is usually one of the first things we notice when receiving work. But Ron Louis isn't claiming to be doing anything new; he's claiming his need for several creative outlets to make sense of what lay around him.

 The celebrated Chicago designer studied briefly at the International Academy of Design & Technology in Chicago, but his real education predated formal teachings; it's cliche, but Ron Louis is a self-taught man. He is self-driven, self-investigative, and a self-starter. All of which may allude to the same thing, but all of which are important because Louis's creativity directly translates the thoughts that occupy his mind. From Chicago's Southside, he doesn't transcend the typical mentality of Chicago natives because he shares a great love for his peers and is consistent in his outpour of support even when his dealings may be more silent. And if they are quiet, it's because he is busy taking on a new method to his "madness." In truth, a great deal of his inspiration has come from his immediate community. To pay it forward, he's incorporated Chicago into the forefront of the global community he's creating. 

Regarding the clothes he makes, it's not that they're genderless but that they are made for the like-minded, whoever and wherever they may be. Being a person who views everything with a curious and speculative eye, it's almost as if he has to create to understand it. With Louis, design or any creative pursuit is his mother tongue and vehicle towards connectivity.

 "Going to an international school with people from all over the world, they brought all these different ideas to design. It was really interesting and made me realize, 'wow, there are so many different people, but we're all similar.' It was that feeling of relation and thinking beyond Chicago. I thought to myself, 'let me reach people that understand organically where I'm coming from and my perspective.' It was [my designs] trying to reach people like me but beyond."

Day in the Life of Ron shot by Ron Louis

It's important to note that reaching beyond for Louis never meant leaving behind. Despite his need for more life, he's remained grounded and connected to his home, Chicago, even with his current opportunities and the ones to come.

 "I've always wanted to travel the world. That was something that I picked up from my mom. I saw her travel a lot, even when she wasn't supposed to. Just throw her responsibilities away to see the world. I always admired that because she would always come back with new information or stories of places she visited. I can see myself moving to other places to gain a new perspective for a few months, but Chicago is home. And I'm doing something here with Localethat I think will benefit future creatives. When it becomes bigger than you, it feels more solidified."

 Many times, thinking of one's location can stifle a person. Still, the beauty in Louis's self-awareness is the understanding that his pin on the map doesn't determine or limit his social cache. He's connected and forged bonds with people across the globe, off the strength of them embodying the energy of specific garments he's made.

 "When things come to taste, I love being around people or following people whose level is higher than mine. I think, 'this is insane. What's going on,' when I see what they share. I am a social networker. If we follow each other and I see you're doing something cool, I'm going to pay attention and reach out at the right time when I have something [for them]."

This is his approach to design. It always has different faces. He designs with a vision in mind to start conversations with others. This approach led him to build a foundation for his network by connecting with specific individuals in France, Japan, the UK, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Canada and more. However, it was never their location that drew him in. Their taste, knowledge, and way of living were what Louis connected to. Being from the generation tied to the advent of social media, he has a particular knack for sniffing out the platform's fraudulence. His ability to distinguish between users (being just that) and honest, interesting people have afforded him the necessary balance of living a fulfilled, creative life.

 He ran a music blog that connected him to many greats of Chicago's culture scene in his youth. As he got older, he shifted toward fashion design which opened celebrity styling opportunities. However, in knowing himself, Louis knew styling wasn't his actual love language, no matter who the celebrity was. Today he creates from a place of need, not to be confused with desperation. He's collaborated with community members, styled artists like Pusha T, worked with Nike and designed clothes and furniture. It's no telling what's next. He's not an unpredictable creative but an inspired one. We're discussing a man in his late twenties, full of life and possibility. Most importantly, we're talking about a man without ego but all the integrity in his work.

 "Without getting too philosophical, I try not to see myself [in my designs]. I try to see myself in other people as a reflection. When we have these conversations, the end goal is a relationship. How can we learn from each other, and how can I make my things become an educational experience. I'm also teaching myself simultaneously as it's coming out. Seeing it [the designs] exactly how it is in my mind, working through certain problems, and having the moments teach me who I am, what I think I am, and how others perceive me."

 While the world continues to spin, Ron Louis remains water. Allowing himself to flow in new and unchartered territory with the same calm and current has led him to his experiences. The key to longevity in his path is the continued investment in finding oneself, something he committed to long before putting needle to thread.

 "When you're making anything, understand the contradiction of humanity and understand that nothingness is also something positive. You have pain; you have the other side, the ugly side, but ugly things make beautiful things. If you're not crying or frustrated or stressed out, I would often question whether it's real or the beginning of something else."

words by Shahrnaz Javid

Since 2011, photographer Bianca Garcia has shot over 800 portraits (amongst other works). The exact number would rely on a long, tedious process of pouring through a multitude of external hard drives, a process that would only further prove the already apparent level of dedication Bianca has to her work. A Houston native, Bianca has since adopted Chicago as her creative home after moving to attend Columbia College in 2013 as a photography major.

In our first 20-minute Studio Stories, OG Studios hopes to convey the human nature of the creative community and individual secrets to success. Our first guest’s main ingredient is a simple and timeless action, that when carefully mixed with the rest, has proved to be a powerful recipe with continued fruit to bear.

Bianca Garcia is not another transplant to the Greater Chicago zip codes; having moved from a major US city, Bianca’s move contributed a lot of reciprocity and love in relation to her new home. While adapting to the city’s hustle and bustle, she simultaneously softened the creative community with her genuine touch and a purist mentality of getting to know and connect with her subjects. Injecting her arena with a fun and vibrant energy, her innate qualities of being open and kind to friends and strangers alike have opened a lot of doors for her hard work to further breakthrough.

“In general since the beginning of time, my thing has been to be nice to people. I’ve said it a million times and especially in the industry I’m in, do not get caught up in clout chasing.”

Kindness is a fundamental key to living and thriving in any environment and Bianca’s simple approach has allowed her to connect with a diverse community and provided opportunities to photograph nearly everything a freelance creative can hope for. From having her work published in Vogue, photographing artists like Kanye West, Tyler the Creator, Deadmau5, Mac Miller, and more, as well as numerous collaborations with Nike – Bianca’s eye has been a technical and visually stimulating success all thanks to her skill, consistency and basic human element of kindness.

“What we fail to realize is that some people open doors for others just for talking to them. I genuinely enjoy conversation and love to ask how they’re [everyone] doing.” Showing interest has allowed the likes to be interested back.

The simultaneous double-reality is that Bianca’s exuberantly positive attitude can only do so much before the sport kicks back in. “The energy in Chicago is great, but there is constant

competition with the people already here. The creative pool can be so small sometimes that you’re in constant competition with your friends.” Having been a full-time freelancer for the past five years, in addition to her own personal goals, Bianca has a monthly quota for herself and the gigs she takes on to maintain her overhead. “It’s nerve-wracking and cutthroat but we are all in this pool together, you just have to be emotionally prepared and keep your relationships with people tight and up-to-date.”

These scenarios are, however, common in creative communities across the country (and globe) where there is potential for commercial success. This burden Bianca has learned to lessen by realizing the moment and following her intuitive pull.

“It crosses my mind a lot if I moved to a bigger city, would my career take off or plummet. I really don’t know but I don’t see myself moving from Chicago in the next five or six years, this feels like where I need to be right now, and moving isn’t what I feel to be in my direct path at the moment.”

*commentary note* This outlook I found to be increasingly refreshing, especially coming from a millennial whose generation is notorious (along with gen Z) for their high stakes expectations for instant gratification and success, which when not granted can be overwhelmingly demoralizing to a point of ringing anxiety and depression. This is me, the interviewer, advocating that we as a generation rally against the statistics by embracing our surroundings and watering the grass where we are, not longing for another’s yard.

In order to be present, positive, kind, and motivated, Bianca is a proponent of mental health and self-care.

“I make sure I have time to take care of myself, do a mask, listen to music.”

Most importantly from this conversation, Bianca’s biggest advice to her fellow and aspiring photographers is: don’t burn yourself out, don’t be afraid to tell people your worth, it is okay to say no, and next time you’re at an event “networking” don’t just talk to the person in Gucci head to toe. Talk to the person in the corner of the room, because chances are not only are they a good person but quite possibly the one who will open your next door.